David Bond BBC Sports Editor

Ah, I see. So as BBC sports editor was he asking the question on behalf of the armchair peleton at bike ponce dot com? Or on behalf of the bloke on the Clapham omnibus who has been cheering Cavendish and his mates on the telly during the Tour de France and in his ignorance might have been wondering ...?

Yes, agreed, surely everybody knows that if you run 100+ miles a couple of weeks before a marathon, it has no effect at all, so why should it on a bike?

It was a legitimate question as far as I could see, ie ...someone who knows jack about cycling.

There were about a million other questions that could have been asked...why he was such a favourite just because he's a good sprinter, when the race is about 150miles...why Britain thought other teams would sit nicely, just waiting for him to wheel away and win, and what's the point in being in a team when you sacrifice yourself for 1 rider , when only the individual gets the medal.

but we covered that afterwards....

Talking about presenters. Helen Skelton - BMX babe. Umm