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Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas) came from behind on Saturday to win a bunch sprint in stage 6 of the Tour of Missouri, sweeping around Thor Hushovd (Cervelo) and Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Colavita) in the final meters to win a Missouri stage for the second year in a row. Garmin-Slipstream's Dave Zabriskie "rode a wave of attacks" to preserve his overall lead headed into what race organizers promise is a difficult final stage on Sunday in Kansas City.

Everyone has his own way of killing time on the lengthy drive that we've just begun to the start of stage 6.

Cadel Evans just can’t seem to catch a break this season. The Australian’s chances of overall victory were torpedoed Saturday with an ill-timed puncture near the top of the decisive Alto de Monachil climb late in the five-climb 13th stage. Confusion over a wheel change cost Evans critical seconds and he lost contact with the top GC rivals just as the leaders were nearing the final charge up to the summit finish at Sierra Nevada.

America’s Tejay van Garderen narrowly missed victory in Saturday’s individual time trial at the Tour de l’Avenir, finishing second on the stage en route to climbing into second place overall. Race leader Romain Sicard (France A) confirmed his grip on the overall with a narrow, three-second victory in the 27km time trial course in Ornans. Russian rider Timofey Kritskiy, who started the day second, crashed out of the race with a broken leg and other serious cuts.

Matthew Goss (Saxo Bank) proved fastest in a bunch sprint on Saturday to win the 217.6km Paris-Brussels. The Australian crossed ahead of compatriot Allan Davis (Quick Step) and Belgium's Kristof Goddaert (Topsport Vlaanderen) to take the victory in the 89th annual classic. It was the 23-year-old Goss's fifth win of the season and his third in Belgium after two stage triumphs on the Tour de Wallonie during the summer. "It was a difficult sprint especially towards the end when it was vital not to go too early," said Goss.

Australia's Chris Sutton (Garmin-Slipstream) sealed the biggest win of his career by claiming the first stage of the Tour of Britain with a sprint finish victory in York on Saturday. Sutton, the nephew of British track cycling coach Shane Sutton, held off Barloworld's Michel Merlo and home riders Ben Swift and Russell Downing following a 172km stage from Scunthorpe to Newcastlegateshead. And he paid tribute to Garmin teammate Bradley Wiggins, fourth in the Tour de France earlier this year, for his stellar lead-out efforts.

David Moncoutie (Cofidis) padded his lead in the mountains competition by winning stage 13 of the 2009 Vuelta a Espana on Saturday. The mountains leader was the lone survivor of a break that formed up on the day’s first climb, and he set about taking the points on each of the next four categorized ascents before finally riding off the front of the crumbling break to solo in for the victory at the ski resort of Sierra Nevada, above the city of Granada.

Grega Bole of Slovenia kicked off the 22nd CISM World Military Cycling Championships by winning the time trial on Friday in Clonmel, Ireland. The 24-year-old, who recently signed a contract to race for Lampre in 2010, blitzed the 20.52km course in a time of 24 minutes and 16 seconds — just seven seconds off the record for the same course set by Sean Kelly in the 1986 Nissan Classic. German teammates Stefan Schaefer and Robert Bengsch were second and third, respectively. The top three were the only riders to crack the 25-minute mark.

Laughter resounds through the camper as Mark’s joke carries from the back to the front where George, who is at the brunt of it, sits. On the puffy pleather couches and fabric chairs we lounge in our cycling shorts, waiting until the last minute, like school kids, before heading to the start. Our radios dangle from our ears, our jerseys are piled along with our helmets and race food ready to be pulled on at the very last minute.

After four days of racing that left the first two riders tied and the first 85 riders within one minute of the leader, the 2009 Tour of Missouri finally took shape Friday in the stage 5 time trial. Garmin-Slipstream's David Zabriskie demolished the field, taking the stage victory and the yellow jersey on the same day his teammate Ryder Hesjedal took a historic stage win at the Vuelta a Espana.

After a break of six weeks, action resumes this weekend at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Champéry, Switzerland. On the start line will be newly crowned World Champions Nino Schurter and Irina Kalentieva.

The Italian Amore & Vita Detweiler Hershey & Associates team put Philip Mamos into the leader’s jersey of the Univest Grand Prix on Friday with a victory in the stage-1 team time trial. The TTT in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a first for the Univest GP, was two laps of a 3.8-mile course that featured several turns and a technical section near the end that included a short, steep climb.

Tire talk consumes an inordinate amount of conversational time when one engages with an off-road bicycle racer. What is Barry Wicks running right now? The best (even if it's all in his mind)!

Tom Danielson is licking his lips ahead of Saturday’s decisive climbing stage to Sierra Nevada in the 13th stage at the Vuelta a España. The route will retrace some of the roads over the Cat. 1 Alto de Monachil where he attacked three years ago to claim his biggest win of his career into Granada during the 2006 Vuelta. Danielson has twice finished in the top 10 at the Vuelta, but is now poised to make a run for the final podium — or perhaps even more.

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Slipstream) made history Friday when he became the first Canadian to win a stage at the Vuelta a España. Hesjedal also delivered Garmin’s second consecutive stage victory at the Vuelta with a gutsy late-stage performance up the grueling Velefique climb. Hesjedal spoke exclusively to VeloNews following his emotional stage victory. Here are excerpts from his post-stage reaction: VeloNews: Describe your feelings coming across the line.

1. Alessandro Vanotti (ITA) Liquigas, starts 2:00 p.m.
2. William Frischkorn (USA) Garmin-Slipstream, starts 2:01 p.m.
3. Francesco Chicchi (ITA) Liquigas, starts 2:02 p.m.
4. Charly Vives (CAN) Planet Energy, starts 2:03 p.m.
5. Matthew Rice (AUS) Jelly Belly Cycling Team, starts 2:04 p.m.
6. Francois Parisien (CAN) Planet Energy, starts 2:05 p.m.
7. Tyler Wren (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home P/b Cooking Light, starts 2:06 p.m.
8. Bradley Huff Charles (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team, starts 2:07 p.m.
9.

There were no major shakeups in the Tour de l’Avenir on Friday and America’s Tejay van Garderen and Peter Stetina remained securely in the top 10 going into Saturday’s decisive individual time trial. The Colombian team tried to shake things up, putting two riders into the day’s main breakaway in the 182.5km run from Gérardmer to Ornans. The pack came back together for the bunch sprint, and German rider Andreas Stauff out-kicked Russian Timofey Kritskiy to take the flowers.

There is the right tool for every job, and on some race courses that ‘right tool' may be a 29er, or a full-suspension bike or maybe even — gasp — a 26-inch hardtail.

This July, federal authorities broke up the largest dog-fighting ring in U.S. history. It ensnared people operating in five states, including Missouri, where the Humane Society of Missouri took in over 400 dogs rescued from the ring. But with so many dogs coming into their care at once, the MHS sent out a plea for donations. Cycling photographer Jonathan Devich decided to take things a step further than simply sending some toys or writing a check. He set up a fundraising initiative called MODogs, and is donating proceeds from any prints he sells from shooting the Tour of Missouri.

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Slipstream) launched a desperate, last-ditch attack in the final meters to win the 12th stage of the 2009 Vuelta a España atop the Alto de Velefique on Friday.

Win a Cannondale bike! Upload your video with the theme "How do you Fight the Good Fight" to TourofmissouriFanZone.com. The videos will be judged by panel that includes Tour organizers, Cannondale officials and others. Entries/uploads will be accepted online until September 25th. Make sure you put the word "Cannondale" in the subject line. Winner will be announced online by October 1st.