On Monday's stage 16 of the Tour de France, Geraint Thomas was run off the side of the road while taking a tight corner on a dangerous high-speed descent, NBC Sports showed.

Competitor Warren Barguil couldn't hold his line and collided with Thomas.

Thomas tried to correct himself and regain his balance by sticking out his right leg and doing his best to slow down:

He ended up running off the side of the road and hitting a telephone pole head-on:

Remarkably he was not injured badly and finished the stage.

Thomas is a key support rider for Chris Froome, the current race leader. Thomas sits sixth overall.

The BBC reported Thomas as saying: "It was a hard right and I was just following the wheel and then all of a sudden Barguil went into me. I feel all right for now — I guess the doctor will ask me my name and date of birth soon.

"A nice Frenchman pulled me out — but I lost my glasses as well. They don't even make them anymore."

The Tour finishes in Paris on July 26.

In the 2011 Tour, Thomas had a similar run off the road as he descended a climb:

You can watch the full footage below:

SEE ALSO: 10 can't-miss movies to see during the Tour de France

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With a pair of bone-conduction headphones, you don’t need your ear canals to listen to music.

Instead of transmitting sound in waves that float through the air and into your ears, bone conduction gets noise to your cochlea — that’s the auditory part of the inner ear — just by vibrating the bones in your skull.
Instead of jamming them inside the ear itself, exposing yourself to potentially harmful decibel levels, you place bone conduction headphones towards the top of your cheekbones. It sounds weird, but this allows you to enjoy music while keeping your ears free and alert to any noise that may occur around you. 

In this vein, the Aftershokz Bluez 2 headphones are great for outdoor runners and cyclists who’d like to move through their neighborhood without constantly being in fear of a stray truck careening off the road beside them.The lightweight headset works wirelessly through Bluetooth and fits comfortably around your head, even for extended workout sessions.

Getting used to the bone conduction format may take some time — especially during loud tracks with deep bass, where the sound itself tends to leak and get muddied — and you’ll have a hard time hearing things with the Bluez 2 in particularly noisy environments.

If the idea of taking a phone call while listening to music interests you, though, the Bluez 2 are among the better options on the market. Originally retailing for $100, you can grab them from Touch of Modern for a more manageable $60 or $70 through July 25.

Aftershokz Bluez 2 Bone Conduction Headphones in Neon, $69.99 (originally $99.95), available at Touch of Modern.

Aftershokz Bluez 2 Bone Conduction Headphones in Black, $59.99 (originally $99.95), available at Touch of Modern.

You can also purchase the headphones on Amazon.

SEE ALSO: These $36 bluetooth headphones give Beats a run for its money

READ THIS: Charge up to 5 devices at the same time and in one place

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Over the years costumed fans have become a staple of the Tour de France. Every day you'll see people dressed as bananas, musketeers, and various farm animals on the side of the road.

It's one of the strangest quirks of one of the world's greatest sporting event, but it's also totally unique to the Tour.

Reuters photographers have captured some fantastic shots of these fans, and we picked out our favorites.

Didi Sentf, better known as "The Devil" or "El Diablo," has been a fixture at the Tour de France since 1993, despite being 63 years old.

Source: Didi Sentf's website

Some spectators don't want to be just spectators, they prefer to run side-by-side the competing cyclists.

Some watch while riding in place.

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Thursday's Stage 18 of the Tour de France took place in a mountainous region of southeastern France near the Alps and the Switzerland border.

It was the Tour's second Alpine stage, and it featured seven categorized climbs. 

Moreover, some portions of this course feature absolutely insane roads that look like someone scribbled pathways onto a mountain. The Guardian's Lawrence Ostlere reports that the switchbacks on the Lacets de Montvernier, a 3.4km climb up a 2,500-foot-high mountain, are so tight and dangerous that fans aren't allowed to line the roads for the main part of the ascent.

The Associated Press got this stunning photo that shows the climb:

Riders have to zig-zag up Montvernier:

Here's another angle:

There are 18 switchbacks:

Here is the course map, courtesy of the Tour's website:

It looks fairly tame from far away, but upon closer look, the map details some of these insane switchbacks:

Here's the Lacets de Montvernier, which is just as crazy on a map:

French rider Romain Bardet won Stage 18 with a time of 5:03:40.

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Most of us lead a life that revolves around work. The average US worker, for example, clocks 47 hours a week, and when you add the time we spend commuting, another five to 10 hours, it pushes our total work-related hours over 55. Then there's work-related stress, which damages our health.

All of that can paint a vulgar picture of life in our modern world, one that two or three weeks' vacation can hardly remedy.

Then there are those who refuse to buy into all that and choose to live on the fringe, like Ultra Romance, a 35-year-old from the Connecticut River valley who works as little as possible — usually for six months a year — and then goes adventuring around the world with his bike and modest camping gear.

