Every year, Chris Simpson offers his comments on the runners and riders for the Velka Pardubicka, on http://www.freewebs.com/becher123. As usual, his comments are shrewd and well informed. However, Barbora Málkova was not jocked off Charme Look by Jan Faltejsek. She suffered a broken vertebra in the August meeting at Pardubice, but appears to be OK after an operation.

It is difficult to disagree with Chris’s view that this year’s field for the race looks a bit below standard.