History repeats itself

Wow, with temperatures in the upper 20's anyone could be excused for forgetting it's mid-winter! Perfect weather for the 83rd running of the Comrades Marathon and Russian Leonid Shvetsov took advantage of conditions to not only win the race for the second time, but also to break the 8 year old up-run record. In Pretoria, the Springboks maintained their unbeaten home record against Wales, and at Le Mans in France Audi won the 24 hour race for the 3rd consecutive time. It must have been a tough weekend for the bookies! Actually, the only upset I can find in sporting news was Rafael Nadal winning his first grass court title, but with his current form I certainly wouldn't have bet against him!

Dauphiné Libéré

Dimitri Fofonov won the final Stage into Grenoble, but the day belonged to overall winner Alejandro Valverde. Cadel Evans sent his team-mate Yaroslav Popovych up the road on the Col du Granier as a test, but Valverde's team countered and the Australian settled for 2nd place. The performance of the top 2 finishers bodes well for the Tour de France, starting in less than 3 weeks time, but for 3rd place finisher, Levi Leipheimer, it'll be back to the States to begin his preparation for the Olympics, as his Astana team are controversially not invited to the Tour.

Thanks for reading.

Father's Day

So I didn't get to sleep in this morning, but C spoilt me with chocolates and shortbread, and the kids had made cards at school; it felt really good to have my role in the family acknowledged.

I watched the rugby and then braaied last night with a bunch of mates that I've known most of my life; in most cases since school days. It was great to catch up with them; our lives are all different but also so similar. I am lucky to have this big circle of friends, but sadly I don't get to see enough of them. It's all to easy to let a busy schedule with work and kids get in the way of what's really important in life. I think that the size of a person's circle of friends says more about his character than any other measure of success, so I need to do more to maintain contact.

Dauphiné Libéré

Russian Yuriy Trofimov of the Bouygues Telecom team managed to get away from his breakaway companions on the Col de Joux-Plane, and then held off a last gasp dash for the line to take Satge 5 ahead of Cadel Evans and Alejandro Valverde. 3rd place was enough for Valverde to retain his yellow jersey, but it was good to see Cadel Evans riding so well in the lead up to the Tour de France. Of the 3 guys that stood on the podium in Paris last July, Cadel is the only one that will be at the start this year, and so therefore must be one of the favourites.

Dane Chris Anker Sørensen of CSC took a superb victory by more than a minute in Stage 6 on Saturday. However, the real action of the day was further down the field, where Alejandro Valverde successfully countered moves by both Levi Leipheimer and Cadel Evans, as they attacked time and again to try and drop the Spaniard. By the line Levi had gained a couple of seconds, but it wasn't enough, and Valverde holds a 39 second lead over Cadel Evans going into today's final stage, with Levi at 1:24. It's looking good for Valverde to take overall victory.

Thanks for reading.

End of the week!!!

I have to be honest - this has not been one of my best weeks. On the plus side, I am feeling a little better, and have been back at work. The down side of that is trying to fit 5 day's work into 2 days! No problem, we've all been there, haven't we? I'm really looking forward to a relaxing weekend to try and complete the recovery process.

And to all the fathers out there: Happy Father's Day!

Dauphiné Libéré
Spaniard Alejandro Valverde showed what he's made of to win the Stage 3 Time Trial on Wednesday, beating my man Levi into 2nd. It was a stunning performance in difficult and wet conditions. The win was enough to put Valverde into yellow, ahead of the first mountain stages.

AG2R's Cyril Dessel took Stage 4 in spectacular fashion. He attacked the survivors of the day's breakaway and then soloed the final 20km to victory. All the main contenders finished together, so there was very little change to the overall, with Valverde holding on to the yellow jersey for another day.

Today's Stage 5 could be a key stage, with the massive HC Côte de Joux-Plane at 113.5km the decisive point. From the top of the climb it's all downhill, so there might be enough time for the bunch to pull anyone back. Should be interesting!

Thanks for reading.

