If you missed the Vuelta a Espana, as I did, here's your chance to catch up on Denis Menchov's second victory in three years.
Our friends at Versus will televise a 1-hour review of the third and final grand tour of 2007 at 6 p.m. ET Sunday (AND 4 p.m. ET Monday) following, I might mention, the noon telecast of Anaheim vs. Los Angeles in their second regular-season game in London's O2 Arena.

Denis Menchov (center) second-place Carlos Sastre (left) and third-place Samuel Sanchez (Euskatel-Euskadi) on the final podium of the Vuelta in Madrid on Sunday (AP photo/Bernat Armangue).

"After three long weeks of sometimes exciting racing ..." -- all of which I missed -- begins Andrew Hood of VeloNews, Denis Menchov won his second Vuelta title in three years.

Excuse me? So how come we don't have a better sense of the Rabobank rider?

Oh yeah, isn't that Michael Rasmussen's former team?

And last year, didn't someone else win the last couple Vuelta's?

Right. Roberto Heras won three-straight Vuelta's from 2003-05, as well as in 2000. But this year, Menchov won it outright. Menchov inherited the 2005 crown after Heras tested positive for EPO. Daniele Bennati (Lampre-Fondital) held off Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) to win his third stage in Sunday's final stage into Madrid and bring to an end the season's final grand tour.

Bennati also won the final stage of the Tour de France on the Champs-Elysées. The Italian sprinter won the points jersey.

Tour de France winner Alberto Contador (right) congratulates Vuelta a Espana leader Denis Menchov (photo/Graham Watson).

Just thought I'd mention that Russian Denis Menchov of Rabobank leads Spain's Carlos Sastre by 3:02 heading into today's 20th stage of the Vuelta a Espana. Australia's Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) is third, 3:49 back.

Remember the good old days when Versus (then OLN) used to cover the entire Vuelta a España? Now, you can't even find weekend coverage on television.

The options? CyclingTV online (sign up here).

The 62nd Vuelta begins Saturday in Vigo (Pontevedra, Galicia). Iker Rioja of the Cyclingnews has a short-and-sweet analysis of the teams that will race over the next three weeks to the race's conclusion in Madrid.

Unbelievably, its mid-August. The road and track seasons are coming to an end and cross events will soon be filling up the racing calendar. But not just yet. If you've been thinking about trying your hand in racing there is still some time to whet your appetite and plant the racing bug into your system for cross season or for next year. Below is a list of races in specific areas of the country.

If you've come by the site to look for results or photos of any of the races listed, click through to Truesport.com.

The featured race on the calendar this weekend is the USPRO National Criterium Championship in the western Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, IL. The race features a figure eight course with an infamous finale that is ingrained into American cycling tradition. The race usually comes down to who can first reach [and survive] the final turn, as it sits only 150m from the line.

Ivan Domniguez (Toyota-United) has to be considered one of the favorites coming off easy victories at Hanes Park and Elk Grove. But this race hasn't been particularly kind to Domniguez in the past. As such, the race shapes up to be wide open.

For the women, look for the usual suspects in Tina Pic (Colavita-Sutter Homes) and Laura Van Gilder (Cheerwine).

If you're in the Millersburg, PA area for the Tour de Millersburg, make sure to look for the special Master of Ceremonies, Bob "Bobke" Roll.

08/17/2007
Air Products Finals
Trexlertown, PA

08/18/2007
USCF Criterium Championships
Downers Grove, IL
Wine Country Classic
North East, PA
Tour de Millersburg
Millersurg, PA
Encino Velodrome Championships
Encino, CA
Dunnigan Hills Road Race
Yolo, CA
Carlisle Grand Prix
Newville, PA
Tour de Gap
Brian Head, UT
Carolina State Track Champ & 2007 Velo Champ
Ashville, NC

08/19/2007
Mt Lemmon Time Trial
Tucson, AZ
Suisun Harbor Bicycle Races
Suisun City, CA

08/20/2007
IL. State Velodrome Pursuit & TT Championship
Northbrook, IL

Tubing
As mentioned previously, the Versus [check your local cable listings] channel will be airing highlights of the Nature Valley Grand Prix stage race this Sunday the 19th with a replay on the 21st. The race took place in June with the overall titles going to Ivan Stevic (Toyota-United) and Kristin Armstrong (TEAm Lipton). However, depending on the highlights that are aired, we may all be in for a treat as this may be the first opportunity for many to see the precocious talents of Mara Abbott (Webcor Builders).
]]> http://triplecrankset.com/2007/08/on-tap-25/feed/ 2 http://triplecrankset.com/2006/09/a-discovery-at-the-vuelta/ http://triplecrankset.com/2006/09/a-discovery-at-the-vuelta/#comments Sun, 17 Sep 2006 01:05:00 +0000 Steve http://66.147.242.184/~triplec8/?p=368

Tom Danielson celebrated the greatest victory of his career in Granada in the 17th stage of the Vuelta a Espana (photo by Graham Watson)

The Vuelta makes a tranquil exit from Malaga at the start of the second stage of the Vuelta a Espana Sunday (photo by Graham Watson).

