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Alaphilippe has had a few tough days there but Jesus he's made some improvement this past year and beating GC climbers with ease at times 
Still and all I've enjoyed watching this tour.

Haven't been on the bike much myself this past year. Only about 100mile in total this summer and every time I get on the bike I'm scared of getting killed! The roads are a disaster and people have less patience than ever. Anyone finding the same?

Nearly got cleaned a few times. What amazes me is quite often i dont think the driver even realises the danger they've caused. I always thought that this anti collision software that will engage automatically in vehicles to avoid accidents is bollix, but given the number of near misses that almost every cyclist ive talked to have experienced it can be no bad thing.     

I have started to go out later in the evening around 8 or so as things not as busy on the roads. Also ive always done a little bit of mountain biking which us a great escape from traffic.
      Funny on the flip side of things quite a lot of aggro between walkers and mountain bikers. With walkers complaining of the speed and dangerous manoeuvres  of some cyclists!

Most open tour i can remember. Pinot's time loss in those cross winds could be very costly.

Great drama and great stage today. Cicconne looked devastated not winning the stage but made up for it with getting the yellow jersey.
        Thomas looked strong at the finish with Bardet probably out of the reckoning.

Interesting tweet here. Seemed to have slipped under the radar.

https://mobile.twitter.com/emmandjdesouza/status/1112320347515375616?s=12

Why does my €25 Argos DAB clock radio adjust time automatically while my €25000 car DAB radio does not?

You running her on the Red stuff again?

Mark Durcan wtf 

Well that was unexpected.  A massive coup for fine gael, timed perfectly after the sdlp/fianna fail partnership last month.
           Seems like the call went out to abandon ship and the former captain jumped first. Sad. Sad for the legacy of John Hume and the party he helped build.

Rugby needs to make itself smaller, weaker and less dangerous
Once famously a game for all shapes and sizes, that is quite clearly no longer the case

It's still all shapes and sizes....Liam Williams MOM on Saturday.....rugby is far more athletic now, and fitness levels are far greater.....but I don't think there is much difference in player size now than say 20 plus years ago....with the odd exception.

You can get the actual link from this article. They have definitely changed in particular the height and weight of the backs.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.joe.ie/amp/sport/graph-bigger-is-better-check-out-how-the-size-of-rugby-players-has-changed-in-the-last-40-years-434067

Anyway a very interesting read. It does touch on a number of topics including bio banding in youth rugby.
        Lots of questions in the article about changing from a collission based to an evasion based sport but no real suggestions on how to get there. Still excellent food for thought.
         

Is this a misprint?

, after the death of 18-year-old Stade Francais academy player Nicolas Chauvin, it bluntly outlined the reality.
•   Boxing needs a single, unified world heavyweight champion
•   League of Ireland should appreciate what it is – not fret about what it isn't
•   Something cringey about recent evidence of unbearable 'Corkness' of Cork

['super spad', putting him over the party's team of spads and ministers – something which civil servants agreed to, even though it was against the spirit of the law]

Sinn Fein and the DUP. Working for the people of the North on Brexit. Delivering, accountable.

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/key-foster-mcguinness-brexit-letter-was-actually-written-by-civil-servants-1-8816000


The pinnacle of the DUP-Sinn Fein Executive's efforts to present a united front on how Brexit should be handled was actually overwhelmingly – and perhaps exclusively – the work of civil servants, new material reveals. In August 2016 the then first and deputy first ministers wrote to the prime minister to set out their agreed priorities for the Brexit process. Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness's letter was presented as a significant development and has since been cited by those who defend the previous Stormont regime as an example of how opposing sides could pragmatically agree to work together. However, material released under the Freedom of Information Act shows no evidence that Mrs Foster, Mr McGuinness or any of their political advisors played any role in the letter beyond requesting it at a meeting which was not minuted and then the ministers putting their signatures to the letter.

Given the culture of verbal government within Stormont where certain communications were deliberately not written down to avoid the public ever getting to see what went on, it is possible that either the ministers or their special advisors (spads) were more involved but did not want that to be known. However, the material released suggests that three senior civil servants were responsible for the overwhelming bulk of the letter. The letter called for an open Irish border, the retention "as far as possible" of the current ease of cross-border trade, access to EU labour, consideration of the energy market and the preservation of farming subsidies and EU Peace funds. The first written mention of the letter came in a memo from the then head of the civil service, Sir Malcolm McKibbin, to Andrew McCormick, permanent secretary of the Department for the Economy, and David Sterling, permanent secretary of the Department of Finance.


