Photo for the Day - Cadel Evans

Cadel Evans - when 1 second really mattered

Cadel Lee Evans, BMC Racing Team.  Photo by Karen Rakestraw at Pedal Dancer®

It was a big day at the Tour Down Under yesterday(today), as Cadel Evans lost the leaders jersey to Simon Gerrans by 1 second. Richie Porte tore up the final climb to the finish line, winning the stage by 10 seconds and shaking up the General Classification. There are now four Aussies in the top five of the stage race.

1. Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica Greenedge 18:02:19
2. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:01
3. Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:00:05
4. Richie Porte (Aus) Team Sky 0:00:10
5. Nathan Haas (Aus) Garmin Sharp 0:00:27

The photo above has always been my favorite photograph I have taken of Cadel Evans because he looks so tired after the stage. To me this is how every rider should look after a good hard bike race. His is the face of exhaustion, always a good sign that the battle was hard fought.

This was Cadel before a stage start, refreshed, no road dirt, no exhausted eyes.

Photo by Karen Rakestraw at Pedal Dancer®

Another one of my favorites of Cadel, focused pre-race.

Cadel won the World Road Race Championships in 2009 earning those impressive stripes.  Photo by Karen Rakestraw at Pedal Dancer®

Cadel Evans lost by one fragile second in the battle on Stage 5 of the Santos Tour Down Under. The final GC outcome will be known on Sunday after the last stage of the Tour, but there is little likelihood that the climbers will get time bonuses tomorrow, it looks like Simon Gerrans might carry the ochre jersey to the final podium (unless more surprises are in store), leaving Cadel Evans to reflect upon that fleeting 1 second.

Other big accomplishments by Cadel Evans:
.... Santos Tour Down Under  2014 - missed by 1 second!
Critérium International 2012
Tour de France 2011
Tirreno–Adriatico 2011
Points Classification, Giro d'Italia 2010
UCI ProTour 2007

Check out this old photo I found of Cadel from 2005, 9 years ago, at the Tour de France.

A young "Cuddles".  Photo by Karen Rakestraw at Pedal Dancer®

Cadel's teams have been:
1999 Volvo-Cannondale (MTB)
2001 Saeco Macchine per Caffè
2002 Mapei-Quick Step
2003–2004 Team Telekom
2005–2009 Davitamon-Lotto
2010– BMC Racing Team

His country has been Australia, for 36 years.

Oh, and Jens Voigt put on the green Most Competitive jersey AGAIN for Stage 5! Photo for the Day - Jens Voigt

Photo for the Day - Jens Voigt

Got to love that Jensie!

Is he a man, or is he machine?  Or should the caption read: Jens Voigt heading into his last year of racing wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. Actually Jens stood like this for maybe two minutes in the middle of a team presentation. Until someone must have hit his restart button.  Photo by Karen Rakestraw at Pedal Dancer®

Jens Voigt is back to racing this week at the Tour Down Under and once again making us all proud by earning the most aggressive (called the Most Competitive) jersey after Stage 3. I'd say Jens is sending a loud and clear signal that this, his last, year of bike racing will certainly not be a glory tour; Jens intends to race to the end.

I agree no rider is a bigger crowd favorite, no rider is so recognizable no matter what country he steps foot inside, and no rider has become such a legend among the old and young. He is endearing, enduring and deserving. And he is ours. I find comfort in watching Jens race his last year, because I believe he will always be involved in the world of cycling. This is not goodbye for Jens Voigt.

Way to go Jensie!

Jens Voigt, well-known for his grit and wisdom, continues to delight. Cameron Wurf, a Tasmanian former Olympic rower on the Cannondale team, has been blogging from the race, his writings include side stories about his chats and time spent with The Jens.

• "My conversations with jensie are becoming a highlight of my day in the bunch. Each day there is somthing different for us to have a yarn about and today was no different."
• "A few minutes later I saw a black flash rip passed in my peripheral vision which could only mean one thing, jensie was on the attack. He went so hard that he was half a km up the road before anyone could think about following let alone chasing him. What a LEGEND!"
• "Anyways back to fun with jensie. Later in the day I waited until we had a good little audience around of people I felt we could have a little fun with. My cannondale boys were there of course, the lotto boys, the sky boys and a few of jensie's team mates. At this point I said "hey jensie, why does your jersey look like a T shirt? Which got a good laugh out of all the boys as I had hoped. Then as things calmed down a bit Bernie Eisel, another absolute legend and gentleman of the bunch said "jensie ordered them a few sizes to big as he is planning for his retirement! Knows its his last year of getting free cycling kit!" That response had us in stitches, nice to have a bit of fun in the bunch, it is the first race of a long season afterall and we have to ensure we enjoy as much jensie moments as possible!"