Since college, 15 years ago, Ultra Romance, aka Benedict, says he hasn't lived more than six months in any one place. He has never owned a car, and he got a bank account just so he could buy and sell bicycle parts on eBay (he keeps the cash he earns in little bags that he buries in the ground). He says he lives on $10 a day.

"We have this preconceived notion of what success is in the modern world," he recently told Business Insider. "I'm not ashamed that I don't like to work. It's just very unnatural."

This week we caught up with Ultra Romance to learn more about how this free spirit has bucked society's expectations and made his own path. He recently appeared on the cover of Bicycling magazine and has become popular on Instagram. Read on to see what he told us about how we work too much and, well, probably live and play too little:

On work

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"I work about six month of the year, as a commercial fisherman or charter fisherman or a guide. I also sell bicycle parts online. It's been very much like, get your work done for part of the year and do whatever you want the rest of the year. For me, work is a segue to traveling."

On going a different route

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"I went to college and got the degree and was trying to be a PE teacher or a personal trainer and do the hustle right out of college. Then it was like, I gotta get a house, I'm 24, I got all these student loans ... Before you know it, things work out and you meet the right girl and you settle down and buy the house and have the mortgage payment and the cars. But ultimately that was not going to be me."

On success

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"We have this preconceived notion of what success is in the modern world. For me, it's part philosophy, part circumstance ... I study history and anthropology, and I'm not ashamed that I don't like to work. It's just very unnatural. I like to simplify things. I'm a handshake kind of guy, so paperwork and bills don't work for me. They were a big stressor in my life, and I sort of eliminated all of them." 

There are just four sports that patrons in Japan can bet on legally. A form of bicycle racing known as keirin is one of them.

Keirin cyclists compete in two-kilometer track races; they start by following a pacer, then sprint to the finish line.

The sport started in 1948 and was created with gambling in mind. For a while its popularity grew, but it faced a decline in the 1990s and never fully recovered.

Even so, many still seek to join the professional ranks. But becoming a registered keirin racer isn't easy.

There is a special school that riders must attend; it has an acceptance rate of 10%. The training is intense, lasting six days a week for 15 hours a day for almost a year.

These photos, taken by Chris McGrath for Getty Images, take you inside the Keirin School in Japan and its intense athletic regimen.

SEE ALSO: The 20 most bike-friendly cities in the world

Morning wake up is at 6:30. Students prepare their bikes before training. They have 15 minutes to get ready before roll call, and then get loose and warm up ahead of training.

After roll call there's exercising, drills, and cleaning responsibilities. Breakfast is a big deal: Students consume 1,300 calories (double the norm) to prepare for hard physical work throughout the day.

Female keirin students run a set of steps during their morning jog. Becky James, who rode on the keirin circuit for a while, told the Daily Mail that "the girls all have really short haircuts and they have to wear the same uniforms. It’s crazy and very old school. It’s the same for the boys too. They were walking around in hats and shorts, and T-shirts had to be tucked in. And if they saw us they had to bow!"

Source:The Daily Mail

NOW WATCH: Here's the best look yet at the next big game starring Batman

Click here for original story.

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If you ride a bicycle in bike lanes you know all too well that often these "bike lanes" are lined with parked cars, delivery trucks, construction vehicles, cop cars, you name it.

A video going viral shows a Hulk-like man lifting a compact car out of the bike lane with his bare hands:

The huge man grabs the rear bumper of the little car and lifts it out of the lane, then gets back on his mountain bike and keeps going on about his day.

The YouTube video posted Monday already has over 700,000 views.

You can watch the video below:

SEE ALSO: 35-year-old American who thinks modern life is too stressful works 6 months a year, then lives on $10 a day adventuring around the world on a bicycle

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NOW WATCH: NYC Bike Messenger: Cab Drivers Are Not The Biggest Problem On The Road

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The federal government wants to see Lance Armstrong's medical records from his treatments for cancer, specifically whether his doctors knew back in 1996 that he was using performance-enhancing drugs.

Court records show that government lawyers subpoenaed the Indiana University School of Medicine on July 30 to provide records of Armstrong's treatments and donations he later made to the school.

The demand came in the government's lawsuit to recover millions of dollars in sponsorship money the U.S. Postal Service paid to Armstrong's teams from 1998-2004. Penalties could approach $100 million.

Armstrong's lawyers have asked a Washington, D.C., judge to block the subpoena. They called the release of records a violation of privacy and noted Armstrong confessed in 2013 to doping to win the Tour de France seven times. In a deposition given July 23, Armstrong admitted doping prior to 1996, his lawyers wrote.

"Those documents are irrelevant to the subject matter of this litigation and the request is nothing more than an attempt to harass Armstrong, cause unnecessary delay, and needlessly increase the cost of this litigation,"Armstrong's lawyers wrote.

The demand for medical records came in a late flurry of government subpoenas for documents and depositions as the case nears the end of the evidence-gathering phase. The government also issued subpoenas last week for testimony from Armstrong's former sponsors Nike Inc., Trek Bicycle Corp., Giro Sport Design and Discovery Communications Inc., which took over sponsorship of Armstrong's team in 2005.

Those subpoenas don't name specific company officials, but allow them to choose a "person most knowledgeable" to discuss sponsorship deals and whether the company had any prior awareness of Armstrong's doping.

The whistleblower lawsuit was initially filed by former teammate Floyd Landis and was joined by the federal government in 2013. The case is not expected to go to trial before 2016.

While Armstrong has confessed to doping since before 1996, the push for medical records and what Armstrongtold his doctors could be an attempt to further establish an intricate conspiracy to hide his cheating from federal sponsors.

After his initial diagnosis in 1996, Armstrong sought help at Indiana University, where Dr. Lawrence Einhorn had developed advanced treatments for the kind of testicular cancer that had spread to Armstrong's brain.

Betsy Andreu, the wife of Armstrong's former teammate Frankie Andreu, testified in a 2005 arbitration case that she was in a hospital room with Armstrong and others when she heard the cyclist tell doctors had had taken steroids and a blood booster.

Armstrong strongly denied the conversation took place, but Andreu's claim was one of the key allegations of doping that swirled around Armstrong for years. She repeated the claim a sworn statement to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for its 2012 investigation that exposed Armstrong's doping and led to him being stripped of his Tour de France victories.

In the motion to quash the subpoena, Armstrong's lawyers wrote that he was recovering from brain surgery and now "does not recall" the conversation.

But others who were in the room — Frankie Andreu and Stephanie McIlvain, a representative of former Armstrongsponsor Oakley — have already been deposed.

Betsy Andreu insisted Wednesday she has always told the truth. The records, if allowed to be released to the government, should prove that, she said.

"My story has never changed. His has," Andreu said. "Who can you believe?"

An Indiana University spokesman did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

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NOW WATCH: This simple exercise routine is the answer to working out when traveling

You should bike to work.

Biking is good for the environment and good for your waistline.

Biking saves the cost of gas and the headache of parking.

As more and more cities adapt to the needs of bicyclists, it becomes ever faster and safer, and many workplaces are not just accommodating, but are actively encouraging people to commute by bike.

And biking to work doesn’t have to mean transporting a change of clothes or risking your safety as a rider.

Forward-thinking companies are making clothing that addresses the practical needs of the bike commuter with ease and style.

Here are just a few of the options:

Ministry of Supply high-tech performance wear

Ministry of Supply has built their brand by using the latest in advanced technologies and NASA-inspired materials to create clothing that looks great in the workplace and can withstand the toughest workout at the same time.

Your commute is no match for these fabrics, which remove excess heat and store it away from the skin, releasing it back when you cool off. The wind- and water-proof materials are self-ventilating, moisture-wicking, wrinkle-free, and infused with coffee grounds to absorb odor and keep you smelling fresh.

The staple of the Ministry of Supply catalog is the dress shirt, which looks sharp and crisp under nearly any circumstances, and takes you seamlessly from the saddle to a morning meeting. But they offer a whole range of high-performance wear, along with a groundbreaking “1-In, 1-Out” program that encourages clothing recycling and donation, and reimbursement for the cost of hemming their trousers so they are the perfect length on every body.

Betabrand Bike to Work Britches

These Bike to Work Britches offer comfort, style, and versatility, that emerges from the brand philosophy of designing products directly from the requests of customers. This close collaboration between the company and their consumer has yielded the Bike to Work line of clothing, and these britches fulfill every bike commuter’s wishlist.

The subtle stretch in the fabric, the higher back rise, and reinforced gusset shape the pants for comfort without sacrificing style. The integrated U-lock loop, carabiner loops, and phone pocket keep all the essentials on hand. And the addition of reflective tape on the legs, a pocket triangle flag, and the reflective Betabrand heat transfer on the inside right leg mean that you’ll never have to choose safety over fashion.

Levi’s Commuter jeans

There are few fashion choices more basic and versatile than a pair of Levi’s, a staple of any wardrobe. The Commuter Slim Fit Jean packs a lot of bike-friendly features into that classic silhouette. Made of denim with extra stretch to accommodate movement, they are also coated with a water- and dirt-repellent finish. They include a slightly tapered leg and a higher rise in the back for a cycling posture.

The addition of U-lock storage on the waistband and reflective tape on the inner cuffs make these a welcome addition to the cyclist’s wardrobe.

SEE ALSO: 7 ways to make city streets less deadly

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At 76, Mick Ives is probably in better shape than you, and he can probably ride a bike faster and farther than you too. He can probably out-ride most people actually.

