Fall is coming to Europe, and that means that it’s time for some of the classic end of season races.

The Paris-Tours race was yesterday, and three time winner Erik Zabel of Milram led out teammate Alessandro Petacchi for the final sprint. Robbie McEwen got clipped by a spectator in the final 100 metres and nearly went down -he would have taken Oscar Freire with him. The French, ever so serious about doping, did not do any controls at this race.

Other News:

• The Cyclocross season is starting to ramp up in Europe and the states. There were two UCI races in Southwest Ohio this past weekend, the Grand Prix of Gloucester in Massachusetts,  and the first of the Superprestige events in Europe.
• Andrew Bell of the Kona team took the solo title in the Australian 24 hour Mountain Bike Championships
• Former pro cyclist Laurent Jalabert competed in the Hawaii Ironman on Saturday. He started training for triathlons after post-retirement weight gain set in.
• Johaan Bruyneel has been confirmed as the new general manager for Astana.
• The Giro d’Lombardia takes place this week. It typically marks the end of the European road racing season.