No Cadel Evans of Silence-Lotto, but the Giro d’Italia lineup is still stacked:

Two past Giro champs: Danilo DiLuca of LPR Brakes, Gilberto Simoni of S. Diquigiovanni-Androni G.

The Astana three: Alberto Contador, Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloden

Past Vuelta champ: Denis Menchov…

What a cuppla days for the Astana cycling team.

Johan Bruyneel’s team is bound for the Giro d’Italia after the Giro organizer, RCS, reversed field and extended an invitation to the race.

And on Sunday, Andreas Kloden wrapped up the…

The organizers of the Giro d’Italia apparently have come to their senses and invited the best team in cycling — Astana — to the Giro, which starts next week.

Better late than never, I reckon.

The Associated Press reports that Astana’s…

Ol’ 10 Speed has taken a few days to relax and ruminate after traipsing through Georgia last week for the sixth edition of the Tour de Georgia, and I keep coming back to what a fantastic event this was from…

With a headline like that, we start with the Tour of Flanders.

– Belgium national champion Stijn Devolder of U.S. sponsored Quick Step won the epic Tour of Flanders on Sunday, attacking th 26km remaining and winning the 264km ride by 15…

After the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France gave Astana an un-vitation to their races, thereby igniting an international spitting match, the Vuelta a Espana was the only one of the cycling’s grand tours to welcome Astana.

Yes, the…

Laurens Ten Dam of Rabobank won the opening stage of the Criterium International on Saturday, turning an early breakaway into a 10-second win in the 193 km stage from Signy-le-Petit to Charleville-Mézières.

American Ian McKissick of BMC joined Ten Dam in…

Defending Tour de France winner Alberto Contador of Astana wrapped up the general classification of the Vuelta a Castilla y León, which he led from start to finish.

Contador finished 39 seconds ahead of Barloworld’s Mauricio Soler and 46 ahead…

Four of the five teams with U.S. ties received invitations to the Tour de France from the Amaury Sports Organization.

 American-based Slipstream-Chipotle and High Road, two teams at the forefront of the anti-doping movement, were invited, along with American-sponsored teams CSC…

 Rabobank’s Oscar Freire wins the day in Stage 6 of Tirreno-Adriatico, and Fabian Cancellara stays in the leader’s jersey.

Here’s the Associated Press account …  

Freire wins sixth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, Cancellara retains overall lead

CASTELFIDARDO, Italy (AP) — Oscar Freire sprinted to…