This is the finale of the Worlds road race champs at Madrid in 2005. The first commentary is from the Belgian French language channel and the second is from the Belgian TV Dutch language channel. Gilbert is a Walloon who speaks French and Boonen is a Flandrian who speaks Dutch. He is known as Tommeke.

It is worth pointing out that Boonen’s jerky sprinting style is instantly recognisable to anybody who is not suffering from a severe case of wishful thinking.

Ok, so I got a little carried away but what about Philippe Gilbert ? Four rides in ten days and four wins. And not just and old races, One Monument, one Classic, one semi-classic a top class catergory 1.1 race. Gilbert’s achievement must surely be unique. I think Cipo may have won four Tour stages on the trot but that just isn’t at all comparable.

Gilbert’s  October can be awarded the greatest complement in cycle racing; it is something that was beyond Eddy Merckx. Which leads me on to another feat that defeated the great Merckx. In the six years between 1977 and 1982 Gibi Baronchelli won all six editions of the Tour of the Appenines. Isn’t that extraordinary. Can you imagine the scene in the changing room by 1982. Moser, a double winner, saying to Saronni, Whatever happens don’t let that f*****g Baronchelli win again! And blow me up he pops.

My old mate Luigi Ortenzi previously of Harrow and now back in Italy was a big fan of Gibi and told me of  this amazing achievement. Not that Luigi’s judgement was reliable in matters of Italian cycling. He once told me how Hinault “stole” the 1980 rainbow jersey from Baronchelli. I have since watched some of the race on video and truth be told Gibi was stuffed by the Badger

But to return to Gilbert’s triumphs I don’t expect it will change anything. Boonen will still be the man with the bike mad Flemish public more interested in what Boonen puts up his nose than anything the Walloon Gilbert achieves.

For the record:

8th October, Coppa Sabatini

11th October,  Paris-Tours

15th October, Tour of Piemont

17th October, Tour of Lombardy

So much for nearly forty years progress in bike design and training, Evans won the rainbow jersey at a speed of 37kph compared with Merckx’s average speed of 40kph. it can be argued that I am comparing apples with pears and it is true that the two courses had differences. In 1971 the race covered sixteen laps of 16.8km and on Sunday they did nineteen laps of 13.8km and signifigantly the three extra kilometres were flat. That said the two climbs each lap were the same and 3 kph is a hell of a difference. Don’t forget that on Sunday there were two hundred starters while in Merckx’s era, with no eastern europeans and few English speakers, there would be half that number.

It is always a hoot to see what Merckx got up to after a big win. After Mendrisio Eddy raced five times in the next seven days travelling the length and breadth of Europe. No resting on his laurels for Eddy.

Nice one Cadel

It is now official greenjersey policy: no more taking the piss out of Cadel Evans. But before it starts what about that crazy “victory salute”? It was sort of like the wave that the Queen gives to her subjects. What’s wrong with the time honoured both hands high in the air? Then there was the obsessive kissing of something on his neck chain, it looked like a ring.

But as I said forget all that stuff and concentrate on a good ride. Not amazing, after all you wouldn’t have known he was in the race until the last ten minutes but he was there when it counted. All credit to the Aussie Director Neil Stephens who put his team on the front when nobody else was interested.

At first it seemed like a typical Worlds with the usual lost cause break but when the Italians split the bunch, I think it was Scarponi who did the damage, taking a big group away it all became complicated. There was plenty of good men in the move including Boonen and Ballan but nobody that you would call a favourite and fortunately just when it seemed that the bunch was out of it the Aussies decided they couldn’t rely on Michael Rogers,their only rider up front, and started pulling the bunch along.

Honourable mention must be made of Gorazd Stangelj of Slovenia who was in the break all race and was still charging off the front on the penultimate lap.

Finally an amazing fact; The rainbow jersey was Evans’s first and only one day win as a pro!