"I've never stopped racing, since the autumn of 1956 till the present day," says Ives, a native of Coventry, England. "I ride summer and winter nonstop, whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, I don't really know."

Some of the guys he went to school with are now "real old guys who can hardly walk around, if they're still here."

Prime & Fire recently profiled Ives as part of "a series of short films that want to prove that it's never too late to buck the trend and also inspire all of us to pick up a sport disregarding our age and respective abilities." Business Insider followed up with Ives to learn more about his impressive lifelong passion for cycling.

"I'm very lucky," he told Prime & Fire. "I feel like a 40-year-old most of the time. I just don't realize how old I am."

Read on to see how age has done little to deter this septuagenarian from pursuing a life of sport:

Ives is a well-decorated cyclist ...

.... who competed professionally for 16 years. He has been the UCI World Masters Cycling Champion five times and won a record 81 British national cycling titles, according to his website, in addition to winning other titles. He even raced in the US, in 1976.

A portrait of the cyclist as a young man ...

... back when leather elbows were all the rage.

At an age when many cyclists have hung up the bike, Ives, 76, still rides nearly every day.

He's hugely impressive, and an inspiration for many.

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USA Cycling has announced which riders will race for Team USA at the upcoming UCI Road World Championships in Richmond, Virginia, September 20-27.

Headlining the US team are Evelyn Stevens, Kristin Armstrong, and Taylor Phinney— who are among the sport's best.

Stevens, a former Wall Street analyst, has won several national titles and beaten the world's best in major races in Europe.

In Richmond she will be targeting the team time trial, the individual time trial, and the elite women's road race.

Armstrong is one of the most decorated cyclists, and one of the best American cyclists ever. She won gold at the London Olympics in the time trial and has claimed several and world national titles.

Phinney is one of the US's top talents who has won multiple Olympic and national titles on the track and has had a successful if injury-marred transition to the road.

Last year he seriously injured his leg in a crash and has been trying to get back to the top of the sport. He will be targeting the team time trial, the individual time trial, and the elite men's road race.

Cycling worlds, which leave Europe only occasionally, are extra important for American riders and fans this year: It's just the second time they've been held on US soil — you have to go back 29 years for the first visit, to Colorado Springs, Colorado.

"To have worlds in the US — wow!"Stevens told Business Insider after she previewed the worlds course in October. "I feel lucky just having it in my career. Next year is the year going into the Olympics, so the world championships are always a really big goal in that year.

"I've never met a woman racer who doesn't want to win worlds. We don’t have the three-week Tour de France [as the men have]," Stevens added.

"We have World Cup races and we have the Giro, which there's not a ton of coverage of," she said. "And to be racing here with your stars-and-stripes on, in your home country, it's fantastic."

This year's nine-day, 12-race event showcases 1,000 cyclists from 75 countries, with historic Richmond, Virginia, playing host September 20-27.

Organizers expect 450,000 on-site spectators and 300 million people to see the races televised worldwide.

Here's the full statement with rosters from USA Cycling:

UCI Road World Championships rosters named

(Sept. 4, 2015) – USA Cycling announced Friday the first 29 members of the 2015 UCI Road World Championships roster, naming 16 men and 13 women who make up the elite, U23 and juniors road race and time trial teams.

USA Cycling will name the remaining elite men’s road race and time trial spots prior to the UCI mandated deadline of Sept. 11.

The 2015 UCI Road World Championships will run Sept. 20-27 in Richmond, Va. This is the first UCI Road World Championships held on American soil since the 1986 edition in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Sixteen of the allotted 37 road race and time trial spots are automatic bids, while Carmen Small (Durango, Colo./Bigla Pro Cycling Team) earned a women’s individual time trial bid by winning the Continental Championship in May.

Team USA roster:

Elite Men – Road Race

Brent Bookwalter (Asheville, N.C./BMC Racing Team)

Tyler Farrar (Seattle, Wash./MTN-Qhubeka)

Alex Howes (Boulder, Colo./Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling)

Ben King (North Garden, Va./Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling)

Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo./BMC Racing Team)

(Final spot to be named by Sept. 11)

Elite Men – Individual Time Trial

Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo./BMC Racing Team)

(Final spot to be named by Sept. 11)

Elite Women – Road Race

Allie Dragoo (Grand Rapids, Mich./TWENTY16 p/b SHO-AIR)

Megan Guarnier (Queensbury, N.Y./Boels Dolmans Cycling Team)*

Shelley Olds (Gilroy, Calif./Ale Cipollini)*

Coryn Rivera (Tustin, Calif./UnitedHealthcare)*

Lauren Stephens (Dallas, Texas/Team TIBCO-SVB)

