“The tone of our message isn’t suitable”: Police delete tweet about “Lycra-clad cyclist”; Mask mandate back at Giro d’Italia after Evenepoel withdraws with Covid; Cars queue up at Richmond Park; Weekend round-up + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Choppergate, Ribble delays, "brave" councillor, abusive driver... it's your weekend round up
I was just getting used to the three-day weekends but then the extra holidays had to suddenly stop. It’s back to reality for me, but what better way to start the week than making sure you’re all caught up with the weekend news.
> Councillor encourages cyclists to be “brave” on a 1.2m wide “safe” cycle lane
> UCI “condemns” Giro d’Italia teams using helicopters to shorten post-stage travel
> Three-time Olympic champion Ed Clancy joins police close pass operation
> Ribble Cycles hit by delayed deliveries again as customers complain of poor service
> Cyclist run over by drink driver in shocking footage released by police after man jailed
And of course, this happened too (road.cc may or may not be a Remco fan club, as per yesterday’s allegations, and we may or may not be extremely bummed about this)
Cycling world reacts to Remco Evenepoel's withdrawal from Giro d'Italia after testing positive for Covid
“Not bad for a guy with Covid”
I know Geraint Thomas made these comments for Roglič after stage eight but let me rehash it for yesterday’s events too… (disclaimer: given Jumbo-Visma’s Covid policy and their subsequent replies to media questions it seems unlikely those Roglič rumours are true).
Evenepoel, who beat Geraint Thomas by JUST 0.09 SECONDS at the stage nine time trial, has pulled out of the Italian Grand Tour after testing positive for Covid.
> Remco Evenepoel OUT of Giro d’Italia with Covid
— Remco Evenepoel (@EvenepoelRemco) May 14, 2023
While the “alleged” Remco fan club at road.cc will be “allegedly” disappointed, here are some other reactions from around the world:
Hugely depressing to lose Evenepoel from what was shaping up to be an epic GC battle at the Giro
— William Fotheringham (@willfoth) May 14, 2023
My only question about Evenepoel’s abandon is why the team and the rider didn’t wait until tomorrow to give the bad news. Announcing in the middle of the night, before the rest day that the Maglia Rosa abandons the Giro feels pretty surreal. #Giro
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) May 14, 2023
And this from the road.cc comments section:
List of full riders to pull from the Giro due to Covid:
Riders to have tested positive for 💉Covid-19 during the 🇮🇹Giro d’Italia so far:
🇧🇪Remco Evenepoel
🇨🇴Rigoberto Uran
🇮🇹Filippo Ganna
🇫🇷Clement Russo
🇮🇹Nicola Conci
🇮🇹Giovanni AleottiWishing every single one of them a speedy recovery!
— Stats Goddess – Dani (@Stats_Goddess) May 14, 2023
Although this does have the potential to make things more interesting. Ineos Grenadiers’ Geraint Thomas now leads the GC and will wear the maglia rosa tomorrow, with Roglič just two seconds behind him. But just three seconds further behind him is Thomas’ teammate Geoghegan Hart. Besides, Ineos Grenadiers have a got a total of five riders in the top 15, who are not going to make it easy for Jumbo Visma and the Slovenian.
But hey, we’ve got a Welshman leading the Giro, I can’t complain too much.
Geraint Thomas congratulates Evenepoel on the time trial victory... before becoming the leader of Giro d'Italia!
If there was a genie who could grant you the power to slow down someone with your eyes, Thomas would have been made a deal with it in an instant.
Ahhh that was close. Happy with the ride but gutted not to finally get a Giro stage win. Congrats @EvenepoelRemco #littlebastard pic.twitter.com/WMH8a0fwDU
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) May 14, 2023
The 2018 Tour de France winner had to say goodbye to teammate Filippo Ganna with Covid as well a few days ago.
