..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
showers pass cloudburst waterproof hoodie
there are many appropriate locations in which velocipedinal garmentage can be tested for its avowed properties; southern australia in early january can be adjudged ideal for those paper-thin, short-sleeved jerseys designed to keep the intrepid rider as cool as can be achieved. when it comes to the opposite extreme, remaining toasty in the face of adversity, northern europe, just south of the arctic circle. and then there's the temporary set of traffic lights at the top of the hydro hill on the outskirts of bowmore village to test the waterproofing of a showers pass cloudburst hoodie.
as i rode past the gaelic centre at the foot of the hill, the lights were still at green, so i put in an effort that would have gained approbation from tadej pogacar to get past before they changed. however, the law of sod is hard to beat, and the lights switched to red as i reached the summit, entailing several minutes stood in pouring rain, awaiting the return of the green light. despite these adverse conditions, i'm cheered to report that, on arrival, the jersey worn beneath the bright orange hoodie was as dry as it had been prior to departure.
the regular ride to debbie's every alternate friday afternoon had promised to feature an increasing dose of precipitation, the very reason that encouraged donning said hoodie in the first place. but even in the dry, en-route to bruichladdich, any accumulated heat was easily dispersed by means of the two zipped side-vents, mesh-lined crevices that showers pass suggest might also be employed as pockets, though i cannot admit to having attempted to employ them as such. particularly when the rear of the jacket offers a wide, zipped pocket large enough to swallow a mini-pump and tyre jack with ease. and for extra weatherproofing, that pocket is topped with an overhanging flap to keep rain away from the zip.
in a neat touch, the whole hoodie scrunches up into that pocket when no longer required, though it might be a bit of a struggle to stuff it into a rear jersey pocket.
and while we're on that particular subject, possibly my sole criticism of the entire garment rests upon zips. the two side vent zips feature cord tabs, easing the process of opening and closing in the heat of battle. however, for reasons that escape me, the rear pocket zip possesses no such tag, making it a harder task than need be, to open and close the pocket both on and off the bike. but i'd happily agree with any interlocutor that this is a highly superficial gripe.
according to showers pass, the cloudburst hoodie is aimed more at the running fraternity than at the cyclist; i couldn't run the length of myself, so i cannot verify that contention, but i do think it's an ideal fit for any cyclist who considers him or herself to live independently of the peloton. the fabric comprises three-layer, waterproof, breathable eliteair construction, with a soft, brushed outer making it an ideal choice for the daily commute. the hood can be tightened around your visage by means of an elasticated drawstring, and fits comfortably under a helmet. all seams are fully taped and the full-length front zip is aided and abetted by a storm flap.
the breathability of the garment turned out to be better than hoped, put to the test on a dry and uncommonly warm ride to lagavulin distillery last friday afternoon. its choice was encouraged by a forecast that showed appreciable rain en-route that utterly failed to materialise, replaced by wall to wall sunshine, little wind, and somewhat unseasonal temperatures of 15 degrees celcius. i had also opted for the hoodie because i was to have the company of others during a guided tour and tasting (the latter politely declined) at the distillery; its orangeness may be bright, but its disposition allowed me to merge with my fellow civilians, the relative looseness of fit encouraging a relaxed demeanour while sat in a cool, dark warehouse filled with whisky casks.
it has accompanied me through a wide variety of weather conditions, fulfilling its destiny with aplomb, while keeping me highly visible. and though its predestination as a runner's garment would tend to suggest that off-the-bike has been taken into account, my wearing it as a regular pedestrian, confirmed that outlook. the sleeves are of a well-adjudged length, finished with elasticated cuffs to ease over those of a pair of gloves. and even though i consider at least a part of my job description to poke and prod for gaps in the continuum, other than the aforementioned rear pocket zip, i could find none.
there is cycling apparel that is designed for the speedy, obviating any perceived level of flappage while proffering a degree of aero that might convince of the ability to fly. but for the rest of us, there are perhaps more pragmatic concerns, and concerns that include a style that gives lie to the conceit that cycling (or running) demands garments of special persuasions. the showers pass cloudburst hoodie is one that could be comfortably and confidently worn by anyone with scarce interest in either sport. but assuming you have one foot in either, this is the cream of the crop.
the showers pass cloudburst hoodie is available in mandarin (as reviewed), poseidon blue and black, in sizes ranging from small to xxl (medium size reviewed). cost is £195.
showers pass cloudburst hoodie
monday 3 april 2023
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................oblique strategies
in the 1960s, zenit cameras made their way into the photographer's lexicon with a verisimilitude of the leica single lens reflex, but at a somewhat lower price point. the ability to achieve the latter was likely due to financial support from the russian government, allowing zenit to nab a percentage of market share along with sterling and dollars to aid their own economy. i have no evidence that they subsequently raised the price of their cameras, having gained even a small foothold in the western market.
however, the latter strategy directly pertains to the likes of kia, skoda and dacia, all of whom began life in the western world with solid, and economic, if less than aesthetically pleasing vehicles. their hard-won foothold in the western psyche allowed them subsequently to slowly raise their prices and modernise their cars to the extent that all three of the above are now commonly seen on britain's roads, accepted every bit as much as fiat, ford, volkswagen and audi, to name but a few.
such strategies are hardly exclusive to the motoring and photographic industries, for precisely the same catalogue of events transpired within that of the drum industry, one with which i am, perhaps, better informed. tama began life as hoshino, a budget brand that allowed many young and aspirational drummers to acquire a complete and relatively decent-sounding drumset within their limited budget. pearl drums arrived from japan on western shores in a similar manner, grabbing market share before easing up the prices and the quality until such time as they are now both regarded as major players in the drum world, with their top range offerings every bit as pricey as the world's established brands.
there is, of course, nothing wrong with any of the above approaches; market forces, arguably offering the photographer/driver/drummer on the street more choice at a variety of amenabe price points. but though there may be similar examples within the cycle industry, to be honest, i'm hard pressed to think of one. however, the bicycle industry does have something in common, but rather than attempting to outsell their competitors, the object of their own oblique strategies appears to be you and i.
as with many strains of contemporary life, fashion is often at the root of so-called innovation. where once we were satisfied with a new (probably steel) bicycle to keep until death us do part, modern marketing techniques are designed to undermine this degree of satisfaction and encourage more frequent purchases, often based on colour, reputed technical advancement, or possibly even peer pressure.
for instance, now that steel is a highly niche market, having been all but subsumed by carbon, the introduction of the disc-brake paradigm can only have helped sell more bicycles, if purely on the basis that neither carbon nor aluminium can be retrofitted with the bracketage required for hydraulic calipers. and though bicycle componentry is merely a subset of bicycle manufacture, it can readily be seen as something of a symbiotic relationship. however, there is possibly worse to come.
while i have been guilty of promulgating similar conspiracy theories on many a previous occasion, i cannot take sole credit for what follows. though it slips seamlessly into my own conspiratorial world, i cannot deny that the perspective offered by rivendell cycles', grant petersen (effectively a more curmudgeonly version of yours truly), seems eminently perspicacious. in a recent blog which began with an understanding of the current, over-stocked plight of the world's bicycle manufacturers, he has possibly put his finger on an industry strategy that has crept up unannounced.
i mentioned only a day or so ago, the latest derailleur offering from the sram corporation, one designed to fit only frames possessing through axles, to which mr petersen refers as 'donut-shaped dropouts'. the principal thrust of the marketing campaign accompanying this release, aside from the reputed indestructability of the device, is its obviating any need for a separate gear hanger, a harmless device that has savd many from trashing a favoured frame. however, the electronic nature of the system, matched by both shimano and campagnolo (though the latter seems still happily entrenched in the mechanical world too), according to mr petersen - and i find it hard to argue with his conjecture - this brings cycle componentry into line with the electronics industry. to quote, "Its goal is to get you to switch-and-'upgrade' your bicycle as often as you do your office equipment and software and hand-held devices."
i'm sure many would disagree with this appraisal, contending that, even if true, there is no compulsion placed upon the velocipedinal world to accede to these less than subtle persuasions. and were that actually true, i'd be joining the naysayers myself. but while the latest from sram currently affects only the offroad brigade, assuming it materially benefits sram's economic strategy, it's highly likely that this particular design innovation will begin to spread far and wide. and that will ultimately entail that those of us who'd prefer to stick to rim brakes, who'd prefer to have no truck with electronics, will lose the option so to do. of course, i own a steel bicycle that sports a pair of rim brakes, and according to my continual monologue, it's a material that will outlast me; so why should i worry?
i'll let grant petersen explain. "The bigger concern (or, selling point according to some), (is) that you set up and adjust your shifting with an app on your phone.
"Who can love bikes and love that? The beauty of a bike is how much it can do with simple, visible, mechanisms you work with fingers and legs. You kick them into action and get the feedback and adjust along the way. What's not fantastic about THAT? How is it improved with electronics? How much is any ride improved by electronic derailers (sic)? The question isn't "why do you like it?" It's how is a ride improved by it?
you can read grant petersen's original blog post here.
photo: rivendell bicycles.
sunday 2 april 2023
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................burning issue
with little experience of nocturnal motoring habits outwith my own little corner of scotland, i can only assume that the so-called, boy-racers (with the occasional girl added in to maintain parity), are not an isolated case confined to the principality. usually heard after the hours of darkness, the sound of screaming engines, pursued to the upper extent of each gear change, i doubt i'm entering uncharted territory by conjecturing that these vehicles have been modified in some way or another not only to achieve such untoward (and probably illegal) speeds, but to provide an accompanying audible indication of same.
generally, i'd imagine that only ferraris, porsches and aston martins and their sporting brethren are designed to sound that way straight off the showroom floor. in several instances, i do wonder whether they may be also breaking one or two public nuisance laws along with speed limits. however, to reiterate, i think it more than possible that this particular situation is one that features in pretty much every neighbourhood across the nation, for reasons that totally escape me. it's quite possible that driving loud and fast is intended to impress; i'm just not sure who.
judging by the number of vehicles seen during daylight hours, the idea of taking a bog-standard hatch or saloon car, adding apparently sporty features to the body shell, while either tuning the engine to travel faster than intended, or adding a drainpipe exhaust to simply provide an audible verisimilitude, is a common, if potentially expensive pastime for junior members of society. while i would love to appear morally indignant or outraged, as cyclists, we might need to look a tad closer to home.
though the untrammeled speed is rarely an unintended, or even deliberate result, upgrading to campagnolo record and a pair of bora carbon wheels to my steel ritchey could possibly be considered remarkably similar behaviour. in common with the previously alluded to, car bodykits, a twelve-speed record groupset and reputedly aero wheels would surely present the uninitiated with the impression that i am some sort of animal in the saddle. and we all know how false that is.
however, as far as bicycles are concerned, upgrades such as that described above are, to all intents, perfectly benign. it may offer the impression of speed, without any danger of that actually happening. if need be, should greater evidence be desired, it would be simplicity itself to fasten a pair of tri-bars to the front, while a number attached to the seatpost would complete the charade that i am of a professional standard. the reason that few of us actually do so is entirely at the behest of the velocipedinal cognoscenti, who would take great pleasure at laughing in our faces. perhaps the same could be said for bona-fide racing drivers confornted by a vauxhall astra with a matt-black windscreen and a loud exhaust.
however, as in most cases, there is an upper limit of what ought to be attempted, particularly when e-bikes are part of the equation. aside from performing software hacks to allow the motor to exceed the legal uk maximum of 25kph, there's the not insignificant matter of tinkering with either or both the battery or electric motor. the only danger of my being seen with carbon aero wheels and a tri-bar is the possibility of cracked ribs from laughing too much.
but despite the coroner's case still underway, london fire brigade have been given leave to talk about a recent case of a fire caused by a lithium-ion e-bike battery which not only caused a building fire, but the death of a 21 year-old. the london brigade has launched a #chargesafe campaign to educate the public on safe use of e-bikes and e-scooters, warning against the dangers of charging, storing and most importantly, modifying e-bikes and their batteries. the above mentioned fatal fire is only one instance amongst an increasing number of "...extremely serious fires" involving this parrticular type of battery.
caledonian macbrayne will not allow any electric vehicle aboard its ferries where the battery appears likely to give problems. a tesla sat at port askaig pier on islay for several days, unable to be leave the island due to reported battery irregularities. i'd not be surprised to learn of other carriers implementing similar restrictions. according to the london fire brigade, they are called to an e-bike or e-scooter fire every two days, demonstrating a 60% increase year on year. of course, this increase may be due to a greater preponderance of battery powered micromobiles, but it's a concern that seems unlikely to subside in the short-term.
