Wednesday starts with the usual check of the email and coffee. I then decide to prepare some fine Aussie - Basque cuisine for lunch. Do it now, go for a ride and have lunch ready in time to watch the Vuelta. I had soaked the chick peas last night, wack them in the pressure cooker with water, some olive oil, garlic, a couple of bay leaves, one little chilli, carrot, potato and the two egg plants that are about to expire from lack of attention in the bottom of the fridge. Put the pressure cooker on while I shower and get the bike/bidons ready. Ten, maybe fifteen minutes it will be ready, turn it off and let it stew until lunch time. Muy rico or in Australian very yummy.
Now 1.30 p.m. that's been eaten, the coffee is ready and its ten minutes till the start. Its a great carbo loaded healthy meal, so easy, so simple...settle back, it's time to do the Vuelta in my lounge room again.
OK I'm settled but Saber Vivir (the preceding show on TVE) goes on today, overtime, finally it finishes, the man with the white pasty morgue coloured face and collection of pink and purple ties that he wears interchangeably is gone and at last my music, the call of the Vuelta and my mate Carlos.
Today Calpe - Castello. At the finish I am told its a sunny 21 degrees with suave (soft or light) winds. With the intro we have a nice shot of a statute in the square near the finish as Carlos confirms Cipo's fall and wonders with today's Cat 2 and Cat 3 whether it will be stage for the Italian sprinter.
Pre start Zulle cruises on his bike past the camera, Freire signs in, and the Maias stand around looking well, Portuguese. The mayor cuts the ribbon (lucky mayor of Calpoe two days in a row)and with the start of the vocals in the the music, they are off, gentlemen like, with Pais Vasco's answer to Neil Stephens, Mikel Zarabeitia on the front.
We had a Cat 3, Benissa near the start, Kelme took it with who? Missed it, check the results. Now forward in TV time. Gadeo of Jazztel is the first to soak up the airtime. He has been out for a while because we find out he took the sprint at Betera at 138 km and the cat 2 Port de L'Oronet as well. As we join him he has a 2.39 lead working by himself, hard through a town, Nules, where he finds another sprint. 4.48.00 and a bit gone with 25.6 kms to the finish.
Back to the peloton, the front strung out still on their way to the sprint in Nules. Nieto of Relax takes it with Gadeo up the road now 1.51 ahead. But now he is not looking as strong. Out by himself surrounded by motos and cars, talking to the camera bike. You can hear the wind in the mikes as we switch back to the bunch and the next view of Gadeo he looks like he is on a training ride, given in to the inevitable capture. The gap now 59 seconds.
At times it seems like a few are trying to sneak off the front. But from the aerial shots it's hard to tell sometimes if its an attack or one of the many motorbikes dawdling in front of the bunch. Mapei and Kelme and Fassa now up front. The old days when Kelme only came to the front in the mountains are now well behind us. They mix it every day on the flats and the hills.
In the distance the coast, a castle or church tower, and in the foreground a huge roundabout. Split both ways the riders circle but the exit is on the left, so those who went right have to catch up. No problem. But a thinner bunch than before.
Gadeo is just in front now, he has only seconds of freedom left, his airtime all but over, he is soaked up and slides left to allow what is now the head of the course to swallow him back into anonymity.
Telekom and ONCE have joined the others near the front. It's slowed down it seems, bunching up and another roundabout as we head into town. All one way this time. Spain has great roads, as smooth and planned as you will find anywhere - pity they did not export that to their colonies in Latin America. Panama is like riding in Flanders every day and about a par with East Timor in the pot hole department.
An attack, Yeh!! Red, the Relax, Garcia Calvo off and through another roundabout. He looks to be struggling a bit with the big gear, 5.01.14, maybe a head wind. I can hear the wind in the mikes but can't see it or from where it comes.
Another one goes off the front to bridge, a Jazztel, Toledo, an Argentinian. He has caught Garcia, more roundabouts. Three more try to sneak off on the latest roundabout, one is a G. Galdeono brother (Igor I think) from ONCE. I saw him at Xmas training above Urkiola with a rosy cheeked Beloki sucking wheel at the back. With him a Kelme, Usano and a Postie No. 55, Landis. I don't think they will last, the road now seems straight and the peloton seems to have picked up.
