Posts from — September 2020

Méribel > La Roche-sur-Foron

Distance: 175 kilometers.

A “Mountain” stage with 5 climbs. The intermediate sprint is at 14 km at Aime. It’s a downhill finish.

• Cormet de Roselend 46 km (cat 1: 18.6km @ 6.1%)
• Côte de la route des Villes 67.5 km (cat 3: 3.2km @ 6.6%)
• Col des Saisies 91 km (cat 2: 14.6km @ 6.4%)
• Col des Aravis 117.5 km (cat 1: 6.7km @ 7.0%)
• Montée du Plateau des Glières 143.5 km (HC: 6.0km @ 11.2%)

Primož Roglic ( Slo – TJV – 011 ) [Yellow] 74 hours 56 minutes 04 seconds
Sam Bennett ( Irl – DQT – 043 ) [Green] 298 Points
Richard Carapaz ( Ecu – INS – 003 ) [Polka Dot] 74 points
Tadej Pogacar ( Slo – UAD – 131 ) [White] 2

Stage winner: Michal Kwiatkowski ( Pol – INS – 005 )
Combative: Marc Hirschi ( Swi – SUN – 204 ) [Red numbers]
Team: Movistar Team ( MOV – 091-098 ) [Yellow numbers]

Top 30 below the fold
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Position: 22.0N 94.2W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: Northeast [035°] near 3 mph [ 6 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 35 mph [ 55 kph].
Wind Gusts: 45 mph [ 70 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1005 mb.

Currently about 235 miles [ 380 km] East of Tampico, Mexico.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 21.1N 39.1W [ 4PM CDT 2100 UTC].
Movement: West-Southwest [250°] near 12 mph [19 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 30 mph [ 45 kph].
Wind Gusts: 40 mph [ 65 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1008 mb.

Currently about 1050 miles [1690 km] West-Northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands.

This is the last public advisory issued by the National Hurricane
Center on Vicky.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 20.9N 54.7W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: Northwest [315°] near 12 mph [19 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 140 mph [220 kph].
Wind Gusts: 155 mph [250 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 230 miles [370 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 60 miles [ 95 km].
Minimum central pressure: 945 mb.

Currently about 1005 miles [1615 km] Southeast of Bermuda.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 31.8N 85.7W [ 4AM CDT 0900 UTC].
Movement: Northeast [055°] near 12 mph [19 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 30 mph [ 45 kph].
Wind Gusts: 40 mph [ 65 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1000 mb ↑.

Currently about 50 miles [ 80 km] Southeast of Montgomery, Alabama.

This is the last public advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center on this system.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Grenoble > Méribel Col de la Loze

Distance: 170 kilometers.

A “Mountain” stage with 2 HC climbs. The intermediate sprint is at 45.5 km at La Rochette. It’s a summit finish.

• Col de la Madeleine 107.5 km (HC: 17.1km @ 8.4%)
• Col de la Loze (Souvenir Henri Desgrange) 70 km (HC: 21.5km @ 7.8%)

Enric Mas is wearing the White Jersey because Tadej Pogacar leads in both the Young Rider and King of the Mountains categories and chose to wear the Polka Dots.

The race is down to 150 riders as 2 riders didn’t start, 1 withdrew, and another was outside the time limit.

Souvenir Henri Desgrange may be translated as “In memory of Henri Desgrange”. He founded the Tour in 1903.

Primož Roglic ( Slo – TJV – 011 ) [Yellow] 74 hours 56 minutes 04 seconds
Sam Bennett ( Irl – DQT – 043 ) [Green] 278 Points
Tadej Pogacar ( Slo – UAD – 131 ) [Polka Dot] 66 points
Enric Mas Nicolau ( Spa – MOV – 094 ) [White] 8

Stage winner: Miguel Angel Lopez Moreno ( Col – AST – 141 )
Combative: Julian Alaphilippe ( Fra – DQT – 041 ) [Red numbers]
Team: Movistar Team ( MOV – 091-098 ) [Yellow numbers]

Top 30 below the fold
[Read more →]

Position: 21.6N 35.8W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West [275°] near 10 mph [17 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 40 mph [ 65 kph].
Wind Gusts: 50 mph [ 80 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 35 miles [ 55 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1008 mb.

