Great race where riders chances waxed and waned throughout the last 60km. Undecided until the last 50m. Disappointing for for Van Avermart that Vandenbergh decided to mark him even after the re-grouping was off the cards. But then maybe he did not have the legs.

OPQS ended up off the podium (4th, 6th, 7th & 18th) having had four riders in a group of thirteen before they allowed the chaser's group back.

Sagan only 16th after failing to keep up with Cancellara on the final cobbled climbs.

Woman on pedestrian island who Vansummeren collided with is undergoing brain-surgery.

Popovych has tweeted about the lady in red coat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMvv...ature=youtu.be

I was flicking between the two channels and was a bit surprised on Sky that they showed a picture of the woman who was seriously injured when she was lying on the ground.....this was after they'd informed us that she was in a critical condition

I thought that was a bit insensitive........

Tour of the Basque Country starts today on ES

Who is likely to lead Sky at the Giro now Porte is skipping the race to save his reserves to support Froome in the Tour?

Uran took second behind Nibali last year. He may regret moving to a classics team as he would have been the obvious replacement.

Nieve is team leader in the Basque Tour

He's won some stages in Grand Tours and had five top 12 finishing places so it could be him, though he doesn't appeal as a possible winner

Wiggins confirms he will not ride Giro but hopes for a good result in Paris Roubaix after finishing in the fractured chase group at Flanders.

In the Basque tour, riders averaging over 40mph for the last 4km today (apart from roundabouts).

Update on Vansummeren crash: http://road.cc/content/news/115988-h...-roubaix-marie

Decisive sprint win at Sheldeprijs: http://youtu.be/9ijczPezVhM?t=1h57m07s

Armstrong names all those who supplied and supported his doping: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...oping/7532825/

I thought Harmon was back on BES but it is a Paris-Roubaix 2013 recording

The Guardian is reporting that Dave Brailsford is to quit as GB performance director to concentrate on the Sky team

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/26984825

Confirmed.

Very good win today for Ben Swift of Sky in the Tour of the Basque Country - he got over some big climbs in the leading pack without much help from his team and was obviously the best sprinter at the end. It's been a good race overall, lots of attacking from Contador and Valverde, but neither able to get away to a huge lead. Final stage tomorrow, a time trial with about 10 people inside a minute. Another young British rider, Simon Yates of Orica, is also doing well, has been getting over the big mountains without being dropped.

yes, excellent from Swift

It's not a bad little niche to be a guy who can win sprints after an up and down stage......when Cav and Griepel and Kittel and co are 10 minutes back after the final climb..........and you're still there !

The Brits haven't really got anyone like that so it's a useful addition to our national roster

Ouch.

The commentator on the Paris-Roubaix stating that the riders cannot go to the toilet for a week pain free. Why would you put yourself through that hell?

I wish Carlton would stop shouting 'Oooooooo' ............it gets on your nerves

Cancellara down.........looks like he was brought down by his team-mate

You could turn down the TV volume and listen on R5L sports extra: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bb...e_sports_extra

Tony Martin after winning yesterday's ITT in the Basque country. (not for the squeamish )
https://twitter.com/BiciGoga/status/...991296/photo/1

I'm 'flicking' between cycling, football and the racing.........

Fantastic close racing for the second weekend running.

OPQS got it right this week. Boonen was unlucky to drop his chain avoiding Van Avermaet's crash. Terpstra's attack was so quick and decisive, the race outcome was decided in a few minutes.

Sky finished with two riders in the chase group. It proves Wiggins can still mix it at the highest level. https://twitter.com/cirogazzetta/sta...531329/photo/1

Cancellara looked like he had a dozen riders watching his back wheel for the second half of the race.

Chris Horner is out of the Giro after a training accident punctured his lung:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/chri...pital-in-italy

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/27019944

I really enjoying watching cycling, but I'm not in any way an expert on the riders, teams etc.

Is there any way that Wiggins would have enough form to win this year's time trial, which I think is near the end of the race? If he was say within 2 mins of leader, he might have a chance of a podium finish?

Would Sky really not pick Wiggins because he poses too much of a threat or should I say distraction to Froome or because of the supposed animosity between the two?

I doubt that he poses much of a threat to Froome on current form, it would be more of a case of other riders being distracted by not knowing whose interests to protect.

My personal view is that Wiggo has 'lost it'.........he's no longer a hungry fighter.

Admittedly he did put up a terrific performance in the Paris-Roubaix but that was a one off.........one day and the biggest one day race in world cycling and he didn't have to do it again on Monday, then on Tuesday and so on........

I think Cav might have gone the same way as well..........

It's a tremendously hard sport and I think when people get too rich, get into their late 20s, past 30, and younger guys are coming through and you start to get adverts on the telly and a wife and kids and start to mix in celeb circles..........and when you've won the Tour or multiple stages and world championships in Cav's case ........do you really want to go into lots of pain to do it again ?

I hope I'm wrong, but that's my current feeling ........

Yeah, with Cav I think he still has a few more Tour stage wins left in him, hopefully his team will go bit better than they did last year, but its more like nowadays he needs the perfect lead out compared to 2 or 3 years ago he would seemingly just blow everyone out of the water.

But Wiggins I didn't know whether his post Paris-Roubaix comments were a sort of tacit public admission that he knows that Sky don't think he will be enough of a team player / too much baggage with Froome to get picked, but his ride on Sunday suggests he is not a completely spent force, he looked very efficient to me. But obviously the Tour is 3 weeks as you say!

Just one bit of live cycling before Sunday - the Grand Prix de Denain, tomorrow 13:00 on Eurosport 2. It's part of the French Cup, which is mostly for the 2/3 division French domestic teams, but also usually includes Europecar, AG2R etc.

News about next month's Womens' Tour de GB. Sponsor on board, UCI give it the highest level of classification, dates and stages.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/oth...ends-Life.html

Amstel Gold organisers hopefully have improved on last years arrangements when transponders and photo finish failed.

The media photos of bunch sprint for minor places clearly did not tally with the provisional top ten and there was no table of riders the crossing the finish line on the penultimate lap.

Valverde is favourite after his strong result last year, and great form so far this season.

Kwiatkowski is another favourite presumably after leaving Sagan for dead on the steep narrow town climb in Strade Bianchi.

Gilbert twice former winner who became world champion on Cauberg is no longer regarded as the obvious first choice after his lacklustre seasons at BMC. He won a smaller preparatory race earlier this week though.

Kreuziger is ranked as an outsider despite last year's win. It seems he took everyone by surprise and is unlikely to be given the same opportunity. I have not read anything explaining why he never made his mark at Liquigas before joining moving to Contador's team. Perhaps it was just because he was not Italian.

You could not make it up: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/oth...aix-crash.html