Distractions

Berkeley, Saturday, July 25, 2026 8L47 pm

Some gems? I read today in the book of Ezekiel: carnelian chrysolite amethyst beryl lapis lazuli jasper.

I listened as well for a bit to Professor Robert Alter, professor of Comparative Literature at UC Berkeley, who translated the Hebrew Tanakh to English, among other works.

Last evening, early this morning, foolishly, I went to bed at 8 am or so. Well stayed awake. I was listening to the climb from Carapaz and other 160 bike riders to the Alpe d’Huez on stage 20 of Le Tour de France.

Carapz won, and he is the king of the mountains. While I was listening, and mainly reading data and updates, which I caught up or continue for a bit during the day today. I fell or felt how do you say? for Sepp Kuss (not looking at names now, execept from something specific that I might need to). Sepp, from Durango, Colorado, who I think lives in Andorra or so, because I think his wife is from Spain (?). He has one or two broken teeth now. I haven’t caught that. But cycling involves crazy falling, because those guys also go a huge speeds. This year tour of France is a competition of 3,245 km, split into 21 stages, over the course of three weeks. It looks fun. And as a fan on the field, you might just experience a bit of the atmosphere, because it is nothing that one can watch in an arena, which would be a kind of laboratory? or a mouse running on a wheel?

The experience of the spectators, even if they do not get fully up to date of the goings around the tour, it is being there. Many of them usually camp. So it might be a unique kind of fan base. What about world rally championship fans?

Better stay focused and or track. Logistics to run the tour, to film, to cover, and to comment might be impressive to try to capture what is relevant. And a camera motorbike running for a good shot, might cause an issue to a rider. It has happened in the past.

Today, Sepp Kuss almost died. He was saved by a mesh on the side of the road. He was leading the stage. After climbing and descending two or three mountains for about 165 km and almost 5 hours. I wonder what he was told on the radio on his ear as well, which beyond exhaustion, can take your mind elsewhere. He is not an inexperience rider. He won one vuelta, although that caused some conflict I think in the team between Roglic and Vinegaard. Who knows? But I think Vinegard did not want to attack Kuss in a climb in one of the latest stages at the vuelta, and Roglic wanted to go for it. They were in the same team. I said things I have watched in the past, through videos, or highlights.

Kuss was gracious today after the fall. He finished third, losing the second position to Remco Evanopeol at almost the finish line. Remco Evanpoel was furious with someone, or with himself, or with the team, who knows, to finish second, 30 seconds behind Richard Carapaz. I think he thought if he attacked earlier he could have caught him, and get the stage.

Carapaz is now the king of the mountains, for the second time, since 2024. He just needs to get the finish line in Paris, which can be a parade, although Pogacar seems to want to go for it, even if that, sprinting, is not his speciality, but he is a very good rider. He worked for his team today, making the job of a gregario or domestique for his teammate, Isac del Toro, with a funny post for both of them at the finish line.

Kuss fell twice in a short distance today. The importance of endurance and focus. Every one, I bet, people watching it live or listening, if someone does that, and watch a video later to understand, like me, was bewildered or puzzled by that situation. I wish Carapaz said something about that. He might, but from what I watched I did not listen, but I saw both of them sit and taking a picture, initiative of Kuss, before the podium or so. I was listening briefly, to TJ or Tejey something, who is a race director to EF Eduation – Easy Post Pro Cycling team and a commentator for NBC sports, although I listened for 20 seconds or som while browsing for information on the internet and because my time was limited, he said he could have been harsher with himself. I agree. From what I saw, and the incident of Kuss of losing this stage win 5 kilometers or so, from the finish, after the hard highest category climbs, in this Queen stage, which is quite unique to win, and after holding a 15 second or so difference to Richard Carapaz, and more than 1 minute to the trio Pogacar, Del Toro, and Remco Evandopel, he was so gracious and even happy at the arrival. I listened to Kuss, he said, well I am sorry to my family, wife, and children, who probably worried from the situation while watching it from TV at home, but he is fine, and happy to be there. I also have seen worse from people who fall and hit the deck. So, somehow, he is very curtido, and knows how to fault. That is a skill actually. Plus, the skill to be suffer and be strong.

That is cycling.

