then Liberty Seguros and then last week Illes Balears.  This week, Marca is predicting that Alejandro Valverde will be lining up in the colors of Fassa Bartolo next year.  The stumbling block to any move away from his current employers continues to be the ?2 million pay-out clause in his Comunidad Valenciana-Kelme contract; Illes Balears reportedly having had a ?1.5 million offer rejected.

Should Jose Miguel Echavarri not be able to find the finances to lure Valverde to his Illes Balears team, another possible target for the Spaniard is Basque Iban Mayo.  Sabino Angoitia, Mayo?s manager, admitted to AS that there had been discussion between the two men though they were not focused on the rider widely tipped earlier this year to topple Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France.  "I talked to him about other riders. Illes Balears has not made an offer yet, but if they do, I would certainly study it closely."

Already thinking about 2005? Why not kick off the year Down Under in January at <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /?>
Australia?s Jacobs Creek Tour Down Under ­ 6 days, 5 nights, exclusively with Freeride Oz.  Log on to www.freerideoz.com for more information.

As always, emails can always be sent to ian@roadcycling.com with your thoughts and views.

Till next week,

Ian