Plastics

The Vuelta was shaken right up by a ride from Contador to take the stage win and the lead in the race on a day on which no one really expected any fireworks. The big loser was Rodiguez who lost the red jersey and nearly two and a half minutes. Although Froome also lost time and is now over 9 minutes off the lead and to all intents and purposes out of the running.

If anything this was the statement of Contador’s strength. He came out of a brutal day fresher than anyone else (even after a rest day), it seems, and was able to obliterate the field to a win that may well see him take the entire race. There are only a few climbing days left for any of the big names who have made an impact so far to gain back any time.

Elsewhere the Paralympic cycling was all about the time trials and there were yet more medals for GB, including another gold for Sarah Storey. She will race again today in the Road Race and could equal Tanni Grey-Thompson’s record for Paralympic golds if she wins.

The big news around the paracycling in my opinion is not about the athletes, or the classifications, or the technology that goes into the prosthetics, but the exciting developments in chain technology. Thanks, as ever, to European Plastics News for bringing the real issues to light.

Hopefully there’ll be more plastics-based cycling news tomorrow. I know that’s what you come here for.

A