The brief August 3 2016 memo was titled 'meeting with DUP/SF representatives' and said: "I had a meeting with Timothy Johnston and Aidan McAteer at which it was agreed that: Officials would prepare a letter from FM/dFM to the Prime Minister articulating the priorities that are emerging from the scoping exercise we are carrying out on the implementations of leaving the EU." Mr Johnston was the most senior DUP spad and is now the DUP's chief executive. Mr McAteer was barred by law from acting as a spad because of a serious criminal conviction. However, Sinn Fein circumvented the law by making him a 'super spad', putting him over the party's team of spads and ministers – something which civil servants agreed to, even though it was against the spirit of the law. Stormont Castle has not acknowledged the existence of minutes of the meeting between Sir Malcolm and the DUP and Sinn Fein spads, suggesting that no minutes of the meeting were taken. The following morning, Sir Malcolm emailed his two senior civil service colleagues with a draft of the letter which he had drawn up and asked them for any comments by lunch time. Three hours later Dr McCormick replied to say that he had discussed the issue with Mr Sterling and they had agreed a series of changes to the text. Mr Sterling felt it contained a section on agriculture which was "too long", something which "unbalances the overall thrust of the letter".

Five days later the amended letter was sent to the private secretaries of the first minister and the deputy first minister. Not a word of that letter was changed by the ministers or their spads before it was sent to Downing Street the following day.



Interesting line this...
Mr McAteer was barred by law from acting as a spad because of a serious criminal conviction. However, Sinn Fein circumvented the law by making him a 'super spad', putting him over the party's team of spads and ministers – something which civil servants agreed to, even though it was against the spirit of the law

The spirit of the law is pretty much like a verbal agreement i.e. Not worth the paper it was not written on.

I see the England and Wales Labour Party starting to disintegrate  with 7 MPs jumping ship.

7 neoliberals I think

Berger is a piece of work

Whining about anti-Semitism when what she really wants is to prevent  a Labour Government changing the economic system

Sour Grapes by the looks of it (sorry couldn't resist).

I just go to the gym when I can maybe a couple of times a week. I can hit a top speed of more than 16 like, usually mid 20s in a sprint but average speed is 15 at best usually. I probably would need to get out with a group or talk some of my mates into getting bikes. Also probably need to spend a few weeks riding up and down the sperrins. I just feel like my fitness seems to stay the same level and every ride feels like the same effort (not easy and not threshold effort)

Ahh ffs, sorry about that, makes more sense now.
          Unless your in a group its actually hard enough to maintain a high average speed. So i wouldnt worry too much.
           Get yourself out with a local club. You will soon improve!

Desperate sad news. Had a few coaching sessions with John and I will always remember his positively, encouragement and definitely his eccentricity which was a breath of fresh air. Rest in peace.

1)27
2) on and off about 5 years although have missed winters out in most of that time.
3) Specialized allez and yeah I get it serviced regularly enough
4) the bike was my dads so it wasn't ideal for me although I'm the same height roughly as him and I changed the stem to a shorter one and changed the Seatpost etc
5) initially it was a 50/34 with an 11/28, after man of sperrin I changed it to an 11/30 Which helped a good bit when cycling round Donegal over the summer.

Something doesn't add up here. Would you consider yourself in reasonable physical condition(do you participate in any other sport?).

It does take a while to build up the muscles associated with cycling but you have been cycling for 5 years or so, so you would imagine that would have happened by now. I would imagine that your top speed on the flat would be greater than 16mph and certainly more than 13.

Provided the bike is setup correctly your specific bike should have the right gearing to get you up most hills.

What I would do is. Go to someone to have the bike specifically set up for you. That should cover everything from seat/handlebar position to cleat position in your shoes. Also have them check the bike again for something that Could be seized(bottom bracket, wheel bearings or brakes).
           Could you borrow someone else's bike to see does that make a difference?
           General advice would be to try to get out for a spin with a someone else or better still a local group, which will definitely bring you on. If you are finding climbing difficult then find a hilly circuit and repeat.
            As the weather improves and days lengthen increase the miles. In the winter do what you are doing or perhaps get to a spinning class. I manage to get out on the mountain bike during winter as I find the road too dangerous at evening/night.

   

What kind of training do you fellas donto improve your power? I don't have a power meter so I know I can't really be accurate but generally my strava estimated power and zwift power using my weight/speed/heart rate gives me an FTP of 123. I'm 90kg so I know this figure is awful. I cycle generally 15-20 mile a few nights a week after work and when I get a chance at the weekends. I tend to find the fastest I can go on the flats is 15mph average speed, maybe 16 if I'm feeling fresh. Atm I can barely manage more than 13 but that's probably because I haven't been out much over winter. I've started an FTP training plan on zwift, what else should I be doing? Obviously I'm trying to trim down a bit although a lot of my weight is leg muscle and shoulder.
I don't generally feel like I'm improving much, I tried the man of sperrin easy route last year and had to turn back at the top of the first mountain, having stopped about 5 times on the way up, my heart rate was going 205 so I was close to passing out. Another guy who wasn't a cyclist and was taking part because his brother organised it, was able to get up the hills fine. I want to be able to go to climbs and. I worry another whether I will even get up it or not, never mind speed.

A few questions.
1. What age are you?
2. How long have you been cycling?
3. What sort of bike so you ride and has it been maintained properly? (Might sound daft but for instance rubbing brake pads will slow you up).
4. Has the bike been properly set up for you?
5. What gearing do you have? This can have a profound effect on our ability to climb....