Road

Vuelta a España organizers must have known what was in store when they decided to schedule a night-time team time trial to kick start the 65th edition of the Spanish grand tour.

Garmin team CEO Jonathan Vaughters says the merger will add classics strength and a women's team. He said the two teams' management share a philosophy about anti-doping and sport development.

Team Garmin-Transitions and Cervélo SA will join forces for the 2011 season to create a new team that will be known as Garmin-Cervélo.

HTC-Columbia breaks its own rules to let the 22-year-old American start a grand tour. 'I'm not going to be a tourist,' the first-year pro promises.

The Saxo rider says he's fully recovered from his Tour de France crash and ready to challenge for the win, with the help of brother Andy

Lennard Zinn fields questions about the need for headset top caps and why shortened seatposts don't creak, and shares another long list of potential sources for bicycle mystery noises.

Cervélo TestTeam will not ride into the 2011 season, but team officials confirmed that Cervélo will become the new bike sponsor for Garmin-Transitions. The women’s team will continue next season

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The third and final grand tour of the season gets underway in Spain on Saturday, with several leading riders eyeing their chances amid the absence of the world's top road racer Alberto Contador.

The bike manufacturer announced Thursday that it would stop sponsoring the Cervelo TestTeam after this season, but would remain involved with cycling 'at the highest levels of the sport."

A reader asks about the most effective way to stretch for improved cycling performance

Garmin's new Edge 800 cycling GPS unit offers more features — including a color touchscreen — than the minimalist Edge 500. But it's not much bigger.

A knot of pro men are vying for the lead in the six-day, lung-busting event known as the Breck Epic in Colorado. Read some of the mental wanderings of Sarah Uhl, someone not vying for the lead but busting butt nonetheless at the Epic.

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Next month Canada will host the first ProTour events to be held in North America, the GP Montreal and GP Quebec. Horner, Leipheimer, Boasson Hagen, Sanchez, Hesjedal and Basso highlight the start lists released Wednesday.

Start lists for the two Canadian ProTour races

Javier Guillén says the race features a 'colossus' climb and a stellar field, including the Schlecks, Menchov, Sastre, Cavendish, Freire and others

Two-time Vuelta winner Denis Menchov goes into this year's race as a five-star favorite.

• 1. Marianne VOS , (Netherlands) , with 270 points
• 2. Emma JOHANSSON , (Sweden) Red Sun Cycling Team, with 209 points
• 3. Kirsten WILD , (Netherlands) Cervelo Test Team, with 202 points
• 4. Charlotte BECKER , (Germany) Cervelo Test Team, with 182 points
• 5. Judith ARNDT , (Germany) Team Columbia HTC Women, with 161 points

Photos from the final stage.

The Luxembourg cycling federation announced Tuesday that Tour de France runner-up Andy Schleck will not race the world road championships

Haussler had hoped to race for Australia this year, but a lingering knee injury will keep him at home.

HTC-Columbia's Tony Martin wraps up his Eneco Tour by winning the final time trial. Now he's looking toward the world time trial championships in Australia.

• 1. Tony MARTIN, (GER) HTC-Columbia, in 20:24
• 2. Maarten TJALLINGII, (NED) Rabobank Cycling Team, at 6
• 3. Alex RASMUSSEN, (DEN) Team Saxo Bank, at 9
• 4. Richie PORTE, (AUS) Team Saxo Bank, at 20
• 5. Koos MOERENHOUT, (NED) Rabobank Cycling Team, at 20

Defending champion Cadel Evans will lead the home team at the world road championships next month.

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Retired road and cyclocross star Lyne Bessette has found a new interest — para-cycling. The Canadian and her partner won a world championship this weekend.

The American from Kelly Benefit Strategies takes the overall at the cat. 2.2 Festningsrittet three-day event.

Vincenzo Nibali and Roman Kreuziger will lead the team in Spain

• 1. André GREIPEL, (GER) HTC-Columbia, in 5:12:25
• 2. Jurgen ROELANDTS, (BEL) Omega Pharma-Lotto, at0
• 3. Edvald BOASSON HAGEN, (NOR) Team Sky, at0
• 4. Elia VIVIANI, (ITA) Liquigas-Doimo, at0
• 5. Lucas Sebastian HAEDO, (ARG) Team Saxo Bank, at0

Zack Vestal takes Exustars Look-style carbon and titanium road pedals and deems them solid, light and inexpensive.

Tony Martin holds the overall lead going into Tuesday's time trial.

The Spanish veteran, who has finished on the podium three times, will be starting his third grand tour of the year.

With Alejandro Valverde on suspension, Caisse d'Epargne packs the one-two punch of Giro d’Italia runner-up David Arroyo and Luis León Sánchez.

David Moncoutié will be looking to match history as he makes a run for a third consecutive climber’s jersey at the Vuelta a España.

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Third placed overall at Utah and best young rider, Bissell's 19-year-old Oregonian is headed for a new team

Jai Crawford (Fly V Australia) crowned the queen stage of the Tour of Utah Sunday, taking the mountaintop win at Snowbird Ski Resort. Levi Leipheimer (Mellow Johnny's) rode away from his rivals to finish second and seal overall victory.

Photographer Casey B. Gibson brought back the action from all five stages of the Tour of Utah.

'I'm absolutely gutted,' the Aussie speedster says after learning he will not be on the team for the worlds in his home country.

The Dutch champ will move from Milram to Quick Step for 2011

• 1. Jai Crawford, Fly V Australia
• 2. Levi Leipheimer, Mellow Johnny's
• 3. Francisco Mancebo Perez, Canyon Bicycles

• 1 57:26 Nico Toutenhoofd M Boulder CO HOTEL SAN JOSE / MELLOW JOHNNY'S
• 2 58:08 David 'Tinker' Juarez M Whittier CA CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING
• 3 58:22 Timothy Ahearn M Woodstock CT
• 4 59:31 Hollenbach Jake M Winooski VT AXA EQUITABLE
• 5 59:57 Timothy Tapply M Sherborn MA QT2 SYSTEMS

Forty-two year old Nico Toutenhoofd outpaces a Garmin-Transitions attack to win in New Hampshire. Marti Shea, 47, overcomes a vet-packed women's field.

• 1. Jesse ANTHONY, (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies, in 11:45:50
• 2. Bertjan LINDEMAN, (NED) Cycling Team Jo Piels, at 3
• 3. Marcel KITTEL, (GER) Thüringer Energie Team, at 6
• 4. Troels Ronning VINTHER, (DEN) Glud & Marstrand Horsens, at 8
• 5. Neil SHIRLEY, (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies, at 10