Coronavirus and pro sport

ugo.santalucia

I don't think you got my point and I am a bit tired of repeating myself, I begin to sound like a broken record...

I'll take my coat

RichN95.

ugo.santalucia said:

I don't think you got my point and I am a bit tired of repeating myself, I begin to sound like a broken record...

I'll take my coat

I get you point. You believe that we are here to serve the state and earnings should be used to exist, not to live. People should earn only what they need not what someone is willing to pay them. People should not spend any money on frivolities and enjoying themselves (especially on things you personally don't like). Private enterprise spending should be restricted by the state.

On the other hand, I think if you earn money as a company or an individual and you pay your taxes, you should be free to spend the rest how you please.

ddraver

RichN95. said:

ugo.santalucia said:

Read an article where a Spanish scientist, fed up with being asked when a vaccine or drugs will be available, suggested to ask Messi and Ronaldo if they know anything about it...
Right on the money... depicts quite well a society which puts a lot of value in things that have zero value.

Oh yes, the poor pharmaceutical companies and their shoestring budgets.

Sanofi Pasteur is a leading vaccine manufacturer. It's revenue last year was $35 billion. It spent $6 billion on research and development. Money is not an issue.

Their profits might be so large because they know that the scientists doing the actual work are there because they re all nerds and so can be paid less than...other staff members.

The reason why Dominic Cummings can't hire science graduates to work in government is that all the good ones are spending their time looking at a short sequence of DNA or a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of an atom.

And as Ugo says, they ain't there for the cash...

(now whether or not paying them more money would help find a vaccine quicker is a different conversation...)

rick_chasey

I don’t think many fans would shed a tear if the “big game” aspects of modern football were lost tbh.

Lord knows some of it on terrestrial TV wouldn’t go amis.

blazing_saddles

It would interesting to see Scottish rugby's cutback scheme applied to football and what the reaction would be.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/52269053

Meanwhile, Tottenham have reversed their decision to use the government's furlough scheme for some non-playing staff following criticism from supporters.

ugo.santalucia

ddraver said:

And as Ugo says, they ain't there for the cash...

(now whether or not paying them more money would help find a vaccine quicker is a different conversation...)

I don't advocate for high salaries in science, but for decent and solid contracts in the public sector for researchers, that I do.
I also think the UK should spend more public money in research (read more tax)... for instance Japan, Germany and South Korea spend a lot more, 2 to 3 times as much, whereas Italy and Spain spend 30% less of GDP than the UK .
If you want to see a correlation between these figures and the current number of deaths in all those countries, you are very welcome to do so... or you can think that it's just a coincidence...

ddraver

(I didn't say that you did...)

nickice

I used to be a scientist writing grants to get funds to ultimately do research and the average success rate is 10% (mine was lower), which means 90% of the time spent in writing grants is pretty much wasted, because there is so little money in the pot.
If there was more money, science would be more advanced, vaccines could be produced quicker and so on.

I remember when I was studying molecular biology my project supervisor intimated to me that it was pretty much a dead-end of a career with endless post-docs being the norm. I couldn't believe it at the time and I still can't believe it now. It wasn't the only thing that put me off the field but it definitely didn't help.

gweeds

Macron extends lockdown to 11 May but that crèches and schools will the reopen as the lockdown eases. But:

Macron saying very partial lifting of lockdown May 11. But major events etc and most aspects of leisure mid July earliest.

Even with a delayed start of a month that’s looking very dodgy for the Tour

ddraver

My dudes in Chamonix & Morzine are going to be climbing the walls by then...

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Sounds like an official TDF postponement is incoming, according to BBC.

ugo.santalucia

N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

Sounds like an official TDF postponement is incoming, according to BBC.

September might be too early, October might be too late for the mountain passes... difficult one, unless they are happy with the lower climbs...

pblakeney

And yet people think late October is suitable for the Giro. 🤔

RichN95.

La Marca are reporting that new dates for the GTs have been agreed. The Tour at August 2-25, Vuelta in September, Giro in October. All three weeks long. Worlds in original slot.

ugo.santalucia

pblakeney said:

And yet people think late October is suitable for the Giro. 🤔

Too late to go up the Gavia, but not too late for hilly stages, you just need to look at the Tour of Lombardy. There are plenty of testing climbs at around or under 1000 mt elevation to put together a good show in October. Obviously sticking to the original route is looking for trouble

pblakeney

Yeah, I’m sure they can do lumpy but it won’t be the same without some iconic climbs.

rick_chasey

I'll stick my neck out - we won't see the spring classics next year, let alone any more racing this year.

