“Ever since I started cycling, I’ve always been dreaming of the Tour,” Girmay said. “But to win in my second Tour, in a big bunch sprint, is unbelievable. It means a lot, personally for me, and for the continent.
“I remember my father really liked to watch the Tour every July. He always showed us the Tour de France on TV. One day, I asked him if it was possible to be part of the Tour, and he said: ‘Keep going and everything is possible.’
“Today everybody will believe African riders can succeed in the World Tour. We must be proud, now we are really part of the big races, now it’s our moment, our time.”
The yellow jersey went to Richard Carapaz, from Ecuador: another first, as no Ecuadorian rider has worn the yellow jersey before.
Mark Cavendish was clearly riding better than in stages 1 and 2 but was still not a winner yesterday. He might have made a bid for it but was held up behind a crash in the last few kilometres of the stage. Whenever I see those multi-cyclist crashes I am amazed that anyone gets up and carries on cycling. Maybe Mark Cavendish will get another chance to try for a stage-win in the next few weeks. There’s still a long way to go! Cycle racing is definitely an endurance sport!
Today they leave Italy, cross the Alps and move into France! Alllez! Allez!
Here’s another thing. In some parts of Brazil they are banning books in schools and libraries, maybe following the example of the some of the states in the USA. Mostly they are books that feature themes about race or gender or sexuality. Not all of them are recent publications either. One is children’s book, “O Menino Marrom” first published about 40 years. Another is a book about female scientists.
Inequality and prejudice are still out there in the 21st century.
In recent months there has been quite a lot of talk about the increase in shoplifting here. Supermarkets have taken to putting security tags on all sorts of items: large bottles of milk, baby food - not just bottles of whisky and the like. Now I hear that the latest thing is ‘dine and dash’ - ordering a meal, often quite an expensive one, in a restaurant and then disappearing without paying.
There are various ploys. Some fraudsters go outside for a cigarette before coffee and never come back inside to pay the bill. One group, having been asked beforehand if they had any allergies, “discovered” after eating that one of their party was reacting to an ingredient and just plain refused to pay as they “absolutely had to get that person to a hospital.
In some ways this is even more morally reprehensible, and unfair, than stealing from a big supermarket. Restaurants, especially smaller ones, often run on a tight budget, on a shoestring. A large unpaid bill eats into their profits in a big way.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment