Meanwhile, somewhere in Mondorf...

Andy and Frankie are slumped on the sofa, Andy with an extra cushion tucked under his backside, both listlessly watching an unfathomable children's TV show about a family of blueberries (played by actors in fat squidgy costumes) who are dancing round in circles and holding cardboard flowers to their noses.

The door is flung open, and a Greek God enters the room, surrounded by a rich golden glow.

Andy glances wearily over his shoulder.

Frankie, without turning round, says "Jakob, mate, turn off the torch, that joke is getting a bit old."

Jakob, walking round the sofa, picks up the remote and mutes the TV: "Aww, come on guys, I have to make the most of it, I certainly won't be winning any more UCI points this year."

Andy, making an effort to perk up, smiles at Jakob. "For sure," he says, "but at least you are going out racing again. I'm stuck indoors with this damned cracked pelvis, and Frankie's still suspended."

Jakob, sympathetically, "Aww, I know. Sorry guys. How's that crack going?"

Andy, glumly: "Still bloody sore. I can only manage two hours on the bike, then it's just too painful to continue. At this rate I won't be riding at all for the rest of the year. By the time it's healed, the season will be over."

Frankie: "But there's Beijing yet, and that other China race?"

Andy: "Pfff, all that smog, what with not being on top form, I'd be coughing my lungs up. No thanks. You can do those, if you want to."

Frankie gives Andy a Look.

Andy, repentant: "Oops, sorry mate, you know what I mean."
Frankie: "Yeah, I know."
Jakob: "Come on Frankie, we all know you did nothing wrong, LADA will exonerate you, I bet they will."

Andy: "Yes, but that's where Alberto's problems started: the Spanish board cleared him, and then everyone screamed 'favouritism!' and look where that ended? And it's not LADA, as you well know."

Jakob: "At least Frankie pulled out of racing straight away. Come on, there is a good side to this, (looking slyly at Frankie) at least you aren't earning any more points for the Shack, are you?"

The ghost of a grin flits across Frankie's face.

Frankie: "Mate, don't ever say that out loud. I know we've had our differences with Mr B, but not even to spite him would I deliberately put myself in this position, trust me."

Jakob: "Yeah, I know, sorry mate, just joking."

Andy: "So what's all this about you going to Astana?"
Jakob: "All signed. 3 years, and I get a chance to ride the Tour. Maybe even the Vuelta as well. Should be good. Pity about the colour of the kit, but you can't have everything."
Frankie, sighing: "Well, we're gonna miss you."
Andy, turning to Frankie: "Mind you, there is a good side to this: (looking slyly at Jakob) we will save a fortune, without him coming round and eating us out of house and home."
Frankie (looking slyly at Jakob): "Oh yes. Not to mention all that beer he drinks."
Andy (starting to grin): "And the way he takes forever in the shower and uses up all the hot water."
Frankie (also starting to grin): "And the way he leaves his filthy cycling shoes lying around on the floor, dropping mud everywhere."
Andy: "And he expects to use our washing machine, without even scraping his chamois first."
Frankie: "Not to mention -"

At that moment Jakob attacks Frankie with the cushion that he has pulled out from under Andy, leaving Andy howling on the sofa while Frankie yells in mock terror.

The door opens. TinkerJil looks at them. There is nothing to say.

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Meanwhile, back in the real world: LLB and I watched the highlights of San Sebastian yesterday, which prompted a few thoughts.

Firstly, are we the only ones to find that commentator really, really, annoying? I think his name is Rob Hatch, and he seems to feel that it's his duty to pronounce every non-English name as "correctly" as possible.

So instead of AG2R being Ay-Gee-Two-Arrr, he says Ah-Dzhjay-Duurs-Airrrrr with lots of rolling of the Rs.

Every rider is pronounced as foreign-ly as possible, leading to quite a lot of confusion amongst his listeners - well, LLB and I, at any rate - and he seems to think that he has to give us the names of the streets and districts that we are passing through, all of which go straight over our heads as we are not familiar with the back streets of the Basque region, thank you very much.

It all seems a little too much like "showing off".

Especially as the only word he doesn't over-pronounce is peloton, which he says as Englishly as anyone - pelly-tonn.

Secondly, there was something very strange about the camera-bike coverage - the pictures were wobbly, and not up to Tour standards, but that is to be expected: no, it was something more, there was an odd feeling that we were watching one of the Police-Stop! documentaries where you watch the criminals trying to out-drive the good guys.

Thirdly, some 25k to go, there was a five-man break off the front, and they didn't have any team cars with them. The Stinkoff rider didn't have any water bottles with him at all, and so, in the wonderful spirit of cycling, they were passing bidons between each other, which was heart-warming to watch.

But it does make you wonder: what if one of those bidons contained a rider's "special" drink? What if one of the non-GC guys, pretty sure that he won't get tested, is taking something that isn't a banned substance, but maybe which needs special permission from the doctor? What if the team car gave the "special" bottle to the wrong rider? What if the rider forgot, and let another rider have a swig from it?

Frankie, while you are compiling your lists of everything you ate and drank leading up to that adverse finding, don't forget bidons, and don't forget that visit to the medical car....

Back to the race - it ended well for Luis Leon Sanchez, he had a great run from about 5k out, and at less than 1k to go, the bunch could see him, but couldn't quite catch him. He came in 8 seconds clear, and deserved the win.

Now, at last, today the Vuelta starts: it's the TTT, this evening, Shack are 7th off the ramp, so good luck to Linus Gerdemann in particular, after all the mean things his team have been saying about him. Go get 'em, Linus!