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Organisers of a traditional criterium in Valencia obviously didn't see the irony of pitting Messrs Valverde and Basso against a six-dog sled team last weekend.

With both Grand Tour champions in the dog house past and present owing to their Operacion Puerto cover being blown by respective pets Piti and Birillo, it was hardly the most tactful of race gimmicks.

Can you imagine Alexandre Vinokourov stretching his legs against an ambulance with "Give Blood" emblazoned across the side - or Tom Boonen agreeing (without a sniff of reluctance) to line up against a Coke float?

Anyway, under fierce 30-degree heat Vuelta winner Valverde took on the sextet of canines under direction of champion "musher" Ismael Pinol.

Valverde was the pre-race favourite owing to his proven pedigree and ability to perform in hot temperatures. More accustomed to snow and sub-zero, the huskies were kitted out with special boots to protect their paws from the boiling tarmac.

But in a performance that reminded the world of his accustomed third week in Grand Tour racing, Valverde was left for dead by Pinol's pets, who reached a top speed of 60km/h on their way to victory.

Basso challenged the dogs for a re-run and managed to pick up his first major win of the season after the furry animals ran out of juice and threw in the towel, possibly impersonating Cadel Evans circa July 2009.

Previous unusual duels that this criterium has come up with include Tour winner Alberto Contador against a paramotor champion and Olympic gold medallist (the possible 2009 Vuelta champion) Samuel Sanchez against a Formula 2 racing driver.

In 1999, Jan Ullrich was invited to race a hot-dog cart but the race was called off when the cart's contents were mysteriously raided the night before the big event.

In other man-verses-animal encounters, Oscar Freire came up against a top-class trotting horse - a snail might be more fitting nowadays - and Oscar Pereiro took on a camel (surely even with his broken leg last year, Pereiro should have had it in him to give a dromedary the hump?).

TOP OF THE DOGS: So, who would win a race between the peloton's popular pets?

BS readily admits that he has no idea what type of dog Birillo is (was?) and so Ivan Basso must be overlooked. Also discounted is Tyler Hamilton's beloved Tugboat - not because of his stupid name or because of the fact that golden retrievers rarely retrieve gold - more down to the fact that he is, sadly, dead.

And dead is just what Cadel Evans' fluffy terrier Molly would be if pitted against Piti - Alejandro Valverde's huge beast of an Alsatian would rip off Molly's head even with Cadel acting as a bodyguard. And yet Piti, in turn, would probably be outlasted by the heavyweight Saint Bernard won by Alberto Contador in last year's Tour.

Which leaves the prize surely going to Levi Leipheimer's array of formerly maltreated mutts from his stray dogs home - the canine world's equivalent of Team RadioShack.

THE WIZARD OF OZ: If Fabian Cancellara's victory in the Mendrisio ITT was about as predictable as an injury time goal for Manchester United at Old Trafford, the same could not be said for Evans's sterling ride to rainbow, as unexpected as a grammatically-correct and literary-ebullient sentence in a Dan Brown novel.

Someone once told BS that Evans was the most punchable man in the peloton - and until Lance Armstrong returned from retirement few would have disagreed. But this year Evans has undergone a PR transformation, mainly thanks to his dialogue with fans via Twitter and his personal website.

Yes, he was absolutely woeful in the Tour, but he took it on the chin (insert lame joke here) and came back strong in the Vuelta - only to be denied by a puncture on the race's deciding climb.

Most telling of Evans's win in Switzerland was that it was 100 per cent calculated and the result of an extraordinarily accomplished attack. The Australian knew he was suited to the course - he even allegedly went against team orders to support Simon Gerrans - and his home-away-from-home was just a few kilometres from the finish. Talk about a remarkable transformation for Evans.

It was also highly symbolic that when Evans finally got his big win of the season, it was not in the colours of Silence-Lotto, but riding for his native Australia.

Regardless of where Evans ends up next year - and the 32-year-old is still under contract with the Belgian outfit - maybe he'll feel a new man wearing the feted rainbow jersey.

That said, if Evans was to suffer the same malign curse that has beset the world champions of recent years - did you see Alessandro Ballan do anything this year of merit? - then he's in for an even trickier season in 2010.

Not that Cuddles will care; his name will go down in history as the first Australian to become the road race world champion. What's more, he's the first grand tour contender (insert joke here) since Greg Lemond to taste the rainbow.

It remains to be seen if, like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, Evans will be 'Over the Rainbow' as the world championships heads to his home nation next year.

NEWS IN BRIEF

- The Chicken proved he's still Top Dog in Mexico as shamed rider Michael Rasmussen won the prologue of the Vuelta a Chihuahua. BS says: oh look, Oscar Seville and Francisco Mancebo finished third and fourth - so it was that kind of race.

- Scientists say Linus Gerdemann's blood values from the first half of 2006 indicate some form of doping. BS says: if you retroactively investigate everyone's blood, next year's Tour will be between Thomas Voeckler and Davide Moncoutie.

- The 2010 Tour de France will feature two ascents of the Col du Tourmalet to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the climb's inclusion in the race. BS says:sorry Tommy, but Moncoutie's a shoo-in.

- The Tour's ITT will pass through the vineyards of Bordeaux and finish in Pauillac. BS says: a prize for any prankster who dares to take on (a no-doubt red-nosed) Bernard Hinault on the podium.

- The UCI's new anti-doping programme is called "True Champion or Cheat?" BS says: was it inspired by Valverde?

- Bradley Wigan (sic) is looking for inspiration in naming his new bike shop. BS says: how about Peddling Pedals, Bike To The Future, Sky's The Limit or Sprocket, Don't Knock It?

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Vinokourov was a hero to us, a role model. You didn't say no." No, Bernard Kohl is not talking about giving blood. In fact, he's referring to his time at T-Mobile in 2005 when new riders were forced to down vodka by Vino as part of an initiation ceremony.

Follow Blazin' Saddles throughout the day on www.twitter.com/saddleblaze

Felix Lowe / Eurosport