Green Park Bike Station launches fundraiser
If you didn’t know, the building that houses our parent company F-At Digital, has been off access as a result of a fire at the end of last month. Fortunately, we didn’t face any harm, but by the looks of it, the building is going to stay shut down by the end of this month, and it’s affecting the businesses in the area…
Green Park Bike Station, a bike service and hire shop next to our office in Bath has launched a fundraiser forced by the enforced closure, and Tomas Jenkins is appealing for whatever assistance small or otherwise you can give.
“The timing couldn’t be worse as bike hire and servicing were just hitting their usual seasonal peak. We only get 5-6 months in the bike shop to make or break the year and this one’s really broken things.”
So if you want to help out a local Bath bike business, here’s your nudge.
"Special gift from Demi"? Reusser wins Itzulia Women and thanks Vollering for victory
Vollering has had a fine spring this season, winning the prestigious Ardennes triple crown and becoming only the second woman to do so. However, at last week’s opening Grand Tour of the season, Vuelta Femenina, she had a near miss after a strange controversy, and had even said that she was “hungry for revenge”…
However, after winning the first two stages at Itzulia, in the final 13km of the last stage, SD Worx’s Reusser took off and finished 2 minutes and 38 seconds ahead of her teammate, passing Vollering in the general classification.
After Vollering crossed the line, Reusser embraced her with a tight hug and said: “Thank you so much, I know you offered this to me, like a gift.”
“You could’ve ridden, you know that,” she told Vollering.
Reusser continued: “It’s really a team effort and Demi is so strong. Demi is my winner. I think it was a little bit of a gift for me.”
“At the team meeting I asked Demi what if I won GC over her making the other teams react to our actions. Demi said yes. She was the strongest on the day and could have won but gave me the win. That’s a Champion. Today was a special gift from Demi.” #ItzuliaWomen2023 #ItzuliaWomen pic.twitter.com/VT0Dq8gA35
— Phillip Martindale (@phillipm61) May 14, 2023
Vollering simply shook her head and denied it with a smile.
Is this going to spark a “Queenmaker” debate this time? Earlier in March, Wout van Aert’s decision to gift the win to loyal teammate Christophe Laporte at Gent Wevelgem sparked discussion about when races should be ‘gifted’.
On the one hand, former cobbled classics titan Fabian Cancellara praised Van Aert’s generosity, which the retired Swiss rider claimed “elevated” his standing as a true champion. And, as others online pointed out, one victory at Gent-Wevelgem will mean a lot more to Christophe Laporte than a second win in the race would mean to Van Aert’s career.
> No Gifts: Where do you stand on the whole ‘Wout van Aert as kingmaker at Gent-Wevelgem’ debate?
Some onlookers, however, such as Belgian cycling luminaries Eddy Merckx and Tom Boonen, were more critical of Van Aert, and argued that a major one-day classic should never be decided on a whim.
Something tells us this one won’t be quite so controversial… chapeau, Demi and Marlen…
"It's not a 9-5 job": Quick-Step boss Lefevere defends Evenepoel's decision to withdraw from Giro as the Belgian heads home
The former Belgian cyclist and Soudal Quick-Step manager Patrick Lefevere loves a bit of controversy, doesn’t he?
While fans were pleading for him to “shut up forever” in February, after he claimed that the women’s side of the sport is “being pushed artificially” and that many pros “are not worth” the current minimum wage set by the UCI, he might be on to something good this time.
Responding to a Dutch journalist’s on whether riders should have to abandon the race if they have little or no symptoms of Covid, Lefevere said: “Yes, Raymond. You never know what’s going on under the skin. It’s not a 9-5 job. Zero risk.”
Ja Raymond. Je weet nooit wat er onderhuids gebeurt. Het is geen 9-5 job. Geen enkel risico https://t.co/xKug7qf0mB
— Patrick Lefevere (@PatLefevere) May 14, 2023
A few people had already remarked that Evenepoel looked “fazed” and not his best self after the time trial, with the Belgian also complaining of a blocked nose.
Latest reports from Italy suggest that Evenepoel has left the camp today morning and is on his way back home.