A shout out to Ben Healy. Thank you. One of my favorite riders. If I am right, and while reading the live updates of this stage, he did a great domestique job for Richard Carapaz, so Richi can claim the mountain points, in the first high category climb, but also in the second. Ben was dropped in the third high category climb. Richi was second there after Sepp Kuss, but points were already secured. Sepp Kuss is also one of my favorites gregarios or domestique riders. But I do not watch this much anymore, as I did first time while I was house siting for six weeks, in 2022(?). Might be based on conversations with a neighbor. I also recall Carapaz wining the gold medal in the Tokyo olympics, just after finishing third in the tour de France. So it might have been 2021.

Since then, I have watched now and then. Probably twice the giro de Italia. As climbing is iconic, I really like and am amazed by the descends. Those guys go at more than 50 km/h, sometimes 80+ km/h on steep hills. There are several things, as anything else that highlights won’t depict, but hardly ever a person would be able to watch a full 5 hour stage. And there are 21 of those in a tour, with probably 4 hours length each. Plus, probably commentary or analysis later.

With the high traffic and crowds at the peak or finish line of a tour or sometimes through it, they have a helicopter for emergencies. At those speeds it easy to die. As times passes, and safety measurements on the riding equipment and on the road it makes harder to finish a life while riding, thankfully. Remco Evandopel almost suffered that after he hit a road shoulder on a descend before crossing river through a creek, and flight pass and fall in the ravine. Amazingly he survived. He is the best time trialist on the world, and one of the best general classification riders as well. He will finish this tour second. There was an abandonment of that position by Jonas Vinegard a week ago, when he hit a sidewalk, fell, and broke his collarbone.

Einer Rubio, who crashed to the back of an UAE car. It seems got 18 stitches in his face. He was taken by a helicopter yesterday from the Alpe d’Huaz(?) to a hospital. I hope he is doing well. I saw him, at least by tv walking by himself into the helicopter. So, people like this sport because all of it. Soccer, before the rules and so on, it was also about kicking hitting on the legs. It share origins with rugby.

The risk / reward might be part of the sport attraction.

Anyways, thanks to Irish Ben Healy.

Anyways, by highlights, reading, or even watching, one knows of the front riders, or the ones fighting for points. In general, the head of a category. With the dominance of Pogacar, was hard to learn about other places in the general classification. But I am pro-Pogacar. I think it is stupid to hear people against to him, might be for wining everything, but it is rather an expectable to see him riding, and what is capable to do, and the times he does. I guess the opinions might depend if one rides a bike, and also what information one might read, and even might be if one ever has, even if it is a “waste of productive time” has sit to watch at least one stage or watch him in one of the cycling “monuments”, the latter are famous one day races, where he competes against excellent riders such as Mattew Von de Paul, who is also in the Tour but in the back, and also on the one day competitions Pogacar wins. He has matured and endured over time. I had a bit of resistance on the first year or so, but then of course greatness or learning wins you over. Or just learn about the person. Something similar happened when I used to play tennis, and particularly watch it now and then, although for many years we did not have a TV cable for that purpose at home. I watched I would say several times, though not as many, but it was an spectacle to watch Federer and compete against Nadal. Over few time, I learned to appreciate the greatness and sportmanship of Rafa Nadal.

If I look at the table of the finish line of the dat before yesterday’s stage, stage 19, I see 162 riders, one arrived 43’02” behind the winner. He was with a stomach issue, which affected several UAE riders. He withdrew from the event, or did not start yesterday Today, I see, that 158 riders arrived to the finish line. The last one Biermans, common Belgian last name, who arrived 43’53” after Carapaz to the finish line. I might have mess up at least the stats and facts, and details of the day before yesterday. But the point is that it is a merit to arrive. Also, there is a time limit otherwise they are disqualified. They have to arrive before the carro escoba, broom car, something similar there is on car rally competitions.

I do care of the later cyclist. Also, 158 riders finishing, the three thousand two hundred and fifty kilometers is quite a bit.

I listened a bit today to the podcast about river mechanics from Stanford Gibson, in particularly, I listened a bit to an interview to Annandale about reservoir sedimentation.

I need to continue reading and listening bit by bit to the Annals of the Former World book by McPhee.

And of course, making progress on my own stuff. I have project / project idea for the wall.

I will listen and play the guitar and sing, after long time. Although, now there are all those emails about not making noise after 10 pm, which make sense.

I wrote the title first this time.