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George Hincapie (Columbia-HTC) rode through a wall of sound as he outsprinted Andrew Bajadali (Kelly Benefit Strategies) to win the road race Sunday at the USA Cycling Professional National Championships in his adopted hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. The pair overtook Jeff Louder (BMC Racing Team), who attacked an elite group of seven riders in the final lap of the 185km race, which featured four trips over Paris Mountain.

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Chris Horner cannot wait to get to the warmer climes of Spain. It’s not that the Astana captain doesn’t like bumping shoulders on the narrow, rainy roads of Holland, but he knows that the real battle won’t begin until the Vuelta a España transfers down to the Iberian peninsula next week. In the meantime, it’s about gritting the teeth and avoiding a costly mishap.

Gerald Ciolek (Milram) has been lurking on the edge of greatness ever since he came out of nowhere to beat Erik Zabel and claim the 2005 German national title as a 20-year-old neo-pro. After winning the 2006 U23 world title, Ciolek has patiently been collecting minor wins and close calls in bigger events. He finally got his just reward in Sunday’s second stage of the 2009 Vuelta a España, a pan-flat 203.7km ride from Assen to Emmen in the Netherlands.

Danny Pate (Garmin-Slipstream) has a long-standing relationship with the top of the results sheet at the USA Cycling Professional National Championships in Greenville, South Carolina. Pate has finished top-five in the road race every year since the event moved from Philadelphia to Greenville in 2006. A former U23 world time trial champion, Pate has skipped the time trial each of the last two seasons to focus solely on the road race at nationals and hopes to break through to the top step of the podium Sunday.

If Saturday’s rowdy and enthusiastic welcome for the Vuelta a España is any indication, next year’s Giro and Tour starts should be off the charts. An estimated 40,000 fans braved wind, cold and rain to watch SuperFabio roar into the leader’s jersey at the Vuelta, so just imagine what it’s going to be like in Amsterdam, which hosts the Giro start in May, and Rotterdam, which has the Tour’s grand depart in July. Holland is playing host to all three grand tours and the Dutch fans seem up to the task of making the pro peloton feel welcome.

Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Slipstream) reaffirmed his position atop the U.S. time trial field Saturday, as he won his fourth consecutive national championship by nearly one minute on a 20.7-mile course in Greenville, South Carolina. Zabriskie blazed the winding Greenville time trial course Saturday in a time of 39:37, 1:02 faster than his winning time on the same course in 2008.

When the stage has a clock sitting at the finish line and riders start one at a time, you can almost bet the house that Fabian Cancellara is going to be fastest across the line. The big Swiss time machine reaffirmed his prowess against the clock with an impressive ride on damp but not wet roads in front of 40,000 rowdy Dutch fans to jump start the 64th Vuelta a España and snag the leader’s jersey.

Start Times – Prologue, Vuelta a España, 2009

• 1. Alberto FernÁndez Sainz Xacobeo Galiciap, starts at 3:21p.m.
• 2. Matheus Pronk Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team, starts at 3:22p.m.
• 3. Dominik Roels Team Milram, starts at 3:23p.m.
• 4. Frantisek Rabon Team Columbia-HTC, starts at 3:24p.m.
• 5. Kevin De Weert Quick Step, starts at 3:25p.m.
• 6. Francesco Tomei Lampre-NGC, starts at 3:26p.m.
• 7. Christian Meier Garmin-Slipstream, starts at 3:27p.m.
• 8.

The organizers of the U.S. Professional Road and Time Trial Championships released the following start list for Saturday's time trial in Greenville, South Carolina.

• 1. 11.30:00 Jonathan Hamblen Dlp Racing
• 2. 11.32:00 Wade Wolfenbarger Cinelli-Down Under
• 3. 11.34:00 Kiel Reijnen Jelly Belly Cycling Team
• 4. 11.36:00 Jonathan Chodroff Ouch Presented By Maxxis
• 5. 11.38:00 Matthew Crane Jelly Belly Cycling Team
• 6. 11.40:00 Omer Kem Bissell Pro Cycling

Editor's Note: Calvin Jones is Park Tool's education director and the chief mechanic for Team USA at next week's mountain bike world championships in Canberra, Australia. His future columns from Canberra will be published on VeloNews.com's sister site, Singletrack.com. An archive of his journals is available on the Park Tool Web site.

The 64th Vuelta a España clicks into gear Saturday on the Assen race track with one of its deepest and most competitive fields ever. Not only are riders racing the Vuelta to prepare for the world championships, but some of the biggest names are lining up with nothing less than all-out victory as their stated goals. With none of last year’s top-3 back to defend their podium spots, the 2009 Vuelta is wide open. A challenging course well-suited for aggressive attacks in the mountains will promise to keep things interesting all the way into the final week.

When Singletrack.com laid eyes on Scott Morris' photos and diary from the recently completed Colorado Trail Race, our notion of "epic ride" took on new meaning.

Astana is sending Tour of California champ Levi Leipheimer to the Tour of Missouri next month, in what will be Leipheimer's first race sine he broke his wrist during the Tour de France. Joining Leipheimer on the team will be 2007 Tour de Georgia winner Janez Brajkovic and Yaroslav Popovych, a Tour of Italy podium finisher and stage winner at the Tour de Georgia. "I'm still recovering from my broken wrist," Leipheimer said. "But anytime I have the opportunity to line-up for a race of this caliber in my own country, I'm going to make my best effort to participate."

Chris Horner will finally get a crack at the GC in a grand tour when the Vuelta a España clicks into gear on Saturday in Holland. That’s according to Astana sport director Sean Yates, who said the team will let Horner give it a stab for the overall classification. “Horner has progressed a lot this year, but he hasn’t had a chance to show on his own what he can do in the GC because he’s always been working for others,” Yates said. “I think he’s very motivated for the Vuelta. First he has to avoid a crash and then it’s a question of following.”

Preliminary Start List – Vuelta a España 2009