Heal up, champ 💪
We and the #Giro are going to miss you, but we’re sure more opportunities to show yourself will come sooner or later!
Photo: @BeelWout pic.twitter.com/Hm24r5tAcL
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) May 15, 2023
"Is this an acceptable way to run your nature reserve?": Royal Parks questioned as cars queue up at Richmond Park
Active travel campaigner Charlotte Baker was out for a family ride, including her 65-year-old mother at London’s Richmond Park on Sunday, expecting to spend a sunny day out amidst the greenery of the nature reserve, but a lot of other people didn’t share this feeling.
Usual ridiculous queue of cars at every car park in Richmond Park today 🚗 🚗 🚗
Cyclists having to filter down the middle to get through.@theroyalparks – how on earth do you think this is an acceptable way to run your nature reserve?@RichmondPkCycle @RichmondCycling pic.twitter.com/D7NMsStD1h
— Charlotte Baker (@charlie_baker23) May 14, 2023
It would seem that Royal Parks, the body that manages several parks in the capital, including Hyde Park, Green Park, and St James’s Park, is more interested in introducing10mph speed limits for cyclists between Broomfield Hill car park and Robin Hood Gate roundabout, or making changes to the road layout leaving it “unusable” for cyclists.
Following Baker’s post, cyclists have once again called for banning cars and stopping the nature reserve being overrun by drivers using it to drive through to other places.
Agreed! I was literally there today, …. Saw bikes going down the middle… car parks full…. Was mind boggling. One of the most beautiful parks in our city… country even…. With cars in it…. #why?? pic.twitter.com/3eZ76g0hPy
— Tarn Usher 💙 (@Ushert) May 14, 2023
Not sure what’s sadder. Drivers who must motor to Richmond Park and who gladly bring congestion & pollution or @theroyalparks preserving their Ham bypass by keeping Kingston-Richmond gates open to cars 7 days/week 364 days/year. Both are tragic & absurd. 🚗💨🚗💨 @theroyalparks
— Piggy Stardust (@EnemyCoastAhead) May 14, 2023
Another good reason to ban cars from Richmond Park – each year drivers kill 5-10 park deer & injure goodness knows how many more.
— EricEatsPickles 🚲 (@EricEatsPickles) May 14, 2023
They're back! Covid masks are now mandatory at Giro d'Italia after Evenepoel tests positive
After world champion Remco Evenepoel became the sixth rider in the peloton to pull out of the Italian Grand Tour, with Ineos Grenadiers’ Filippo Ganna also withdrawing last week on home soil, Giro d’Italia organisers have confirmed today that they will be reintroducing the COVID-19 facemasks mandate.
Italian news agency ANSA have reported that race director Mauro Vegni announced the move at Scandiano near Reggio Emilia as the Giro went into its first rest day.
They said: “In the light of the latest developments concerning positive tests results on some riders, the Direction of the Giro d’Italia informs that wearing a face mask will be compulsory in all areas of contact with the riders.”
The areas in which the obligation will be enforced include, but are not limited to team buses parking, podium and finish-line areas, post-race mixed zone; finish line area, as well as during press conferences and anti-doping control checks.
At the start of the 2023 season, the UCI stripped back their COVID-19 rules, with teams and race organisers following suit. However, the U-turn in policy has been caused after cases began rising in the peloton, with many testing positive even before the race began.
> Giulio Ciccone out of Giro d’Italia as COVID-19 cases in the peloton begin to mount up
Jumbo Visma were forced to drop two of their riders before the start, with world time trial champion Tobias Foss and experienced campaigner Robert Gesink — a third of Primož Roglič’s first-choice support crew for his GC challenge. Then a day later, they had to drop van Emden as well after a positive Covid test.
Bahrain-Victorious’ also got caught up, with their Swiss hope Gino Mäder also getting ruled out of the Giro d’Italia following a positive Covid test on the same day.