according to the bicycle association, the fire services are attributing the increase in battery fires to improperly used e-bike conversion kits, batteries and chargers purchased online from unverified and unregulated sources, rather than complete bicycles from reputable suppliers. if you value your own safety, along with that of others, please refrain from attempting to modify standard bicycles into e-bikes or attempt any unqualified electrical modifications to an e-bike. but if you must, make sure you know what you're purchasing, where your purchasing from and if you harbour any doubts over such modifications, ask your local bike shop to carry out the conversion or upgrade. it's not scaremongering; it's actually happening.
friday 31 march 2023
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................identity crisis
the advent of the public internet in the mid to late nineties brought with it a confusing level of necessary abbreviations, the majority of which were inscrutable to its new audience. having been developed from a means of using computers to communicate military ideals, the legacy of this meant that it still bore terminology used by the computer scientists and technologists who invented and implemented the original arpanet. but for joe public, there was much about which to become confused.
for instance, what we might nowadays refer to as a web address, was originally couched in the three letters url. and very disappointingly, learning what those three letters represented was no more enlightening than they were by themselves. after all were i to invite you to visit my uniform resource locator, i'd imagine there would be more than just a few quizzically shaped brows. similarly the initial part of that url, most often hidden by present day web browsers, but still there nonetheless, is the abbreviation http, or more likely https. in the latter case, the letter 's' stands for secure, but the preceding instances refer to the hyper text transfer protocol used to ensure some degree of standardisation for viewing web pages in a web browser. and by and large, those web pages display some form of html, or hyper text markup language.
you can perhaps understand my point about being none the wiser on learning as to what those abbrevations actually refer.
it would be pushing the definition a tad too far, to refer to such technology-speak as colloquialisms, but in a sense, that's just what they are. and we, as cyclists are little better, though most of our terminology is a smidgeon less obscure. as advised on several occasions, i have adhered to the description coined by a friend of mine many years ago, when asked to describe of just what thewashingmachinepost was likely to consist each day. he said that it described road bike culture, probably the most apt description i've witnessed across the many years of scribbling.
but it's the term road bike that seems to cause the greatest concern amongst the great unwashed. 'surely', i have been asked, 'all bikes are road bikes?' a query that is often difficult to answer with any satisfactory degree of clarity. mountain bikes, though rarely seen anywhere near a mountain, can also be described as offroad bikes, a description that brokers little in the way of contradiction. for though many can be seen heading to school, work or the shops, ostensibly their design is prioritised to cope with trails that are bereft of tarmac.
however, patience and understanding from both parties will frequently result in some sort of agreement over the term road bike, even by those who thought wout van aert was something to be seen in a belgian gallery. but recent recognition that tyre rolling resistance might not actually be reduced by a downward trend in the width, but perhaps heading in the opposite direction, has meant that there are now road bikes sold with tyre widths close to those standardised by the uci for cyclocross racing. granted, they rarely feature the tread patterns discussed at length by cyclocross commentators, but nonetheless.
so are all the genres of bicycles in danger of becoming one? for you and i, that might not prove too much of a problem, but it sure as heck would affect the bottom line of the world's bicycle manufacturers. at present, each of those would dearly love that we arm our n+1 with a road bike, a mountain bike, a cyclocross bike, a commuting bike and a gravel bike. if one machine could provide the advantages of each of the above...
yet despite that being the end of the world as they know it, it's just possible they're attempting, perhaps unknowingly, to achieve that very outcome. i have, across many daily monologues, continually queried the necessity of the gravel bike, a style that would and could be quite happily fulfilled by cyclocross machinery. several manufacturers have created gravel machines to suit the concomitant invention of bikepacking, festooned with bike bags and rack mounts, while others have headed down the road (pun intended) of designing essentially road bikes with greater tyre clearance. but, until now at least, many gravel bikes have only skimmed the edges of what a flat bar, rigid mountain bike would find itself capable.
until taipei 2023.
at this international show, ending only last weekend, and despite having been previously announced, giant bicycles displayed their revolt x range, headlined as the gravel crusher. with models featuring both alloy and carbon framesets and sporting 45mm tyres on 700c wheels, the revolt x would appear to be capable of emulating road, cross and, to an extent, mtb. however, bringing it even closer to the latter, giant have equipped the revolt with a rockshox ruby front suspension fork, offering 40mm travel. until now, gravel bikes have been employed in a wide variety of offroad races over curated gravel parcours which rarely seem to call for any form of mechanical suspension. the revolt's release would encourage us to think that perhaps giant's customers are a tad more adventurous than the average gravel rider?
