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MILAN (AFP) — As the UCI dug in its heels Friday over the radio ban, it was revealed that the peloton aims to defy UCI orders by wearing the radio-earpieces during the Harelbeke GP E3 on March 26, the Coppi-Bartali international cycling week on March 22-26 and the Criterium International on March 26-27.

With just days to go before the UCI must decide whether or not it will appeal the Spanish cycling federation's ruling to clear Alberto Contador, UCI president Pat McQuaid says that the three-time Tour de France champion is not receiving preferential treatment.

Pat McQuaid issues an open letter to riders regarding the radio ban

UCI president Pat McQuaid is digging in his heels over the race radio issue and promises there will be no moving backward.

A close look at the new Specialized Venge aero bike Cavendish and others will ride Saturday

Must Reads: Fuentes, Saíz facing jail time for Puerto

Team RadioShack on Friday announced its team for next week's Volta a Catalunya (Tour of Catalonia).

TAIPEI (AFP) - The German national cycling team has dropped out of a race in Taiwan this month due to concerns over possible radiation risk caused by the Japanese nuclear crisis, the organizer said Friday.

The past week or so has seen the “real” European racing schedule click fully into gear. Anyone who’s watched early season racing cannot deny there’s been so top-notch action across the board, but Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico saw the first hard-fought, gritty GC battles of the season.

MILAN, Italy (VN) – Fabian Cancellara says he is carefree headed into Milan-San Remo on Saturday, one day after he turns 30.

German rider Patrik Sinkewitz (Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli) is facing a lifetime ban after testing positive for human growth hormones from a blood sample taken during the GP di Lugano in late February.

Cadel Evans (BMC), hot off his overall victory at Tirreno-Adriatico, carries hopes of a strong GC performance into next week’s Volta a Catalunya, where he will have the support of American Taylor Phinney.

Ambitious plans to bring an international stage race to Russia are back online.

Classics wheels, roof-rack hierarchy and team car inventory

Specialized jumps into the aero road bike fray with a new bike to debut under Mark Cavendish at Milan-San Remo

At a meeting in Milan Thursday, the Professional Cycling Council decided to recommend a four-year suspension, rather than the current two-years, for the first doping offense "involving a serious substance."

The UCI on Thursday said cycling teams' decision to boycott the Tour of Beijing will not affect the organization's policy on race radios.

"President McQuaid regretfully noted this new element of tension in the situation. It will not, however, change the UCI’s position on the subject. "

2011 Milan-San Remo startlist

Maps and profiles for Saturday's race

LUCCA, Italy (VN) – Milan-San Remo is a lot of things. La classica di Primavera is the first monument of the season. At 298 kilometers, it is the longest one-day race on the UCI WorldTour. Milan-San Remo is the sprinters’ classic and it is multiple races in one seven-hour day, with the early attacks and the slow build-up to the climax of the Poggio and Cipressa climbs before the lights-out run-in to San Remo.

Milan-San Remo winners, 1907-2010

Why the latest Cancellara mechanical doping story is even more stupid than the first

Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) will not line up Monday to defend his title at the Volta a Catalunya due to a nagging leg injury.

UCI officials say they will push ahead with plans to hold the Tour of Beijing despite a call Thursday for a protest by the top professional teams of the inaugural event scheduled for October.

Frustrated teams threw down the gauntlet Thursday and vowed to not attend the UCI-backed Tour of Beijing in October over a long-running feud on the race radio ban issue.

Press Release: Statement from the AIGCP re: the race radio ban

PARIS (AFP) — Professional cycling teams opposed to the UCI's proposed ban on earpieces announced on Thursday that they plan to boycott the Tour of Beijing in protest.

La Classicissimia, Milan-San Remo, gets underway Saturday. Follow along on VeloNews.com via our new Live Update page. After the race check in for a complete report by European correspondent Andrew Hood and photos from the legendary Graham Watson. To whet your appetite, this morning we are sharing a few of Graham's best photos of the race from as far back as 1984. Remember that you can find the full archive of VeloNews.com's Milan-San Remo coverage at www.velonews.com/milan-sanremo.