Currently about 860 miles [1390 km] West-Northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 17.8N 51.5W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: Northwest [315°] near 13 mph [20 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 90 mph [150 kph].
Wind Gusts: 110 mph [175 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 255 miles [405 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 35 miles [ 55 km].
Minimum central pressure: 976 mb ↑.

Currently about 670 miles [1075 km] East-Northeast of the Lesser Antilles.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 31.9N 86.1W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: Northeast [045°] near 9 mph [15 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 35 mph [ 55 kph].
Wind Gusts: 45 mph [ 70 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 995 mb ↑.

Currently about 30 miles [ 50 km] South-Southeast of Montgomery, Alabama.

At 4AM the northern eyewall was moving across the the Gulf Coast from Pensacola Beach, Florida to Dauphin Island, Alabama.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 43.3N 45.2W [10AM CDT 1500 UTC].
Movement: East-Northeast [060°] near 35 mph [56 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 85 mph [140 kph].
Wind Gusts: 100 mph [160 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 255 miles [405 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 80 miles [130 km].
Minimum central pressure: 973 mb ↑.

Currently about 450 miles [ 725 km] East-Southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland.

This is the last public advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center on this system.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Día de la Independencia
Estados Unidos Mexicanos

¡Viva México!

Some background on 16 de Septiembre and El Grito de Dolores.

La Tour-du-Pin > Villard-de-Lans

Distance: 164 kilometers.

A “Mountain” stage with 5 climbs. The intermediate sprint is at 44.5 km at Saint-Joseph-de-Rivière . It’s a summit finish.

• Côte de Virieu 12.5 km (cat 4: 2.3km @ 6.8%)
• Col de Porte 66.5 km (cat 2: 7.4km @ 6.8%)
• Côte de Revel 94.5 km (cat 2: 6.0km @ 8.0%)
• Montée de Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte 143.5 km (cat 1: 11.1km @ 6.5%)
• Villard-de-Lans Côte 2000 164 km (cat 3: 2.2km @ 6.5%)

Yesterday was a rest day but it didn’t help a lot of riders on this stage.

Egan Bernal is more than 19 minutes back and only the top seven are less than 3 minutes off the leader. The trend is new riders taking stages and today it was Lennard Kämna. None of the “usual suspects” are wearing the top jerseys. Strange race this year.

Primož Roglic ( Slo – TJV – 011 ) [Yellow] 70 hours 06 minutes 47 seconds
Sam Bennett ( Irl – DQT – 043 ) [Green] 269 Points
Benoit Cosnefroy ( Fra – ALM – 033 ) [Polka Dot] 36 points
Tadej Pogacar ( Slo – UAD – 131 ) [White] 2

Stage winner: Lennard Kämna ( Ger – BOH – 024 )
Combative: Richard Carapaz ( Ecu – INS – 003 ) [Red numbers]
Team: Movistar Team ( MOV – 091-098 ) [Yellow numbers]

Top 30 below the fold
[Read more →]

One of my professors (Mark Aleksandrovich) used to tell Soviet jokes. A favorite was:

A drunken man walked to the center of Red Square and shouted “Khrushchev is an idiot!” He was arrested and the court fined him 50 rubles for being drunk and disorderly and 10 years at hard labor for “revealing state secrets”.

I was reminded of that joke when I saw this headline – New York Times: Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into Bolton’s book. 😈

The Day of His Noodly Appendage

The holiest of holidays for Pastafarians, is of course the birthday of His Most Holy Prophet, Marco Polo (b. Sept 15, 1254), who brought the word of his Noodly Appendage back from the East. As Talk Like A Pirate Day falls on September 19th, this five-day period constitutes Holy Pasta Week, during which spaghetti is consumed liberally. With a nice Chianti until the last day when it’s grog for all.