Green spaces and 120 miles of cycling and walking routes pledged in "most ambitious plan in a century"... but Mail claims "now Birmingham wages war on motorists"
Council dismisses complaint about taxi mounting the pavement, instead blames the person for stopping and taking a photograph
We’ve received an email from a road.cc reader who complained to Sefton council about a taxi driver blocking the pavement. They wrote in the email: “This obstruction poses a significant inconvenience and safety hazard to pedestrians, especially those with limited mobility or pushing strollers.
“It is both disheartening and frustrating to witness the blatant disregard for pedestrian safety exhibited by this particular taxi driver. The regular blocking of the pavement not only forces pedestrians onto the road, exposing them to potential accidents, but also creates an atmosphere of disrespect for pedestrians’ rights and well-being.”
Now, Sefton Council has replied to the person with the following message:
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention, however I fail to see how it is causing an inconvenience and safety hazard to an empty street. The ONLY pedestrians anywhere near the vehicle are the passengers getting out. The fact that you also stopped on the street to take the photograph, could also be considered an obstruction. I’m sure you wouldn’t expect the driver to drop the passengers 100’s of yards away from their chosen destination.”
The person wrote: “Such a belittling and dismissive response from Sefton Council regarding the taxi complaint.”
"Ciao Giro": road.cc bids goodbye to Remco Evenepoel's Giro d'Italia Strava updates
Giro will miss Remco and Remco will miss Giro, but road.cc will miss his Strava updates. Today, we celebrate his final post from the Italian Grand Tour. (disclaimer: contains strong language, parental advisory recommended)
The world champion, who tested positive for Covid and had complained of a blocked nose after the stage, won the race by nine hundredths of a second, beating out Ineos Grenadiers’ Geraint Thomas.
Evenepoel despite not being at his best, which even he admitted in the post-race interviews, managed to grab two KOMs, completing the 35km course in 41:26 at an average pace of 50.4km/h.
“Not bad for a guy with Covid”? (Yes, I’m going to run it to the ground)
"Is this a joke?": Cyclists dismayed at council's idea for painted cycle lanes where segregated infrastructure was controversially ripped out
"The tone of our message isn't suitable": Police delete tweet about "Lycra-clad cyclist"
Hampshire Police have come under fire for a weirdly-worded tweet update.
In a now deleted tweet, the roads policing unit said: “The residents of Martyr Worthy raise concerns of speeding through their village. Speed enforcement is carried out this morning – justified with speeds up to 47 in a 30. Helpfully, a Lycra clad cyclist wanted to know if we had anything better to do…..”
I know, it’s difficult to ignore the snark and everyone’s favourite adjective for cyclists, the Clarkson special ‘Lycra clad’.
The unit have deleted the original tweet, and posted the following reply under:
(2 of 2)
So it’s disappointing when people challenge why we are doing this work.
However, the tone of our message isn’t suitable so I intend to delete and we will re-tweet shortly. Id like to reassure you that I will discuss this with my team.#SgtChris
— Hampshire Roads Policing Unit (@HantsPolRoads) May 14, 2023
I can’t tell what tipped them off about the unsuitability of the message.
Definitely not this reply: “Shame your good work is criticised by the “politically correct” brigade. If indeed the cyclist was wearing lycra, then surely it’s factually correct. Some people need to get a life.”
If the police were really flagging off drivers speeding in a 30mph zone, why should they be concerned by the words of a couple-odd cyclists? Beats me.
15 May 2023, 08:26
15 May 2023, 08:26
15 May 2023, 08:26
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Latest Comments
@chrisonabike The only way the next iteration of beings will value the world is if that attitude improves your chances of mating. Ladies, I REALLY value the world we inhabit😊
Well now, let's not be hasty. We should get the views of a range of audiences first. For instance, how's it gone down with readers in the Surrey area?
I can't find these on Lezyne's site, not even in among the legacy/discontinued products.