Evelyn Stevens (San Francisco, Calif./Boels Dolmans Cycling Team)*

Tayler Wiles (Fairfax, Calif./Velocio-SRAM)

Elite Women – Individual Time Trial

Kristin Armstrong (Boise, Idaho/TWENTY16 p/b SHO-AIR)*

Carmen Small (Durango, Colo./Bigla Pro Cycling Team)^

Evelyn Stevens (San Francisco, Calif./Boels Dolmans Cycling Team)*

U23 Men – Road Race

Greg Daniel (Englewood, Colo./Axeon Cycling Team)

Daniel Eaton (Mesa, Ariz./Axeon Cycling Team)

Colin Joyce (Pocatello, Idaho/California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized)*

Logan Owen (Bremerton, Wash./Axeon Cycling Team)

Tyler Williams (Santa Rosa, Calif./BMC Development Team)

U23 Men – Individual Time Trial

Greg Daniel (Englewood, Colo./Axeon Cycling Team)

Daniel Eaton (Mesa, Ariz./Axeon Cycling Team)*

Junior Men – Road

Chris Blevins (Durango, Colo./Team Specialized Racing)

Jonny Brown (Covington, Tenn./Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team)*

Adrien Costa (Bend, Ore./California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized)*

Jack Maddux (Fresno, Calif./Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team)*

Brandon McNulty (Phoenix, Ariz./LUX-Specialized by Cynergy)*

Ethan Reynolds (Boise, Idaho/Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team)

Junior Men – Individual Time Trial

Adrien Costa (Bend, Ore./California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized)*

Brandon McNulty (Phoenix, Ariz./LUX-Specialized by Cynergy)*

Junior Women – Road Race

Chloe Dygert (Brownsburg, Ind./TWENTY16 Devo p/b SHO-AIR)*

Skylar Schneider (West Allis, Wis./ISCorp Cycling p/b SmartChoice MRI)

Emma White (Delanson, N.Y./Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team)

Ashlyn Woods (Winston Salem, N.C./Carolina Masters-PainPathways Cycling

Team)

Junior Women – Individual Time Trial

Chloe Dygert (Brownsburg, Ind./TWENTY16 Devo p/b SHO-AIR)*

Emma White (Delanson, N.Y./Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team)

* automatic nomination

^ Continental Champion

For full schedule of events, course information and more, visit Richmond2015.com. Tune in to all the action on Universal Sports Network, universalsports.com and the official Richmond 2015 app.

DON'T MISS: HERE COME CYCLING'S ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: One of the biggest and best weeks in bicycle racing is headed to the US for only the second time ever

SEE ALSO: 35-year-old American who thinks modern life is too stressful works 6 months a year, then lives on $10 a day adventuring around the world on a bicycle

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: For $7,000 this bike will get you to work in half the time and keep you from breaking a sweat

The week of September 20-27 will see over 1,000 of the world's fittest athletes race for gold at the UCI Road World Championships, with historic Richmond, Virginia, playing host. This edition of road worlds, an event that leaves Europe only occasionally, offers a huge opportunity for US riders and fans.

It's only the second time they have been held on US soil — you have to go back 29 years to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the first visit — and the US has an excellent shot at winning several medals, most notably in the elite women's road race with Wall Street analyst turned bike racer Evelyn Stevens and in the elite women's time trial with Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong.

While the Tour de France is the world's most famous bicycle race, for many the road world championships are a more intriguing affair. Unlike the Tour, where just a handful of riders have a real chance at winning the overall and a few big-budget teams control the three-week race, road worlds are one-day events held at the end of a long, grueling season, and they are much more open and therefore more unpredictable.

It is not uncommon for Tour champions and stars of the sport to be beaten by so-called lesser riders. Winning the famous stripes, one of sports' greatest prizes, can land a rider a lucrative contract and make a career. To become champion you need world-class talent, endurance, racecraft, and motivation, but past winners and near winners alike will tell you that you need luck, too.

This year's eight-day, 12-race UCI Road World Championships will showcase over 1,000 cyclists from 75 countries. Each race crowns a new world champion, and each champion wears the rainbow jersey for a year until the next championships. Organizers in RVA expect 450,000 on-site spectators, with another 300 million people tuning in to see the races broadcast worldwide. Lending importance to this year's World Championships is next year's Olympics, because in Richmond we should get a preview of Rio 2016.

Scroll on for detailed course information, race schedules, the favorites, how to watch on TV and online, some insights into worlds' colorful history, and "the curse of the rainbow jersey."

Below is the complete schedule for the 2015 UCI Road World Championships

Sat., Sept. 19

Team Time Trial Training: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Time Trial Training: 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Sun., Sept. 20

Women’s Team Time Trial: 11:30 a.m. to 12:55 p.m.
Men’s Team Time Trial: 1:30 p.m. to 3:35 p.m.

