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Far from a study on the IQ of South African rider Robbie Hunter, this week's Blazin' Saddles is dedicated to quick-witted Denis Menchov and his favourite hobby.

After witnessing the Russian's dramatic fall in the closing stages of Sunday's individual time-trial in Rome, BS conjured up the headline 'Mench-off his bike', before realising that gem had been employed during last year's Tour de France.

Menchov (pictured), it seems, has a bit of a weakness when it comes to wet roads in Italy. The Rabobank stalwart inexplicably crashed when attacking uphill on stage 15 to Prato Nervoso in last year's Grande Boucle, a fall which to this day BS thinks cost the wily Russian yellow.

And 10 months on, with his first Giro scalp in touching distance, Menchov did the same, sliding on the Roman cobbles and hitting the deck at top speed with just 900 yards remaining - and for no apparent reason.

Luckily, in this case, he kept his calm and secured the win - even beating Danilo Di Luca on the day.

"The first thing you think of when you fall is to get back on your bike, but it's never good to use a bike after you've fallen," Menchov said, explaining his tactics and vehicle change. "The mechanic was very professional. I was very intelligent in that moment."

Indeed, drug tests carried out on Menchov after his Giro win show the Russian's IQ levels reached an optimum following the crash.

Organisers were quick to stress that the uncharacteristic, nay excessive, levels of IQ found in Menchov's blood stream and centred around his brain were due to legitimate hard work - even if a B sample shows thinking on a par with Einstein.

It is thought that the 31-year-old has been employing new state-of-the-art training exercises inside an oxygenated library tent with a special foot massaging bike machine dubbed the En-cyclo-paedia.

RAGING BULL: But seriously, the nature of Menchov's win was almost enough to justify his emphatic celebrations once over the finish line.

Menchov has never been renowned for his extrovert celebrations. Jens Voigt once described him as a "quiet, nice, typical Russian who will talk to you when you say hello first" - and so the scenes in Rome were quite unexpected.

Tossing his bike to the side of the road in a move that would have Bjarne Riis gurning with nostalgia, Menchov then ripped off his helmet and sunglasses, threw them to the ground, closed his eyes, roared and punched the air with all the grace of a maniac on the run from Broadmoor.

With saliva hanging off his chin, veins bulging and eyes pierced, it looked like Menchov was looking for a fight. Such a vampiric change in character is made all the more alarming if you take the trouble to log on to the Rabobank team website and see that Menchov lists 'hunting' as his main hobby and 'flesh' as his favourite food.

So perhaps 'intelligent hunter' is the best way to describe the Russian, who will now target a Tour win to go alongside his double Vuelta and single Giro palmares.

As most of you will all know, hunting is not all about attacking; it's about patience, playing to your strengths and fully understanding the weaknesses of your opponents. Menchov has all these characteristics. Far from being a 'wheel-sucker', he is an intelligent, experienced and indefatigable rider.

BS once quipped - early in last year's Tour - that "the Russian makes a Cadel Evans attack seem about as regular as a rejection on the dance floor".

But Menchov put in a stellar performance in Italy. He won a time trial and he won a mountain stage. Despite Du Luca's penchant for picking up time bonuses, Menchov kept his calm and shadowed his rival - just as a hunter trails his prey.

"I'm one of the best riders in the world," he said after his victory. How grateful the cycling world is that Menchov has finally realised this. Bring on the Tour!

LOST IN TRANSLATION: With newly found glory, maybe Menchov can get his people to improve his official website a little? They can start by employing proper translators as opposed to those dodgy automatic internet machines.

His victory was reported with this gem on www.denismenchov.ru: "Twenty-one day of fight for the victory, which didn't stop until the last meters of the distance, behind us. Strong opponents, rain, drop - there is nothing to prevent Denis to win leader's pink shirt at the finish in Rome."

The same website inimitably says that the existence of Menchov's three children is an "unbelievable achievement, mostly from the part of wife Nadezhda".

And what of Denis's supporters from Russia and his hometown of Oryol, 225 miles from Moscow? "Denis has got an enormous fan army our whole country, not only watching his performances, but being a real fan! We lose voices and automatically turn pedals sitting on the sofa and wishing little by little failure for all rivals!"

Now that's not very sporting, is it?

But perhaps worse of all are Menchov's own earlier predictions for the Giro: "I think Ivan Basso is my main opponent. Levi Leipheimer is strong too. With regard to the current leader Di Luca, he also looks very worthy, but most likely he'll have at least one crisis day." BS wonders how Di Luca felt about that assumption.

SHOUT OUT TO: Vincent Hendricks, Menchov's "professional" mechanic - not to be confused with the distinguished Danish philosopher and logician of the same name.

TALKING POINT: Menchov said his calm response to falling near the finish was thanks to being told, through his earpiece, that he did not need to take any risks or hurry because he was still ahead of Di Luca despite the crash. Is it time to ban earpieces?

QUOTE: "If you have nothing left to achieve what sense is there to do it?" Mark Cavendish explains quitting the Giro with a week left to race. Gone are the days when finishing a three-week stage race is seen as an achievement, it seems.

AND FINALLY: BS couldn't contain a smirk when reading a comment left at the bottom of a recent cycling article: "Andy Schlek (sic) for the Tour time for some new blood." Not the best turn of phrase, perhaps.

Felix Lowe / Eurosport