Ten days to go

Not long now then, till the Tour starts on July 3rd. And more importantly, that means there's now less than 10 days to pick those FTDF teams......... once the Velogames site is open for business that is. Cyclingnews now has a run-down of the Top 12 Tour Contenders and 10 riders who need a result to peruse. The teams are slowly announcing their selections and the GC hopefuls for the Tour will now be doing their last minute 'preparation' in hope of starting the race in the best possible form.

The Tour Du Suisse wrapped-up at the weekend and Frank Schleck got the win after Robert Gesink fell apart in the final time trial. A certain L. Armstrong finished second and he's looking good for another reasonable GC position in the Tour this year. I still don't fancy his chances for the win against the younger riders though. Those Flandis allegations have done nothing to enhance his reputation and the length of the race means there's plenty of time for more dirt to be revealed. I know he thrives on adversity, but three weeks is a long time to be sitting in the team-bus avoiding awkward questions. If he does find himself in yellow, I reckon he'll get a tough time from the roadside fans, especially if this booing he got at the Tour of Luxembourg is anything to go by.



Also, there was the Ster Elektrotoer going on. Although it sounds like a travelling music festival with the likes of Merzbow, Black Dice and Wolf Eyes, it's actually a bike race in the Netherlands. Not suprisingly, it's not a race for the climbers, and the sprinters usually do pretty well there. Team Sky's Greg Henderson and Russ Downing managed a 1-2 on stage 2, and seeing how I used to ride with some guys who used to race against Downing, I think that means I could have been 3rd if I was there.

The only other events before the Tour worth paying any attention to, are the various National Championship races on Sunday. These are the last chance to see who's race form is good, and who gets to wear a special jersey for a year - which makes a rider easier to pick out on the TV, which is always useful when you're trying to follow your fantasy team riders.

Back in the UK there's a fair few continental pros who'll be lining-up on Sunday, but rumour has it that arguably the best British rider, Bradley Wiggins won't be riding, as he's saving himself for the Tour. There should still be plenty of other UK talent around at the race in Linconshire though, and I'm hoping we'll see the British Champions jersey in the Tour peloton next month.