Lets all go down the Strand - hava a banana.

Who was busiest at Le tour de Britain? The riders? The team managers? The team mechs? The fans? Wrong, wrong, wrong. It was the comms. Most of their time was spent trying to fine Rock Racing. In the end the 'unrepentant' walked away with £1500 of fines, it would have been more but the poor comms were so confused by the continual change of team kit that they had no idea which one was the official jersey and so in the end gave up bothering. Hamilton must have been the main recipient of these fines (about the only thing he's likely to win) as the jersey he wore each day was about as far from the official US national champions jersey as it was possible to be. I wonder if US racing will be handing out some bonus fines on his return?

Meanwhile on the come back trail (no not him) - Ivan Basso - returns for the Japan Cup, I can hardly wait. He'll trot out in his new Liquigas kit (or lickey-gas, if your name is Duffield). That will be the same Liquigas team that signed the UCI pledge that it wouldn't sign any riders that had been banned for doping offenses for four years from the start of their ban. Still four years, four months, what's the difference, time fly's when you're running a busy professional cycling team.

Now here's something I bet you didn't foresee, I certainly didn't. Laurent Brochard want's to come back - "Some directeurs sportifs know that I'm still able to ride, they have my number, they're welcome to call me," say the man who was was with Festina in 1998. My only advice is, go out and enjoy yourself mate, if you sit by that phone you'll be waiting a long time.


Who will be next? It's starting to get farcical, it really is. But in some ways it reminds me of freegans at your local supermarket. They're the people who go round the back of the store, scavenging through the bins for all the crap the store has binned. They then take it home and eat it. I was starting to think all the bad apples had been chucked out, but not only has someone gone round and collected them, but they've taken them back into the store and are trying to restock the shelves.

AC (that's Alberto Contador, not AC from operation Puerto) says -
"I think I've earned the right to be the leader of a team without having to fight for my place,"
So he's happy then. Hopefully we'll be heading for a toys and pram situation here. Where's the tub of glee?

Well we're into Worlds week now and the first race mens U23 TT has happened. What else has happened is the riders are pulling out citing general knackeredness as their excuse. Kirchen and O'Grady join Cancellara and Cav on the sidelines. All citing too long a season, still don't worry the UCI know what they're doing. Lets make the season nice and long and have the worlds right at the end. How are you supposed to maintain competitiveness from April to October? Answers on a postcard please to either Uncle Pat or Dr Fuentes - I'm sure one of them will have an answer.