Tao Geoghegan Hart discussion thread

[Maaaaaaaarten]

English speakers should be the last ones to complain about a language's spelling though. As I understand it these Celtic languages (which all have remarkable spellings) at least have a logic to it, it's just pronounced very differently from how other languages use the Latin alphabet, which makes some sense because they also have a pretty distinct phonology so when you have to reflect that phonology with the Latin alphabet you're forced to have a rather distinct use of the Latin alphabet..

English spelling is just complete incoherent chaos. (Note how <e> is used six times in the previous sentence and reflects five different vowels and is silent once and furthermore <o> is used three times and reflects three different vowels here. Anglophones, don't complain about other people's writing systems.)

[LaFlorecita]

Ok, since there is some interest in this topic after all, I think Tao would appreciate if his name was spelled correctly in the thread title...
For me the most important question about him right now is: how to really correctly pronounce his name? Once that is sorted out he can start dominating pro cycling as far as I am concerned.

In Ireland, Geoghegan is a fairly common name. It is pronounced somewhere between "Gay-gun" and "Gay-gan".


So rhyming with Ronald Reagan.

I heard the Dubai Tour commentator pronounce it this way as well

[lemon cheese cake]

Ok, since there is some interest in this topic after all, I think Tao would appreciate if his name was spelled correctly in the thread title...
For me the most important question about him right now is: how to really correctly pronounce his name? Once that is sorted out he can start dominating pro cycling as far as I am concerned.

Tay-o Gee-ow-gan- Hart

Are you sure? That's not how Geoghegan is usually pronounced. Of course, he wouldn't be the first person of Irish stock to amend pronunciation of their name when living outside the auld sod.

Thats how I pronounce it. I heard it somewhere and started pronouncing it like that so I might be wrong.

[armchairclimber]

10th today at the Big Mig race. Not bad .... though it didn't appear to be hotly contested. More a warm up.

[hrotha]

English speakers should be the last ones to complain about a language's spelling though. As I understand it these Celtic languages (which all have remarkable spellings) at least have a logic to it, it's just pronounced very differently from how other languages use the Latin alphabet, which makes some sense because they also have a pretty distinct phonology so when you have to reflect that phonology with the Latin alphabet you're forced to have a rather distinct use of the Latin alphabet..

English spelling is just complete incoherent chaos. (Note how <e> is used six times in the previous sentence and reflects five different vowels and is silent once and furthermore <o> is used three times and reflects three different vowels here. Anglophones, don't complain about other people's writing systems.)

For the most part, English and Irish spelling are equivalent, in that they're both largely etymological and far removed from their almost phonological origins. I wouldn't say one is more chaotic than the other. Irish phonology is and always was pretty different from what the Latin alphabet was created to represent, but the same could be said about English phonology (although to an admittedly lesser extent).

Although I guess Irish benefits from stemming from a single spelling tradition (the Irish one), whereas English is made more complicated by the mixture of the native and Norman spelling traditions. In that sense, you could compare Irish to French (both have seemingly incomprehensible, but actually fairly systematic spellings) and say that English is indeed more chaotic than both.

Regardless, that chaos usually only exists for people who don't know the language. Once you do, those apparent inconsistencies generally make a lot of sense and they come in very handy.

[armchairclimber]

Not a bad effort today. He must be kicking himself.... a few seconds would have moved him up a few GC places. Still, his first crack as team leader ... rather let down by the team.

[armchairclimber]

A huge and selfless effort today.

[pastronef]

super ride for him today, gave it all even got bumped by the tv motorbike.

from his twitter:

Tao Geoghegan Hart
A veces la vida es especial. Hoy tengo una dia muy bonita con los companeros de @TeamSky. Aqui tenemos una grupo muy muy bueno. Tengo mucho honour trabajar por @Eganbernal. Gracias Colombia por esta loco experencia!

[Escarabajo]

Nice message!

For a moment I thought the motorbike got him. But no. That was very close.

[silvergrenade]

He's ridden an amazing dauphine.
Chapeau!

[Squire]

I'll repost what I said in the Dauphiné thread:

Yeah, his performance in this race is vastly overrated. He couldn't close in on the break yesterday, and it's the same today. The fact that Bardet et.al. are quite a bit off peak form makes him look good in relation to the favourites' group.

He's been impressive, of course, but it's very far from Poels levels of peloton shredding.

[movingtarget]

He's ridden an amazing dauphine.
Chapeau!

Yes very impressive.

[Der Effe]

The next great British hope! Before we know, he will be conquering India.

[Valv.Piti]

I'll repost what I said in the Dauphiné thread:

Yeah, his performance in this race is vastly overrated. He couldn't close in on the break yesterday, and it's the same today. The fact that Bardet et.al. are quite a bit off peak form makes him look good in relation to the favourites' group.

He's been impressive, of course, but it's very far from Poels levels of peloton shredding.

Danish commentators almost sure he should be selected, forgetting about Poels and Bernal who are clearly superior climbers.

[Moviestar]

He was already impressive in California in aid of Bernal. End of the peak?

[armchairclimber]

Tao is learning. He was impressive this week. Thomas would have struggled to win it without Hart's input. I hope he acknowledges as much instead of bleating on about other teams racing when he has a puncture.

[yaco]

My guess is a few teams will give him tempting offers to change teams - Though I doubt it will happen.

[Zinoviev Letter]

My guess is a few teams will give him tempting offers to change teams - Though I doubt it will happen.

He’d be crazy to leave at the moment.

[Leinster]

Can I request that this video from the TOB in 2014 be added to the OP?

https://youtu.be/SRkoM6YFsko

[yaco]

My guess is a few teams will give him tempting offers to change teams - Though I doubt it will happen.

He’d be crazy to leave at the moment.

Sky don't have the best record in developing young talent, especially those of the GC nature.