The second stage of the World Ports Classic is on Eurosport 2 at 21:00

we're so spoiled with live sport these days that I don't consider recorded highlights ................

if it ain't live, it ain't on...............

Dan Martin is out of La Vuelta after suffering concussion from a crash yesterday: https://twitter.com/AlexRazi/status/...876480/photo/1

Big mountain top finish today in the Vuelta..........the GC should start taking shape from today

Great win for Konig today - just to remind everyone, the Endura part of NetApp Endura is a Scottish team that up until last year was competing on the British domestic circuit.

Nicolas Roche in the Red jersey - must have a good chance for taking the overall title?

Early days but Nibali doesn't look quite in top condition. Horner will also go top 6 but age may catch up with him, JRod won't last the pace so soon after the tour, Uran and especially Henao don't look quite there either yet. Sanchez, Kreuziger, Mollema too far back already.

Could be worth a punt on an outsider. Moreno, Roche and VV look the most likely and had easier tours but may still struggle in the third week.

Worth bets on Basso, Konig, DeClerq for Top 6 or 10 spots.

I'd tip Moreno at this stage.

Another race tonight at 19:00 on Eurosport 2 - the GP Plouay from Brittany.

He had a very hard TDF and I dont think his all round ability is quite up there with the very best just yet
Nibali is where I would be looking for the winner with Uran getting on the podium as well

Be interesting to see if Nick Roche can hold on to the jersey today

It's an OK stage until the last kilometre which ramps up viciously.........which probably won't suit him but we've seen before how riders can go into the depths of suffering to hold on to a jersey..............

The most agonising possible result for Roche!

Yep
very hard to take for Roache losing it by 1 second

F1 driver Alonso has bought the Euskadi Euskatel WT licence with the intention of building a new Spanish pro-cycling team in 2014:
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/...r-licence.html
http://www.abc.es/deportes/20130902/...309021251.html

I like that bit............the 6 million euro budget for the team will be covered by his existing sponsors

So he's not putting any of his own money in !

Nice work Alonzo..............

Does anyone know if 6 million euro will guarantee a World Tour license or will they have to drop down a division ?

I think Netapp might be bidding to step up to World Tour status and obviously it would help their cause if a few teams dropped out ................I'd like to see NetApp get in the World Tour because they've still got some British riders left over from the Enduro team (but not that many, they seem to have got rid of most of them)

Corrected from original post. Top teams are about 15 million, 6 million is about the minimum nowadays - Euskatel, Lampre, Eurocar.

Scroll down in this thread to see last year's prices.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/to...am-sky-so-good


As for Netapp, they are definitely better than all those French teams that get invites for the TdF and then never do anything except getting a couple of blokes into doomed breakaways in the first week.

Two big climbs to finish the stage today............they're just approaching the first of them with about 40K to go

Mountain top finish on the 2nd climb

Big breakaway group...........about 15 riders ?.......have got 3 minutes plus.

Sun is beating down, could be a bit of a killer stage today

Andy Fenn has climbed off...........one of the 2 British riders in the race

Apparently there was a big crash earlier in the stage so maybe he was involved in that

That was a cracking stage today, rest day tomorrow so everyone going for it up the big hill. Very weird finishing line, downhill on a curve.

Nibali is looking superb and a lot of credit to Horner I do hope he can get on the podium after efforts like todays

must say Sky Team are completely absent from this race which is a big surprize I thought at the beginning either Henao or Uran could get on the podium but not much chance of that happening now

Yeah, they have obviously used up everything they had in Italy and France.

I think Wiggins will put some fibre back in the team at the tour of Britain - I think we are in for a BIG showing from Brad after the season he has had so far

Wiggins' target for the second half of the season is the World Championship individual time trial on Wednesday 25th. The ToB ends on 22nd. I cannot see him doing much that could reduce his chances in Italy. In preparation at the Tour of Poland a month ago he just contested the ITT and ignored the overall race win.

Horner really? i know theres other things to factor in like the Spaniards having the TDF in their legs, the unknown form of Nibali and Horner being fresh but how can anyone not think hes doped up to the eyeballs, one last hurrah for him so i guess its worth it from his point of view.

He reminds me of De Luca in the Giro.

Another race starting tomorrow, the beginning of our brief season of Canadian cycling: the Tour of Alberta on Eurosport at 20:00.

It's another new race..........first edition this year

The Prologue Stage was held yesterday (don't think it was on TV) *

5 road stages - 4th to 8th Sept

Millar is the only British rider taking part

According to 'Radio Times' Eurosport is covering every road stage live.........starting at either 9pm or 10pm


*............the prologue wasn't on TV yesterday but there are highlights before todays live coverage