chuckles

I'm about to re read "The Magic Mountain", by Thomas Mann....a masterpiece of ambiguity that works on a number of levels. If you try ,and enjoy this, then have a wee read at Solzhenitsyn's "Cancer Ward"

Well, I think that there's only 7 secs in the Spanish guy's favour and since they were both pretty well fucked after that effort, it could be down to who recovers best. I suppose that , because of the age difference in his favour, we could expect the Sky lad to come out on top..but then again, the Spaniard seems to be a tough cookie so I wouldn't bet against him. It looks like the next few days could provide some entertaining viewing....bring it on !!!

Of course I won't spill, but don't miss it...best finish I've seen in a long time !!

Vuelta on ITV 4 right now....18k to go....not on Eurosport , thanks to some birds playing tennis !

Will you be wearing your Norse costume when you travel to Douglas Park on Sunday , Ton boy?

Try and get a look at "Death on the Mountain : Tom Simpson"..an excellent BBC 4 documentary which gives an insight into Tour cycling in the 60s. ETA. Just checked and if you google the title, you can still watch this, albeit in six parts.

Yeah, I remember the Festina thing quite well, and I recall that while there was som e "outrage" from outwith the sport, those on the inside seemed to accept the news with a " it's the culture thing " shrug. So do we have to go back to the days when the guys were riding over cart tracks and welding their frames when they broke, to find a totally "clean" Tour winner ?

Apparently Tommy Simpson, one of the first Brits to cycle as a pro on the Tour circuit, and who's death on Mont Ventoux during the '67 Tour de France was due, at least in part, to his taking "stimulants", had previously said that almost every cyclist in the peloton was "on some substance". In fact, it seems that anyone who wasn't indulging, was viewed with suspicion and, in some cases, ostracized by the other riders.

I've been enjoying watching the Vuelta ( well, until the Athletics and Tennis coverage fucked it up ! ) and listening to the Eurosport commentaries and the insight provided by Sean Kelly. Now you guys seem to be doing quite well with your distances and times, but how about the info that Bernard Hinault would train with his team mates for a couple of days, then go for a 220 km. spin on his own ! Kelly described him, in the nicest possible way, as "an animal"!

It will be interesting to see whether, if Hoogerland is unable to continue, his team decides to sue the French TV company. After all he was in the breakaway group with every chance of increasing his points and keeping the polka dot jersey.

If you like the Fantasy/Tolkien style stuff, then you might enjoy the following as some summer reading..there are a few books involved. but here goes: The author of this series is a guy called Stephen Donaldson and the stories are in sequence, beginning with.. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. 1. Lord Foul's Bane. 2. The Illearth War. 3. The Power that Preserves. The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. 1. The Wounded Land. 2. The one Tree. 3. White Gold Wielder. The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. 1. The Runes of the Earth. 2. Fatal Revenant. 3. Against All Things Ending.(2010) 4. The Last Dark. Quite a bit of reading but, if you like this type of stuff, you'll enjoy it.

Start off with "The Picture of Dorian Gray".....it's a good read .

Try "The Road", by this author. It's easy going and you'll enjoy it.

If she is really your friend then I'd imagine her reaction to you "spilling the beans", would be one of total surprise, as she probably has you labelled as a workshy little shit who'd be too lazy to make such an effort. I suspect that your underlying motive here is to find someone who'll help your old ma with the dishes. PS. Feel free to keep discussing your boring and confused life...it certainly makes me feel happier with my lot.