more giro

that wiggins should lose more time on yesterday's stage came as no surprise but it was a surprise i would've liked to have learned from actually watching the stage rather than foolish clicking open the guardian, a paper it appears that has no conception of the word spoiler. you should know by now says t and indeed i should.

not seeing the stage live was down to being in the shop where i was ensconced just in case i 'did anything stupid'. i'd intended some poetry type work but, it turns out, the shop is really, really noisy for that sort of caper so instead i got fired into a new mixed media thing that's been exercising my mind for a wee while. headphones on. grand fun. if i can get my room in the house cleared it'll be painting next.

it's tricky watching the giro as all i want to do is be back out on the bike but that's something that won't be happening for a wee while yet. i may sit on the trainer and turn my legs later but mainly to see if my chest is going to work. the reason for this being that i decided, not entirely of my own volition, to cycle into the back of a car last week. and while there were external factors involved really it was all down to me. stupid, stupid, stupid.

some broken ribs later i was back at work. two things should be noted. firstly that i was very lucky. i had two stories from a&e and the bike shop of people who'd had life changing injuries doing exactly the same as i had. the motto - no matter how cold, tired or hungry you are - look where you're going!

secondly, i had two excuses for going back to work. first, and least, there was no one else to do it and, as is my usual excuse, if i was to take time off everyone would think they could do it. they do anyway so so what? my actual cunning plan, which t was well aware of and not impressed by, was that if i could get thru my nights then i'd most likely be fit for a bit of bike. cue what can only be described as a bit of a collapse. the worst pain since i thought i'd broke my femur? i should coco. not nice!

so some sick time and a big cup of i told you so from t and many, many others. i still don't have it quite in my head that strava's 1000k challenge most likely won't be happening this month now but there's a glimmer of dawning acceptance.

and thence back to the giro. what a beautiful style roberto uran exhibited yesterday. i am liking too that kind of retro mullet thing he has going on. nibali is more conservatively tonsured but it seems to be suiting him. am i alone in thinking he's maybe shed a couple of pounds this year? after that last chain bother moment he was very spry going past evans.

and evans, who looks the most relaxed i've seen him in years. he must surely be in his twilight now but you'd need a heart of stone for the thought of seeing him in red at the end not to warm your heart. he's like the anti-wiggins and it's a joy to see all that effort right up front, face contorted, head to the side. you know where you stand with evans - he leaves it all on the road!

so the best i can do is watch the eurosport and read the blogs. there will be no imaginary giro climbs this year where i pretend (hey, it's my fevered imagination here!) that it's me who can climb and it's me who has that indefinable and graceful souplesse, even if just for an instant.

i'm gratified to see the legend that is robert millar writing for cycling news on the giro. he's kind of eased himself out of the woodwork these last few years, on his own terms as usual, and it's great to hear what he's got to say. at the opposite end of the scale there's cameron wurf's blog which is both entertaining and gets you right into the day to day of a young professional cyclist