John Keyes

‘Add to Instapaper’ has created a read much much later list for me. Only 12,682 posts to go. Given a two minute per post estimate, it would take me fifty-three eight hour days to read them all. Gulp!

From the Eircode website:

Having an Eircode, will remove the hassle and mistakes out of finding addresses in Ireland.

It seems that An Post disagree.

Yesterday, Chris Froome, destroyed the rest of peleton with an amazing ascent to La Pierre Saint Martin. Even before he had finished the stage the conversation about doping began again.

If Contador, Nibali, and Quintana, had kept pace with Froome and the stage was decided by a dash to the line, the doping conversation probably wouldn’t have happened.

Porte caught Quintana inside the last kilometer and passed him to finish second on the stage (0:59 behind Froome). Thomas then made it over the line in seventh (2:01 behind Froome).

Does this mean that the performances of Porte and Thomas should be questioned as they performed exceptionally too? I haven’t heard any accusations levelled at them.

Rather than celebrating the amazing ride from Froome, more column inches (wee bit of imperial for you) are devoted to accusations that have no evidence (anecdotal does not count) to back them up.

Cyclists are some of the most tested athletes in the world, yet their performances are questioned much more than other athletes.

Take Wimbledon (as it’s the most recent big sporting event), I don’t remember anyone accusing Williams or Djokovic of anything underhand. Will the performance of the winner of the British Open Golf Championship be the subtext to a wider doping conversation? Of course not.

It’s a tragedy, that the riders who have gone before, who took part in systemic doping programs, have tarnished this sport for so many.