2011 Amgen Tour of California teams

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The Saxo Bank-SunGard team is extending its partnership with Peaksware, LLC, the maker of TrainingPeaks software.

A reader asks if he should start using chamois cream.

VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood spends some time with Leopard-Trek's Jens Voigt.

• 1. Gert Steegmans, (BEL) Quick Step
• 2. Stefan Van Dijk, (NED)
• 3. Graeme Brown, (AUS) Rabobank Cycling Team
• 4. Jens Keukeleire, (BEL) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
• 5. Yauheni Hutarovich, (BLR) Française des Jeux

While Tony Martin and Cadel Evans were the headliners this past week for their overall victories at Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico respectively, the biggest news was the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to uphold two-year suspensions on Italian racers Franco Pellizotti and Pietro Caucchioli.

Taylor Phinney (BMC) says he’s still hopeful he’ll be able to race the upcoming northern classics despite sitting on the sidelines so far through much of the 2011 season due to a nagging knee injury and a mild concussion.

Geert Steegmans (Quick Step) took a much-needed confidence-boosting victory Wednesday at the Nokere-Koerse semi-classic in Belgium.

LUCA, Italy (VN) - Last year's runner-up Tom Boonen will lead Quick Step into Milan-San Remo Saturday. The Belgian said Wednesday that he has recovered from the flu that held him back at Tirreno-Adriatico last week.

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With the 2009 winner and the most successful sprinter of the 2011 season, HTC-Highroad will enter Saturday’s Milan-San Remo, the first of the spring classics, with two viable options.

The Quiznos Pro Challenge stage race announced five more teams for the August event in Colorado. The five new names are in addition to the five teams announced in December.

Vibration relief, wide-range gearing options and nano health

Stage 7:

• 1. Fabian CANCELLARA, (SUI) Leopard-Trek, at 10:33
• 2. Lars BOOM, (NED) Rabobank Cycling Team, at 9
• 3. Adriano MALORI, (ITA) Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 19
• 4. Rick FLENS, (NED) Rabobank Cycling Team, at 20
• 5. Bert GRABSCH, (GER) HTC-Highroad, at 22

FINAL GC:

• 1. Cadel EVANS, BMC Racing Team, in 27:37:37
• 2. Robert GESINK, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 11
• 3. Michele SCARPONI, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 15
• 4. Ivan BASSO, Liquigas-Doimo, at 24
• 5. Vincenzo NIBALI, Liquigas-Doimo, at 30

SAN BENEDETTO DEL TRONTO, Italy (VN) - World time trial champion Fabian Cancellara (Leopard-Trek) capped a week in Italy with a stage win on the final day of Tirreno-Adriatico Tuesday. Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) defended his maglia azzura with a solid ride to earn his place atop the final podium.

When the French Cycling Federation sanctioned Paris-Nice 2008, in violation of UCI rules, the UCI fined and suspended the French governing body for six months. After its March 11 decision to allow the use of in-race radios in National Racing Calendar events, USA Cycling could be facing a similar fate.

SAN BENEDETTO DEL TRONTO, Italy (VN) – It is four days before the season’s first one-day monument at Milan-San Remo and 2008 winner Fabian Cancellara (Leopard-Trek) is making plans. But those plans are much farther reaching than the 300 kilometers he’ll face Saturday.

Tejay Van Garderen proved himself a valuable asset to Tony Martin and helped pave the way for his German teammate to claim overall victory at Paris-Nice on Sunday.

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Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Tony Martin and HTC-Highroad have moved into the lead of the UCI's WorldTour individual and team rankings following the German's overall victory and Matt Goss' stage win in Paris-Nice.

Quick Step's 23-year-old Italian Davide Malacarne locked up his victory in the climber's competition during stage 6 of Tirreno-Adriatico Monday.

Cadel Evans weathered a late storm to consolidate his Tirreno-Adriatico lead with an impressive victory on stage 6 of the Italian race on Monday.

