Re: I am so vain

Simonb <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Indeed. Plus, you need to wear a helmet to qualify for the insurance on the
: Tour of Flanders.

Didn't know that. I was going to wear the helmet anyway given the cobbles
and lots of other cyclists.

: Are you doing the 256km course, Arthur?

No. I'm sticking with the 170k option. I'm not that inspired by a long
slog out to the coast and back. I'd rather ride the interesting bits
(the hills and the cobbles) reasonably fresh and at a decent speed.

I'm looking forward to it though. And the wheat beer afterwards 🙂

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
Don't get me wrong, perl is an OK operating system, but it lacks a
lightweight scripting language -- Walter Dnes

Simonb said:

Indeed. Plus, you need to wear a helmet to qualify for the insurance on the
Tour of Flanders.

Been humming an hah-ing about buying a helmet for that... Is the only
downside the lack of insurance, they won't prevent you from riding or
anything?

I can see a helmet actually being some use in a mass tangle
with lots of pointy bits of bike around... On the other hand, that
gives me just 2 weeks to get around to buying one and getting used
to wearing the bloody thing.

Pete, only doing the 140K loop.
PS Anyone had their entry pack arrive yet?

Pete Bentley said:

Pete, only doing the 140K loop.
PS Anyone had their entry pack arrive yet?

Am I the only one doing the 256km course? Everyone else I've spoken to is
doing a shorter one. Still, at least I'll be warmed up for the hills.

I don't know about helmet enforcement on the ride -- you can always plead
ignorance. I doubt they'd stop you since you'll have come all the way from
Blighty for it. No, I haven't received my entry pack yet, have you?

Arthur Clune said:

I'm looking forward to it though. And the wheat beer afterwards 🙂

Me too; perhaps the latter more than the former!

Pete Bentley <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Been humming an hah-ing about buying a helmet for that... Is the only
: downside the lack of insurance, they won't prevent you from riding or
: anything?

If you want I'll bring a spare one that you can nab.

: I can see a helmet actually being some use in a mass tangle
: with lots of pointy bits of bike around... i

On the contary, I think that's one of the few users for them.

: On the other hand, that
: gives me just 2 weeks to get around to buying one and getting used
: to wearing the bloody thing.

In Belguim in April, they won't take much getting used to. In
the heat is a different story.

: PS Anyone had their entry pack arrive yet?

I think we're all entering the day before.

--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
Don't get me wrong, perl is an OK operating system, but it lacks a
lightweight scripting language -- Walter Dnes

Simonb said:

Am I the only one doing the 256km course? Everyone else I've spoken to is
doing a shorter one. Still, at least I'll be warmed up for the hills.

All the hills (and so I assume all the cobbles) are in the shorter
loop so adding another 110K into that headwind[*] on top just seems
a tad masochistic.

Quoted message said:

I don't know about helmet enforcement on the ride -- you can always plead
ignorance. I doubt they'd stop you since you'll have come all the way from
Blighty for it.

Plus I'll have my trusted woollen beanie hat with me which must
count for something.

To be honest, the more I think about steep little hills, cobblestones
and lots of other cyclists, the more tempted I am to shell out on
a helmet.

Quoted message said:

No, I haven't received my entry pack yet, have you?

Nope... Will check with my cow orkers who are also coming along
when I see them (one's off sick, one has swanned off to South Africa
to do the Cape Argus ride).

Pete.
[*] What, you think the wind will be behind you at any time?

Pete Bentley said:

[*] What, you think the wind will be behind you at any time?

I'm hoping for a tailwind[1].

[1] I am an idiot.

Arthur Clune said:

If you want I'll bring a spare one that you can nab.

Thanks for the offer! Suspect I'll probably buy one though...

Quoted message said:

: I can see a helmet actually being some use in a mass tangle
: with lots of pointy bits of bike around... i

On the contary, I think that's one of the few users for them.

I said "can" not "can't" 🙂

Quoted message said:

: PS Anyone had their entry pack arrive yet?

I think we're all entering the day before.

Ah ok... We did the website entry thing which just said "your pack will
arrive" kind of thing.

Pete.

Simonb said:

I'm hoping for a tailwind[1].

[1] I am an idiot.

It's Belgium. Can't happen...

