I had withdrawal yesterday...all those lovely live threads with Auntie, where the chat was probably more enlightening than the race call, although we all enjoyed the atmosphere that was created. So I thought I'd do a little list of the things I learned from TDU 2012. A few detractors say it's impossible to learn anything from the TDU, but I say they're just so last century.

What we learned...The List:

• Andre Greipel, (who likes to be called Andre), is very fast. He is also now blessed with a good lead-out train whom he trusts. I'll be cheering for him. Come July I'm hoping he's happy, because my guess is that the team won't be dedicated to him. Prediction: I will be ranting about Marc Sargeant again, even if it's unwarranted.
• Sean Yates says GreenEDGE weren't fit enough for the race. So the gamesmanship for the Olympics, where Oz and Great Britain discount all other competitors except each other has begun. Goss also acknowledges that beating Greipel is very, very hard, and he's dreaming of the Classics.
• GreenEDGE men cry a lot. (This European influence might stop those Australian lads from being 'blokes'. They need to head North fast.) Neil Stephens cried when Gerrans won, McEwen cried when he talked to the team about his last race in Oz, and Durbridge cried because Robbie did.
• UniSA was as usual the coolest team in the peloton. Will Clarke's win was masterful and Rohan Dennis is Flatty's 'kiddie' for 2012. Helpful hint: Do not put them on your VDS team. In fact also remember not to put any trackie from GB or Oz on your team before 2013.
• Valverde is back and ready to rock and roll.
• Stuart O'Grady really IS the Mayor of Adelaide. I've never seen less sensational reporting of an alleged assault by a sportsman in all my years of reading newspapers. Rupert Guinness even wrote an opinion piece on the problems of being a sporting celebrity, even before it was announce that O'Grady would not be charged.
• McEwen's body has taken enough punishment, so retiring will be a boon for him. See onev.com for proof.
• Linus has had a hair cut. Oh, and he's finally losing the boy band thing. Veeral Patel has taken the first 'grown up photo of Gerdemann.
• Veeral Patel (aka O'nev) is a brilliant photographer. See above.
• Sergey Lagutin is off contract at the end of the season, so we must talk him up at every opportunity.
• LooseHorse is ready for a haircut, which is big news, Zoe is coming to Oz to live, Muk, as an expat needs a little 'fix' of TDU to get him through the winter months in Philadelphia. Drongo has not read Cloudstreet...deportation is imminent. Pablo may soon stop being an expat and TDU suits American audiences in regard to time zones. Umwolverine can translate all time zones and TV viewing times.
• The TDU is a viable stage race to be enjoyed, if you appreciate it for what it does well, instead of tuning in just to note its inadequacies.
• PdC members would probably watch two flies crawling up a wall if they were on bikes
• Thank you all again for making this a special TDU, at least for me.