at the risk of being thought overly facetious, remember when we just used to go for a bike ride?
thursday 30 march 2023
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................typecasting
we are, as a species, an impressionable bunch, apparently prone to poking and prodding in pre-determined directions, often unaware that such machinations are taking place in the first place. if i might presage my velocipedinal discussion with, as is often the case, reference to matters percussive, it might serve no purpose whatsoever. but what the heck. in both cases, however, branding is at the forefront of the conversation, no matter which subject heading is pertinent at the time.
cymbals are an almost essential part of any drummer's or percussionist's armament, the variations of which are entirely dependent on need, preference or blatant showing-off. personally, apart from a pair of vintage k zildjian hi-hat cymbals, my cymbal stands are home to several italian, hand-made cymbals originating from pistoia-based ufip. my jazz aspirations have equipped me with several examples that would prove a fruitless exploration for heavier styles of music, but since it is the latter that i am most often called upon to perform, it will come as little surprise that i also possess a comprehensive selection capable of fulfilling that function.
when i began my nascent drumming career, there were, in effect, only two options: zildjian or swiss-made paiste. life can only be harder for the modern-day percussionist, with far more brands available on the market, all of which offer impressive, if frequently confusing ranges of metal plates. the brand which most infects my daily ruminations on youtube, is that of germany's meinl, a firm which also sports several quality percussion instruments, such as congas, tambourines, cowbells etc. possibly their highest profile endorser is austrian-born drummer, thomas lang, a man with more technique in his little finger than i have across all four limbs.
and though cymbals from the fifties and sixties were mostly devoid of significant logos, a bit like those large aero downtubes on today's carbon bicycles, their modern counterparts feature large, often brightly coloured emblazonments. and though this doubtless says more about me than about them, despite knowing that judgment ought best be from a sonic perspective, i cannot bring myself to even consider purchase of any of their cymbals, because i find the meinl logo thoroughly unpalatable.
i like the ufip, zildjian and paiste logos, i seriously dislike those of sabian and stagg, and the jury is still out on those adorning istanbul cymbals. but, as a hopefully intelligent bloke, i'm more than well aware that those are remarkbly foolish judgements that are totally disconnected from tangible reality. yet, none are based on what i might refer to as one-upmanship. few of those to whom i play have the faintest interest in what cymbals adorn my drumset. and amongst fellow musicians, there is generally respect for individual choice, approbation usually being conferred on ability.
no doubt this apprehension of human behaviour is spread far and wide, applicable to far more genres than cycling and drumming. but it is cycling with which we are most concerned, and to a certain extent, how the non-cycling aspects might impact upon our enjoyment thereof.
though i have long been a fan and wearer of endura cycle clothing, i harboured a certain reticence to wear their seemingly defunct equipe range, the logo for which i felt did neither they nor i, any favours. and in that particular vein, there have been a number of garmentage providers surfacing over the last couple of decades, the branding of which has, in my humble opinion, left a great deal to be desired.
in many strains of commerce, branding is often an afterthought, one that may live long enough to be regretted. by comparison, consider the apple computer logo, so well recognised across the world, that they have no need to accompany it with any text above their apple stores. shell petroleum could probably say the same. but there are practical considerations to made in choosing suitable branding, dependent entirely on to what use any logo may be put. take isadore for instance, the brainchild of former professional cyclists, martin and peter velits, the logo for which has just been redesigned by andrej&andrej studio.
there will be many of you unaware of the company's original branding, while others will scarcely have heard of isadore at all, so why would they bother redesigning a logo probably seen only by a dedicated few? does it really make any appreciable difference? sometimes not. advertising and communications company tmp worldwide recently changed not only their branding, but the name too. now known as peoplescout, neither of those monikers give much of a clue as to the company's core business, and, as far as i'm aware, make little or no difference to those interacting with the company on a regular basis. as far as i can see, the only tangible difference is the expense incurred in redesigning and printing their stationary, and website.
