Road

Graham Watson captures the action on the Angliru.

Dreams of overall victory at the Vuelta a España came crashing down for Team Sky under a lethal onslaught from Juanjo Cobo (Geox-TMC), who tore away from the tandem of Wiggins and Froome with 5km to go on the Angliru and turned a 55-second deficit into a 20-second lead.

Stage 15

• 1. Juan José Cobo, Geox-TMC, at 4:01:56
• 2. Wouter Poels, Vacansoleil-DCM, at 0:48
• 3. Denis Menchov, Geox-TMC, same time
• 4. Christopher Froome, Team Sky, s.t.
• 5. Bradley Wiggins, Team Sky, at 1:21

GC

• 1. Juan José Cobo, Geox-TMC, at 59:57:16
• 2. Christopher Froome, Team Sky, at 20
• 3. Bradley Wiggins, Team Sky, at 46
• 4. Bauke Mollema, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 1:36
• 5. Maxime Monfort, Leopard-Trek, at 2:37

Leopard-Trek’s Andy Schleck announced Sunday morning that he would not be able to contest next week’s Grands Prix Cyclistes of Québec and Montréal, due to complications from an infected wisdom tooth.

Juan Jose Cobo (Geox-TMC) climbed to the overall lead in the Vuelta a España on Sunday, conquering the decisive Angliru stage and leaving red jersey Bradley Wiggins (Sky) struggling on the steeps.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

On paper, Angliru favors Christopher Froome over Bradley Wiggins. It will be interesting to see how Sky plays it out once the race is under way. Will Team Sky put the brakes on Froome if he's flying again and Wiggins is just barely hanging on?

For Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Cervélo) and Matthew Busche (RadioShack), making it to the finish line in Spain's capital on September 11 would mean more than a personal milestone; it would prove that both have the grit to not only finish their grand-tour debuts, but do so against a brutal course in harsh conditions.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Karsten Kroon (BMC) and Sep Vanmarcke (Garmin-Cervélo) were both involved in a heavy crash on the descent off the Cat. 2 Puerto de Ventana in Saturday's 14th stage at the Vuelta a España.

Graham Watson shoots stage 14 of the 2011 Vuelta a España.

Rein Taaramae, who's been close to big wins since turning pro in 2008, proved Saturday that youthful exuberance sometimes pays off. He bravely fought all the way to the line, losing David de la Fuente (Geox-TMC) in the final kilometers to solo home for the biggest win of his young, but promising career.

For Quick Step's Tom Boonen, who only returned to racing at the Tour of Poland after crashing out of the 2011 Tour with a concussion, getting through the Vuelta is essential for him to have any chance of winning the rainbow jersey a second time.

Stage 14

• 1. Rein Taaramae, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, 4:39:01
• 2. Juan José Cobo, Geox-TMC, at 0:25
• 3. Fuente David De La, Geox-TMC, at 0:29
• 4. Wouter Poels, Vacansoleil-DCM, at 0:40
• 5. Bradley Wiggins, Team Sky, at 0:45

GC

• 1. Bradley Wiggins, Team Sky, 55:54:45
• 2. Christopher Froome, Team Sky, at 0:07
• 3. Bauke Mollema, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 0:36
• 4. Juan José Cobo, Geox-TMC, at 0:55
• 5. Jakob Fuglsang, Leopard-Trek, at 0:58

World cycling chiefs confirmed Saturday that the 18 WorldTour leading teams will compete at the inaugural Tour of Beijing in October after a "truce" had been called amid threat of a boycott.

Rein Taaramae (Cofidis) rode alone to victory in stage 14 of the Vuelta a España as race leader Bradley Wiggins (Sky) and teammate Christopher Froome pummeled the other GC favorites on the final climb.

Laura Van Gilder and newly minted USPRO criterium champion Eric Young opened their accounts in the THF Realty Gateway Cup on a steamy Friday night in St. Louis, winning the Tour de Lafayette criterium.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

PONFERRADA, Spain (VN) - Taylor Phinney's grand tour debut ended Friday on the steep, punishing roads of western Spain in the 13th stage of the Vuelta a España.

Fulgsang said Leopard-Trek riders have heard nothing from team staff about an alleged merger

Stage

• 1. Michael ALBASINI, (SUI) HTC-Highroad, in 4:19:39
• 2. Eros CAPECCHI, (ITA) Liquigas-Cannondale, at 0
• 3. Daniel MORENO FERNANDEZ, (ESP) Team Katusha, at 0
• 4. David DE LA FUENTE RASILLA, (ESP) Geox-Tmc, at 0
• 5. Nicolas ROCHE, (IRL) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 0

• 1. Bradley Wiggins, (GBR) Team Sky, in 51:14:59
• 2. Vincenzo NIBALI, (ITA) Liquigas-Cannondale, at 4
• 3. Christopher FROOME, (GBR) Team Sky, at 7
• 4. Fredrik KESSIAKOFF, (SWE) Astana, at 9
• 5. Jakob FUGLSANG, (DEN) Leopard-Trek, at 19

A look at three unusual new clothing items from Castelli

Nick Legan takes a look at Michelin's long-awaited Pro4 clincher

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

It’s not often that a non-NRC event gets top billing in this column, but with Hurricane Irene ravaging the Northeast, the Green Mountain Stage Race is going on, albeit with changes this weekend. Further south, the National Racing Calendar rolls toward its October conclusion with the Labor Day Omnium in Anderson, South Carolina.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

NIck Legan takes a look at some new wider wheel designs from Bontrager and Zipp. Plus a look at some special brakes that work on the wider rims.

