Coming Saturday: Leadville 100 LIVE

- Volta a Portugal LIVE video streaming via RTP.  Links below.

- Next update as live television coverage gets underway for Stage 8 of the Volta a Portugal.  Links to LIVE internet video feeds and ticker are below photos.

- Volta a Portugal Stage 8 begins at 13:05 local (8:05am U.S. Eastern).  LIVE video coverage should begin at around 15:58 local (10:58am U.S. Eastern).

2009 Volta a Portugal:  Riders hit some cobblestones in Stage 7.
photo courtesy Volta a Portugal
More Stage 7 photos here

- Volta a Portugal LIVE now on RTP.  Links below photos.

- Next update as live television coverage gets underway for Stage 7 of the Volta a Portugal.  Links to LIVE internet video feeds and ticker are below photos.

- Volta a Portugal Stage 7 begins at 13:05 local (8:05am U.S. Eastern).  LIVE video coverage should begin at around 15:57 local (10:57am U.S. Eastern).

2009 Volta a Portugal:  Eladio Jimenez on the podium after his Stage 6 win.
photo courtesy Volta a Portugal
More Stage 6 photos here

Tour de France cycling figures are among the items sought after by collectors in France.
Collection Charles Guénard, Paris

2000 Tour de France Lance Armstrong cycling figure.
Collection Charles Guénard, Paris
Lance Armstrong photo insert:  Copyright © 2000 Pete Geyer/www.cyclingfans.com

- Volta a Portugal LIVE video streaming on RTP.  Links below photos.

- Next update as live television coverage gets underway for Stage 6 of the Volta a Portugal.  Links to LIVE internet video feeds and ticker are below photos.

- Volta a Portugal Stage 6 begins at 12:50 local (7:50am U.S. Eastern).  LIVE video coverage should begin at around 15:58 local (10:58am U.S. Eastern).

- While we're focusing on Portugal, L'Equipe is reporting that Portuguese rider Sergio Paulinho will join Lance Armstrong's new Team RadioShack in 2010.  A longtime close teammate of Alberto Contador (Liberty Seguros-Wurth, Team Wurth, Discovery Channel, Astana), Paulinho is (or was) without a contract for 2010 and received an offer to join RadioShack next year, according to the French sports daily.  And former USPS/Discovery Channel rider, Jose Azevedo, also of Portugal, reportedly will join RadioShack as a directeur sportif.

- L'Equipe is also reporting that the BMC Racing Team budget will double to $6 million in 2010.  The team is rumored to be interested in signing Levi Leipheimer and George Hincapie.  Note that according to UCI rules, new contract transfers cannot be announced before September 1.  Joining BMC would appear to be a risky move for Leipheimer as the team would have to depend on a wild card in order to compete in the Tour.

Paulinho to ride for RadioShack in 2010 (L'Equipe)
Azevedo to join team as D.S. (Jornal Ciclismo)

Flashback: 2006 Dauphine Libere:  Sergio Paulinho (Team Wurth) poses
for the camera on Mont Ventoux.  According to French sports daily L'Equipe,
Paulinho, long a close teammate of 2009 Tour de France champion Alberto
Contador, will follow Lance Armstrong to the new Team RadioShack.
photo Copyright © 2006 Pete Geyer/www.cyclingfans.com

Flashback:  2004 Paris-Nice:  Jose Azevedo (USPS).  Portuguese newspapers
are reporting that Azevedo will become a directeur sportif for Team RadioShack in 2010.
photo Copyright © 2004 Pete Geyer/www.cyclingfans.com

- Today is a rest day at the Tour of Portugal.

2009 GP Camaiore:  Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) won in Italy on Saturday.  It was his second victory of the year.
Nibali also notably finished 7th overall in the 2009 Tour de France.
photo Copyright © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti for cyclingfans.com

2009 GP Camaiore:  Retired sprinting great Mario "The Lion King" Cipollini was on the course for a ride.
photo Copyright © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti for cyclingfans.com

2009 GP Camaiore:  Cipollini bike and kit.
photo Copyright © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti for cyclingfans.com

- Vuelta a Burgos LIVE via TDP.  Link below.  More links to come.

- Next updates as live television coverage gets underway for Vuelta a Burgos and Volta a Portugal.  Links to LIVE internet video feeds and tickers are below photos.

- Vuelta a Burgos final stage Sunday begins at 12:41 CET (6:41am U.S. Eastern).  LIVE video coverage should begin at around 16:00 CET (10am U.S. Eastern).  Stage 5 is a mountaintop finish.  Garmin-Slipstream's Tom Danielson is race leader with teammate Danny Pate in second at 4 seconds.  Alejandro Valverde is third at 5 seconds.  Below: photos of Danielson and Pate, USA Cycling teammates at the 2003 Tour de l'Avenir (Tour of the Future).

Flashback:  2003 Tour de l'Avenir ("Tour of the future"):  Team USA's Mike Creed, left, Danny Pate,
and Tom Danielson in Bonneval, France on the eve of the prologue.
photo Copyright © Pete Geyer/www.cyclingfans.com

Flashback:  2003 Tour de l'Avenir:  Pate and Danielson before being
presented to the public in Bonneval, France on the eve of the prologue.
photo Copyright © Pete Geyer/www.cyclingfans.com

Flashback:  2003 Tour de l'Avenir:  Danielson, not used to the media attention in Europe,
outside the church at Bonneval.  Riding at the time for the dominant U.S. domestic team Saturn,
Danielson would soon make a permanent move to Europe, signing with Fassa Bortolo for the 2004 season.
He would then join the Discovery Channel team in 2005.
photo Copyright © Pete Geyer/www.cyclingfans.com

Flashback:  2003 Tour de l'Avenir:  Pate and Danielson, introduced to the French public,
look about as comfortable as ice cubes on a hot summer afternoon.  But this is typical of pro riders.
USA Cycling National Development Team Director Noel Dejonckheere is at right.
photo Copyright © Pete Geyer/www.cyclingfans.com

Coming Soon:  "This Beautiful Sport"

2003 Tour de l'Avenir:  Tom Danielson (Team USA) in action in the prologue.
Copyright © Pete Geyer/www.cyclingfans.com

Vuelta a Burgos Stage 5 Profile