isadore's reasoning is based more on pragmatism. the original logo, which appears on a pair of gloves in my possession, was based on a calligraphic script, the thin lines of which were apparently apt to stretch and distort where applied on the clothing. its design also, reputedly, required to be applied at relatively small size, potentially losing them visibility within the market. and as i'd be happy to concur, script type tends to be a tad difficult to incorporate with other typefaces used in day to day communications. additionally, if the new logo becomes stretched when seen on the clothing, it still recognisably says isadore.
but it's not only the type logo that has been the subject of revision. much of their marketing material has also undergone a sensitive transformation, though i do wonder if i'm the only one who sees a certain resemblance to that once employed by a notable competitor?
it's not always all about the bike.
wednesday 29 march 2023
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................wout and about
a bit like the bermuda triangle, the road world champion's jersey harbours mysteries all of its own, becoming a white feather talisman for a select few, yet bringing down the curtain on the careers of many others. it has been summarised as 'the curse of the rainbow stripes', lauded at the point of championship victory, before serving as a jersey-shaped lead weight during the following season for the hapless victor. whether there is indeed any scourge attached to the uci jersey is highly doubtful, but the supposed curse has been witnessed often enough to enforce/enhance its derogatory reputation.
there is, however, an almost parallel blight, that pertains solely to belgian cyclists: being declared the 'new eddy merckx'. it's an apellation that i have seen applied to the current belgian tour de force, the inimitable wout van aert, a rider who shares top cyclocross billing with his arch-rival, mathieu van der poel, aided and abetted jonas vingegaard to last year's tour de france yellow jersey, while helping himself to the green jersey in the process. and therein lies the fallacy; wout is not the new eddy merckx, a sentiment with which i'm sure he would agree.
i cannot deny that the sunday morning peloton's age-old motto of 'leave no-one behind' has come under duress at times, predominantly due to the arrival of what i believe would be referred to as 'newbies'. and for those new to the way of the road, even the tempo set by what one of our number referred to as resembling "the riders dropped from a team time-trial", is often a tad on the quick side, to begin with at least. that state of affairs we can and often have, coped with.
however, the ideal is a parabolic curve, whereby the new adherents put in the effort over the weeks, to improve their average speed. this is not purely to satisfy the quicker aspirations of the stalwarts, but to aid health and fitness by becoming stronger as the weeks roll by. continue to pedal at the same pace each and every week definably lowers the purported benefits. of course, there are the ageing pelotonese (pretty much only me, at this point), for whom advancing years have predicated a decrease in overall speed; that doesn't, however, preclude me from giving it as much effort as i think i have available.
there remains, of course, anecdotal evidence of mainland-based cycle clubs where it seems still to be a case of survival of the fittest. in other words, if you get dropped, then make your own way home. in such cases, you either train like a pro to avoid the ignominy of being left to your own devices, or you find another activity in which to participate. and therein lies the kernel. because there is a distinct difference between adopting an activity such as cycling, and apprehending it as a sport. there is a common lack of distinction between the two, even at the behest of cycling organisations who laud the implementation of cycling facilities as essential to the continuation of the sport. i doubt i need point out that the majority riding on cycle tracks will have little or no interest in racing, or even participation in sportives.
however, the word sport brings with it connotations that often seem absent in the professional milieu. there is a difference between sporting prowess and sporting (or sportsman-like) gestures, despite the over-arching point of competition being to win. sometimes at all costs.
eddy merckx, by all accounts, while on his bicycle, was rarely sporting; not for nothing was he nicknamed the cannibal', predominantly on the basis that he wanted (needed?) to win every race for which he entered. in common with lord voldemort, there were no presents; if able to win, eddy certainly would. and while that has resulted in any number of books about his incredible palmares and achievements, it's unlikely that he would be held up as the prime example of sportsmanship, depending, of course, on your own definition of the word.
but should we, as members of the cognoscenti, wish to impress upon the up and coming, that cycling as a sport is one to which they may wish to attach their affiliations, there can be few present-day paragons worthy of being held up as prime examples, than wout van aert. aside from his aforementioned place as aide de combat in last year's tour, gifting the victory at gent-wevelghem on sunday to team-mate, christophe laporte, despite having proved to be far the stronger of the two, is, to encapsulate in a single word: sportsmanship.
and probably an act of sporting generosity at which eddy is still shaking his head.
(none of this is to imply that other sports do not also feature similar moments, but, very unsportingly, that's not really of our concern.)
tuesday 28 march 2023
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................