In terms of sponsorship, it’s been a great week for international cycling.

Four teams — FOUR! — have garnered new sponsorship deals that significantly boost the sport.

– Saxo Bank, with headquarters in Denmark, has signed on to become the title sponsor…

OK, as a viewer, I think this year’s Giro has been great theatre and an enjoyable experience, but I don’t have to drag my Magnus Backstedt over the mountains and through the woods with long hours caught in traffic and traveling…

Will Frischkorn of Slipstream-Chipotle posted a cool stream-of-consciousness item on Velonews.com about what a pro cyclist thinks about during a long stage. Pretty funny stuff.

Frischkorn placed second to George Hincapie last year in the inaugural Tour of Missouri.

–30–

…

Since American Christian Vande Velde of Slipstream-Chipotle claimed the maglia rosa in Stage 1 of the Giro d’Italia, it’s been all Italians in the country’s grand tour.

Well, all Italians and crashes …

Daniele Bennati won Stage 3, a 221km ride from Catania to Milazzo, and Liquigas…

American Christian Vande Velde is in the maglia rosa after his team, Slipstream-Chipotle, won the team time trial in impressive fashion Saturday in the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia. 

Vande Velde led the five surviving argyle-clad Slipstream-Chipotle riders across the finishing line in…

With Americans prominent on Slipstream-Chipotle, CSC and Astana, Velonews.com previewed the Giro d’Italia and suggested that an American could end up in the maglia rosa Saturday after the Team Time Trial in the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia.

Velo said…

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…

 The emergence of High Road’s Kanstantin Sivtsov and Slipstream-Chipotle’s Trent Lowe as the one-two finishers in the Tour de Georgia portends well to the future of cycling.

Both are 25 years old, and both will be in the Tour de France…

BRASSTOWN BALD, GA. — In an epic battle on an epic mountain, Astana’s Levi Leipheimer tried again and again to drop Trent Lowe of Slipstream-Chipotle on Saturday in Stage 6 of the Tour de Georgia.

Try as he might, Leipheimer couldn’t shake the…

 Riders with Missouri connections had a tough go of it in the inaugural Tour of Missouri last year.

– Dan Schmatz of St. Louis suffered a broken clavicle in the first few miles of Stage 2 after an unfortunate incident with…