Read Cameron Wurf blogspot or follow him on Twitter @cameronwurf  (Cameron Wurf himself won the Most Competitive award at the TDU on Friday, January 24th!)

Cameron's blog is a good read for the inside scoop of what it is like for a racer at the Tour Down Under. There are just 2 more stages remaining in the Santos Tour Down Under after today's stage, and Cadel Evans is in the lead in General Classification, his team BMC leads the Team Classification. Adam Hansen leads the Mountain Classification, and Simon Gerrans leads Sprinter Classification. But on January 23rd Jens Voigt was again known as the most aggressive rider!

2014 Santos Tour Down Under Stage Results:
Stage 1 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge
Stage 2 Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre-Merida
Stage 3 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team
Stage 4 André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol
Stage 5
Stage 6

If you'd like more flattering photos of Jens, here are a couple: All Photos on this page by Karen Rakestraw at Pedal Dancer®

Jens Voigt and his legs that will shut up.

Can you imagine if you saw this guy riding toward you? - you'd smile too!

I wrote this fun story last summer about Jens Voigt searching for a cookie and coffee at a bike race, still one of my favorite memories at a bike race: Jens Voigt p/b Cookies and Coffee

Learn more about the most aggressive jersey and all its names in the various tours: Aggressively Courageous and Combative

Of course Jens is now wearing this jersey of the Trek Factory Racing team, read more about the TREK jersey design and make.

Photo from www.trekfactoryracing.com

Some previous Pedal Dancer blog posts about Jens Voigt (there are many more):
Jens Voigt - Hero of Stage 20 (2013 TDF)
Amgen Tour of California - Stage 5 results (2013 ATOC)
Jens and Stuey (2012 TDU)
Jens Voigt on the Podium (2012 ATOC)
Fan Frenzy: Jens Voigt - Stage 16 (2011 TDF)
Image of the day: Cover boy Jens (2011)
Recommended Reading: Jens Voigt (2011)
Upsetting the Apple Cart (2010)
What would Jens Do? - Jen's letter to the fans

Photo for the Day - Robbie McEwen

Photo for the Day Series

I am inspired to share some random photos I have taken over the years. And so begins the Photo for the Day Series, which will run for 76 days, ending appropriately on April 6, 2014, 4-years after this blog first began (first inspired by the Paris-Roubaix classic bike race in France). My photo series will feature one main photo and sometimes a couple extra bonus shots when appropriate.

Photo for the Day #1

In honor of the Tour Down Under which begins tomorrow in Adelaide, Australia, which to me marks the start of the 2014 road bike racing season, here is a photo of the great sprinter Aussie Robbie McEwan (born in Brisbane), on his final day(s) of retirement.

Robbie McEwen is no longer technical adviser to team Orica-GreenEDGE, instead he will be assisting Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen with race commentary for this week's 2014 Tour Down Under. You can also follow Robbie on Twitter @mcewenrobbie.

Robbie McEwen will be running a 10-day VIP trip to the Giro d'Italia this year in case you have an extra $9,890 AUD ($8,723 USD) in cash burning a hole in your pocket. He will also continue operating his clothing and chamois creme line, and doing more freelance commentary.  I suppose he has to get out there before Jens Voigt retires and snatches up all the commentary jobs. Read more at VeloNation: End of McEwen’s role with Orica GreenEdge.     click any image to enlarge

Robbie McEwen's final podium at the Amgen Tour of California in 2012.  Photo by Karen Rakestraw at Pedal Dancer

And more ...

Robbie McEwen scanned the crowd from the podium and knew it was his last.  Photo by Karen Rakestraw at Pedal Dancer

Robbie's farewell wave to the crowd from the sign-in stage before his last race.  Photo by Willie Richenstein for Pedal Dancer

Robbie's last call up for his final stage departing Beverly Hills, CA in May 2012. Photo by Willie Richenstein for Pedal Dancer

Perhaps that moment Robbie knew his retirement two days later would be welcomed. Photo by Willie Richenstein for Pedal Dancer

For news on the Tour Down Under: Tour Down Under Official Website or Steephill Tour Down Under page

Also read The Great Australian Road Trip, a journey 2000 miles from Brisbane to Adelaide, just to attend a bike race.

