I’m going to make a confession, and you’re all going to be tolerant and understanding. It is this: I can’t get used to Geraint Thomas as a Grand Tour contender, let alone as a winner of the Tour de France or as the leader of probably the strongest team in this year’s race.
This is nothing against Thomas. He’s very talented, hard-working, and deserves his success. It’s just that it makes no actual sense to me.
The problem is, I think, that he’s changed as a rider through his career. And while all of us passionately believe in our own ability to develop and improve, and to set and achieve new targets, it’s much harder to get the hang of the stars doing the same. I find that I regard pro cyclists as being a little like my friends’ children – forever stuck in a time warp from about 10 years ago. It’s like the way you find yourself asking a 15-year-old if they’re still into dinosaurs.
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LAKE SIDE RETREAT
In the latest in a series on the best UK riding destinations, Vern Pitt explores the challenging climbs of the south-west Lake District
Tour of Britain 1954
As picture researcher, I occasionally stumble across something in our archive that is like gold dust to me. Pre-lockdown I found a couple of small boxes containing 20, 3x4 inch, glass-plate negatives, ‘Ilford H.P.3 Plate’, marked ‘Tour of Britain’. Each in an individual sleeve, some had riders’ names written on them and I could work out with an old start-sheet that the year was 1954.
Material gain
Should we be blown away by the new McLaren skinsuit? Simon Smythe went to the Silverstone wind tunnel to find out
TOUR DE WEIRD
The world’s biggest race has a brilliant habit of throwing up some odd scenarios. Chris Marshall-Bell counts down the best eight
Dr Hutch
Careful deliberations have led the Doc to conclude that anyone beyond the age of 25 should not be winning bicycle races
GB celebrates record medal haul at para-Worlds
British team claims six world titles and 11 medals, writes Vern Pitt
Day and Hall take honours in Hemel Hempstead
Young bloods look to level up after A41 wins
Carapaz eyes Tour title after Suisse win
On form Ecuadorian holds on in tight final stage of Swiss tour
OBITUARY Vic Hopkin: 22 July 1933–21 May 2021
Former British Cycling board member Vic Hopkin, who was well known for his work in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics, has died after a short illness.
No more suffering in silence
After years of agony with gut problems, Sam Gray was finally forced to face his demons – and is now encouraging others to speak out and seek help
I AM NOT AN ALIEN!
ONCE AGAIN MOCKED FOR HER ALWAYS-CHANGING LOOKS, KHLOÉ KARDASHIAN OFFERS A MASTER CLASS IN FACING DOWN A TROLL.
PAT METHENY
FROM HIS PLACE
Sienna & Archie MOVING FAST!
Has the hopeless romantic found her fourth fiancé?
Vincent Audio SV-737
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER
UMBRA VIA
Umbra Via is an abstract silent auction, tile-laying, and area control game; an unusual blend that results in a challenging strategy game.
Meghan & Kate's UK FACE OFF
THE WARRING WOMEN COULD BE IN FOR AN EPIC SHOWDOWN AT A MEMORIAL FOR THE LATE PRINCESS DIANA NEXT MONTH.
REVINYLIZATION
Blood, Sweat & Tears began as Al Kooper’s dream of a rock band with horns. By the time he realized the concept—on the band’s 1968 debut, Child Is Father to the Man—it had become much more: an engaging hybrid of New York soul, Greenwich Village folk, and innovative jazz arrangements. With producer John Simon at the helm, Child was a virtual definition of the possibilities inherent in the heady musical experimentation of the late 1960s. Kooper’s writing and arranging for that record (including the monumental “I’ll Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know,” later a hit for Donny Hathaway) is one of the high points of his storied career. The record was justifiably praised as the conceptual breakthrough it was, and work had already begun on a follow-up when the band decided it needed a lead singer with more polish. Kooper left the group along with a couple of other key members.
QWIXX: How to Avoid Being Rolled by Luck
Maybe you’ve played Gamewright’s popular dice game QWIXX, but have you considered that you may not be maximizing your chances of victory? Whether you’re playing the dice or card version, understanding your options to maximize your point output can be the difference between a sizeable defeat or a close victory. Below you’ll find some tips to help you turn the luck of QWIXX in your favor. But first, a refresher on (or introduction to) the basic rules of the game...
Pumpkin Spiced Latte Cardi
This versatile cardigan combines comfort and style into a warm, heavy sweater. You’ll love throwing this on as you head out on a cool fall evening or wearing it inside on those cold winter days!
word on the street
ROUSH PERFORMANCE TAKING PRE-ORDERS FOR ITS OFF-ROAD-READY 2021 F-150