Here's a big surprise from the Tour de Romandie that concluded Sunday in Switzerland.

With everyone, including me, saying the final 12.7-mile individual time trial would be a duel between leader Alberto Contrador and 2nd place Alejandro Valverde, it's Australian Cadel Evans who smokes both of them.   more »

When you plop down to watch the Tour de Georgia on Cyclysm today (4-6 p.m. ET) at the Outdoor Life Network, be informed that Comcast-owned network OLN is changing its name to Versus this fall.

Interesting that a network that originated with field and stream shows would take a word from ancient Latin as its new moniker. ...   more »

Look for a mano a mano battle between two Spaniards for the title at the final stage of the Tour de Romandie bike race on Sunday.

Alberto Contador (Liberty Seguros) leads Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears) by just 6 seconds going into the day's 12.6-mile individual time trial in Lausanne. ...   more »

You might remember a short mention in Biking Bis back in February about a group of nearly two dozen women who were setting out for a cross-country bicycle tour in March.

One of the cyclists, Laraine Lagattolla, was struck by a car and killed instantly in Cleveland, Texas, as she bicycled to her hotel. The driver of the SUV making a right turn apparently did not see Lagattolla riding at the side of the road, according to newspaper accounts. ...   more »

American Chris Horner is in the yellow jersey after Thursday's Stage 2 of the Tour de Romandie.

The 34-year-old bicycle racer from Bend, Oregon, enabled his team, Davitamon-Lotto, to win its second stage in as many days in the week-long bike race around the western part of Switzerland. ...   more »

It's a little odd and melancholy to read Bicycling magazine's Q&A with US cyclist Saul Raisin.

The 23-year-old pro racer from Dalton, Georgia, was severely injured in a crash during the Circuit de la Sarthe about three weeks ago. The cyclist for the Credit Agricole team has been hospitalized ever since, part of the time in a medically induced coma. ...   more »

Bill Wilcox's day usually includes a 10- to 20-mile bike ride. That's how the retired West Virginian engineer stays in shape to ride RAGBRAI this summer.

Wilcox, 75, of Shepherdstown has ridden the 500-mile, week-long Iowa bike tour for the past 12 years. He usually rides with this two son's-in-law, although he has biked it alone -- just Wilcox and 10,000 to 12,000 other bicycle enthusiasts. ...   more »

When I lived in California, I had a neighbor who bought a '60s vintage Chevy, parked it in his garage, and proceeded to take it apart, clean or replace each piece, and put it back together again.

For those who do that to classic bicycles, there's a show and sale for you. The 26th annual Ann Arbor/Saline Classic Bicycle Show and Swap Meet convenes Saturday. ...   more »

San Francisco, Tucson, and Madison, Wisconsin, all have something common now; they've achieved the gold level as Bicycle Friendly Communities.

The League of American Bicyclists has added eight communities to its list, now numbering 55, of cities that deserve recognition in five areas of "bicycle friendliness" -- education, enforcement, encouragement, engineering and evaluation. ...   more »

Italy's Paolo Savoldelli sat out last week's Tour de Georgia for the Discovery team, but came on strong at the Tour de Romandie by winning the 2.1-mile prologue Tuesday.

It was "the return" of Germany's Jan Ullrich that many awaited, however. Injured in early training, Ullrich made his return to pro cycling by finishing 90th out of 163 cyclists. ...   more »

Cities take note: Keep those bicycle routes and bike lanes clear of obstructions.

A jury in Tucson has awarded $700,000 to 47-year-old cyclist Tom Harris, who hit a sandbag holding down a construction sign, fell off his bike and was hit by a car in a three-year-old incident. ...   more »

The world is not always a friendly place for bicycle tourists.

Two pairs of cyclists wrote first hand reports in their bike journal blogs of being harassed recently in Latin America by locals armed with machetes. In one case the two bike riders lost a pannier to the bandits, who patted them down with the blunt ends of their weapons. ...   more »

In spite of Boston being judged one of the worst cities for cyclists by Bicycling magazine this year, legislation that would offer relief to bicyclists appears to be going nowhere at the state capitol.

The Bicyclists' Bill of Rights and Responsibilities has been bottled up in Massachusetts for six years. The bill would give the bicycling public the same legal rights to the road and responsibilities as motorists. ...   more »

Who's the great American hope in this year's Tour de France? You gotta believe that Floyd Landis is a top contender.

The Pennsylvania native and Southern California resident won the 6-day Ford Tour de Georgia on Sunday by finishing in the pack with a scant four-second lead over last year's winner, American Tom Danielson of the Discovery pro cycling team. ...   more »

Here's a scenario I bet you didn't expect:

Tom Danielson, 4 seconds down in the General Classification, won Stage 5 atop Brasstown Bald on Saturday but didn't gain on Tour leader Floyd Landis because the Phonak cyclist finished on Danielson's back wheel.

With just Sunday's bike ride left in the 600-mile, 6-day race across Georgia, it looks like Landis is poised to win his third major bicycle race of the season. ...   more »