At Last...

Like Homer's wish of Nuts and Gum, I can now proudly say Economics and Cycling...together at last.

The Economist magazine has finally heard my calls for more cycling content! This week there's a good article about demand for cycles in today's day and age of high oil prices, obesity and lower car sales. We have heard it before but now it's right along side the credit crunch.
So next time you're rolling along to work remember you're not only helping the environment and your waist line, you're still being a fun loving capitalist!

In the presence of greatness?

There's been much hype about Lance making a comeback and that the current peleton will have no chance to beat Lance (I have just created next year's Tour promo!!), and good on him for wanting to raise awareness for a cure for cancer. But are we letting slip a bigger deal? Contador - or C-Dor if he was a gansta rapper - has just pulled off a feat only 4 others have, win all three grand tours and i believe (although can't confirm cause I'm lazy) he did it in the fastest time, 14 months from his first. In tennis and golf parlance he just won the Grand Slam. This year in Italy and Spain he was never headed, his team was strong and very willing to help their leader. Yet this feat seems to be getting as much airtime as Valverde winning the last Pro Tour (and his second in a row) - lets be serious they aren't in the same league. I mean, the Pro Tour is over the whole season not just 9 short weeks (KIDDING KIDDING......!!).

I still feel there's a question mark over Contador but for now I'll doff my helmet to him. Now we go back to Italy for the Worlds where my pick is for the Spaniards to triumph once again.

Still don't know what DeJa Vue is in Spanish....

Astana seem to be carving up the roads of Spain once again. This time their heroes are Leipheimer and Contador, but they seem to be doing what the Khazaks did 2 years ago.

Yes there is a way to go yet but the mountains are nearly over and with nearly 4 minutes to Sastre and 6 to Valverde, you have to think Contador has his 3rd Grand Tour in a row in the bag; unless of course he falls, crashes out, or gets caught with something he shouldn't have....could it be possible? is there still a cloud of doubt over this young star of the road? In today's day and age of scepticism can this super human feat of 3 grand tours in a row be natural? If this is the case then surely Contador will be snapped up to a Pro -Tour team (or whatever they'll call themselves) to actually shine on all stages and not be the wild card boy who gets invited to prove a political point?

Sastre looks tired (understandably too), my advice to Valverde is to think, (not even his team pulling all day could save him) he just doesn't seem to have the brain for a long tour it's not just he's a better classics rider, and Levi.... i think he's taken over from Hincapie as the ugliest dude in the peleton.

Vuelta stage 9

Young Greg Van Avermae has doen something his more highly regarded team mate Cadel Evans couldn't this year - that's win a stage at a Grand Tour in 2008. Also it's been a good week for Silence with Robbie taking the Vattenfall Cyclassics. it seems the team is peaking at the wrong time of the year!?

So what have we learnt so far in Spain? Valverde although strong seems to be repeating his July escapades. Doesn't Levi know that you don't piss off your hosts? he's surrounded (on GC he's the only non-Spaniard in the top 8) by the local boys, when will Johann tell him to pull out and concentrate on the Worlds? he must feel like a Man City supporter in the middle of a Man U parade...he won't come out alive!

with 2 transition days coming up maybe we'll see some fireworks and shake up in a couple of days. Foxing Spanish style is happening - these mind games could make you go Locco!

Vuelta - stage 3

Big Tom showed again that he was missed in July. Maybe with Tom in the peleton, Cavendish may not have been the wonder kid we were all raving about? but you can only beat the opposition on the day....
It was an old fashioned stoush today, Boonen and Zabel in the thick of it - aahh it took me back to times when cycling was much cleaner (well at least a time when the dirt wasn't uncovered yet).

In other news Robbie couldn't stand the Silence any longer and has said farewell to Cadel and co, and has signed with the Russian Tinkov team for 2 years! I guess it was the mullet in Karpets that sealed the deal. With Steegmans and Pozzato this Conti team are building themselves up for a really big Herald Sun Tour????