Mon., Sept. 21

Women’s Junior Time Trial: 10:00 a.m. to 11:10 a.m.
Men’s Under-23 Time Trial: 11:30 a.m. to 3:50 p.m.

Tues., Sept. 22

Men’s Junior Time Trial: 9:30 a.m. to 1:05 p.m.
Women’s Elite Time Trial: 1:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Wed., Sept. 23

Men’s Elite Individual Time Trial: 1:00 p.m. to 3:35 p.m.

Thurs., Sept. 24

Road Circuit Training: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Fri., Sept. 25

Women’s Junior Road Circuit: 10:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.

Men’s Under-23 Road Circuit: 12:45 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.

Dominion Conquer the Cobbles Ride: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Sat., Sept. 26

Men’s Junior Road Circuit: 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Women’s Elite Road Circuit: 1:00 p.m. to 4:25 p.m.

Sun., Sept. 27

Men’s Elite Road Circuit: 9:00 a.m. to 3:40 p.m.

This map shows the 10-mile course for the circuit races — the elite men will race 161 miles and the elite women 80.5

The course is fast and technical with lots of turns and three punchy climbs in the last few miles. (See the profile below.)

"All road races will take place on a challenging, technical inner-city road circuit,"organizers say. "The peloton heads west from Downtown Richmond, working their way onto Monument Avenue, a paver-lined, historic boulevard that's been named one of the '10 Great Streets in America,'" according to the official race website, Richmond2015.com. "Racers will take a 180-degree turn at the Jefferson Davis monument and then maneuver through the Uptown district and Virginia Commonwealth University.

"Halfway through the circuit, the race heads down into Shockoe Bottom before following the canal and passing Great Shiplock Park, the start of the Virginia Capital Trail. A sharp, off-camber turn at Rocketts Landing brings the riders to the narrow, twisty, cobbled 200-meter climb up to Libby Hill Park in the historic Church Hill neighborhood. A quick descent, followed by three hard turns leads to a 100-meter-long climb up 23rd Street. Once atop this steep cobbled hill, riders descend into Shockoe Bottom. This leads them to the final 300-meter-long climb up Governor Street. At the top, riders face a 680-meter false flat to the finish."See a bigger map here. Here's the schedule for the circuit races:

Thurs., 9.24.2015 | Road Circuit Training | 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Fri., 9.25.2015 | Women’s Junior Road Circuit | 10:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.

Fri., 9.25.2015 | Conquer the Cobbles Ride | 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Fri., 9.25.2015 | Men’s Under 23 Road Circuit | 12:45 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.

Sat., 9.26.2015 | Men’s Junior Road Circuit | 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Sat., 9.26.2015 | Women’s Elite Road Circuit | 1:00 p.m. to 4:25 p.m.

Sun., 9.27.2015 | Men’s Elite Road Circuit | 9:00 a.m. to 3:40 p.m.

These three spots will probably be the best places to watch the circuit races in person

Expect massive crowds on the trio of short, steep climbs that come near the end of each lap. Since the riders will be going (a bit) slower on the climbs, you'll get to see a little more of the action. But you'll want to arrive early.

While American sports fans have football and baseball on the brain, it's an extraordinary time to be a fan of bicycle racing in the US.

After years of planning and anticipation, one of the biggest and best weeks in world cycling is set to take place in Richmond, Virginia, September 20-27 — and an unprecedented 26 hours of the racing will be broadcast on live television.

So if you can't make it to RVA, you'll have plenty of options to watch the races.

"Universal Sports Network and NBC Sports Group will present more than 33 premiere hours, including 26 hours live, from the 2015 UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Richmond," organizers of Richmond 2015 announced on Monday.

"The unprecedented television coverage across four networks includes 16.5 hours of coverage planned for Universal Sports, 9 for NBCSN, 6.5 for CNBC and 1 for NBC. Additionally, NBC Sports Live Extra will stream all NBC, NBCSN and CNBC telecasts, and UniversalSports.com will stream all Universal Sports coverage.

"Live streaming also will be available at Richmond2015.com and on a new Richmond 2015 mobile app for iOS and Android devices, which will be released later this week."

It's only the second time that cycling worlds have been held on US soil — you have to go back 29 years to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the first visit — and the US has an excellent shot at winning several medals, most notably in the elite women's road race with Wall Street analyst turned bike racer Evelyn Stevens and in the elite women's time trial with Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong.

This year's eight-day, 12-race UCI Road World Championships will showcase over 1,000 cyclists from 75 countries. Each race crowns a new world champion, and each champion wears the rainbow jersey for a year until the next championships.

Organizers expect 450,000 on-site spectators with another 300 million people tuning in to see the races broadcast worldwide. Lending importance to this year's world championships is next year's Olympics, because in Richmond we should get a preview of Rio 2016.

