Hermans took the last stage, and Nordhaug took the overall after snatching a second at the last intermediate sprint, which effectively sealed it.

All-in-all, it was a successful debut for the TdY. Also good to hear Verity is in talks with British Cycling about the Road WCh.

Another Hour Record comparison graphic has been produced by Xavier Disley: https://twitter.com/xavierdisley/sta...97443545464832

So what is happening to the Giro D'Italia highlights? It seems that Sky cannot be bothered despite having the rights as the listings for next week doesn't contain any. We are left to the usual Eurosport game of will-they, won't they bother themselves. They are promising highlights at 7pm but they have a record of switching and dropping them at the last minute.

It is a shame ITV lost the highlights as they do them well.

Surely Sky should lose them if they won't use them.

What makes you think Sky have the rights for highlights? no mention of that on steephill.tv, didnt the BBC have them last year?

The highlights certainly arent on at 7pm, most nights on ES2 anytime between 6.30 and 8.00 pm from what I can see.

Also noticed the Tour of California starts Sunday night.

The Dunkirk race starts today on ES from 2.15

The five day Four Days of Dunkirk, of course. And also the Tour of Azerbaijan - highlights only on Wed and Thu, live from Friday and at the weekend.

Just found this great page, extremely handy for the small subset of us (probably just me) that are fans of both athletics and cycling.

Full schedule of all athletics and cycling programmes on TV for the next couple of weeks

http://www.athleticsontv.org.uk/

Sky's team for the Giro is based around Richie Porte

"Porte's squad features the Italian duo Salvatore Puccio and Elia Viviani, alongside Bernhard Eisel, Sebastian Henao, Vasil Kiryienka, Leopold Konig, Mikel Nieve and Kanstantsin Siutsou."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/32596951

http://www.wheresthematch.com/cycling-on-tv/

Sky have the rights to show highlights - which they took from ITV - but they choose not to show them. The BBC had the rights to show the Irish stages of the Giro but that was all.

I am not too sure when their highlights rights runs out but it cannot be soon enough.

Dunkirk under way with 59K to go

The weather looks like it does here in London.........about to chuck it down at any minute

We've got wind, cobbles (some of the Paris-Roubaix sections). The main peloton slit but just getting back together again

Looks like it could be a yo-yo day with groups splitting, getting back, splitting again......

Mainly French teams taking part, there's a Belgian team and the Columbians. Only appears to be one Brit.......Russell Downing who rides for Cult Energy Pro Cycling these days, which is a Danish Pro Continental team

No British rider in the Sky team.........how disappointing is that !

Of course.......they are doing California as well so maybe the Brits are going there

Procyclingstats is only showing two Brits for Sky on their provisional ATOC start list.

Serious lack of top end talent in this country for Sky's budget and ambitions. Excluding Froome, only a fifth of the Sky squad are British. A proportion that does not vary much over the years. Their big sponsorship does not attract talent from other biomechanical sports.

It's rumoured that Kennaugh may be looking to move elsewhere next season as he is unable to secure a senior protected rider spot.

Josh Edmondson wins the stage in Azerbhajan !

After losing his place with Sky he dropped down a couple of grades and now rides for An Post, Sean Kelly's team............but he's still only young and if he can win a few stages in these races he might get back into a World Tour team

It does seem unfortunate that the rise of British cycling appears to have hit a ceiling..........there are a lot more British professional riders now but they do appear to be populating the 2nd and 3rd division teams

Just seen it - OK, a long way short of World Tour level, but any win when someone can ride away from the peleton with 3km to go and hold off the sprinters on a flat finish is special.

Video preview of tomorrow's opening TTT along a seafront cyclepath in Sanremo:
https://youtu.be/tB_QS_L-5pE?list=PL...gbUt2WBawbIQuX

Wiggins is currently on R4 Desert Island Discs. Podcast available later.

After kicking early, Greipel was made to look ordinary by Hofland and Viviani's surge. ES highlights still waffling and doing the formalities rather than examining the aerial view of the sprint.

Viviani is a good sprinter for Sky because he doesn't appear to need much of a lead out.........he seems happy to duck and dive on the wheels of others

Doesn't weaken the GC guy much to have him in the team

Very smooth win for Mark Cavendish on the Tour of California. Nice wide, straight roads so no problem getting the Etixx train going and nobody in the race looks like they could challenge, so probably another couple of win chances before the mountain stages.

Worrying crash just now for Pozzovivo..........he looks in a bad way

It looked like a pool of blood around his head.

Italian TV reporting that he is breathing.......

phew.......I thought he was a goner

It looked worse than it turned out to be, thankfully. Apparently he's considering riding in the Tour de Suisse, which is barely a month away now.

Cav edged Sagan yesterday to win Stage 2 of the ToC, which brings his career tally up to 130 (including 43 Grand Tour stages) - and he's still under 30 years of age (for 9 days anyway). Amongst active pros, I believe he is one of only four to have achieved the century - the others being Boonen, Greipel and Petacchi.

I'm pretty sure Cav will finish his career with more than 150 wins; matching Petacchi's haul of 184 (and counting (!), in theory anyway) or Cipollini's 191 will be a challenge though. At the very least, he'll want more than Greipel (currently about 120 or thereabouts AFAIK).

brilliant stage in the Giro today..........a shorter stage and action from the gun !

Today's stage was a more traditional affair - ride tempo to the last climb, then shred the peloton to smithereens.

Two breakaway victories in succession by young riders on the other hand, are not so common.

I wondered if Sky had highlights of the Giro this year, but didn't they show it 2013 and 14 and a little voice in my head seems to say it was a 2 year thing, so maybe that's why not this year. But I have to say I'm very impressed with what the Giro and the Tour of Romandie have done this year. 3-4 minute highlights in hi-def up on youtube, via Cyclinghub or InCycle usually up on the same night by 7pm. Should be the template for all sports to follow. Watching Eurosports coverage as well and really impressed with JA Flecha on Giro Extra.

The highest profile event of British domestic season starts this afternoon - the first race of the Pearl Izumi Tour Series in Ryde, Isle of Wight.

Full 10 race, 5 week calendar here

http://www.tourseries.co.uk/venues/i...p#.VVR_BvlVjDU

Highlights on ITV4 tomorrow night at 20:00, and at the same time the day after each of the races.

How does that rank with the British Elite Road Racing Series ?........do the same riders and teams compete in both ?

British Cycling's website says that the Elite Series is the number one series of races !