Aupa Euskadi! Euskaltel is on the front of the bunch with Telekom and the Fassa's. The three might have 5 secs now if they are lucky. But the other two seem to be off, as the camera switches to them, no sight of the chasers who have been sucked up by the bunch already. 27 sec to the break. 5.07.15.
Looks like orange trees by the side of the road, not put there by crazy Basque supporters but real orange trees, it is Valencia remember. The two are going over a fly-over bridge, 25 secs last check. Behind, what do you know, it's pink at the front and as the camera draws back we see another roundabout and the peloton just in view as the break reaches its curve.
Not long now. It looks like a bunch gallop, the two have 26sec as Carlos reminds us Zabel hasn't won a stage this year. Still pink up front, Fassa white behind. I watch out for Freire - he is cheeky. 15sec to the break. 10kms to go.
Now it's flat and open, like a wind swept coastal plain. Some sort of heather on either side of the road could be on the edge of Melbourne down in the golf course country. Except there is sunshine and the odd orange grove. And the break is brought back. Come on guys, someone give me some excitement before the finish. Then the 2 sway to either side of the road they melt back in as the pink wall passes them.
Someone's gonna have a go. Down the side I am sure. Just to break up the sprinter's team efforts. Bidons fly, Mapei, Telekom up front now, a swirl of colour. Zarrabietia sneaks up the right hand side. But nothing. 7kms to go. 4 Mapei's then Freire. 6 kms. A red line up the left drifts into the Mapei point. Saeco or Relax? Saeco, remember that's not Cipo anymore. Euskaltel coming up the right. Mapei still hold the front. Now Saeco. Then Fassa.
A distinct second bunch is forming as the road widens but another roundabout puts an end to that. A 270 degree turn. 4kms. Euskaltel thinking of doing something moving up to mix it with Mapei and Saeco. Maybe they will try and launch Martinez in the sprint. Fassa, Kelme now trying to drive the pace. Straight, then left, then Carlos says right and the end.
For a moment as a Fassa swings off nobody wants to work (don't you hate that?). On the front now as Aqua Sapone decide to start a train. With Zabel, Freire and Cipo in that order behind. So much for no sprint today because of the hill in the way of a sore Cipo.
As each swings off they are finished, they are really forcing the pedals and the pace, you can see them struggle to squeeze that last bit of energy before they surrender and swing to the side.
Last 1km. Roundabout. Straight, now another roundabout. They are as Carlos says "muy estretchar" - stretched right out, single file. A right hand and then straight, 400m to go. Cipo giving it. 5.23.43. But a yellow flash up the left and Petacchi takes it again. 5.23.51.
Let's check the replay. Aqua on the front. Petacchi goes down the left. Cipo looks for his wheel gets there, but no time to pass him. Zabel just left of Cipo's rear wheel. A Domo, Blijlevens, then Freire and a Relax, Fernandez (?). Zabel then Freire finish after Cipo.
Petacchi is happy, 2 days, 2 victories and still in yellow with the lead in the Regularidad competition over Zabel as well. The Peter Garrett look alike guy from Relax, Nieto, still holds the meta volantes jersey. Gadeo is happy with his ride, he gets more airtime after the finish he looks better now, fresher than he did half an hour ago. I can't tell if he made it home with the bunch or not.
Without warning Carlos has gone. It's the fault of the show before. They went on too long and some programmer person cut Carlos off. We missed the scenery and all the presentations, bar Nieto's. No more interviews. No podium girls and hangers on today. My interest here is purely to compare fashions from tour to tour. But such is life of one watching the Vuelta from my lounge room.
Tomorrow is the third stage. I have to make a drive to Santiago, 250kms away, to the only guy in Panama with some Shamal spokes. I have to make some decisions as I will miss a stage. I will probably miss Sunday as well. We have a training ride, 110kms from Chorrera to El Valle. Its an old town in a valley formed out of the middle of an old volcano. The last 25kms are uphill, suave and it's cool there at 1000 metres.
Who wants to watch a bloody time trial anyway? I will have to check the stages and the TV guide and make some of life's hard decisions about what else to miss out on. Maybe I should buy a video machine.
But now I better get ready for work, kick the nicks, quick releases, dead tubes and junk out of the way. They all live on the floor of my study. I need to find my books for Uni. Grab one more coffee, pack. One last thing, add just a drop, like a couple of spoons of tomato paste to the chick peas, just to give it some colour. But I gotta rush now, to get to work.
Until the next stage of my vuelta. Hasta proxima.