Here’s some of the news from the past two weeks: 

• Not that it’s news to anyone at this point, but Tom Boonen won the Paris-Roubaix on April 13th.  He is now targeting another green jersey at the Tour de France.
• Saunier-Duval drops out, so Rock Racing will be at the Tour of Georgia
• Danilo Di Luca has been cleared of any doping charges by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI)
• The Vuelta a España may be using a “playoff” format for the race sometime in the future. Some of the formats being discussed include a five or six day initial phase comprising flat stages, time trials and the like to select the 16 teams that would contest the rest of the race.
• The US will receive 12 slots in the Olympic track competition.
• As expected, Russia will have a Pro Tour race in 2009. The Tour of Sochi has been elevated to that status and UCI officials have been working with the organizers on routes and other logistics.
• Ivan Basso will return to the Liquigas team starting in 2009
• It’s not too early to start thinking about the Tour de France, and Cadel Evans says that a win there is his goal this year.