Malky79

@finnspin: Because we'll have to listen to Ric shoehorn as many tedious references to riders heart rate into the commentary as he possibly can. Between that and regular reminders of the full Sunday name of the venue, he'll be hard pushed to fit in any actual commentary. HIT would have been a better sponsor as the constant repetition would really hammer home the concussion avoidance message.

@thenotoriousmic: Bang on. I wish I'd seen that one before - it would have saved me typing a reply!

@iian: It's great to see a measured reply and I completely understand your response. A lot of people subscribe to the idea that the royals "do a lot of good". I also used to believe this, because I'd heard it repeated so often. It's the result of a very successful PR campaign by the royals and the British establishment to preserve an institution that cannot be justified by any reasonable metric in a modern world or democratic country. It's simply not true though. The more you find out about how little they actually contribute to the economy or charity, the more it is clear that their days should be numbered. On the tourism argument, the Palace of Versailles has almost 15 million visitors a year despite the French solving their royal problem in 1792. Charles's coronation cost up to £100m of public money at a time when foodbank use is at an all-time high in the UK. Meanwhile Will's and Kate drop into a foodbank a short distance from their residence for a 5 min photo op and donate nothing. Charles is a massive climate hypocrite, as are the rest of the family. They use Queen's/King's consent to interfere or exempt themselves from the law to suit their own ends. The firm must be protected at all costs, and the fact the Queen was willing to fork out £12m to cover for Andrew's noncing about with Epstein should have been the last nail in the coffin. They are the figureheads of a class system that reminds the largely subservient UK population of their place in the class structure, and reinforces the inferiority complex that ensures we continue to defer to our "betters". Let's not forget either that Charles was great mates with Jimmy Saville, which at best shows him to be naive and ill-informed/advised. I urge anyone who is on the fence to read a bit more on the subject. Republic.org is a great starting point.

@iian: Not true. A myth propagated by the royal family to justify their parasitic lifestyle. I suggest you look at Republic.org's site if you want to learn more about how much the royals cost the British public and how little they contribute. Up the republic!

It's good to take the tin foil of your head every now and then to let your brain cool down.

@ShawMac: I think she'd have preferred to cross the line on her bike rather than smash herself off the barriers. It looked like a sore one. It wouldn't surprise me if she can't race tomorrow.

@Lanebobane: Qualis, 2nd despite the crash.

Right there on the list.