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
World Domination?
Just find a world that's into that kind of thing, then chain to the
floor and walk up and down on it in high heels. (Mr. Sunshine)

Simonb said:

No, I haven't received my entry pack yet, have you?

Showed up in the post this morning... Largely in Dutch or Flemish
or something. Will have a closer examination later, but right now
I have the day off so I'm going to take full advantage and go
for a gentle potter in the countryside.

Pete, still trying to work out the little picture on the back of
the envelope means.

Pete Bentley <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Showed up in the post this morning... Largely in Dutch or Flemish
: or something.

Presumably Flemmish. We have the advantage that one of our group is Dutch
so won't have any problems with Flemmish.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
Don't get me wrong, perl is an OK operating system, but it lacks a
lightweight scripting language -- Walter Dnes

"Arthur Clune" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Pete Bentley <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Showed up in the post this morning... Largely in Dutch or Flemish
: or something.

Presumably Flemmish. We have the advantage that one of our group is Dutch
so won't have any problems with Flemmish.

Not really an advantage, nor really a problem. They're one and the
same, atleast in the modern sense and in the written form...

Quoted message said:

Arthur

MartinM said:

"triumvir" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Arthur Clune" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Pete Bentley <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Showed up in the post this morning... Largely in Dutch or Flemish
: or something.

Presumably Flemmish. We have the advantage that one of our group is

Dutch

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

so won't have any problems with Flemmish.

Not really an advantage, nor really a problem. They're one and the
same, atleast in the modern sense and in the written form...

I thought Belgium was bilingual

Constitutionally trilingual. German's an official language, too.

In my experience (a year in Brussels) everyone agrees that Flemish and
Dutch are the same language - except the Flemings and the Dutch.

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
"No problem is so formidable that you can't walk away from it"
- Charles Schultz

"triumvir" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Arthur Clune" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Pete Bentley <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Showed up in the post this morning... Largely in Dutch or Flemish
: or something.

Presumably Flemmish. We have the advantage that one of our group is

Dutch

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

so won't have any problems with Flemmish.

Not really an advantage, nor really a problem. They're one and the
same, atleast in the modern sense and in the written form...

I thought Belgium was bilingual

MartinM said:

"triumvir" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Arthur Clune" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Pete Bentley <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Showed up in the post this morning... Largely in Dutch or Flemish
: or something.

Presumably Flemmish. We have the advantage that one of our group is

Dutch

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

so won't have any problems with Flemmish.

Not really an advantage, nor really a problem. They're one and the
same, atleast in the modern sense and in the written form...

I thought Belgium was bilingual

Trilingual - see following excerpt:

"LANGUAGE TEACHER TRAINING AND BILINGUAL EDUCATION
IN BELGIUM

Piet Van de Craen, Vrije Universiteit Brussel &
Ronald Soetaert, Rijksuniversiteit Gent

http://www.fu-berlin.de/elc/tnp1/SP6NatRepBE.pdf

Belgium is an official trilingual country. It consists of three officially
monolingual regions and one bilingual region. The monolingual regions are
(1) Flanders, in the northern part of the country (13,511 km2 and a
population of roughly 5,670,000) where Dutch is the official language, (2)
Wallonia, in the south (16.846 km2, population 3,208,000) where French is
the official language and (3) a small German-speaking region (854 km2 with
about 66.000 inhabitants). The capital, Brussels (162 km2 with
about 980.000 inhabitants), is an official bilingual region with French and
Dutch as official languages."
--
Michael MacClancy

"MartinM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"triumvir" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Arthur Clune" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Pete Bentley <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Showed up in the post this morning... Largely in Dutch or Flemish
: or something.

Presumably Flemmish. We have the advantage that one of our group is

Dutch

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

so won't have any problems with Flemmish.

Not really an advantage, nor really a problem. They're one and the
same, atleast in the modern sense and in the written form...

I thought Belgium was bilingual

Well, yes.. trilingual actually (Dutch/French/German), but you wrote
Dutch *or* Flemish... They're one and the same. Flemings speak Dutch
(which includes Flemish dialects). Dutch is (if used correctly) a
collective name for all the languages and dialects of the Low
Countries (Nederlands, Hollands, Vlaams, Brabants, Limburgs, Gronings,
Antwerps, Friesch, ...).