This is a PSA for drivers in England: the speed limit is not 38mph.
I know some of you know this but my driving experience there over the Christmas break leads me to have to point this out. 8, 10 maybe 12 times over 4 days we found ourselves bumbling down a 60mph road at 38mph with no opportunity to overtake. And naturally, as we entered 30mph zones, the car in front carried on at 38mph until we reached the 60mph limit on the other side - where the 38mph dawdle continued.
Now I don't know if this is because people are simply petrified of being caught on one of the tens of thousands of speed cameras, or whether it's that people think that 38mph is just a good all-round speed to travel at.
But I'll say this: it's a good way to cause accidents, because faced with the prospect of 20 to 30 miles behind someone doing 38mph who isn't even towing a caravan, a lot of following drivers take huge risks to get past.
So read the road signs, read the road, take your eyes off the GPS, put the cellphone down and drive faster than 38mph.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Dakar rally and Robby Gordon
I don't know how many people follow the Dakar rally in America, but it's been spectacular again this year. Set again in Chile and Argentina (because of political unrest in Africa), it's been a mad charge across all sorts of terrain from rocky river beds to soaring sand dunes. The quads, bikes, cars and trucks have all been exciting to watch, as usual. The sense of sportsmanship was alive and well with many riders and drivers stopping at the expense of their stage time to help others out. Early on for example, Luca Manca stopped and gave Marc Coma his rear wheel off his bike. Not on the same team, just because he knew Coma needed it and was angling for a win. Sadly, the very next day, Manca spiralled over the handlebars of his own bike and fractured his skull - that was the end of his rally, but that's what the Dakar is all about; extremes of hardship and victory in equal measures.
With one notable exception - again. American Robby Gordon was brimming with entitlement, assuming he deserved to win. He failed two years ago, he failed last year, and ultimately, he failed this year. He never stopped to help anyone out. He never had a good word to say about any of his competitors. And he always blamed his mechanics or his vehicle for each day's failure. The Dakar is about sportsmanship and a sense of community amongst all the competitors and the huge bivouac or caravan that supports the rally. For the third year in a row, Gordon treated the entire event with a level of contempt that makes me believe he should go home with his tail between his legs and never come back. He's an arrogant S.O.B who has no place in an international sporting event.
With one notable exception - again. American Robby Gordon was brimming with entitlement, assuming he deserved to win. He failed two years ago, he failed last year, and ultimately, he failed this year. He never stopped to help anyone out. He never had a good word to say about any of his competitors. And he always blamed his mechanics or his vehicle for each day's failure. The Dakar is about sportsmanship and a sense of community amongst all the competitors and the huge bivouac or caravan that supports the rally. For the third year in a row, Gordon treated the entire event with a level of contempt that makes me believe he should go home with his tail between his legs and never come back. He's an arrogant S.O.B who has no place in an international sporting event.
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