Stuart O'Grady has extended his ORICA-GreenEDGE contract for a final, announcing he will retire at the 2014 Tour de France.

With a Giro d'Italia to be remembered in the bag, Cycling Central host Mike Tomalaris takes to the chair in this week's podcast, reminiscing with cohorts Phil Gomes and Anthony Tan over a three-week excursion in Italia that saw Vincenzo Nibali reign supreme.

With Nibbles chewing up and spitting out his rivals like Jack Nicholson and his cherries in The Witches of Eastwick, there were a number of interesting side stories. Cadel Evans becoming the first Australian to podium in all three Grand Tours. The Colombians keep on a-coming. Danilo Di Loser, er, sorry, Di Luca - testing positive for EPO again, can you believe? (Harnessing the power of US president Barack Obama, Yes, we can!) And how can we review this Giro without talking about the weather? There's no business like snow business, is there, Signore Acquarone?!

Finally, the expert panel wonder if Cadel has unequivocally become the most complete bike rider of his generation, as his now departed coach Aldo Sassi said he would if he ever won the Tour de France.

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Don't forget!

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Commencing this Sunday May 2 through to Sunday May 9, SBS will have LIVE online streaming of the Critérium du Dauphiné through the Cycling Central website, followed by a delayed television broadcast of each stage.

Details here: http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/event/criterium-du-dauphine-2013

The Aural Velvet Trio, otherwise known as Al Hinds, Phil Gomes and Anthony Tan, are the movers and shakers in this week's Cycling Central podcast.

Before scooting off to the boot himself for a well-earned vacanza in Italia, young Al takes to the chair alongside sage counterparts Gomesy and Tanny, engorging themselves with the issues of the week.

They begin by waxing lyrical over Dan McConnell and Bec Henderson's mountain bike World Cup wins last weekend, breaking a drought that has lasted more than a decade and accomplished on the smell of one of Mike Tomalaris' soiled handkerchiefs.

Talk then centres around the 96th Giro d'Italia. Yes, that's this year!

With more course changes afoot due to inclement weather, the final mountain time trial takes on even greater importance - will it set this year's Giro podium in stone and therefore make a Vincenzo Nibali victory lap in Brescia a fait accompli? Or will Cadel Evans and Rigoberto Urán flush caution down the toilet and mount a masterful eleventh hour offensive?

There's also wrap from the Amgen Tour of California, which saw Evans' protege Tejay van Garderen put not a foot wrong en route to overall victory in The Golden State. It thus creates an enviable conundrum for the BMC Racing Team: who will lead them in July?

Along with a few pithy remarks about Jens Voigt, Denis Menchov and Levi Leipheimer, it's available right here, right now, on the Cycling Central podcast.

When you really break down the Giro d'Italia and Tour of California, you are confronted by two underlying narratives that are arguably more interesting than the events themselves, because they concern the very biggest race of all, which celebrates its hundredth edition this July.

The first concerns Bradley Wiggins and his interest in the Giro, and how that may impact on his ability to defend his Tour de France crown.

The second is Cadel Evans' ability to win, or at least podium in, the Giro and protege Tejay van Garderen's potential to win the Tour of California, and how their performances will determine leadership within BMC at La Grande Boucle.

This, of course, ignores riders like Vincenzo Nibali, Rigoberto Uran, Robert Gesink, Michele Scarponi, Janier Acevedo and Philip Deignan, who couldn't care less about leadership squabbles at Team Sky or BMC Racing, cycling's two superteams - so long as they don't win in Italy or California.

It's intriguing. It's perplexing. It's exciting. It's intoxicating.

And it's all on this week's Cycling Central podcast, hosted by online editor-in-chief Phil Gomes and verbally supported by Al Hinds, Stuart Randall and Anthony Tan.

Cadel Evans talks to the press after Stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia.

Amgen Tour of California: Tejay van Garderen Post Stage 2 by SBS

With Phil Gomes off, Sarah van Boheemem unavailable, Stuart Randall preparing for the Giro, and Anthony Tan in Toowoomba, it's the bare bones for this week's Cycling Central Podcast.

Well sort of. We call in special guest Bradley McGee and get his thoughts on this year's Giro d'Italia. McGee of course wore the maglia rosa while riding for Francaise des Jeux and has special affinity with the Italian Grand Tour.

Next we get Anthony Tan on the line, (yes, we can't escape him), to talk Toowoomba and his emotive blog about former Australian professional Matt White.

And finally Tomo and Al discuss Richie Porte and the merits of his decision to stay with Team Sky for two more years.

That's the Cycling Central Podcast. Enjoy.

Another week, another pod from Cycling Central HQ.

