Cycling

Bicycle have lots of karma and charm. A collection of gem-like devices, individually clever and, when connected, produce a mechanism that's brilliant. Like a skilled acrobat, its accomplishments seem like tricks. Don't try this at home. Among these devices, I'm partial in the extreme to wheels. Puzzling through the years over this irresistible attraction, I've discovered some clues. The wheel

Team Sky riders still smiling despite the cold conditions of the Alps

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David Zabriskie, Tejay van Garderen and Levi Leipheimer struggle to stay with Robert Gesink near the summit of Mount Baldy during the 2012 Amgen Tour of California. Photo: Casey B. Gibson | www.cbgphoto.comLevi Leipheimer made it official on Sunday as the 2013 Amgen Tour of California concluded in his hometown of Santa Rosa — he’s no longer a professional cyclist. Leipheimer was a witness in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s case against Lance Armstrong and detailed his use of performance-enhancing drugs in a sworn affidavit and in an op-ed for the website of The Wall Street Journal. Last year, Omega Pharma-Quick Step fired him after he admitted using performance-enhancing drugs and methods while riding for Saturn, U.S. Postal Service, Rabobank, Gerolsteiner and Astana. Leipheimer and four other active riders — George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde, Dave Zabriskie and Tom Danielson — received six-month suspensions and were stripped of results. Hincapie retired; the others resumed racing this year after serving their time. And Leipheimer hoped to do the same when his suspension ended in March, but could not find a team. On Sunday, he told his hometown newspaper that he had begun “transitioning into the rest of my life.” “I’m retired,” he told The Press Democrat. “It’s just been an unceremoniously retired.” Leipheimer told the newspaper that his focus now is promoting the GranFondo, a mass fund-raising ride that attracts thousands of cyclists. “It’s not about professional cycling, it’s about sharing the love of the bike,” he said. “That’s what it’s always been about.”

Signs a no doping declaration to guide next generation

The anti-thesis of Henry Ford; Wear it in any colour - as long as it's a "T". Above: "Absolutely... For the full photographic glory and the rest of the text, you know where to go. The Original Cycle Chic awaits.

Stage 8 started with a trip over the Golden Gate Bridge. Photo: Casey B. Gibson | www.cbgphoto.com

The 2013 Giro d’Italia is now 15 stages old and the riders have a second and final rest day to look forward to. Since the previous rest day, after stage 9, we’ve seen six days of great racing, some notable withdrawals, and some truly horrendous weather. The weather has been so bad that the climb and descent of the Sestriere, scheduled for stage 14, were removed from the race. There was plenty of suggestion that the Col du Galibier would be removed from stage 15 as well, or that the stage might have been cancelled entirely, but in the end the stage did finish on the Galibier, albeit 4km from the summit. Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) has been in typically unstoppable form, claiming the 100th professional victory of his career when he won on a wet and miserable stage 12. He wasted no time in getting to 101 victories, crossing the line first on the following stage as well, taking his 2013 Giro d’Italia stage victory tally to four. Orica-GreenEDGE sprinter Matt Goss has been noticeably absent since finishing third on stage 6, finishing outside the top 100 on each stage since. But it’s been good to see Brett Lancaster step up for Orica-GreenEDGE in the sprints, taking fifth place on stage 12 and fourth on stage 13. Race favourites Bradley Wiggins (Sky) and Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) have both withdrawn from the race, leaving Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) with two less challengers in the race for the general classification. Australia’s Cadel Evans (BMC) has held on to his second place behind Nibali but has lost some time after dropping Nibali’s wheel on the mountain-top finish to stage 14. But with Cadel looking set for a podium finish to the Giro, and with Tejay van Garderen winning the Tour of California over the weekend, BMC finds itself in a great position leading into the Tour de France, regardless of who the leader might be. And speaking of team leadership, what effect will Wiggins’ early withdrawal from the Giro mean for the Sky leadership come Le Tour? Will Wiggins have rested enough to be Sky’s best chance of a GC win? Or will Froome still get the nod? Regardless, there’s plenty of excitement still to come in the Giro with six stages remaining, including a 21km uphill time trial. Don’t forget to enter our Giro d’Italia quiz for a chance to win some great prizes, including a GoPro HD Hero 3 Silver Edition and a Garmin 510 courtesy of Bike Bug. Entries close tomorrow evening at the start of stage 16. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy these photos from stages 10 to 15. Click here to see a gallery of great images from stages 1 to 9. And follow this link to see the results from stage 15 of the 2013 Giro d’Italia and the overall standings with six stages remaining. p.wp-caption-text, dd.wp-caption-text { width: 1150px; }

No offers forthcoming after six-month ban

Tejay was just stronger, says Australian