What Are They Putting In The Spanish Water?

In true London (or should that be Barcelona?) bus style, you wait for one international sporting success and suddenly three arrive at once. First Euro 2008, then Nadal wins Wimbledon and now, barring an act of the Spanish riders Catholic God, Carlos Sastre will ride from Etampe to Paris and then conduct a series of victory laps around the streets of the great city.

I have to admit that Sastre was my choice after last Tuesday's stage because I felt that Cadel Evans and his team were putting all their eggs in one pannier and assuming that Evans would take back any time deficiency on the time trial. All of Sastre's rivals failed to gain ground in Saturday's key 53km time-trial and whilst Sastre led by 84 seconds going into the stage Cadel Evans could only close the gap to 65 seconds with just what is usually only a parade lap around the capital left, Evans will have to settle for second place for the second year running.

Sastre has been great this week and I've admired the way he has chosen to conduct his interviews with the British media in English, this isn't being patronising at all ITV's Ned Boulting speaks fluent Spanish (among seven languages) but this year the riders seem to have had instructions to conduct as many interviews in English as possible. Perhaps the success of last years prologue and first stage in England finally proved that there is a big audience for cycling across La Manche.