Road Racing

Alberto Contador travels to Italy on Wednesday to take on the Giro d'Italia, where he will line up Saturday as one of the five-star favorites for victory.

PARIS (AFP) ─ The Italian city of Florence officially launched its bid to host the start of the 2014 Tour de France, according to race organizers Wednesday, as part of its celebrations to honor Italian cycling great Gino Bartali.

Omega Pharma-Lotto brings a mixed squad of stage-hunters as star riders André Greipel and Philippe Gilbert are giving the Giro d’Italia a pass.

Gianni Savio, the debonair Italia director of the modest Androni Giocattoli team, is hoping to pull one more surprise at this month’s Giro d’Italia.

Last year’s Giro d’Italia runner-up David Arroyo will lead his Movistar team for the season’s first grand tour starting Saturday in Torino.

Geox-TMC confirmed its Giro nine, with Denis Menchov and Carlos Sastre leading the formation into the season’s first grand tour.

Roman Kreuziger will lead Astana in a push for the final podium when the Giro d’Italia ends in Milano on May 29.

Vincenzo Nibali will carry the Liquigas colors after defending champion Ivan Basso decided to skip the Giro in order to prepare exclusively for the Tour de France.

Tiago Machado will lead RadioShack at the 2011 Giro.

Jake Keough and Theresa Cliff-Ryan kick to victory at the Historic Roswell Criterium.

UnitedHealthcare puts two in the top five in Monday’s final stage in the summit finish up the Naranco climb to end the Vuelta a Asturias on a high note.

Dario Cioni, Thomas Lovkvist headline Team Sky’s Giro d’Italia squad.

Brice Feillu replaces the injured Daniele Bennati on Leopard-Trek’s 2011 Giro d’Italia roster.

The lone French WorldTour team hopes to win a stage and perhaps put John Gadret into the top 10 overall.

With team star Robert Gesink preparing for the Tour de France, Rabobank won’t have a top GC prospect at the Giro d'Italia, so it will be looking to attack and get into breakaways in hopes of winning a stage.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Rory Sutherland made the winning breakaway and finished second in stage four at the Vuelta a Asturias in northern Spain.

Germany’s John Degenkolb wins the Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt.

Kenny Van Hummel wins the final stage of the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey as Alexander Efimkin wraps up the overall title.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

We have before us two excellent road shoes, with all the usual trimmings: stiff carbon soles, soft, comfortable uppers, solid buckles, and good looks.

To accompany its new time trial/triathlon shifters, brakes and cranks, Campagnolo is introducing a new, deeper, more aerodynamic wheelset: the Bora Ultra 80.

Readers ask Nick about Contador's plans to switch bikes mid-stage and what it takes for a mechanic to make adjustments on the run.

While Belgium rides the wave of unprecedented success in the spring classics, two-time Tour of Flanders champion Stijn Devolder is taking a hard look at what went wrong with his spring campaign.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Aussie Richie Porte will not be among the nine riders backing Alberto Contador as he tackles the 2011 Giro d'Italia, Saxo Bank-Sungard announces.

Jonathan Castroviejo wins the prologue to the Tour de Romandie ahead of American Taylor Phinney and Leigh Howard.

“I don’t think I have ever seen stages so long, so hard and so spectacular in all my many years as a pro,” said Carlos Sastre after scouting some key sectors of the 2011 Giro d'Italia.

Geox-TMC has been doing some wind-tunnel work and scouted the decisive climbs in the Dolomites ahead of this year's Giro d'Italia.

Manuel Belletti wins the third stage at the Presidential Tour of Turkey and takes the race leader’s jersey.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

The Speed Dream Tonazzo carbon clinchers: light, stiff wheels from an artisan.

Quick look: If you ride white handlebar tape, white shoes and white shorts, then check out the new white Apex.

Special shorts for Roubaix, team vehicle parking spots, painted roads and more questions, answered

ROME (AFP) - Giro d'Italia champion Ivan Basso will not be defending his title when the Giro begins on May 7 in Turin, he said Thursday.