An awesome foursome fronts the panel in this week’s packed podcast, hosted by Cycling Central’s inner-city-hipster-Gen-Y-connection, Alexander Hinds, and supported by his less youthful but equally exuberant counterparts in Phil Gomes, Stuart Randall and Anthony Tan.

Christopher Froome, fresh off his biggest career win at the Tour de Romandie, reaffirms he is the undisputed leader at the Tour de France. Meanwhile, his teammate and reigning Tour champion, Bradley Wiggins, says otherwise – that either Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford will decide just before the Grand Départ, or a “natural hierarchy” will be created on the road.

It’s all a bit confusing, really. So we discuss the topic to confuse you further still.

The same day Froome was crowned overall winner in Switzerland, hitherto unknown Mustafa Sayar becomes champion of the Tour of Turkey – but not without severe criticism by all and sundry, after his “unbelievable” ride two days previous.

Clean winner or dirty as a rat?

Operation Puerto also drew to a close this week – another event with a multitude of question marks hanging over it, when the presiding judge at the Criminal Court in Madrid ordered the 200 seized blood bags to be destroyed, rather than handed over for analysis by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

How can faith in cycling be restored when Spanish administrators egregiously continue to cover up their own mess?

Finally, with the National Road Series moving to the Battle of the Border in northern New South Wales, the quartet muse over the term “return on investment” when it comes to sponsoring domestic cycling teams, and what it actually means.

Mutiny! The inmates have taken over the asylum in this Anzac Day Cycling Central podcast.

With online editor Phil Gomes overhauled and immobilised, Al Hinds takes to the hot seat accompanied by fellow jailbirds Sarah van Boheemen and Anthony Tan.

To begin with, the trio relive their favourite moments from the Spring Classics just past, before scrutinising the superteams that failed to land themselves a monument.

Attention then turns towards the ongoing Tour of Turkey, with a cameo from president Abdullah Gül himself. At its midway mark, the eight-day race has seen riders like Mark Renshaw crash and burn while others, including hitherto unknown Natnael Berhane from Eritrea, have prospered, the current African road and TT champ on the cusp of creating history.

To cap off proceedings, the careers of two recent retirees in Alessandro Petacchi and Sir Chris Hoy are celebrated. We say thank you and adieu to both - but not before asking what legacy they leave.

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Giro d'Italia LIVE on SBS!

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The first of cycling’s three Grand Tours, the Giro d’Italia, will be broadcast on SBS in May with eight live stages as well as daily highlights.

Known for its spectacular mountain stages, the Giro d’Italia will begin in Naples on Saturday 5 May, finishing with in Brescia on Sunday 26 May.

This year’s Giro d’Italia sets the stage for an epic showdown between the last two Tour de France champions, Bradley Wiggins (Sky) and Cadel Evans (BMC), as well as defending champion Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) and Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali (Astana).

SBS will broadcast daily highlights at 6:00pm in addition to live coverage (Eastern states) of eight key stages on SBS 2 with online streaming at Cycling Central.

The coverage will be hosted by Michael Tomalaris with former professional cyclist Henk Vogels. Matthew Keenan and Sydney Olympic gold medallist Scott McGrory will provide commentary, while David McKenzie will be reporting on the ground at the event.

Giro d'Italia live stages

Stage 8 - 11:05 pm AEST Saturday, 11 May SBS 2

Stage 9 - 10:45 pm AEST Sunday, 12 May SBS 2

Stage 14 - 11:00 pm AEST Saturday, 18 May SBS 2

Stage 15 - 10:45 pm AEST Sunday, 19 May SBS 2

Stage 18 - 11:05 pm AEST Thursday, 23 May SBS 2

Stage 19 - 11:10 pm AEST Friday, 24 May SBS 2

Stage 20 - 11:00 pm AEST Saturday, 25 May SBS 2

Stage 21 - 10:50 pm AESTSunday, 26 May SBS 2

Daily highlights, 6pm SBS 2 from Sunday 5 May.

Once again Cycling Central's Tenacious Trio - a.k.a. Phil Gomes, Al Hinds and Anthony Tan - get down and dirty with the issues of the week.

They begin with a recap of the first two races in the Ardennes Triptych, Amstel Gold and La Flèche Wallonne, and preview Sunday's 'La Doyenne', Liège-Bastogne-Liège. There's also a little Giro del Trentino thrown in for good measure; a litmus test of what to expect a fortnight from now in the season's first Grand Tour, the Giro d'Italia, which begins May 4 in the city of Naples.

To cap off proceedings in the sound booth, we cross to women's cycling ambassador Monique Hanley, a board member of Cycling Victoria, who has just been appointed to form part of the women's road commission for Cycling Australia.

It's all here on the Cycling Central podcast.