Valverde and Rodriguez were always going to suffer in a rather hilly edition of the 'Race Of Truth' compared to Christopher Froome and Alberto Contador, despite both having good climbing capabilities. Though Rodriguez went into the day with a 53 second cushion it never looked like it was going to be enough to keep the other favourites at bay - and sure enough he lost 52 seconds which was actually far less than I thought he would which means he retains red by 1 second over Contador who finished second overall today, behind winner Kessiakoff. Today's big loser though was Chris Froome, who many, including me, predicted to take the win today. It's starting to look as though he's got to many miles in his legs as he rode in 22 seconds behind Contador. Of course there is a very mountainous final week to come, but with Contador and Rodriguez both leading the way it's going to be a hard task to overhaul either of them even with the top four all within 1 minute of each other. Today looks to have been quite a decisive day in what has been a fantastic Vuelta so far, and dare I say it, it looks as though its a two horse race from here on in, but what one hell of a two horse race its going to be...

The UCI announced today that the Tour of Hangzhou (China), which was supposed to take place between the 17th and 21st of October has been 'postponed' until 2013 - cancelled in other words - stating that 'not all the conditions had been met to guarantee the necessary quality'. So, a race that the UCI stamped with a 'WorldTour' licence (the highest race status achievable) before it had actually run for the first time has failed to come up with the goods it promised - perhaps the UCI should look again at how they dish out licences in what has become a very blurred line between distinction in quality and money...

Whilst racing continues in Spain, Denmark and America right now, this doesn't stop riders signing new contracts and teams poaching riders. The Transfer Market has been particularly busy this year as teams try to make the most of sponsorship money while it lasts. See here for transfers part 1 and part 2, here's the latest movers and shakers...

It's been a busy day and not just in La Vuelta as riders continue to look for new deals and certain handshakes are made. Though things haven't been so friendly in Spain where Valverde and Movistar fell foul to some underhand Sky tactics. Here is a round-up of all the happenings today...

If the Tour de France was a Sky lesson in tempo riding, then today's stage 3 of La Vuelta a Espana was a Contador lesson in attack. For those who thought the Tour lacked excitement then today's stage of the Vuelta lacked no such thing as Alberto Contador attacked 7 times on the final climb of the day in a show of intent and aggression. Tempo riding isn't going to be the order of the day here...

So, two days in and what do we know? In fact the Team Time Trial produced slightly more time gaps than I thought it would, with Garmin losing a minute thanks to a crash out on the coarse. It also showed us who's riding well and who's struggling, last years winner Juan Jose Cobo got dropped in the run in to the finish line by his team as he struggled to keep up, though he has previously said he doesn't think he will figure anyway because of illness. Today's sprint finish was, well, a sprint finish so no real change to the General Classification here - though it was nice to see a sprint that didn't involve Mark Cavendish for a change and this in itself makes for more interesting flatter stages. Tomorrow though, is a different story...

With the Olympics drawing to it's natural conclusion this evening we can once again focus on the cycling. If you thought you would be lost for something to watch on the box, don't despair - La Vuelta is coming. In the meantime here's all the latest from this weekend in cycling...

When Boris Johnson announced today the launch of 'Ride London', I had mixed emotions. 'Ride London' is a two day Olympic Legacy cycling event featuring mass participation rides, amateur races and the nations first UCI ranked 'one-day race'. This, as an 'event' makes me happy. Cycling is in the limelight, finally, and the nation is taking note. Any UCI ranked race that we can add to the British calendar is a massive achievement, a huge step forward and whatever you come to read in the next couple of paragraphs, this remains true. So why am I feeling a little underwhelmed?...

The UCI has, in recent times, faced much criticism regarding it's efforts to clean up cycling, as much to do with their involvement in the Lance Armstrong affair as the the shambolic handling of the Contador positive test. Most recently Pat McQuaid and the UCI have been doing everything in their power to get their hands on the evidence held by the USADA in their investigation into Lance Armstrong and the US Postal team and it's involvement in drug doping. Last week the UCI claimed that the case was their jurisdiction, not that of the USADA and that they should hand over all documentation to the UCI, where before they said they had nothing to do with the case. It's the back-pedalling we have come to know well from the UCI and their sinister underbelly. Finally though, it looks as though the UCI may have the sting removed from their tail...

The word 'echelon' can strike fear amongst even the toughest members of the professional peloton, though some riders can use them to their advantage. If you are new to cycling you are likely to hear this word banded about by commentators during races which feature coastal or flat and exposed sections of road, but what exactly is an 'echelon' and why are they such a big deal?...

For those missing the road since the Tour de France, the Olympics has filled a void with the track, but just in case you have taken your finger from the pulse of road cycling, here's a little round-up of whats been happening outside of the Olympic park...

The end of the Tour de France means one thing: It's transfer time. Riders will now start signing their deals for next year, whether that means staying or going elsewhere. Usually by now we have some idea as to where the big names may will end up. The Tour usually provides us with clues as to who's going where, by watching closely you can often catch a glimpse of riders talking to rival team management which of course sends the cycling news sites, magazines and papers into silly season overdrive. Here's a round up of all the transfer talk so far...

Bradley Wiggins continued what can only be described as a miraculous winning streak, storming to today's Olympic Time Trial victory with a massive winning margin of 42 seconds, picking up Team GB's first Olympic Cycling Gold medal of the games and the 7th medal of his career which makes him the most decorated British Olympian in history. The podium was rounded out by Tony Martin and another Team GB rider, Christopher Froome in third place taking a bronze medal. Yet again Bradley proves he is no mere mortal, but a well oiled machine with a season palmares that stands alone in British cycling history...