Zaragoza Hinault

Sebastian Hinault wins a rather hum-drum bunch sprint into Zaragoza today. Bit of a surprise, that one. Mondory was second. Equally surprising. Van Avermat was right there again, finishing third. Freire and Boonen couldn't do any better than fourth and fifth. Bennati was nowhere to be found. Apparently he quit the race overnight. Couldn't stomach the Armstrong rumours, I suppose. Head on over to CN and Pez for everything else you need to know.

Hinault's win was good news for Ian. It helped him take his first win of the FGBC Vuelta Pool. In ten stages, we've had eight different winners. Not bad. Paddy also has Hinault. He finishes second. Hal and Jonny B tied for third with 110 points. Vic has been leading this race now for over a week. Thought it got close there for a while, he's been in first place since Stage 3. Arlene is starting to look just as ensconced in second place, while Paddy has solidified the hold he's had on third place for the last four days. Meanwhile, Dallas seems to be a lock to finish in last place. Another stage, another zero for him.

But it's not all bad news for Dallas. Hot on the heels of Armstrong's now confirmed comeback comes word that his hero, Jan Ullrich, is also considering a return to the peloton with--you guessed it--Team Colombia. Google-translated as follows:

One source close to the case but who wished to remain anonymous, Jan Ullrich cycling resume next year, to 35 years. It would join the team Columbia, heir to his former training T-Mobile. The information will be confirmed in an exclusive interview with Super Giant Scrooge, to be published in later this month. Jan Ullrich join the team for free and pay even for pedaling his pocket. It would publish all its biological parameters on the Internet and even on the walls of his house in Switzerland. Questioned on the subject, the manager of Ullrich declined to comment. The spokesman denied High Road information.

So let's see now: Lance is back, so is Basso. Maybe Ullrich. And the Honorary Captain. Next year's shaping up to be rather interesting.

Stage 10:

Ian 210
Paddy 195
Hal 110
Jonny B 110
Chris 105
Vic 80
Arlene 75
David 40
Brad 25
Matt 25
Dallas 0


Overall Standings:

Vic 1446
Arlene 1265
Paddy 1173
Chris 1061
Jonny B 1021
Hal 889
David 862
Ian 814
Matt 804
Brad 803
Dallas 507