Grassmarket

Very weird finish! All the main GC riders powered along at the front until literally 100m to go, sat up, looked around for the sprinters - nobody there! Young Italian Andrea Bagioli stole the win.

We’ve got another French regional race with a star-studded field, le Tour de l’Ain, over in the Jura Mountains by the Swiss border. Bernal, Froome, Thomas, Roglić, Dumoulin, Quintana...... https://www.tourdelain.com/ Sprint day today, big climbing days Saturday & Sunday. Should add that Stage 3, Sunday is a near-replica of a crucial TdF stage next month.

And because La Chine would always give its Douze points au Hong Kong, La Malaysie à L’Indonesie etc

Great news is that the very truncated World Athletics Continental Tour starts again next week. As you may remember - if you have very long memories - this is the 2nd level of World Athletics, but normally includes some very good meets like Hengelo, Berlin, Madrid etc. https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/calendar/2020 The GOLD level meets will all be live on YouTube. So first one is at Turku on Wednesday. And there will also be some Diamond League meets, starting in Monaco in one week https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/diamond-league/calendar/2020

Brazen display of knuckles like she’s all that, the shameless hussy!

Bah, Humbug. No mass dancing. No light shows. No allegorical representations of the Sun Goddess being born from the depths of the ocean. London 1948. The Austerity Olympics. Military band marches, plays some tunes. Athlete’s Parade. King declares Games open. Olympic flame lit. Everyone leaves the Stadium & queues for the bus home.

London Marathon will go ahead on October 4th - but elite runners only on a closed circuit course round Hyde Park in Central London.. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-8601035/London-Marathon-set-ahead-October-4-different-route-elite-runners.html Crucially, times will count for Tokyo quals.

Heading for a bunch sprint again - stay sensible! Phew, everyone on good behaviour.

Vlasov wins it, Richie Porte second, Martin third. Good race, gets us in the mood for the big races next month!

Pierre Latour & Guillaume Martin do the heroic-but-doomed early attacks with 8k to go. Still in the woods, though. And as soon as I hit Save, Latour cracks. Martin climbs on alone. 20 secs on the peleton. Vlasov attacks, Porte & Quintana follow. Into the moonscape now. Quintana gets left behind so now it’s down to Martin, Vlasov, Porte. Vlasov is now off solo!

We are off again with the Dénivelé Mont Ventoux, which as its name suggests...... Nairo Quintana starts as favourite, also young Russian Aleksander Vlasov who was second in the Occitanie earlier. Exotic presence of the Cambodian Cycling Academy team, which has no actual Cambodians in it. Ineos not in the race today so Astana are playing the Ineos tactics - everyone to the front of the pack & grind it out.

It’s going to be terrible for the Fire Brigade, there was clearly a long-established fire before the big square building exploded.

Agree with the comment about the poor quality of this event, would not like to see it carried over to future Marbalympics. Typical performance from the Yellows - shocking first run, but some pride restored on the second. Not enough to get us out of the relegation zone though.

Brilliant display by the Italian Police National Motorcycle Squad there.

And off again.....

Horrible rainy day for the Grande Trittico Lombardo, we are only getting finishing line coverage at the moment. Lots of retirements.

The problem is that it is not sexual abuse, which is criminal, but allegations of various forms of emotional tactics which may or not be abusive. I doubt they would seen as abusive in 99% of male sports. Certainly if NZ female gymnasts feel that the Commonwealth Games are too stressful for them, then perhaps they should be looking at other, less damaging, career options.

Two Scottish 800m runners easily win “most pathetic suntan” awards. Good race, Reekie just gets it.

10000m mass start, like in cross-country skiing.

Ciao , andiamo! Well, either we are not having a steeple tonight or Italians are tough - there’s no water. Pozzi wins the 110h easily, but as usual hit the last two hurdles, would have cost him more in a bigger race.

Gee, the Railway Station in Siena is miles away from the town centre, get a taxi.

They have been bribed by the Siena Tourist Board to force everyone to watch the cycling.

Poor guy, just has no luck. Hopefully he is one of the ones with no symptoms. Where’s the stream? Come on Italia, you are letting the world down.

Inevitable. Brave ride from Garcia.

Too bad for Garcia, hope she holds on for a podium, but in a bad way now.