"Confusing name - "Elite" and "Pro" not meaning top end" There is method to the madness. Challenge uses "Elite" to designate second-tier tyres with intermediate thread counts. "Elites" is also the top amateur rank recognised by a few continental European federations, I believe that's the inspiration for the name. Challenge uses "Pro" to designate tyres with open tubular construction. They lie above the vulcanised tyres, that Challenge calls "Race".
Suggest you pull this article, fix it, then bin it.
@ajd As well as confusing George Orwell with Orson Wells - clearly not proof read (at least, not by a different person)
@mdavidford One assumes it's referencing Nancy Mitford's famous "Noblesse Oblige" with its concept of U and non-U language, U being upper class and non-U the more flowery attempts to sound posh from the middle classes. I recall her decreeing that bicycle and bike were U and cycle was non-U, though she was of course a little early to rule on the difference between ATB and MTB.
On the subject of mountain biking, terrific rides by Tom Pidcock and Charlie Aldridge to take gold and silver in the UCI World Championships yesterday.
Most puzzlingly: Firstly for the closing off of parentheses twice, but also, who are these people "in the U"? Is this some kind of slang the kids are using that I'm not down with?
37 thoughts on ““The tone of our message isn’t suitable”: Police delete tweet about “Lycra-clad cyclist”; Mask mandate back at Giro d’Italia after Evenepoel withdraws with Covid; Cars queue up at Richmond Park; Weekend round-up + more on the live blog”
Remco’s withdrawal, unwelcome
Remco’s withdrawal, unwelcome news as it is, does now leave the Giro wide open with three GT winners topping the standings. So that should be interesting.
I suppose his +ve test explains Remco’s lack of sparkle on the last two stages. I did King Alfred’s Way last October and each day felt fatigued and not as happy as I’d hoped to be. Two days after I got back I tested +ve for covid.
Agreed. Whilst Roglic is not
Agreed. Whilst Roglic is not looking out of sorts, he is not yet showing the imperious form that he won the Vuelta with. He is outgunned with Ineos having a near-full strength squad and a number of GC options, whilst Roglic’s Domestique team are not all big riders, however has been playing mind games throughout the first week. Add in a few wildcard riders such as Almeida, Vlasov and Kamna, who could capitalise on any errors or hesitation still within close contention, it will be down to the wire.
It’s strange how Covid can affect you without realising. I had it in September, and I was unusually short of breath on the day before I tested positive after a relatively gentle commute. It hit properly soon after, and it took me about 6-8 weeks for my breathing and heart rate to normalise.
Covid is a funny thing, seems
Covid is a funny thing, seems far more random in its effects on people than the colds and flu so many anti-vaxers/brexiters/rim-brake users (just kidding!) say it’s the same as.
Am I old fashioned? Wanted
Am I old fashioned? Wanted some more swarfega but first shop in town had none , other shop had never heard of it !
Is there some fancy new product out now ?
I don’t think so, I have it
I don’t think so, I have it myself, and I bought it off the shelf in the local Halfords, so maybe try there.
I knw Screwfix have a wide
I know Screwfix have a wide range of Swarfega products, if you have one nearby. Definitely still made!
Thanks both.
Thanks both.
Ironically, I was not far from a Screwfix when I was thinking about buying some!
(Got it off Amazon in the end).
I thought I might be old fashioned as last month I could not buy an inner tube patch square ( cut to fit ) and it’s all self adhesive now.
being ill always feels bad,
being ill always feels bad, imagine when you are a finely balanced world tour athlete, riding on with fractured bones is known, but not being able to breathe properly would surely have a greater impact. I hope everyone recovers well and has no longer term issues, and lets hope no more of the peleton succumb, though i’m not confident of the latter.
Ribble is a Ryanair of bike
Ribble is a Ryanair of bike retail. People keep complaining but are still happy to put up with the crap to get their bargain?
I’ve had 3 bikes from Ribble.
