Our man in Spain, Alastair Hamilton, has been reminiscing over his Vuelta a España 'Race Chasing'. He first saw la Vuelta 24 years ago and remembers one of the big stars - Alex Zülle. Zülle: The short-sighted cyclist with a lot of talent, no luck, an intimacy with doping and with a propensity for crashing. Al looks at his cycling career, good and bad.

There have been many Australian riders who have come to Europe, but there is a brave band who made the big time. Stephen Hodge is one of them with a ten year career on the top rung of the pro ladder.