2011 Giro d'Italia startlist

Geox-TMC has named its "long list" for the upcoming Giro d'Italia, putting 12 riders on a list that will be whittled down to nine for the season's first grand tour.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Quick look: Campagnolo has new shifters, brake levers, brakes and big chainrings for time trial machines

From $40 to $230, we've rounded up a eight models of shades sure to keep you covered.

Nick Legan reviews the new Giro Aeon: Lighter than the Ionas, better ventilated than the Prolight. But it could use more sizes.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Mark Zalewski looked over the gear at the 2011 Little 500 race in Bloomington, Indiana.

OK, we have another bottom bracket standard to consider. Lennard Zinn explains why it might make sense.

Fighting back from a lap down, seniors Eric Young and Zach Lusk take turns pulling, un-lapping themselves in enough time to allow Young to sprint for the Cutter's 11th win in Little 500 history.

TRP brings the benefits of hydraulic disc brakes to road-style brake/shift levers via a satellite master cylinder under the stem.

Alberto Contador wins the fourth stage of the Vuelta Castilla y Leon and Xavier Tondo takes the leader's jersey.

The Teter squad attacked at lap 15 and nearly lapped the field twice during the Little 500 women's race.

Fran Ventoso (Movistar) won for the second day in a row at the Vuelta a Castilla y León in another bunch sprint in northern Spain.

Caravan order, water bottle practices and Roubaix flats. All your questions, answered.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

VeloNews just put nearly 1,000 bikes at your fingertips.

A reader has a new set of wheels with tubeless tires, but the darn things leak. Lennard goes through the steps that you - or your bike shop - need to follow to keep air where it belongs.

Back home after Roubaix, it’s time to look through photos from the weekend.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Supporting a team at Paris-Roubaix is a tough hustle. VeloNews hitched a ride in a Garmin team car to find out just how tough.

What a difference a year makes: A DNF at Paris-Roubaix in 2010, Johan Van Summeren wins the race in 2011 with a well-timed solo break.

The Hell of the North lived up to its name for Quick Step as three-time winner Tom Boonen crashed out and Tour of Flanders runner-up Sylvain Chavanel could only muster 38th.

Former Paris-Roubaix winner Stuart O'Grady was among a handful of riders who survived the cobbles to cross the line in the velodrome only to have their results erased because they were beyond the time limit.

Johan Van Summeren salvaged Garmin-Cervélo's classics season with a brilliant victory at Paris-Roubaix on Sunday.

Jonathan Cantwell wins the 60-lap men’s race at Saturday’s Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Alabama.

Colavita-Forno d’Asolo dominated the women’s race at Saturday’s Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Alabama.

Why white tape? Why no gloves? How do I become a team doctor?

Yes, even tech meister Lennard Zinn has fouled up disc brake bleeds. He tells how not to…

Paris-Roubaix demands more of the machine. Every part of the bike needs to be up to the challenge. Frames, forks, wheels, tires, handlebars, cables, even pedals are all optimized.

Vermarc, down an old Belgian farm road

This week Lennard is devoting his column to a profile of Rich Sawiris and a look at his wheelbuilding techniques.

Chris Sutton's Team Sky Pinarello and Johnny Clarke's UHC Boardman

Daniele Bennati (Leopard-Trek) claimed his first win on the 2011 season after kicking to victory in the opening stage at the Circuit Cyclist Sarthe in France

Complete results, Colorado State University race weekend

With nearly all the major Tour de France hopefuls lining up this week at the Tour of the Basque Country, Alberto Contador has gone to the mountains.

Chris Horner (RadioShack) kept alive his GC hopes in a wild opener at the Vuelta a País Vasco (the Tour of the Basque Country), where the veteran American lined up Monday with the No. 1 start bib as defending champion.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Cole House scores a rookie win at Redlands while his Realcyclist.com teammate Francisco Mancebo squeaked out of town with the final leader's jersey.

Team Type 1 keeps edging ever closer to a breakthrough European victory with Jure Kocjan dashing to second in the Fleche d'Emeraude

Cath Cheatley makes it three stage wins in four tries as Amber Neben wins her third overall Redlands title.