Here's the broadcast schedule for Universal Sports and NBC Sports:

Interest in cycling in the US is growing. Some say that, at least for young professionals, cycling is the new golf.

Golf's popularity is waning, according to data from the National Golf Federation:

According to USA Cycling, the number of people taking out a license from 2002 to 2013 increased a whopping 76%:

SEE ALSO: THE CYCLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE COMING TO AMERICA

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On Sunday's opening day of the week-long UCI Road World Championships in Richmond, Virginia, riders from the Tinkoff-Saxo squad were racing in the team time trial at 40 mph when two of them touched wheels and crashed hard.

For the two cyclists, Michael Valgren and Michael Rogers, it was brutal.

They landed heavily on the road before rolling 0nto the grass:

The two would get up and continue racing but only after coming to grips with what had happened, and losing enough time to be out of any chance at a medal:

The team said it was disappointed, naturally, but happy that neither rider broke any bones or was more seriously injured.

Images posted on Instagram showed some gnarly road rash:

Watch the full clip below, via Universal Sports:

Get more info about this week's cycling's road world championships here.

And here's how to watch the races live and for free.

SEE ALSO: One of the biggest and best weeks in bicycle racing is headed to the US for only the second time ever

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RICHMOND, VIRGINIA — Vasil Kiryienka of Belarus did the ride of his life here on Wednesday at the UCI Road World Championships, claiming his first world title at age 34.

He won the elite men's individual time trial by riding 53.5 km in 1:02:29.45. His average speed was 51.368 km/h. (That's 33.2 miles at 31.918 mph.)

After he finished his ride, an official from the sport's governing body, the UCI, took Kiryienka's bike to a restricted area and conducted an inspection to check if there was a motor in the frame.

This photo, provided to Business Insider by a member of Kiryienka's support staff, shows an official testing Kiryienka's Pinarello Bolide for a motor in the frame's bottom bracket, which they had to open up to get a look inside:

The UCI didn't find a motor, and the rider nicknamed "Kiry" was allowed to accept his gold medal and rainbow jersey.

'Mechanical doping'

What the UCI was looking for in Kiry's bike were signs of what has been called "mechanical doping" or "bike doping," even if many don't think it's a real problem in professional cycling. Still, the UCI is taking the matter — or at least the possibility of it — very seriously.

When asked by Business Insider about the inspection, the UCI replied by email with this statement:

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) takes extremely seriously the issue of technological fraud such as concealed electric motors in bikes, and has therefore added far-reaching sanctions in its Regulations. We have been carrying out controls for many years and although those controls have never found any evidence of such fraud, we know we must be vigilant. We have carried out several unannounced checks on this year’s Tour de France and other Grand Tours. The 2015 UCI Road World Championships in Richmond is the latest event where bikes have been controlled this season, including all top 3 riders of each race. These are extensive controls and nothing was found.

Though Kiryienka upset the favorites at worlds on Wednesday, he likely would have been in the top 10. It's just that Martin and Dennis were so widely expected to win.

Kiryienka normally rides for Britain's Team Sky as a support rider for Chris Froome, the two-time Tour de France winner. Sky says Kiry is "best known for his power, consistency and machine-like riding style." He won bronze in the world TT before, and he has won stages in the Tour de France and the Tour of Spain.

This is a shot of the bike Kiry rode and became world champion on, pictured shortly after the check:

And here's Kiry giving his first signature as world champion:

The world championships finish on Sunday with the elite men's circuit race in downtown Richmond.

SEE ALSO: PREVIEW: HERE COME CYCLING'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

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RICHMOND, VIRGINIA — Sports bring out every human emotion, and on Saturday in the biggest women's bicycle race on the planet a mix of them rushed through England's Lizzie Armitstead as she became the new road world champion of cycling.

At once she sprinted to the finish line and burst into tears of joy.

"It's a very special thing, a dream come true," Armitstead told the AFP. "I just couldn't believe it. I didn't get to celebrate.

"I was going all the way to the line. I can't believe it. I'm so happy. It's very surreal. I'm still in shock."

Dutchwoman Anna Van der Breggen was second and American Megan Guarnier was third.

Armitstead was a five-star favorite coming into the race, but she had tough competition, and after nearly four hours of racing in slick conditions she won by half a bike length.

Here's the finishing sprint to the line:

This was the crowd's reaction to the finishing sprint between the Briton, the Dutchwoman, and the American:

The UCI Road World Championships are taking place in the US for only the second time ever. They had their first run here in 1986 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Worlds wrap up Sunday with the elite men's circuit race in downtown Richmond.

Watch the race highlights here:

SEE ALSO: How to watch the cycling road world championships in Richmond, Virginia, live and for free

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On Sunday, 25-year-old Slovakian Peter Sagan won the elite men's race at the UCI Road World Championships in Richmond, Virginia, after putting in a massive attack in the finale of the 160-mile contest. Cycling's hottest rider of the past few years left all his rivals behind after muscling his way up two steep climbs and seemingly riding rails down a fast, technical descent.

