Yes - Carlos Sastre. The winner who made Lance Armstrong come out of retirement!

LOL yeah Sastre. Not Castre! DOH! I had a brain fart moment.

I like Sastre if you watch any of the bartape vids Cervelo have on their website he comes across as a great guy who loves his cycling.

As for AC I understand your frustration. It's the size of the concentration of clenbuterol that confuses me. It was so small normal testing wouldn't have picked it up. And no other tests previous showed any other useage.

There's always been whispers around Contador though havent there? Maybe its just because he's so successful and has more focus on him.

He's been in the headlights ever since Operación Puerto a few years back. Something he's never shook off.

He's a silly lad if he thinks that someone with his palameres wouldn't be looked at closely especially the way he dances up some of those peaks.

There's a great scientific piece which looks at wattage output and compares Alberto and a few others with what a doped rider can put out. It's an interesting read and really puts you to thinking how their data could be from anyone other than a doped rider.

I'll see if I can find it if your interested.

I'm reading the history of the Tdf at the moment and it's clear that doping has mostly been an acceptable way for the riders to cope with the strain of being a professional cyclist.

In the 1960's if you were caught doping in the Tdf you got a time penalty - and now it can potentially cost you your career (depending upon who you are). However, I don't think the penalties are handed out fairly at all.

The only way I think we can deal with the issue is if it cost everyone their career. One strike and you're out. No redemption for some and expulsion for others. Looking at the likes of Landis (ok the guy is an idiot) there is no reason why he should have been treated any differently to Contador, Miller etc.

Listen to any podcast about cycling (Real Peleton, Flammecast (slowly becoming my fave), Velo Club Don Logan, Spokesmen) and invariably we all start talking about doping - I just wish we could eradicate it from our sport.

Having said that......I think cycling is light years ahead of more popular sports when it comes to catching the cheats.

I just love the Giro. It's a shame the TDF takes precedent over it in the eyes of the teams.

I'm afraid that when it comes to the world - people only sit up and take notice when its the Tdf. I also think that it shows more of a bias towards Italians than the Tdf shows towards the French.

Mind you - at least the Giro has regular Italian winners where the Tdf hasn't had a French winner for years.

Last years Giro converted me - I love it. I lve it because it's bonkers. I love it because it is far more colourful than the Tdf. Do I prefer it over the Tour? Probably not.

What did you think yesterday? More Italian bias? Do you think Petacchi cheated Cav out of the stage win? Or has Cavs new girlfriend taken all the power out of his legs?

@MarkCavendish - A jolly good read on the twitter thingy, pulls no punches and also shows his humorous side.

Director of todays coverage should be sacked, that is obviously a very serious (potentially fatal) accident, and he cuts to the camera pointing at the lepardtrek riders head! and keeps cutting back to the medics working on him! shocking

Edit, it was wouter weylandt. thoughts with his friends family and team mates!

Update, Wouter Weylandt has passed away following his accident on stage 3 of the Giro D'Italia, according to Italian TV

Sad sad news in the Giro today. Missed the coverage and not sure I would want to see it anyway. Thoughts with the family, team mates other rides and friends.

Just watching Mark Cavendish: The Human Missile. Didn't get to watch last years TdF as I was out of the country and couldn't get coverage, however, despite his DQ, Mark Renshaw is the best lead out man I have seen. An unsung hero of the Cavendish story.

I had heard the tragic incident but decided to watch the race when I got home from work. Not really expecting it to be to bad. I'm an ICU nurse so i'm used to seeing horrible things. This however brought tears to my eyes as you saw the close up of his face, then shortly after clearly seeing then start cpr on him.

The tradegy and sadness is magnified by knowing that his wife who is 5 months pregnant will have a child that will never meet it's father.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends

RIP Wouter

Having had my own "near miss" with a car just months ago this has really struck a chord with me.

Shocking news - 26 is no age to die, not least doing something that you love to do and in a great event like the Giro



RIP Wouter.

RIP Wouter.

Sad day for cycling fans.

Today was just one of the most amazing things I have witnessed. It was beautiful unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. The compassion, the unity, the comeraderie, the grief, the emotion and great dignity shown by the peloton, the teams and by the thousands of people by the roadside was simply stunning.

The final 5km's were heart breaking as Leopard Trek allowed Tyler Farrer to join them ( wouters best friend, who he called his euro brother). The tears flowed on both sides of my tv screen.

As a result Tyler and the Leopard Trek Team have left the Giro for this year. Their grief is to great to carry on.

You are not alone in that mate, I shed a couple when they all had their arms around each other crossing the line!


Another major crash today, though luckily, the RaboBank rider whose name escapes me escaped the incident with a broken jaw, a stitched up wound and apparently no severe head injuries which i suppose is some small mercy after Monday's events.

I seriously thought the worst when he went down though, the panic in the DS's who were first on the scene was huge!

I hope this Giro becomes a fitting monument to the legend of Wouter. Stage 3 from now until the end of time should always be his stage and race number 108 removed from use for the Giro.

I've seen a few comments about speed restrictions and full head crash helmets on some of the other cycling sites. With the crash yesterday I must admit my heart was in my mouth too.

I think we just have to admit it's a beautiful but dangerous sport. We love the people who can descend like a rock whilst dealing with technical descents. And I think we must openly admit that we all want the cobbled classics to be a little bit greasy under the wheel to add to the excitement.

It's a dangerous place being sat on a bike with a thin layer of fabric and a lump of polystyrene for protection!

Tour of California being covered live on ITV4.

Stage 1 - Sunday 10pm.

www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/#3 Stage One cancelled because of snow.

www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/#3 Stage One cancelled because of snow.

Yeah I saw the photo's on the sky site it looked mad!

They moved it to May solely for the better weather as well PMSL

A Yorkie wins the stage. www.sacbee.com/2011/05/17/3631975/amgen ... notes.html

A Yorkie wins the stage. www.sacbee.com/2011/05/17/3631975/amgen ... notes.html

One of the finest perfromances seen to date by Team Sky I'd say. The way they bossed the last 3km was very impressive - just like watching HTC at their best.

Great win by Swift too.

Just saw the highlights of the run in to the finish. Swifty came up fast and totally put Thor in his back pocket. Awesome!

Do you think Cav will sign off from this years Giro today with a win? I'm right in thinking it gets a bit hilly after today aren't I?