This week, everyone is talking about the newest Australian sprinting marvel - Caleb Ewan:  Tour Down Under: Caleb Ewan earmarked for greatness

I don't need a hero

Don't tell me who to admire

If social media and exposure has done anything in the past twenty years - it has removed our naivety to human failings. Nobody is perfect. Admiration emerges from the simplest places and nobody should be telling us who to consider a hero. Those most deserved of admiration are seldom those in the spotlight.

Months ago I had a lessons of life conversation with my 17-year old nephew Kevin. We talked about how being a good person should never be granted simply by public image. That there are plenty of people contributing daily who never receive fame or attention. That those without good grades and sports achievement should never be seen as lesser or bad people. Being a good person is separate from achievement. Kevin is blessed with smarts and amazing athletic ability (and a scholarship to Stanford next year), but an incident that happened to his classmates at school last year prompted our conversation about the need to cultivate integrity and honesty separate from attention given by others.

Poor Lance Armstrong never learned that lesson (and his Mother knew it long ago). I was disgusted this week when I read an article published at Bicycling.com stating that our new hero should be Greg Lemond (dribble). What? Out with the old, in with the old? I don't want Greg Lemond as my hero. I don't need a new hero. Offering admiration and respect is not something I want dictated, and am now more than wary of giving freely to public figures.

I am fascinated by the study of human behavior. The sport of cycling has given much to feed that interest of late, juxtaposed against the fact that bike racing continues, as if nothing ever happened, at the Tour Down Under in Adelaide, Australia and at the Tour de San Luis in Argentina. Yep the teams are back to racing and the 2013 racing season has begun anew. 

Back on US soil, next in line for an interview is Travis Tygart, who will share his side of the USADA story this Sunday on 60 minutes. Sure I am tired of Lance Armstrong (really tired) but I am not so tired that I would miss out on hearing Tygart's response to Lance's confession.

Travis Tygart on 60 Minutes on CBS news, Sunday, January 27, 2013. 

Achievement does not equate to integrity. Sorry, Lance confessed and Betsy is still rightly miffed at him and others (I almost expected Oprah to contact Betsy to discuss the art of forgiveness). At least we had the humor of George Carlin and Bike Snob: The Power of O to laugh over this past week. 

Let's move on, but please - no one ask Mark Cavendish about Lance - he fears Armstrong has tainted his sport forever and he is mad. I fear Armstrong has tainted the idea of heroes forever. I'm not mad, but I have a strong dislike of the color yellow. That is why the Tour Down Under is so cool - NO yellow jersey!

The Leader is in Orange!  Thomas Gerraint (SKY) in the Santos Tour Down Under Leaders Jersey.  
Photo from Team Sky Website News

I also liked Bradley Wiggins nun too emotional remarks made today:



Watch some bike racing - visit Steephill.TV Tour Down Under 2013 Live Dashboard for all the links, rosters, photos, and results from racing in Australia (finishes this weekend).

Current standings Tour Down Under (Australia):

General Classification after Stage 4
GBR  1  THOMAS, Geraint (SKY PROCYCLING)                          12:59:09
NED  2  SLAGTER, Tom Jelte (BLANCO PRO CYCLING TEAM)   +  5
ESP  3  MORENO BAZAN, Javier (MOVISTAR TEAM)                   +  6
BEL  4  HERMANS, Ben (RADIOSHACK LEOPARD)                       +  8
ESP  5  IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI, Gorka (EUSKALTEL EUSKADI)   + 15
ESP  6  IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI, Jon (EUSKALTEL EUSKADI)

Current standings Tour de San Luis (Argentina):

