Mark Cavendish might be the fastest man on two wheels, but when it comes to signing a contract things grind to a screeching halt.

Does he still have it? That's the question being posed everywhere ahead of the men's elite time trial at the Road Cycling Worlds.

Every Grand Tour has its charm. The Giro has snowy climbs, meandering stages that go through small towns and even smaller roads. The Italian Grand Tour also has unpaved roads and unbelievably difficult climbs.

I saw the message on a T-shirt worn by a fan near the finish line at this year's Tour of Flanders. "Every domestique has his day," the shirt proclaimed. A touching, but seldom true statement in a sport that has slowly become more and more specialized, with teams often having singular goals during races. But how can we dismiss the allure of a domestique having his day, while watching a stage like today's at the Vuelta A Espana?

During stage 15 of the 2002 Vuelta a Espana, David Millar protested by handing in his race number to organizers just shy of the finish line. The reason? The climb to the Alto de L'Angliru.

Contrary to what's been reported, Alberto Contador is at the Vuelta a Espana. He even rode Stage 13 of the 21-day race.

After 12-plus days in the saddle, Taylor Phinney's Vuelta a Espana is over. The 21-year-old American, who was riding in the first Grand Tour of his career, withdrew from the race during Friday's Stage 13, according to race radio and announced on the Universal Sports broadcast.

The extreme heat took its toll on many of the riders during the first week of the Vuelta a Espana. Tom Boonen might have suffered the worst.

Chris Froome has shown himself to be a fantastic teammate to Bradley Wiggins, while possessing the rare ability to work at the front during climbs. This rare ability has allowed Froome to retain a high GC placing, as was the case Wednesday during Stage 11.