Did The Cyclists Have a Plan B?
It was very disappointing, that Mark Cavendish or one of the other GB cyclists didn’t win any medals in the Road Race today.
But as we saw in the Tour de France, they are not exactly untalented, so when their tactics were failing, as commentators were saying, why did they not change them?
It should be noted that when Mark Cavendish won the World Championships, the teams were larger, so the small team size probably didn’t help.
It seemed too, that the Germans didn’t have an alternative plan either, so it’s not just a British problem.
On the other hand in the Tour de France, plans appear to be changed regularly to suit the circumstances. But then the riders there are much more controlled from coaches in the cars and are in radio contact!
It strikes me that cycling teams need to evolve a better way of working.
Heatherwick Does It Again!
The cauldron at London 2012 is nothing like I’ve seen at any other Olympics.
And like the New Bus for London, it’s out of the studio of Thomas Heatherwick. Read more about it here.
It enabled a number of promising athletes chosen by our more successful past Olympians to light the cauldron.
I may have found some of the things in the Opening Ceremony a bit naff and politically correct, but I’ll give two hundred out of a hundred for the way the cauldron was designed, built and lit.
The Queen Does It In One Take
According to this piece in Her Majesty’s Daily Telegraph, The Queen played herself all in one take.
According to Nicholas Brown, the BBC’s director of Drama Production, she gave a flawless performance. “She got it in one take. That’s what she does, and she does it very well. She is a professional.
The piece also indicates that the corgis were the Queen’s too! Fox News in the United States had the headline Corgis Win The Opening Ceremony. If the latter is true, they must be the first dogs to win a Gold Medal at the Olympics.
I would think that if your corgi is expecting a litter of puppies, you won’t have any difficulty finding good homes for them!
London’s First Real Olympics
The Times points out today, that the 1908 Olympics was held in the UK, as it was supposed to have been held in Rome. But Vesuvius exploded, so the Games were moved.
Although, we held them in 1948, that was very much because we got left holding the parcel, after the Second World War, as no-one had any money. If there had been no war, London would have had the Games in 1944.
So that makes 2012, London’s first real Games!
Is This What Home Advantage Is About?
Heather Stanning and Helen Glover have just destroyed everybody in their rowing heat. They also broke the Olympic record.
They were one of the favourites to win the heat, but not so easily.
So there might just be something in home advantage!
Who Lights The Flame at Stratford?
I’m not sure, but I’ve heard so much speculation about who it is!
Perhaps Danny Boyle has gone for that superb British institution; a compromise, where perhaps any number of celebrities and/or ordinary people do it together.
He’s certainly got everyone guessing!
When You’re In A Hole Stop Digging
Mormon Mitt seems not only to have a lack of diplomacy, but also the common sense, one needs to avoid trouble. Just read this piece by the respected BBC correspondent, Mark Mardell. Mark also questions whether his wife’s horse will go down well with blue-collar Republicans.
It is safe to say that dressage does not have the same place in the heart of the American blue-collar worker as Nascar racing or baseball.
It would appear though that the wags out there are already having great fun. Just type “moron Mitt” into your preferred search engine.
I particularly liked this one.
The size of the hole gets bigger every minute.
So make sure you’ve got a few hours or even days to spend. It will be an ideal pastime for sport-phobics in the next couple of weeks.
The Red Arrows Across London
The Red Arrows will be crossing London ahead of the Olympic Opening Ceremony at 20:12 tonight. As they are going between Hyde Park and Victoria Park, I would assume they will be flying just south of where I live. There’s more details on their flypast here.
If Mitt Romney Is The Next US President, Diplomacy Goes Out The Window.
Mitt Romney’s comments on the Olympics show that he is no diplomat. Read about it in the Independent here. The fact that he is a Mormon too, doesn’t go down well with me. In fact, being part of a small powerful sect, should disbar one from being Head of State.
i hope the Americans see sense and return Barack Obama for a second term in November. Hopefully, Mormon Mitt, will put his foot in his mouth many times in the next few months.
The Anonymous Widower 