how the hell he made it to france and back without me knowin i dunno

sure looks like my boy




Canine spectator falls for Tour de France rider
By DUNCAN ROBERTSON - 21:40pm on 17th July 2007

Cyclists spend months training for the gruelling mountain climbs and tortuous distances of the Tour de France, aware that the slightest nudge by a competitor could send them crashing out of the race.

But it is unlikely that the course safety manual spends too much time detailing the potential hazards posed by wandering pets.

All of which will be of little consolation to German cyclist Marcus Burghardt whose race plans lay in tatters yesterday lunchtime after he collided with a large labrador.

Footage of the dramatic crash shows the dog ambling across the road straight into the path of Burghardt's speeding carbon fibre bike. The front wheel buckles on impact, sending the rider tumbling over the handlebars on to the confused animal.

The bike then up-ends before crashing on to the dog's back, while the pink-clad cyclist rolled around on the road.

Remarkably, the dog was unhurt by the battering and clambered to its feet wagging its tail with a rather bemused expression on its face.

It is was then grabbed by a spectator before it could cause any more damage to the cyclists.

Burghardt suffered nothing more damaging than cuts and bruises, and quickly replaced the faulty wheel with another one.

The 159.5km ninth stage was eventually won by Soler Hernandez.

The section between Val d'Isere and Briancon is considered one of the most gruelling parts of in the 3,550km race.

The cyclists climbed to the highest point of this year's race, the Col de l'Iseran at 2,770m, in temperatures over 30C with the road surface melting in places.

Burghardt's bicycle is made from expensive components from all over the world.

It is described as 'light, rigid and aerodynamic' by his race team T-Mobile - but proved to be little match for the bulky dog.



but apparently my pooch is unphased by a couple years of pleasant abuse by his dad