The Linda McCartney Pro Cycling Team's leader Max Sciandri was deemed well enough to begin this week's Giro della Provincia di Lucca in Italy, despite the after effects of his Sydney training crash.

"I think It's the biggest bruise I've ever seen, half his body is blue. I'm calling the Guinness Book of Records," said his manager Sean Yates with a malicious grin.

Max rode well with no ill-effects, but then raced home to be with his wife, who went into labour last night. It will be the Sciandris third baby, and caps a productive year for the Linda McCartney Love Machines: Sean Yates and Matt Stephens producing little racers of their own, with David McKenzie's wife Susan due before Christmas. Your press officer becomes increasingly desperate to turn one out for fear of being labelled a failure and letting the side down.

Mirko Puglioli was the McCartney team's best placed rider on yesterday's first stage, but nobody made the decisive break of 18. As the last significant Italian race before the World Championships, this new event on

Vestol, seen here at the Giro, will ride the Worlds for Norway (45kb)

the calendar boasts a field that wouldn't disgrace any race: new Olympic Champion Jan Ullrich leads a powerful Telekom team with Erik Zabel, Mapei have brought Oscar Freire and Michele Bartoli, and Michael Boogerd leads Rabobank. They were outdone by 97 Paris-Roubaix champion Fred Guesdon, who outsprinted the in-form Sergio Barbero to take the first leader's jersey of the 4-day event.

Linda McCartney are likely to have three representatives in Brittany for the Worlds. Max plans to be there for Great Britain, baby and haematoma permitting; Tayeb Braikia for Denmark and Bjornar Vestol for Norway. Tayeb was called up to replace Michael Sandstod after some alledgedly bizarre behaviour in Sydney threw him out of favour with the selectors. Tayeb also hopes to represent Denmark at the World Track Championships in Manchester later this month. He must be rated as having an excellent chance, especially after his country's disappointing showing in the Madison in Sydney, Tayeb's favoured event. Max's Great Britain teammate and friend of the McCartney team Roger Hammond suffered a broken arm at the end of Circuit Franco Belge, bringing an early end to his season. Roger will be disappointed to miss the trip to Plouay, having been Britain's World Championship stalwart in the past. Everyone here wishes him a speedy recovery.