Recent content by Marmot

I gave it a 9. Day in, day out, as a collective, the riders did what we always hope they'll do, and rode aggressively/entertainingly. I'd have given it a 10 if the green jersey competition had been more competitive. When I saw the line up before the race, I thought it was an excellent field of...

I gave it an 8. I would have given it a 9 if there was any tension in the fight for the points jersey. I usually watch the stages in the evening after my kids are in bed. I watch the break form, and then fast forward to the point of the stage where I expect things to start getting more...

Phil Anderson's 1981 Tour was also the first time for me. I was just following it via the nightly TV news and newspapers, where the coverage was pretty scant. During the 80s and 90s , I was more interested in track cycling, and then thanks to a girlfriend who was into it, I started following...

I like sprints, and I've really enjoyed the sprints at this race so far. The front-loading of sprint stages, which I know many found boring, helped attract a pretty high quality sprinter field (especially by Giro standards). I liked the spread of winners, and the fact that most sprints were...

Re: Re: No, but next time I need one, I know who to ask!

Re: Re: Yes, it’s a shepherd’s axe, which doubles as a walking stick. I was a shepherd in a nativity play at my daughter’s pre-school, and I had to find one to use as a prop.

Re: Very good ;)

Re: Re: Yes. Of course, apart from the issue you mention, it also needs to look like something that could legitimately be there, just in case the wrong part of the clothing is torn open by a crash (e.g. kinesthetic tape). Clearly, it's not very plausible. But I wonder how much less plausible...

Is it possible that the motor isn't in the bike, but rather on the rider? For example, could something be fashioned from an electroactive polymer that is sufficiently thin and flexible that it can be hidden under the bike shorts and, with electrical stimulus, help drive the upper legs down (or...

Tom Dumoulin wants to live forever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1TcDHrkQYg

I am clearly more easily entertained than some. The whole championships were great. I gave them a 9 overall. I enjoyed all the races for one reason or another, but the men's time trial was the highlight for me. I'd also rate the elite men's road race a 9. I'm happy with a reduced bunch...

A few years ago, I saw Uran as a rider in the mold of Cadel Evans. A very strong time trialist. More than capable of holding his own in the mountains, but better suited to riding a solid tempo than making attacks. A good one-day racer. I know such riders aren’t everybody’s cup of tea, but they...

Re: Re: I see it similarly, but I don’t give Evans quite as much credit for tactical nous or head games. I think he tried to follow, but couldn’t, possibly because his legs were still a bit heavy from the day before and it was early in the stage, and he panicked. I remember thinking at the...

There is a temptation to compare Sky to US Postal. In my view, while the mountain train concept is similar, Sky's execution is far more efficient/brutal/ridiculous than I recall was the case for US Postal. My memory might have faded, but the stage to Courchevel in 2005 sticks in my mind as a...

Dirk Hofman for the win.