The BMC Racing team won a hot competition for the contract of young American Tejay Van Garderen last month. Van Garderen told VeloNews Thursday that he looked forward to joining Cadel Evans and Taylor Phinney in a long-term assignment with the team, but was sad to see his HTC-Highroad team crumble.

Marcel Kittel (Skil-Shimano) won't be starting Friday's 13th stage of the Vuelta a España, but the big German sprinter can leave with his head held high.

Check out Brian Holcombe's author page.

Robbie McEwen will get his dream by finishing up his pro career with an Australian team.

Quick-Step confirmed Thursday that Tony Martin, the German time trial specialist, will join the Belgian squad as part of a three-year deal.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Nick Legan takes a quick look at the wheel company's venture into helmets

Nick Legan ferrets out some innovations in Germany

Rumors are flying that Leopard-Trek and RadioShack are poised to fuse their two teams for 2012 under the guidance of Belgian sport director Johan Bruyneel.

Stage

• 1. David MONCOUTIE, (FRA) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, in 4:38:00
• 2. Benat INTXAUSTI ELORRIAGA, (ESP) Movistar, at 1:18
• 3. Luis Leon SANCHEZ GIL, (ESP) Rabobank Cycling Team, at 1:18
• 4. Mathias FRANK, (SUI) BMC Racing Team, at 1:36
• 5. Sergio Miguel Moreira PAULINHO, (POR) Team RadioShack, at 1:43

• 1. Bradley Wiggins, (Great Britain) Team Sky, in 42:50:41
• 2. Christopher FROOME, (Great Britain) Team Sky, at 7
• 3. Vincenzo NIBALI, (Italy) Liquigas-Cannondale, at 11
• 4. Fredrik KESSIAKOFF, (Sweden) Astana, at 14
• 5. Jakob FUGLSANG, (Denmark) Leopard-Trek, at 19

The bid is in and organizers behind the efforts to bring the 2015 world road championships to Richmond, Virginia, are confident. Tim Miller and Lee Kallman told VeloNews that on Tuesday they mailed the application to the UCI and that their bid, which will compete against Oman next month, is well funded and is likely to be well received.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Three summit finishes over the next five days should do a lot to settle a GC situation that remains very open midway through the 2011 Vuelta a España.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

"... The ever ticking clock continued and more riders came in. Mixed scenes were evident at the finish in the Parisian suburb. Some riders were elated to be finished, others happy that the suffering was over, but the vast majority were still in the zombie-like state that they had to achieve to maintain the constant effort of riding this huge distance. ..."

Jakob Fulgsang is one of those young riders who catch lots of hype early in their careers and reach a certain tipping point. Some live up to the expectations while others seem to crack under the pressure.

Gregg Bleakney will be photographing October's Tour of Beijing for VeloNews.com. He recently returning from scouting out the race route in China as a guest of the organizers and the UCI.

Eurobike 2011 opens Wednesday but exhibitors were busy Tuesday assembling their booths. Here's a quick look at some of the new bike gear that will be on display at Europe's big trade show.

Many riders from the soon-to-close HTC-Highroad squad will be revealing their new squads in the coming days.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Check out Alan McCubbin's author page.

Check out Brian Holcombe's author page.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Stage

• 1. MARTIN Tony, HTC-Highroad (thr), in 55:54
• 2. FROOME Christopher, Sky Procycling (sky), at 59
• 3. WIGGINS Bradley, Sky Procycling (sky), at 1:22
• 4. CANCELLARA Fabian, Leopard Trek (leo), at 1:27
• 5. PHINNEY Taylor, BMC Racing Team (BMC), at 1:33

GC

• 1. Christopher Froome, Sky Procycling (sky), in 38:09:13
• 2. Jakob Fuglsang, Leopard Trek (leo), at 12
• 3. Bradley Wiggins, Sky Procycling (sky), at 20
• 4. Vincenzo Nibali, Liquigas-Cannondale (liq), at 31
• 5. Fredrik Kessiakoff, Pro Team Astana (ast), at 34

"... Today is not about fighting pain, or conquering it, rather it is about accepting it and, for those who wish to win, embracing it ..."

Check out CyclingTips's author page.