I didn't get a chance to spend much time of the blog over the weekend due to the Rutland-Melton Cicle Classic so here is a quick round up of all the racing and the best bits from the news, including drama from Omega Pharma, a win for Wiggins, a surprise for Frank Schleck and a nod for Ivan Basso ahead of the Giro d'Italia...

Today's 'Film Friday' features two recent vid's, both in foreign languages. Language is part of the lure of professional cycling. The nonchalant way nearly all of the riders, no matter what nationality, can speak French and in many cases Dutch. Its the culture, the history of racing in France, Le Tour, the remarkable stories and triumphs of the Belgian spring classics - all the cycling related language, the different accents, different nations and the familiar foreign words that have become internationally recognised merge to form what is almost a score of music, beautifully written. These two video's represent two sides of that. The first is a new advert for FLEX featuring Alberto Contador, a beautiful advert in its own right but its completely in Spanish, I can't understand a word but it doesn't matter - that simply adds to the ambiance. The second is a press conference at the Tour de Romandie featuring Brit Bradley Wiggins answering the questions in fluent French, even with my little understanding his personality still comes across and the video is actually very funny. He reverts to English for the last 20 seconds and a quality punchline...Enjoy.

Who needs Mark Cavendish sprinting to victory for the green jersey in this years Tour de France when you could just take Bradley Wiggins and win Yellow and Green? All jokes aside, Wiggins win in yesterdays bunch sprint at the end of stage 1 in Romandie really has made a statement ahead of this years Tour de France...

After putting in a big shift in the World Track Championships here is Geraint Thomas giving a masterclass in aerodynamics in his first race back on the road - yesterdays 3.34km prologue which the Welshman duly won to take the Tour de Romandie yellow leaders jersey. Me thinks his win has something to do with his 4 minute efforts on the track of late. Packing so much power into such a short distance has become something of a speciality for Thomas so far this year as he looks to prepare for the 2012 Olympic Games where he will again take to the track. Up next for Thomas though will be the Giro d'Italia - a far cry from 4 minute threshold efforts Geraint will be looking to find his climbing legs again...

Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) looked to still be carrying the remnants of one too many off-season cake stops when he took to the climbs of the Giro Del Trentino last week. He was obviously flagging and didn't show well in the mountains at all, well, not for somebody hoping to win the Giro d'Italia anyway...

Another untimely twist in the Euskaltel-Euskadi saga (see HERE and HERE for the full story) has come in the form of Igor Anton taking a tumble before the start of yesterdays Liege-Bastogne-Liege resulting in a fractured left clavical. Anton joins a long list of riders who have broken their collarbone (common cycling injury as The Inner Ring explains HERE) this season, including Fabian Cancellara, but Anton's will have far reaching consequences beyond his own health and performance...

This Wordless Wednesday speaks for itself. This is what awaits the riders of this weeks Giro Del Trentino on the final stage and final climb of Passo Pordoi (this Friday). The setting of the Dolomite Mountain Range in the north east of Italy is simply breathtaking. Part of the draw of cycling for me is simply being out and seeing sights. Being on the bike puts you in tune with the landscape, wherever you are, and its a great way to explore and see new things - the most mundane of rides can suddenly show flashes of beauty on a frosty morning, or be set alight by a beautiful sunset. The Giro Del Trentino is a brutal 4 day stage race in the mountains and after watching the flat(ish) classics for so long at this time of year but being a fan of the climbs and climbers rather than the sprints and sprinters, this race cures my craving for a spot of alpine climbing and this year its on Eurosport in all its glory. The climbs here must kill the riders, it must be agony on the tough stuff, but when they get to see sights like this, well, I don't think they have much to complain about...

This is what the riders of tomorrows Fleche Wallonne will face, for the third time, at the end of the 194 gruelling kilometres. Whoever reaches the summit of the Mur de Huy first will take the honours and be crowned winner of La Fleche Wallonne 2012. This small, 1300 metre long stretch of tarmac in the tiny, sleepy town of Huy in southern Belgium is not to be underestimated. Its short, but its also the steepest finishing climb in cycling. Period.

This weekend has been a mix of ups and downs. We saw Jon Tiernan-Locke abandon the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon after such promise, but also a return to some kind of form for Philippe Gilbert of BMC at the Amstel Gold Race today. Here's a round-up of this weekends racing...

Jon Tiernan-Locke and his Endura team will line up for stage 1 of the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon tomorrow, and this is what they will face. A rolling first day featuring just the one categorised climb coming just after the mid-way point at 98km. Its rolling terrain all the way, but the finish is pretty flat and the sprinters will be keen to pick up a win here...

This is what awaits the riders at the end of Sundays Amstel Gold Race, the first of the hilly Ardennes Classics. It is of course the final climb into the finish - The Cauberg. A short sharp climb typical of the Ardennes Classics the race has finished here since 2003 and the riders will tackle the Cauberg twice before the final climb up to the finish. The hill has been used in several Grand Tours and in 4 previous World Championships where it will again feature in the route of the 2012 edition, this Amstel will act as a kind of sneak preview for those contemplating the Worlds this year. The climb ramps up for around 1200 metres and in places reaches a gradient of 12% - more of a Puncheurs climb than an alpine specialist's which often results in a small bunch sprint featuring a who's who of the punchier classics riders. The previous two additions have been won by Philippe Gilbert, this year however his form is questionable and the new kid on the block Peter Sagan will be looking to take victory here on a course that suits his more in-form capabilities.

This Friday will see the start of a 3 day stage race, the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon in Spain and lining up looking for victory will be Britain's climbing sensation Jon Tiernan-Locke. After falling fowl of a stomach bug in the Coppi e Bartali stage race last month it will be interesting to see if Locke can continue his astounding run of form and challenge for the overall in Spain Edit: Brian Smith - Endura Team Manager - Reliably informs me that JTL has been training at altitude in preparation...

The Licence Commission have rejected the UCI's request to withdraw Team Saxo Bank's WorldTour licence, preferring not to punish the team at the hands of Alberto Contador. Pat McQuaid and the UCI went for the jugular after banning Contador for 2 years (backdated) and stripping him of his results for taking a banned substance because Alberto Contador was responsible for more than two thirds of the teams points needed to secure a WorldTour licence for 2012, which was issued in November 2011 before Contadors case was dealt with. I believe this to be the right decision...

As I predicted, Belgian favourite, ex-world champion and current world number one Tom Boonen took a fantastic victory in today's monumental Tour of Flanders. Boonen hung on to Ballans every attack and out sprinted Filippo Pozzato to take his third Ronde Van Vlaanderen - equalling the current record. At the opposite end of the scale, close rival and classic king Fabian Cancellara crashed out on the cobbles breaking his collarbone in three places, eliminating him from not only the Tour of Flanders, but also next weekends 'Hell of The North' Paris-Roubaix cobbled classic. A certain question does remain...