General Classification after Stage 4

Pto  Dor  Nombre                                 Nac  Equipo                                        hh:mm:ss
 ~~~  ~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~      ~~~~~~~~
   1º   3    KWIATKOWSKI, Michal     POL  OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK S 12:30:37
   2º  86   VAN GARDEREN, Tejay     USA  BMC RACING TEAM                  23
   3º  74   V.DEN BROECK, Jurgen     BEL  LOTTO BELISOL                          42
   4º 206  DINIZ, Alex                          BRA  FUNVIC BRASILINVEST           45
   5º  71   DE CLERCQ, Bart                BEL  LOTTO BELISOL                         54
   6º  21   CONTADOR, Alberto          ESP  TEAM SAXO-TINKOFF                01:10
   7º  11   DIAZ, Ricardo                      ARG  SAN LUIS SOMOS TODOS         01:12
   8º  95   ULISSI, Diego                      ITA  LAMPRE MERIDA                         01:12
   9º   2    CHAVANEL, Sylvain           FRA  OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK S      01:24
  10º  63  HERRADA, Jesus                 ESP  MOVISTAR TEAM                        01:24

Need a pick me up after the week? The well-grounded Ted King believes "...that the newest generation of riders is different." Read The Best-Kept Secret, then please follow his own personal blog (I am Ted King) where his unique writing style and humor shines through. 

I like Ted, Ted is my new hero. 
Well that didn't take long. 

The last time I saw my hero
Ted King at Cross Vegas, Las Vegas, September 2012. Photo by Pedal Dancer

Recommended Reading: Cycling Media

Thanks to the Press

For the past weeks I have been wanting to read about the recent team camps, training, and introduction of the new 2012 team kits and bikes, but with the recent holiday period I was aware that I was falling behind and missing out on a lot of great news. For those of us lucky enough to have spent the time with family, and in the name of learning more about the sport, I offer a quick snapshot of some highlights you may have missed. It is time to catch up on news from the teams, characters, and equipment of professional cycling.

First of all if you have time for nothing else - this is the #1 recommended read by Jens Voigt. Jens Voigt is the man, and since I remain to this day upset over seeing the Photographer who threw a fan at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, I am grateful to Jens for putting this story out there: Bicycling.com: Hardly Serious with Jens Voigt - A Tour de France Gift From Jens

The varied forms of press are fans themselves working to bring us news
Photo © by Pedal Dancer™

More recent news and media updates: 

Cycling News: To find recent news about team camps and training, new team kits and rider bio shots, today CyclingNews.com has summarized the news they covered in recent months onto one neat tidy page for our convenience, see what you might have missed at: The Cyclingnews guide to team training camps and presentations 2011-2012

Bike Radar: Video: BikeRadar's most anticipated products of 2012

Cycle Sport: Cycle Sport’s Big Read of 2011 (a short sampling of their best from 2011)

Journalists: Pro cyclists are not the only ones changing teams, a number of journalists have found new homes for 2012. For starters John Wilcockson will now be writing for Peloton Magazine, and Red Kite Prayer. Charles Pelkey will also be writing for Red Kite Prayer. The third journalist (rather a very informed cartoonist) to recently flee VeloNews was Patrick O'Grady, I am uncertain where he is headed. Dan Wuori who began as a snarky Tweeter stepped in as these 3 big-hitters were heading for the exit, he has been writing The Livestream Diaries for VeloNews. Wuori also hangs out with Browne Eye's Neil Browne who is back to developing his own projects (Tour Chats). Good to see Dan Wuori doing well, although I am a fan of well-crafted snark only, and get annoyed with the massive waste of time of so many tweets and blogs (I say that as a blogger). Update 01/11/12: Pavé blog is closing shop and founder Whit Yost will be writing for Red Kite Prayer and Bicycling.com.

