Alberto Contador may have won two grand tours in 2008 and Mark Cavendish four stages of the Tour de France, both of which are highly commendable in themselves I agree. Maybe I’m a touch biased but when it comes to selecting “Rider” of the year, whatever way I looked at it, I couldn’t help but come to the same conclusion. So let’s look at the facts:

Season Start: November 1st. A little later than most of his counterparts but sometimes you don’t get a choice in the hand you’re dealt and definitely started with a fighting spirit from the word go.

Weight: Originally a very lean, mean, 350g scratching machine. Now, nearly 10 weeks later a lean, mean, 1,450g scratching machine. Realises what teeth and claws are about and is not afraid to use them (in jest or in angst).

Performance of the Year: More like performance of the day. I've never seen anything get quite so excited at meal times! Even Nicole Cooke crossing the line to take gold in Beijing looks relatively somber in comparison. Making it this far in life, for this little chap, is a ‘grand tour’ result in itself.

So top honours this year go to ‘Rider’ (formerly known as 'Lucky' for about 24 hours), the one and only ‘road find’ kitty.

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