My (awful) Tour predictions

Well, the Tour's finished, and my selections weren't so great. I had Contador, Schleck and Vande Velde in about the right spots, and I picked the Green, White and Team winners, but I chose all the guys who had dire Tours too - Evans, Menchov and Rogers all performed below anyone's expectations.

1. Cadel Evans - 30th
2. Alberto Contador - 1st
3. Andy Schleck - 2nd
4. Carlos Sastre - currently 17th
5. Denis Menchov - 51st
6. Lance Armstrong - 3rd
7. Christian Vande Velde - 8th
8. Mikel Astarloza - currently 11th
9. Michael Rodgers - 103rd
10. Sylvain Chavanel - 20th

Plus Green jersey
Thor Hushovd - in Green

Polka Dot
Carlos Sastre - 14 points (43rd place)

White
Andy Schleck

Team
Astana

And now for a new category - Best Post-Tour Trick (click on photo for link to PEZ Cycling - www.pezcyclingnews.com)

A stab in the dark at Lance's new team

So Lance Armstrong has a new team - and he's signing new riders every minute. Here's my guess at the line up

LA
Chris Horner
Cadel Evans
Jack Bobridge
Taylor Phinney
Levi Leipheimer
Brice Feillu
Mark Cavendish (depending on budget)
Mark Renshaw (depending on Cavendish)
George Hincapie (depending on all of above plus ability to forgive LA)
Simon Gerrans
plus a dozen big motors - anonymous guys like Popo who would be team leader on your average French team.

teamradioshack.com/getready/

Keirin guy takes on politics

Tomohiro Nagatsuka (above), silver medalist in the Olympic Sprint in Athens, looks like joining the race for mayor of Ibaraki as the DPJ-backed candidate, according to a report in today's Sankei. Nagatsuka is said to be quite an economist with a great knowledge of how money markets work - so that's where he's been investing all his winnings on the keirin circuit.

How my Tour selections are going so far

1. Cadel Evans - currently 18th
2. Alberto Contador - currently 2nd
3. Andy Schleck - currently 9th
4. Carlos Sastre - currently 16th
5. Denis Menchov - whoops, currently 28th
6. Lance Armstrong - 3rd
7. Christian Vande Velde - currently 8th
8. Mikel Astarloza - currently 17th
9. Michael Rodgers - oh, dear currently 162nd
10. Sylvain Chavanel - currently 47th

Plus Green jersey
Thor Hushovd - in Green

Polka Dot
Carlos Sastre - 0 points

White
Andy Schleck - 2nd

Team
Astana - 2nd

My Tour Top 10

1. Cadel Evans
2. Alberto Contador
3. Andy Schleck
4. Carlos Sastre
5. Denis Menchov
6. Lance Armstrong
7. Christian Vande Velde
8. Mikel Astarloza
9. Michael Rodgers
10. Sylvain Chavanel

Plus Green jersey
Thor Hushovd

Polka Dot
Carlos Sastre

White
Andy Schleck

Team
Astana

Ikejiri Gallery to hold keirin bike exhibition

Ikeijiri Institute, an old school-turned-gallery and workshop in Setagaya, near Ikejiriohashi Station, is holding an exhibition of Katakura keirin bikes since the 50s. Well worth visiting.

www.r-school.net/program/gallery