• 1. Tony Martin, HTC -Highroad, with 108 points
• 2. Cameron Meyer, Team Garmin-Cervelo, with 106 points
• 3. Harley Goss Matthew, HTC -Highroad, with 103 points
• 4. Andreas KlÖden, Team Radioshack, with 88 points

MACERATA, Italy (VN) – Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) is taking a good look at three of his top Tour de France rivals this week in Italy. The overall leader at Tirreno-Adriatico said Sunday, however, that his focus was squarely on winning the final GC in his first stage race of the year.

It’s not the fact that Tony Martin (HTC-Highroad) won one of France’s most prestigious races at Paris-Nice that has everyone taking notice, but how he did it.

Chris Horner is making a later-than-usual start to the 2011 season, but plans to come out guns-a-blazin’ with a season debut next week at the Volta a Catalunya (March 21-27) in Spain.

Stage 5

• 1. Philippe Gilbert, (BEL), Omega Pharma-Lotto, 6:43:23
• 2. Wouter Poels, (NED), Vacansoleil-Dcm Pro Cycling Team, at 0:00
• 3. Damiano Cunego, (ITA), Lampre-Isd, at 0:00
• 4. Danilo Di Luca, (ITA), Katusha Team, at 0:00
• 5. Andrey Amador Bakkazakova, (CRC), Movistar Team, at 0:00

Overall Standings

1. Cadel Evans, (AUS), BMC Racing Team, at

2. Ivan Basso, (ITA), Liquigas-Cannondale, at 0:02

3. Damiano Cunego, (ITA), Lampre-Isd, at 0:03

4. Michele Scarponi, (ITA), Lampre-Isd, at 0:05

5. Robert Gesink, (NED), Rabobank Cycling Team, at 0:05

The BMC racing team has announced that it's newest star, Taylor Phinney, will return to racing at the Volta a Catalunya (March 21-27) following his recovery from a training ride crash last month.

CASTELRAIMONDO, Italy (VN) ─ Classics star Philippe Gilbert didn't miss the decisive moment at Tirreno-Adriatico Sunday. Instead, the Omega Pharma-Lotto rider out-kicked a 13-rider group in Castelraimondo to capture stage 5 of the 'race of the two seas.'

Paris-Nice, Stage 8

• 1. Thomas Voeckler, Team Europcar, at 3:15:58
• 2. Diego Ulissi, Lampre-ISD, at 0:23
• 3. Julien El Fares, Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne, at 01:06
• 4. Samuel Sanchez, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 01:06
• 5. David Lopez Garcia, Movistar Team, at 01:06

Overall standings

• 1. Tony Martin, HTC-Highroad, 34h 03' 37"
• 2. Andréas Klöden, Team Radioshack, at 0:36
• 3. Bradley Wiggins, Sky Procycling, at 00:41
• 4. Rein Taaramae, Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne, at 01:10
• 5. Samuel Sanchez, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 01:13

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Brutal Paris-Nice stage takes its toll

Stage Results

• 1. Rémy Di Gregorio, Pro Team Astana, 5:46:23
• 2. Samuel Sanchez, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 00:05
• 3. Rigoberto Uran, Sky Procycling, at 00:05
• 4. Andréas Klöden, Team Radioshack, at 00:07
• 5. Tony Martin, Htc-Highroad, at 00:07

Overall

• 1. Tony Martin, Htc-Highroad, 30:46:17
• 2. Andréas Klöden, Team Radioshack, at 00:36
• 3. Bradley Wiggins, Sky Procycling, at 00:41
• 4. Rein Taaramae, Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne, at 01:10
• 5. Jean-Christophe Peraud, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 01:21

Remy Di Gregorio (Astana) made a tremendous save in the final kilometers after slipping on white, wet traffic stripe to win a wild, crash-filled ride in Saturday’s 215km seventh stage at Paris-Nice.

CHIETI, Italy (VN) ─ Michele Scarponi landed the first blow in the GC battle, his Lampre-ISD teammate Damiano Cunego close behind, in stage 4 of Tirreno-Adriatico. Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) nearly closed a 10-second gap on the 19-percent ramp into Chieti, but came up just short, with Cunego passing him and both taking same time in the final meters.

WASHINGTON, D.C. ─ Congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA) has criticized the ongoing federal probe into seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and allegations of doping.