Recommended Blogs: Which reminds me I have updated my recommended blog list for 2012, found in the right hand column of this blog. A summary of the best for those interested in bikes, teams, traveling, and generally good people.

Racing already! The Santos Tour Down Under is January 15-22, 2012 in Australia. The big news of the day was that ASO forms partnership with Tour Down Under. Yes that ASO, the same good folks who run the Tour de France and so many other prominent races.

As we head into 2012, keep track of cycling news through these other great media resources: 

News

PezCyclingNews Read their EuroTrash Mondays series and EuroTrash Thursday series. 

Daily Peloton A little less mainstream news on Pro Teams and Continental Teams, you'll actually broaden your knowledge.

A list of other Cycling News sites can be found in the right hand column of this blog. 

Magazines

Cycle Sport  Real paper subscription, packed full of goodness and content. (or online) 
Peloton Magazine An online mag that I believe will be growing into the future. 

Columns

Hardly Serious with Jens Voigt By Jens Voigt (an absolute favorite) 
King Me By Ted King (you'll want to go on a group ride with this guy) 
Boulder Report By Joe Lindsey (honest writing) 
Ask Nick By Nick Legan (answers your questions, always informative)

Local Colorado Cycling News:  

303Cycling (support your local news and racing!)

And finally the line-up for 2012 - get to know your teams

UCI 2012 ProTeams  

• click the team name to view the official list of 2012 team riders
• click the team website to transfer to the actual team website
  
• 2011 - 2012 UCI Road Calendar 

ALM  AG2RLA MONDIALE  FRA  team website

AST   ASTANAPRO TEAM    KAZ  team website

BMC  BMCRACING TEAM   USA  team website

EUS   EUSKALTEL- EUSKADI  ESP  team website

FDJ    FDJ-BIGMAT  FRA  team website

GRM  GARMIN-BARACUDA USA  team website

GEC   GREENEDGECYCLING TEAM  AUS  team website

KAT   KATUSHATEAM  RUS  team website

LAM  LAMPRE- ISD   ITA  team website

LIQ    LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE   ITA  team website

LTB    LOTTOBELISOL TEAM  BEL  team website

MOV  MOVISTAR TEAM ESP  team website

OPQ   OMEGAPHARMA-QUICKSTEP  BEL  team website

RAB   RABOBANKCYCLING TEAM  NED  team website

RNT   RADIOSHACK-NISSAN  LUX  team website

SKY   SKYPROCYCLING  GBR  team website

SAX   TEAMSAXO BANK  DEN  team website

VCD   VACANSOLEIL-DCMPRO CYCLING TEAM  NED  team website

UCI Professional Continental Team information

---

2012 Race Dates and Routes

Grand Tours, Spring Classics, One-Day Classics and stage race dates in 2012

The UCI World Tour calendar has not been published for 2012, but some dates and routes are being announced for the Grand Tours, Classics, stage races and one-day classics in 2012. The A.S.O race websites have not been updated from 2011 to 2012, however some of the official routes have been announced through press releases while others are in rumor phase. The news is enough to allow us to start dreaming, planning and filling in our calendars for 2012. 

This is the time of year to begin thinking about travel plans, submitting your vacation schedule at work, squeezing in your training rides around these key race dates, and making sure you do not double book yourself for a ski day when you need to be affixed to your TV or computer watching the races live online. More specifically you'll need to know - just how early do I have to get up to watch the Paris-Roubaix live?  

For now, save the dates!

2012 UCI WorldTour Calendar of races

Date	Events	Country
17 Jan-22 Jan 2012	Tour Down Under	Australia
04 Mar-11 Mar 2012	Paris - Nice	France
07 Mar-13 Mar 2012	Tirreno-Adriatico	Italy
17 Mar 2012	Milano-Sanremo	Italy
19 Mar-25 Mar 2012	Volta Ciclista a Catalunya	Spain
23 Mar 2012	E3 Prijs Vlaanderen - Harelbeke	Belgium
25 Mar 2012	Gent - Wevelgem	Belgium
01 Apr 2012	Ronde van Vlaanderen / Tour des Flandres	Belgium
02 Apr-07 Apr 2012	Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco	Spain
08 Apr 2012	Paris - Roubaix	France
15 Apr 2012	Amstel Gold Race	Netherlands
18 Apr 2012	La Flèche Wallonne	Belgium
22 Apr 2012	Liège - Bastogne - Liège	Belgium
24 Apr-29 Apr 2012	Tour de Romandie	Switzerland
05 May-27 May 2012	Giro d'Italia	Italy
03 Jun-10 Jun 2012	Critérium du Dauphiné	France
