Um, Cav...You Know You *Won*, Right?

Exercises in Futility: look, Mark Cavendish is riding beautifully, and entirely deserved--and is lavishly, to his genuine credit, thanking Matt Goss and even his GC guys for--his wins the last couple stages. Here's today's win: So what the hell's the point of crying to the race organizers about how cruelly treated you were in the run-in to the line today? In case *you* hadn't noticed--'cause everyone else sure did--your own boys have played rough to other guys' actual *detriment* this year, so for my money, complaining rings, if not false, downright beeyotchy. You gonna dope-slap Tyler Farrar right in front of the cameras if you beat 'im fair and square for the final green jersey, too?

It's Back to the Mountains, Baby!: right on honey, enough of this wussy flat-stage crap at the Vuelta--but don't be fooled by the low elevation at the end, that is one vicious hors categorie leg-crusher with portions at a screamin' 19 degrees. Come on Euskaltel, it's got you boys written aaaaaaaaall over it (yeah, I know, just click to zoom in on the damn things):
And Sunday? We head towards the heavens with a disarmingly flat day til Lagos del Covadonga:. I know the first part of the race'll whack you, Carlos, but take it away!


TMI o' the week: sure, he's a regular playboy who loves sharp clothes, fast cars, and of course, the ladies. But don't think you're gonna come between Pippo Pozzato and the Worlds, you brazen slut, because, in what is surely the most earth-shattering news of the week, our John Travolta o' the eurodisco is--despite his incipient porn 'stache--swearin' off the nasty til the world champion stripes are his. Y'know, even *I* sometimes feel oily reading this !@#$. Can't our friends in the peloton all just agree to get back to the wholesome fun of hotel-room blood doping, sprint-barrier bushwhacking, and yankin' each other off their bikes by their jerseys? Oh, for those innocent, halcyon days of yore...

Our Rider Insult Moratorium Continues: finally, thank goodness we're already in week two of our inaugural Vuelta a Espana Racejunkie Win Free Stuff Contest Rider Insult Moratorium, and while--rats, I can't even say *that*!--I do note that Denis Menchov is...um, several minutes ahead of Josep Jufre, Giampaolo Caruso, and Remy di Gregorio on GC. Dammit!