As it's so quiet here today I thought I'd sneak a cycling thread in while noone is looking.

The Tour of Qatar is underway this week with the much anticipated (by me anyway) showdown between Britains own sprint sensation Mark Cavendish and Belgiums own pin up,womanising,coke snorting boy Tom Boonen.This is an early season 'leg stretcher' race who's repetetive flat stages favour those riders that take shelter in amongst their teammates for a few hours then put in a 200 metre effort at the death to claim all the glory.Sprinters to you and me.

The race started on Sunday with a short prologue around Homer Simpsons favourite city of Dohar,and produced a first British win of the season for Bradley Wiggins.
The second stage yesterday was the first opportunity for the sprinters to shine but thanks to gale force cross winds the bunch was split into 4 smaller groups.Mark Cav and Tom B were in the front group and looking good for a duel in the desert,that was until,with 30km Cav was 'dropped' and it looked all set up for a comfy shoe in for Tornado Tom at the finish.

But wait,who's this making a break from the leading group of 10 riders with only 3km to go? Well feck me if it isn't Britains old stager Roger Hammond-Organ dancing a merry tune on his pedals to take the win a second ahead of Tom B.Lovely stuff !

So two stages down and two wins for the Brits.And with Cav,unlike Tom with his Columbian marching powder, who hasn't even had a sniff yet It's looking good already loike.


As it happens I do my very own Tour of Catarrh every time I cycle up a hill .

Updates to follow if I can be arsed.

Yes please, Richard. It's nice to know there's other people on Bn1 prepared to embarrass themselves with inane scribblings on 'borderline' sports..

You're only saying that because you're fecking off on holiday for a couple of weeks.

But anyway,just for you;

Well it's just not happening for Mark Cavendish yet.After getting dropped on the first road stage on Monday with only 30km left,yesterday he made it to within 2km of the finish,and to my much anticipated sprint off with Tornado Tom,when he only went and had a puncture.By the time he'd got out his tyre levers,puncture repair kit and his piece of chalk,Tom Boonen was already receiving the kisses from the podium girls,only this being a strict muslim country,the podium girl was in fact a bearded sports minister,which probably explians why Cav was deliberately aiming for every pot hole,loose stone,discarded camels toenail that he could find on the run in to the finish.

Current standings are Tom Boonen leading Britains Roger Hammond by 6 seconds

So onto today;yet another pan flat,wind swept 150km stage that should end in another sprint finish.Hopefully today Cav can make it to the finish and receive the kisses of the next bearded official to take to the podium.

The Tour of France it ain't.

Frederiek Nolf a 21 year old Belgian rider was found dead in his hotel room this morning with initial reports saying he died of a heart attack during his sleep.Today's stage was cancelled as a mark of respect.

On a brighter note however Mark Cavendish claimed his first win of the season when he outsprinted Tom Boonen in yesterdays,wind affected stage.

You win some,you lose some as they say.

RIP Fred.