infection.   ?I felt better at the Tour of Belgium than I thought I would.?   Hincapie says the worlds in
Hamilton, Canada, are now a goal for him.   Crashing out of the same race on stage 1 was fellow Postie David Zabriskie who after returning home to Salt Lake City, Utah, was involved in a head on collision with a car.   Zabriskie suffered both a broken arm and leg in the crash.  

Two other notable injury victims this week are Danilo Di Luca and Cadel Evans, both breaking their collarbones.   Di Luca was preparing for this years centenary Tour de France in the
Marche region of
South-Central Italy when he hit a pothole.   Thankfully for the Italian the injury is only a compound fracture and should heal relatively easily with the next couple of weeks on the rollers.   Evans broke his collarbone for the second time in only six weeks, in exactly the same place.   Racing in
Germany, Cadel ploughed head first in to a traffic island at 60 kph with only 10 km of the stage remaining.   ?The chances of riding the tour now are pretty slim because it took me five weeks to get back to race fitness after the last break and this time it?s worse.?

Both Di Luca and Evans were seen to been part of an up and coming group of tour hopefuls who were thought to have been chomping at Armstrong?s wheels in this year?s Tour.   One rival adjusting his programme to go head-to-head with Armstrong is Aitor Gonzalez (Fasso Bartolo) who had originally planned to ride both the Giro and the Vuelta in September.   Gonzalez?s Director Sportif Giancarlo Ferretti said ?little by little, things have improved, and he?ll be in peak condition for the Tour?.   As for one of the other American hopefuls, Levi Leipheimer (Rabobank) has just completed an intensive training camp in the French Alps.   ?I?m definitely not behind schedule.   If anything I?m ahead,? he said.  

Just to clear up some rumours still flying around with regard to this years Grand Boucle, Cipo and his Domina Vacanze team are not riding even though Monsieur Leblanc did receive ?a very kind and humble letter? from Il Magnifico himself and Marco Pantani will not be guesting for the newly formed Bianchi team.

Wrapping things up this week is the news that another British tester is to attempt the athlete?s 1-hour record currently held by Chris Boardman set in
Manchester in 2000.   The latest to consider the challenge is Michael Hutchinson (Giant).   Apparently his sponsors are busy preparing a new bike for his attempt earmarked for July this year.   A very reliable source has told me that he may push Boardman?s attempt to the limit as Hutchinson has been seen constantly lapping at 18 seconds in Manchester ? that?s 50 km in the hour before you reach for the calculator!

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