Its been a tough year for Gilbert after dominating 2011, but he makes a great World Champion

Gilbert decked out in the stripes of Belgium, wins, and will replace them with the stripes of the World Champion. Photograph: Sirotti

It might seem a little strange to suggest Philippe Gilbert has had a 'tough' season when you consider the fact that he won two stages in the Vuelta just a few weeks ago, but by his high standards that were set in 2011 when it felt like he won virtually every race he entered, 2012 had been a struggle for form. Those Vuelta wins hinted at the form returning and when he burst clear with a devastating turn of power in the final two kilometers of Sunday's world road race championships, it was the Gilbert we know and love, and there was nobody who could match him.

Gilbert will now have the honour of wearing the rainbow stripes for the next twelve months and, like Cavendish this past year, you know he'll honour it in style. His Vuelta wins coupled with yesterday's wins suggests we might again see the best of him for next years spring classics and what a sight it would be to the see the rainbow jersey leading the charge at the Paris-Roubaix.

The race was one of chaos in it's closing stages. Riders were going in all directions as the pace was turned up. It led to all sorts of splits in the main field, but came together nicely for the final lap. Almost everyone who is anyone who could win on such a short but very sharp up-hill finish was still in the field and it was anyone's guess as to who might win.

How an idiot on the 401 costs me my ride at the provincial championships

This time last year was my first mountain bike race since arriving in Canada. This year it would be my 16th race of the summer and as I was cruising across Toronto on the 401 highway late on Saturday evening, I was looking forward to getting back to the place where my mountain biking in Canada all began the year before. Practice had been cancelled earlier in the day in order to preserve the course from the downpour that pushed through Southern Ontario that morning, but the weather was to be great for Sunday. Then I glanced at a bright light closing fast in the corner of my car's right hand mirror.

At first I thought it was a cop as he raced across three lanes as quickly as he was moving forward and dropped right in behind me on my bumper. I waited for the sieren to sound all the while looking at my speed which was not anything considered unacceptable for the 401. The car several lengths in front of me was travelling at a similar speed as were those on the inside. It was free flowing traffic at a steady speed.

But right about that time I knew it couldn't be a cop ... he was driving far to recklessly and just as I thought he was about to run into the back of me he swerved out into the inside lane to me and in one motion back in towards my car. I don't know if he was trying purposely to push me off the highway and onto the fast lanes shoulder or whether he was just blind drunk and completely mis-judged where the front of my car was, but I like to think it was the later. Either way I had no choice but to bank onto the shoulder all while he screamed right across the front of my car missing me by very little, went right up behind the car that had been in front of me, and back to the right across a car that had been in the middle lane as he proceeded to weave his way across all lanes in and out of cars up the highway and into the distance.

Contador hangs on to win Vuelta a-top brutal final climb

The brutal climb -- and final climb of this years Vuelta -- to the very top of the Bola del Mundo. Photograph: Sirotti

It was only a few days ago that I was proclaiming a finish as the toughest I had ever seen as the riders came to virtual standstills as the pedals fought to turn against the wishes of their legs which when pushing the pedals almost looked as if they were turning in a square motion. Then came yesterday's finish on the Bola del Mundo. A 11.4 km climb after four prior mountains with an average gradient of well over 10% topping out close to the summit at a mind blowing 23%. I didn't see everyone go up that climb, but I'm willing to bet that further towards the rear of the field a few boys felt that moment of shame when they had to step off, and walk. In fact, it's so steep that cars cannot follow the riders right to the summit and the sports directors must switch to motorbikes in order to follow their leading riders.

The men at the front didn't, but it wasn't as though they didn't come close and their legs must surely have been screaming for them to stop. It was mind over matter stuff and a climb of two races. One for the stage victory between Richie Porte and Denis Menchov -- the last two survivors of an earlier break -- and the race for the final podium positions.

In the race for the victory, Porte and Menchov rode together all the way up the climb. When they past the 500 meters to go sign at the side of the road I was sure it would end up in a sprint between the pair. But it's amazing how long 500 meters takes to ride when it's as steep as it was and the riders are as exhausted as they are. It seemed like minutes past and in that final half a kilometre, Menchov still had time to attack a broken Porte and cross the line for the win a full 17 seconds ahead of the Australian. If you only read the results you would have thought Menchov had attacked him halfway up the climb and rode the most of it solo for the victory.

Contador siezes control in dramatic fashion after several wild days at the Vuelta

El Pistolero is back in command. Photograph: Bettini

While most of the cycling world have been off reading more stories about Lance Armstrong, Tyler Hamilton's new book, and whatever other doping story of cycling's dark past that we're all too aware of by now anyway, a brilliant Vuelta a Espana has been unfolding around us. What started out as a four way race between Britain's Chris Froome and three Spaniards, Alberto Contador, Joaquim Rodriguez and Alejandro Valverde, whittled its way down to a three man race last week, a two man race by the weekend, and as of this past Wednesday, a one man victory.

The two man race was established between Rodriguez and Contador heading into last weekend and with a couple of huge mountain stages ahead. It's seemed to me like almost every day of this tour has finished a-top one climb or another. Either a short but steep and punchy climb or a drag to the top of a brutal mountain pass, but flat days for the sprinters have been few and far between. I like a good bunch sprint, but it's good to see that this Tour has -- as some tours have in the past -- not been dominated by them, in particular the first week.

Over the weekend Contador tried and tried again to go on the attack on the steepest parts of the toughest stages. He could break everyone except the man he needed to break who would follow his wheel each and every time and then, as if to stick in the knife, he would attack himself to win the stage and take a couple more seconds out of Contador.