09 Jun-17 Jun 2012	Tour de Suisse	Switzerland
30 Jun-22 Jul 2012	Tour de France	France
10 Jul-16 Jul 2012	Tour de Pologne	Poland
06 Aug-12 Aug 2012	Eneco Tour
14 Aug 2012	Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian	Spain
18 Aug-09 Sep 2012	Vuelta a España	Spain
19 Aug 2012	Vattenfall Cyclassics	Germany
26 Aug 2012	GP Ouest France - Plouay	France
07 Sep 2012	Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec	Canada
09 Sep 2012	Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal	Canada
29 Sep 2012	Il Lombardia	Italy
10 Oct-14 Oct 2012	Tour of Beijing	China

2012 Classics and Semi-Classics race dates

2012 Cycling Classics dates:

Milan-San Remo - 17 March 2012

Gent-Wevelgem - 25 March 2012

Tour of Flanders - 1 April 2012

Paris-Roubaix - 8 April 2012

Amstel Gold - 15 April 2012

Fleche Wallonne - 18 April 2012

Liege-Bastogne-Liege - 22 April 2012

San Sabastian - 14 August 2012

UCI Worlds - 15-23 September 2012

Giel di Lombardia - 29 October 2012

2012 Belgian Semi-Classics dates:

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad - 25 Febraury 2012

Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne - 26 February 2012

E3 Prijs Vlaanderen - Harelbeke - 23 March 2012

Gent - Wevelgem - 25 March 2012

Scheldeprijsf - 4 April 2012

De Brabantse Pijl - 11 April 2012

La Flèche Wallonne - 18 April 2012

Parijs – Brusssel - 8 September 2012

Dates for 2012 Grand Tours

Tour de France 

Dates: June 30 - July 22, 2012
Official Website: Tour de France official website
TDF 2012 Route: http://www.letour.fr/2012/TDF/COURSE/us/le_parcours.html
Route:  Official official route of the Tour de France presentation 18 Oct 2011
2012 Tour de France route revealed by mistake on 10/10/11
2012 Route Rumors by Velo Peloton. The official route of the 2012 Tour de France was announced in Paris on October 18, 2011.
2012 LeTour route presentation: TdF 2012 Route Presentation streaming live

Tour de France citizens race: l'Étape du Tour Mondovelo 
Website: 2012 Le Etape du Tour official website
ACTE I - 8 July 2012: 140 kilometres from Albertville to La Toussuire/ Les Sybelles
ACTE II - 14 July 2011: 197 kilometres from Pau to Bagnères-de-Luchon
Etape du Tour details released; uses La Toussuire/Les Sybelles and Bagnères-de-Luchon stages of 2012 Tour

Giro d' Italia 
Dates: May 5-27, 2012
Website: 2012 Giro d'Italia official website
Route: presentation October 16, 2011 in Milan, Italy. 2012 Giro d'Italia Route Presentation - route and maps
Route of the 2012 Giro d'Italia also leaked on 10/10/11
Giro d'Italia 2012 start in Denmark confirmed, by CyclingNews.com

Vuelta a Espana
Dates: August 18 - September 9, 2012
Websitea href="http://www.lavuelta.com/indexen.html">2012 Vuelta a Espana official website
Route: 2012 Vuelta a España route leaked

Dates for 2012 One-Day Classics

Update on the Classics

2012 Classics and Semi-Classics race dates: 2012 Spring Classics Schedule
View the Cyclosport Calendar for date of the citizen rides

Milan San Remo 
Dates: March 17, 2012
Route: 2011 route (tradition!)
Website: Milano San Remo official website, or the UK info page at http://www.milansanremo.co.uk/ 
Milan-San Remo route or percorso: http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/MilanoSanremo/2011/i/percorso.shtml 
Organizer: La Gazzetta dello Sport

Preview of the race: Milan-Sanremo - preparations meet tactics meet luck By Pedaling the Road, and Analysis: The real favorites for Milan-San Remo and what March says about July By VeloNews.com
Race History: How To Win Milano-Sanremo, By Fausto Coppi By Pez Cycling 
Milan-San Remo Route: Milano - Sanremo Total: 298 Km 2012 Route Map 
Milan-San Remo Profile: Profile and Time Schedule (tabs) 
List of riders for Milan-San Remo: 2012 Startlist of riders 
List of teams for Milan-San Remo: Update on the Classics

Gent-Wevelgem 
Dates: March 25, 2012
Route: 2012 Route 
Website: Gent-Wevelgem official website 
Organizers: Flanders Classics
Gent-Wevelgem Route: 2012 Route (click and then zoom in map for greater details)
List of riders for Gent-Wevelgem: roster Definitieve deelnemerslijst 2012.pdf
List of teams for Gent-Wevelgem: Update on the Classics

Tour of Flanders (Ronde van Vlaanderen)
Dates: April 1, 2012
