Climb classifications in the Le Tour de France

6th July 2018 13:59

Apparently the climb classifications (4,3,2,1,HC) in the Le Tour de France are based on the gear you’d need to use in a 2CV to get up that hill. This is quite clearly horse poop and – as the owner of a 2CV – I have a 100% subjective personal anecdote to prove it:

The Le Tour has been past the village were I grew up twice (’94 & ’07) and both times there was a 4th cat near by. There’s no way you’d get a 2CV up those hills in 4th – they’re solid 3rd and maybe a quick dip to 2nd near the top if you didn’t get a good run at them on the way in.

As for HC (which is supposedly impassable to a 2CV) I similarly call horse. 1st gear in a 2CV is so low it won’t even get you half way across a set of traffic lights without needing to change up – you’ll run out of grip on the tyres long before you torque stall the engine. (Admittedly the grupetto would be faster up the hill but that’s not the point.)

Generally your biggest problem on hills in a 2CV is some idiot in a modern car in front of you that slows down for the corners – it’s all about conservation of momentum, as this person ably demonstrates.

FACT.

Aberdalgie War Memorial

28th April 2018 16:36

This is situated in front of the church.

Aberdalgie War Memorial

Aberdalgie War Memorial

In honour of those belonging to this parish who fell in The Great War

Aberdalgie War Memorial

Aberdalgie War Memorial

Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends

Aberdalgie War Memorial

Their name liveth for evermore

Aberdalgie War Memorial

Cat Tactics

14th April 2018 10:23

Good work by my cat this morning – only his third day of being allowed outside and he is already showing an admirable grasp of tactics in an encounter with the neighbours’ cat.

Cat tactics diagram

  1. My cat doing reconnaissance in his garden spots…

  2. The neighbours’ cat, sat in its garden.

  3. My cat advances and occupies the high ground on the border of his territory.

  4. After a prolonged staring match, the neighbours’ cat retreats to a hidden position.

  5. My cat uses the dead ground in the next door flats’ car park to flank the neighbours’ garden.

  6. My cat occupies the high ground in a position to observe the retreat route of the neighbours’ cat.

At that point I can only assume that the neighbours’ cat was nowhere to be seen as my cat went off to explore the interesting smells on the lids of the flats’ bins.