TOUR: MORE RIDERS SIGN UP

The task of completing the Cycle Sport charity sign-on board continues apace ? thanks largely to Europe?s relaxed laws on stalking.

Last night we went to the Bouygues Telecom team hotel in the centre of Valkenburg town centre to get some more autographs.

With the excitement and enthusiasm of two school boys collecting Panini football stickers we spotted the Boygues boys: ?Got? got? need? need.? After a brief explanation of what we were doing the riders were only too happy to sign. Finally Ed cornered Laurent Brochard while I shouted ?House?.

We crossed the little square to Euskaltel?s hotel in search of Inigo Landaluze. We looked on the list for his room number, heading up in the lift and knocked on the door. No answer. Downstairs again we spotted the orange-shirted boys still eating dinner. Deciding not to risk missing our own evening meal we decided Landaluze can wait. Let?s hope the UCI don?t kick him out before we get him to sign.

We are resigned to not completing the Astana-Würth line-up as there are still two empty spaces. But so far there have been four retirements from the race ? Danilo Di Luca, Erik Dekker, Fred Rodriguez and Alejandro Valverde.

We still need 34 signatures though before our mission is complete.

* Cycling Weekly?s sister magazine Cycle Sport is collecting the autographs of every Tour rider on a giant sign-on board. Once complete it will be auctioned, together with any freebies and junk we collect en route. All money will go to Sport Relief. www.sportrelief.com

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