Biking etc.

Irish lad just came 2nd in the Tour de Catalunya... to a drugs cheat. Only 15 seconds behind.

"Earlier in the day Alejandro Valverde, who is ranked among the leading riders in the world but could not compete in the Giro because of a drugs ban, took overall victory in the Tour of Catalunya in Spain. Valverde completed the week-long course with a 15-second advantage over runner-up Daniel Martin of Ireland."

More on this and the Giro here.

Also, you may have heard that Garbhán's brother-in-law, Paul Healion, won a stage of the Milk Rás last week. He looks pretty happy crossing the line - scroll down here.

On a related topic, I came 49th of 90+ riders in a mountain-bike race a couple of weeks ago. I think I'll stick to the day job.

United: The Golden Era

"Manchester United is my home. My heart is here. This is where I want to play. The boss believes in this team and so do I."

“We are part of an era that can go down in history for the way we are playing and for the trophies we are winning. The boss believes in this team and so do I. And this is where I want to be.”

“Ever since I joined United the manager has been like a father. No matter how good I become, I know he is a man who will always be able to teach me that little bit more. I don’t just respect him, I have the affection for him a child has for his father.”

Sources: Ronaldo in Guardian & Irish Times

John O'Shea to start in Champion's League Final

"John O'Shea is an unsung hero like Denis Irwin. We used to say about Denis he was an eight out of 10 every week. But he didn't get the celebrity. John O'Shea falls into that category. Because of the injuries to Gary Neville and Wes Brown this year, he has become a permanent fixture. He takes his place in Rome because of his effort. He's ahead of everyone now."

Source: Alex Ferguson in Guardian

Champions League quarter-final 2003

Updated 26 May O'Shea the man for all seasons - James Lawton in the Irish Independent