Dorset_Boy

rick_chasey said:

I'll stick my neck out - we won't see the spring classics next year, let alone any more racing this year.

Such a cheery chap!

fenix

I doubt we will get a TdF this year. They'll prob use the 2020 route for next year ?

rick_chasey

Dorset_Boy said:

rick_chasey said:

I'll stick my neck out - we won't see the spring classics next year, let alone any more racing this year.

Such a cheery chap!

I would be more delighted than more or less anyone if bike racing came on sooner. God knows I miss it.

RichN95.

rick_chasey said:

I'll stick my neck out - we won't see the spring classics next year, let alone any more racing this year.

I'll file this alongside 'Sagan will never win Paris-Roubaix'

ugo.santalucia

pblakeney said:

Yeah, I’m sure they can do lumpy but it won’t be the same without some iconic climbs.

Of course it won't be the same... I don't even want it to be the same. This has to be taken as an opportunity to do things differently. And if Van Aevermat (or whatever the spelling is) wins it, then so be it...
And this is a general rule... it's pointless trying to do things the same "as if nothing happened", it just won't work and lead to further disappointment.

pblakeney

My opinion, and it’s only a guess at this stage, is that if something, anything, happens then it will be shoe horning an event in for the sake of the sport. Not a bad thing, but not the real thing either.

redvision

pblakeney said:

Yeah, I’m sure they can do lumpy but it won’t be the same without some iconic climbs.

Were there any iconic climbs in this year's original route??

If I remember correctly there was disappointment when the stages were announced that whilst there was significant amounts of climbing, there were no (or very few) iconic climbs. Actually I think LA discussed this in his podcast last year.

I hope we get to see some racing this year but I'm not holding my breath. And not to raise more concerns but wasn't there calls by some in the cycling world a while back to shorten the GT's (giro and vuelta) from 3 to 2 weeks? If the season is able to get under way at some point this summer, what's the betting this is looked at again and possibly trialled??

ugo.santalucia

I certainly hope we will see the Hill Climb racing season going on in the UK this autumn... I haven't lost 4 kg and gained 20 Watts for nothing, I would like to hope...

pblakeney

redvision said:

pblakeney said:

Yeah, I’m sure they can do lumpy but it won’t be the same without some iconic climbs.

Were there any iconic climbs in this year's original route??

If I remember correctly there was disappointment when the stages were announced that whilst there was significant amounts of climbing, there were no (or very few) iconic climbs. Actually I think LA discussed this in his podcast last year.

I guess that depends on your definition of iconic. Seems challenging enough to me.

"The route of the 2020 Giro d'Italia has been presented in Milan, with the 103rd edition of the Corsa Rosa including 58.8km of individual time trials but also a monstrous high-altitude final week that includes Monte Bondone, Passo dello Stelvio, Colle dell'Agnello, Col d'Izoard in France, and mountain finishes at Piancavallo, Madonna di Campiglio, on twisting roads up to Laghi di Cancano above Bormio and finally to Sestriere."

rick_chasey

RichN95. said:

rick_chasey said:

I'll stick my neck out - we won't see the spring classics next year, let alone any more racing this year.

I'll file this alongside 'Sagan will never win Paris-Roubaix'

If you’re in the game of predictions, you’re gonna get banged.

sherer

ive said before id like to see a Grant Tour with no high mountain passes. Something a classics rider could win over three weeks. Whether that would work and be more exciting we wont know until it's tried.

pblakeney

sherer said:

ive said before id like to see a Grant Tour with no high mountain passes. Something a classics rider could win over three weeks. Whether that would work and be more exciting we wont know until it's tried.

A 3 week Paris-Nice?
Meh.

RichN95.

sherer said:

ive said before id like to see a Grant Tour with no high mountain passes. Something a classics rider could win over three weeks. Whether that would work and be more exciting we wont know until it's tried.

They tried to do that in 2012. It wasn't a thriller.