National teams for the upcoming professional cycling season seem to be the rage these days, with squads planned for Australia and Great Britain (and elsewhere?).

An Aussie team would be especially cool (imagine going out drinking with them!), and an Australian team competing in the Tour de France moved a step closer with a decision by the UCI to elevate Adelaide's Tour Down Under to ProTour status, according to a story in the TheAge.com.au.

"This is like going from a pre-season event to a home-and-away fixture," says Tony Smith, whose tourism company, Roamfree.com, has pledged $20 over four years towards establishing the team. "It just reinforces how big cycling is and how big Australia is in cycling."

ALSO:
-- William Fotheringham in the Guardian: British Cycling Vows to Control New Team at Tour de France
-- William Fotheringham: The War of the Wheels
-- Canadian Press: French daily [yeah, yeah, our buds at L'Equipe] reports Rasmussen used EPO-like substance during Tour de France [obviously, there's always the latest designer drug]
-- Matthew Pinset in the BBC: Time to reclaim cycling's soul