Here's a look at the bike he took his biggest victory on:

SEE ALSO: A 34-year-old Belarusian cyclist becomes the fastest time trialist on the planet, and officials check his bike for a motor

Sagan's Specialized S-Works Tarmac is believed to weigh a tad under 15 pounds. The Tarmac with Di2 Retails for $9,250 USD.

Sagan's frame size is 56cm.

The coat of arms of Slovakia on the seat tube is a nice touch.

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After Peter Sagan became cycling's new road world champion on Sunday, he took time to celebrate in the streets of Richmond, Virginia, before heading on stage for a podium ceremony and speaking at a press conference.

A couple of hours after Sagan donned the coveted rainbow jersey, a chaperone escorted the 25-year-old Slovak down a long corridor, behind black curtains, and into a large, nearly empty room in which he found a table with a bunch of medical supplies on it and, off to one side, a refrigerator locked with a long chain wrapped around it. The newly crowned king of bicycle racing was reporting for drug testing.

Cycling and antidoping

If there's one sport most closely associated with performance-enhancing drugs in the past few decades, it's cycling. But the sport is moving on from its dirty period, and it's cleaner today than it has been in a long time, though still imperfect.

Thanks in part to new leadership at the sport's governing body, the International Cycling Union (known by its French abbreviation, UCI), education, and improved testing, the sport appears to be getting cleaner.

In the run-up to the UCI Road World Championships, I was curious to know what a drug test entailed these days, and I asked the UCI if it would let me see how the tests were administered. It took a week to get permission, but eventually, in the middle of the elite men's race, the UCI called me to the designated doping-control station, near the race's finish line, where a couple of hours later Sagan and others would be making their way as well.

When I arrived, a UCI representative introduced me to Angeline Turin, the in-competition testing coordinator for the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF), the independent body mandated by the UCI to carry out the antidoping program in cycling.

The CADF tests cyclists in all disciplines, including BMX, cyclocross, track and road cycling, and mountain biking. It's responsible for testing riders in the Tour de France, the Tour of California, the world championships, and other events registered on the UCI calendar. It complies with the World Anti-Doping Code, which aims to bring "consistency to antidoping rules, regulations, and policies worldwide"— and it has partnerships with antidoping agencies in many countries. The banned substances can be found on WADA's "Prohibited List."

Turin walked me through the antidoping protocol, the same process that the riders selected for testing go through, and here's what I saw:

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When I entered the convention center in downtown Richmond, I found these signs.

I met my contact, Angeline Turin, at the designated doping-testing station, normally a restricted area. In Richmond, this is where riders went to be tested.

Turin is the in-competition testing coordinator for the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF), and she agreed to show me, step by step, how the tests are conducted. She would sit with a CADF doping-control officer, or DCO, for a mock test, acting as if she were a rider selected to be tested. She would explain what normally happens along the way. (Of course during actual tests, journalists are not allowed.)

Riders who have been tested will be familiar with this form:

Turin explained that in these championships six riders were selected after each race to provide a urine sample: the race's first three finishers and three other riders picked at random or targeted. How, exactly, are riders picked randomly? Sometimes it's just a matter of picking numbers from a bag.

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In his native Sicily they call him lo Squalo, or the Shark.

The Shark of Messina.

And on Sunday he was on the attack. 

In the last major race of the European pro cycling season, Vincenzo Nibali of the Astana team won Il Lombardia after a grueling 245km ride from Bergamo to Como.

A favorite going into the race, he attacked his rivals on the toughest climbs.

But they always managed to catch back up to him, and he realized he had to do something different.

So toward the end of the 152-mile race, Nibali put in a massive attack.

On a downhill section of the course, he took off, then spent the next several minutes ripping corners and riding rails in full tuck.

He went so fast he nearly came in contact with some of the official race motorcycles in front of him — who were clearly going too slow for Nibali.

Here's when he attacked:

He immediately got a gap:

He picked up so much speed so fast he caught a TV moto and had to go around it:

From then on it was a matter of keeping on the gas and finding the fastest lines:

And here he nearly hit a moto that was in his way:

Nibali has won all three major stage races — the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and La Vuelta a Espana.

He can climb the highest mountains with the best of them, but he's also one of the fastest downhill.

"I can't explain how I descend the way I do," Nibali said postrace. "You either have it or you don't."

It's unclear how fast he was going, but it's not uncommon for riders to hit 60-70 mph.

You can watch Nibali's attack below:

SEE ALSO: 35-year-old American who thinks modern life is too stressful works 6 months a year, then lives on $10 a day adventuring around the world on a bicycle

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