Comeback... A second time around

After 5 days of feeling as bad as flu can make you feel, and with the addition of an eye and throat infection, I finally feel almost human again. Almost. Superman (4 yr old) went back to school this morning, so at least I've had some peace today. Mommy was home on study leave and really impressed me with her dedication - I hope she cruises her exam tomorrow. I had to tip-toe around a bit today, but it beats the hell out of blowing snotty noses all day!

It'll be back to work for me tomorrow (lots to catch up on!) and I need to start thinking about how I am going to get my training back on track. The Team Time Trial is out of the question - a 100% effort just a week after recovering from flu is not a good idea. So I need to look for an event that is a realistic date in the future, and plan my training around that. One thing I have learned over the years is it helps to have an objective when you train.

Dauphiné Libéré

As expected, Stage 1 ended in a sprint, with Spain's Alejandro Valverde taking the win, and big Thor Hushovd taking second. This was enough to give him the yellow jersey for the first time - well deserved for one of the nice guys in the bunch.

Another nice guy, American George Hincapie, of the High Road team, got a jump on the sprinters in Stage 2, and took the win ahead of Sébastien Chavanel. Hushovd came in 5th; enough for him to keep the yellow going into today's important 31 km time trial. Levi is in 3rd at 5 seconds - I wonder if he wants the yellow jersey back yet?

Thanks for reading.

The Greatest Show On Earth

If anyone thought I was referring to a cycling event, for once you'd be wrong. "The Greatest Show On Earth" has circus undertones, and on Saturday night I went to Madame Zingara at the SunCoast Casino. But, to call this a circus is wrong; it is so much more. It is an evening of fun, fantasy and fine dining. Dressing up for the occasion is optional, but advised. And the weirder the better! Everything about the evening is over the top, but truly unforgettable. Check out the website here. Highly recommended.

I, of course, am still as sick as a dog; my throat is on fire, my head is being slowly crushed in a vice, and my sinuses are completely stuffed. And the doctor said it would be a couple of days before I come right - I'm not sure I'll survive that long!

Dauphiné Libéré

My prediction was 100% on the money - Levi Leipheimer won the prologue by a mere second from Crédit Agricole's big Norwegian paceman, Thor Hushovd. Spain's Alejandro Valverde of the Caisse d'Epargne team showed his form with a third, 6 seconds off the pace. Cadel Evans should also be pleased with his 6th place in his first competitive ride since a bout of tendinitis. Today's Stage 1 features an uphill finish, and I think Thor would fancy his chances of grabbing the yellow jersey. But, overall, my money is still on Levi.

Thanks for reading.

Here we go again

I woke up this morning with a sore throat, and generally feeling kak! I really don't want to get sick again, but I guess I'm going to be off the bike again for a couple of days.

Howick Classic

Locally, the Howick Classic MTB race is tomorrow (Sunday 8 June). This is one of the best events in the country, with some of the sweetest single track you'll ever have the pleasure to ride. Good luck to everyone riding, and enjoy!

Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré

The 60th running Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré starts on Sunday 8 June with a 5.6km prologue from Le Pontet to Avignon. The race includes a Time Trial on Wednesday, and several Pyrennes mountain stages before the finish in Grenoble on Sunday 15 June. The Dauphiné Libéré is the traditional warm-up for the Tour de France, and all the main contenders will be there, although it's unlikely any will risk showing off their true form. However, Lance Armstrong won in 2002 and 2003, right in the middle of his 7 TdF titles, so it's not unknown for riders to test their legs. One man that will be ready to show off his form will be 2006 winner, American Levi Leipheimer. The Dauphiné Libéré is very much a UCI race, and it is limited to the 18 ProTour teams. Thus, Astana will be there, with their man Levi as leader for this race. Alberto Contador won't be there; this race comes too soon after the Giro, but you can be sure that the whole Astana team will be out there trying to prove a point, yet again. Ironically, last year's winner, Frenchman Christophe Moreau, will not be in the starting line-up. This year he is riding for the Professional Continental team Agritubel, so he was not invited.