Here's the itinerary for the Tour of Spain which starts in Malaga on Saturday (* denotes mountain finish):

Saturday, Aug. 26: first stage, Malaga - Malaga (7.3 km) - team time trial
Sunday, Aug. 27: second stage, Malaga - Cordoba (176 km)
Monday, Aug. 28: third stage, Cordoba - Almendralejo (219 km)
Tuesday, Aug. 29: fourth stage, Almendralejo - Caceres (135 km)
Wednesday, Aug. 30: fifth stage, Plasencia - La Covatilla* (178 km)
Thursday, Aug. 31: sixth stage, Zamora - Leon (177 km)
Friday, Sept. 1: seventh stage, Leon - Alto de Morredero* (154.2 km)
Saturday, Sept. 2: eighth stage, Ponferrada - Lugo (181.6 km)
Sunday, Sept. 3: ninth stage, A Fonsagrada - Alto de la Cobertoria* (207.4 km)
Monday, Sept. 4: rest day
Tuesday, Sept. 5: 10th stage, Aviles - Museo de Altamira (199.3 km)
Wednesday, Sept. 6: 11th stage, Torrelavega - Burgos (173.6 km)
Thursday, Sept. 7: 12th stage, Aranda de Duero - Guadalajara (169.3 km)
Friday, Sept. 8: 13th stage, Guadalajara - Cuenca (180 km)
Saturday, Sept. 9: 14th stage, Cuenca - Cuenca (33.2 km) - individual time trial,
Sunday, Sept. 10: 15th stage, Motilla del Palancar - Almussafes (182 km)
Monday, Sept. 11: rest day
Tuesday, Sept. 12: 16th stage, Almeria - Calar Alto* (145 km)
Wednesday, Sept. 13: 17th stage, Adra - Granada (166.7 km)
Thursday, Sept. 14: 18th stage, Granada - Sierra de la Pandera* (153.1 km)
Friday, Sept. 15: 19th stage, Jaen - Ciudad Real (205.3 km)
Saturday, Sept. 16: 20th stage, Rivas Vaciamadrid - Rivas Vaciamadrid (27.5 km) - individual time trial
Sunday, Sept. 17: 21st stage, Madrid - Madrid (142.2 km)

Total distance: 3,213 km

Also:
La Vuelta's Colorful History
Spanish rider Gil excluded from Tour of Spain
Leading Tour of Spain contenders

Yeah, Tooth, the Vuelta begins on Saturday with a 7.3km team time trial in Malaga and finishes in Madrid on Sept. 17.

You remember the Vuelta, Tooth. That's the race that Russian Denis Menchov won when Roberto Heras was stripped of the title following a positive test for the banned blood-booster erythropoietin (EPO).

And cycling has been just a joy from there with one doping scandal after another.

"I'd love to win the race, but the Vuelta is a secondary objective this year after the Tour (de France) and I don't feel as fresh this time," Menchov was quoted as saying in the Spanish sports daily Marca.

Menchov (pictured above by Graham Watson winning Stage 11 of the Tour) finished sixth in this year's Tour de France behind Floyd Landis. Of course, that could be fifth, too, if Landis is stripped of his title following his positive test for excessive levels of the hormone testosterone.

Lovely, lovely, lovely.

Other riders to watch: Alejandro Valverde, Carlos Sastre, Alexander Vinokourov and and maybe even Iban Mayo.

There are some tough mountain stages in the early part of the Vuelta this year, so the likely contenders could be revealed in the first week of the race.

"The mountains will be the key. There are a lot at the start, not many in the middle and a lot at the end. The time trials are short and I don't think they will be decisive," Menchov said.

The Vuelta, or Tour of Spain, is next.
(Sorry, Tooth: I care.)

Spain's Oscar Pereiro, the No. 2 finisher in the Tour de France who could be No. 1 without pedaling another mile, won't be sneaking up on anyone in a breakaway in the Vuelta, he admits in a story I found on Reuters.

"We have a fantastic team for the Vuelta (Tour of Spain) but in my case I will no longer have the benefit of the element of surprise," the Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears rider says. "When the others see me a minute or two in front the alarm bells will start ringing and I don't like that as I prefer to try and catch people off guard."

Pereiro, who is just 29, bolted into the Tour leadership when the peleton chose not to chase him down and granted him a 30-minute breakaway. Without it, Andreas Kloden or Carlos Sastre might be the champion-in-waiting.

"We were delighted with second place because it was an important triumph for the team but right now we can't celebrate second or first place," Pereiro said. "We are ready to savour the triumph but our celebrations are being put on hold by what is happening. It shouldn't take much for everything to be confirmed and for victory to be ours."

Pereiro is likely to have to share team leadership in the Vuelta with Alejandro Valverde, who was forced to quit the French race after breaking his collarbone in a crash.