The Tour de France and Olympics are done. Two of the season's three grand tours are complete. The Vuelta and world championships loom, but we are still over a week away from the Vuelta and a further five from the world championships. In the meantime, some of the bigger stars of cycling are preparing for the final portion of the season in races this week and next.
Damiano Cunego is hoping to make the Italian world's team, and his third place Wednesday at the 88th Tre Valli Varesine race bodes well for his chances. Others of note that finished well at the Tre Valli include Giovanni Visconti (10th) and Danilo Di Luca (11th).
Over in Portugal, the national Tour continued today with the fifth of eleven stages. The American Garmin-Chipotle squad has ridden well, as Steven Cozza took an excellent fourth in the prologue time trial while his teammate Tyler Farrar netted fourth in the fourth stage and an impressive second in today's stage 5. Lampre's Danilo Napolitano, virtually invisible early in the year, is rounding back into form and should be on track for a great ride at the Vuelta.
The Eneco Tour begins in Belgium on Wednesday, and the usual Belgian suspects will be revving their engines again ahead of their late season targets. Tom Boonen and Stijn Devolder will both be at the Eneco looking to refine their form ahead of the Vuelta, as will Francaise de Jeux's Phillipe Gilbert, as he eyes a switch to the Lotto team next year. Some other notables at the Eneco Tour are Luis Leon Sanchez of Caisse d'Epargne, Daniele Bennati of Liquigas and Matti Breschel of the CSC-Saxo team.
The last third of the cycling season is now underway. As the leaves begin to turn, we'll learn of rider transfers, new alliances and rule changes, but at the end of the day, there's always room for racing. Onward through 2008, with an eye to 2009 for the riders of professional cycling.
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