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U.S. mountain bikers will compete in new categories at USA Cycling events for 2009. The traditional categories such as Sport, Expert, Semi Pro and Pro will be replaced by license categories 1, 2, 3, and Pro — similar to that found at USA Cycling road events. The modification to the existing structure comes after analysis and dialogue by the national governing body and the National Off-Road Bicycle Association (NORBA) Board of Trustees.

Alberto Contador came close Monday to learning that sometimes clichés are true. Ever since he took the Vuelta a España race leader’s jersey with an emphatic victory atop the Angliru on Saturday, he’s been sounding like a broken record and kept repeating that nothing’s won until the final stage in Madrid on Sunday. Contador dodged a bullet Monday when he rode away with relatively light abrasions and scrapes to his left elbow, knee and shoulder after he hit the deck in Monday’s 202km 15th stage after riding into the gutter and falling hard on his left side.

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David García gave Xacobeo-Galicia the stage victory Monday that the team missed when Ezequiel Mosquera didn’t receive much charity from Astana in Sunday’s summit finish high in the Catabrian mountains. García charged out of a busted-up 17-man breakaway with 3km to go, but the real story was Alberto Contador, who brushed off a spill in Monday’s 202km 15th stage from Cudillero to Ponferreda to retain his lead at the 63rd Vuelta a España. [nid:83282]The Vuelta leader fell with about 50km to go, but suffered little more than scrapes to his left knee and elbow.

Reigning world champion Paolo Bettini will spearhead the Italian team's bid to keep the coveted rainbow jersey in Italian hands at the world road race cycling championships in two weeks time. Bettini, a recent two-stage winner at the Vuelta a España, leads a mixed nine-man team which includes climbers such as Damiano Cunego and sprinters like Luca Paolini. Italian national coach Franco Ballerini has no place in the team, however, for Danilo Di Luca, last year's Giro d’Italia champion who sat out a three-month doping ban earlier this year.

With the final curve of the race season in full view, we cycling fans are focused on the remaining professional calendar, as well as our own regular season end. Whether the last event on your calendar is a road race, cross country race, criterium, or century ride, you can dial in a good nutrition plan to fuel your best efforts. Chances are that your nutrition plan will just need a little tweaking before you head into the off season or prepare for cyclocross training and racing.

Any doubts about the seriousness of Lance Armstrong’s recently announced comeback were likely put to rest Sunday, as the recently un-retired seven-time Tour de France champion claimed his latest victory, pairing with two local Colorado pros to win the three-man division of the 12 Hours of Snowmass mountain bike race.