2012 Ronde van Vlaanderen route (parcours): 2012 Route
Route: New route for the Tour of Flanders unveiled
Website: De Ronde van Vlaanderen official website
Citizens race: Cyclotourists Tour of Flanders or read You too can race the cobbles
Organizers: Flanders Classics 
2012 Ronde van Vlaanderen route: 2012 Route (zoom in map for greater details) 
2012 Tour of Flanders Elite Mens time table: RVV 2012 Elite Men Timetable 
2012 Tour of Flanders map of the order of the climbs: RVV 2012 Pressmap
List of riders for Tour of Flanders: roster at 2012RVVHerenDeelnemers.pdf
List of teams for Tour of Flanders: Update on the Classics

Paris-Roubaix
Dates: Sunday, April 8, 2012
Route: not yet announced: 2011 route
Website: not yet updated Paris-Roubaix official website, or view The friends of Paris Roubaix
Citizens race: Paris-Roubaix Challenge, ASO version, now 1 week before the real deal, citizens race on April 1, 2012 http://www.parisroubaixchallenge.com/us/presentation.html or citizens race choice #2 - the harder version, Velo Club Paris-Roubaix which supports the maintenance of the parcours, June 10, 2012. 
Organizers: A.S.O.  
2012 Paris-Roubaix route (parcours): letour.com Paris-Roubaix parcours
Citizens race: Cyclotourists Paris-Roubaix Challenge
List of riders for Paris-Roubaix: http://www.steephill.tv/classics/paris-roubaix/

List of teams for Paris-Roubaix: 25 teams for 2012 Paris-Roubaix
News: Paris-Roubaix: Arenberg Trench Gets Approval 

Amstel Gold Race
Dates: April 15, 2012
Website: Amstel Gold official website

La Flèche-Wallonne
Dates: April 18, 2012
Website: La Fleche-Wallone official website

Liège-Bastogne-Liège 
Dates: April 22, 2012
Route: 2011 parcours 
Website: Liege-Bastogne-Liege official website

Results of the 2011 Spring Classics: 

27 Mar 2011	Gent - Wevelgem	Belgium	Results
03 Apr 2011	Ronde van Vlaanderen / Tour des Flandres	Belgium	Results
10 Apr 2011	Paris - Roubaix	France	Results
17 Apr 2011	Amstel Gold Race	Netherlands	Results
20 Apr 2011	La Flèche Wallonne	Belgium	Results
24 Apr 2011	Liège - Bastogne - Liège	Belgium	Results

 

Dates for 2012 ProTour races

Tour Down Under 
Dates: January 15-22, 2012
Route: Official route of the 2012 Santos Tour Down Under 
Website: Tour Down Under official website

Tour of the Basque Country
Dates: April 2-7, 2012
Route: 2012 Euskal Herriko Txirrindulari Itzulia - Vuelta al País Vasco 

Tour de Suisse 
Dates: June 9-17, 2012
Route: Tour de Suisse organizers reveal 2012 route by VeloNews
Website: Tour de Suisse official website

Tour of California 
Dates: May 13-20, 2012
Route: 2012 Tour of California route announced (11/03/11)
2012 Amgen Tour of California to start in Santa Rosa  Leaked Promo video. The race will start in Santa Rosa, CA.
Website:  Amgen Tour of California official website
2012 L'Etape du California citizens race: April 12, 2012 Route: L'Etape du California is back for 2012

USA Pro Cycling Challenge 
Dates: August 20-26, 2012 
Route: 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge route announced (December 8, 2011) 
Website: USA Pro Cycling Challenge official website

Tour of Qatar 
Dates: February 5-10, 2012
Tour of Qatar Route: 2012 Parcours
Website: Tour of Qatar official website

Paris-Nice 
Dates: March 4-11. 2012 
Website: Paris-Nice website
2012 Route of Paris-Nice: Route of the 2012 Paris-Nice announced

Criterium Dauphine 
Dates: June 1-11, 2012
Website: not yet updated Criterium Dauphine official website

More Stage Races

Tour of Serbia
Dates: June 12017, 2012
Website: Tour of Serbia official website
2012 Route: (see website) 6-stages from Niš to Belgrade
News on the Tour: http://www.bss.rs/ and http://www.bicisvet.com/2011/10/trka-kroz-srbiju-2012/

World Championships Road and Time Trial

UCI World Championships
Dates: September 15-23, 2012
Men and Women Elite and U23, plus Junior Road and Time Trial Championships in Limburg, The Netherlands. 2012 dates and event information UCI Road World Championships 


For other pro race and cycling event dates - please see the right column of this blog. 

Colorado

For a list of race dates and event dates for century rides and week long bicycle tours in Colorado, please see: 2012 Colorado Bike Events

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