I worked there from late 1990 until 1994. Our offices were well away from the good stuff but I still remember walking across the main hall on winter evenings and watching snow fall on the glass roof. Magical. 😊

My first posting as a very junior civil servant was a secondment to the NMS HR department. So long ago that it was called ‘Personnel’ then. 🤣

That’s it sealed then 👍

At least 🤣

An hour on the turbo has been scientifically proven* to equate to 4 hours on the road.
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*Citation needed

And this is happening under a Labour government. It really does beggar belief. 😔

To be fair, one of those gets under a front tyre and it’ll be carnage. You can’t be too careful these days.

I’m a huge Demi fan but also wanted to see if Kasia’s win last year was a portent of things to come rather than a flash in the pan, so you can probably see from where my discontent comes! 🤣 PFP’s Roubaix was very special indeed tho.

But France will have 3 stage wins and a maillot jaune tonight. So it’s all fine. 😉

Maybe this year just hasn’t lived up to my own expectations (hopes?) and I’m also acutely aware that I’m also partly looking through the lens of the men’s race and am probably channeling Henri Desgranges, so should probably shut up now. 🤣

(But the planets haven’t half aligned for her, haven’t they? 😉) My issue is more with the race itself: it’s still too short and dare I suggest not different enough from other races in the calendar. Itzulia or the Tour de Suisse arguably have as much bang for buck over fewer stages.

AvdB winning (and that’s not exactly nailed-on) will be because she started today 9 minutes down on GC. PFP isn’t the problem - I’m not a fan but she raced it perfectly and can only beat who turns up, and to suggest she hasn’t been the best of the field these 9 stages would be a nonsense.