I’ve had 3 bikes from Ribble. 2 were great experiences, correctly specced on time, great price. The third was a nightmare – wrong size to what was ordered (I ordered the size I;d have the previous 2 times, got something a LOT bigger), spec had been shaved, and delivery was delayed. I was “lucky” I had a trip to Preston office planned and told them I’d be in to pick it up. It wasn’t ready. But I sat in the shop till it was. Later wished I hadn;t bothered. That was 18 years ago and I’ve not bothered since.
“My only question about
“My only question about Evenepoel’s abandon is why the team and the rider didn’t wait until tomorrow to give the bad news. Announcing in the middle of the night, before the rest day that the Maglia Rosa abandons the Giro feels pretty surreal”.
Are they living under a rock? If they hadn’t prepared a statement immediately someone would have spotted something awry and the paparazzi rumour mill would be in full swing. Prying eyes are everywhere in this day and age means the abandon would have been leaked immediately and they would have probably needed to respond quickly in kind.
Also, for once (shockingly), I am in agreement with Lefevre. Even if you have mild to no symptoms, the long term affect of any illness can be detrimental when putting the body through extreme stress such as elite athletic performance. If Evenepoel tried to race on he could do himself some serious damage that would take months to recover from. Better to avoid recovery setbacks and return to racing sooner in top condition.
Like Myocarditis you mean?
Like Myocarditis you mean?
I think that’s a side effect from the vaccine. Shhh about that though because you’ll be smeared as an anti vaxxer.
Wrong.
Wrong.
marmotte27 wrote:
The data is pretty strong now that at least some of the vaccines induce myo-pericarditis at greater rates than covid19 infections, particularly in young fit males.
Moderna appears to be the worst.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8611634/
I have bought three bikes
I have bought three bikes from Ribble, but the last one was 5 years ago. Two were late, one was early. As far as I am concerned, you have to expect some delay given the much-publicised issues with parts etc. Provided you are prepared for it, it’s not a problem and the bkes are great so time your order right and any inconvenience over delivery will be long forgotten after a couple of weeks’ riding. In any case, I know of people who bought a big brand road bike lately from a local dealer and faced similar delays. One friend ordered a Trek Emonda and waited over a year for it.
Quote:
Seems a bit late in the day. Expressions about stable doors and horses come to mind…
brooksby wrote:
Absolutely. No point making UK roads safer for cycling either since ~100 cyclists have already died in the last year (each year, in fact). Might as well not bother.
ShutTheFrontDawes wrote:
Wait – I can catch being run over from other cyclists? Is SMIDSY contagious – are there league tables being set up on electric-car.cc as we speak?
chrisonatrike wrote:
Wait – I can catch being run over from other cyclists? Is SMIDSY contagious – are there league tables being set up on electric-car.cc as we speak?
— ShutTheFrontDawes
The bad news is we probably all already have it as It can lie dormant for years and flare up at any time. Sadly unlike some other viruses no amount of PPE can help avoid it.
You need Big Pharma on the
You need Big Pharma on the SMIDSY issue, they developed a vaccine in record time and that’s worked out well.
Roulereo wrote:
Great idea, once they find out that cyclists are often happy to pay way over the odds they’ll all be rushing to get one to market. Third world cyclists will be out of luck as usual though.
NOtotheEU wrote:
Other than in severely immune-senescent, it does not lie dormant. Rather, it is a fast mutating hCoV RNA virus. And, like the 5 other hCoVs (that we know about – we’ve only recently discovered most of the 5), the data suggests we get reinfected with them about every 2.5 years, median.
This is just a fact of life. You live on a planet that is a biological soup. The very air you breathe – even in _remote areas_ is awash in all kinds of viruses (many of them undescribed by human science!). You WILL get at least 3 or more airborne, respiratory virus infections every year, on average.
That is life. We have no way of avoiding this. Indeed, avoiding it for some time would probably be bad for your health in the longer run.
Whoosh!
Whoosh?
chrisonatrike wrote:
???
NOtotheEU wrote:
Now this epidemiology I can mostly agree with, sadly… I believe there are some benefits to the use of reflective materials but even those are not a guarantee of immunity from the effects of SMIDSY.
Didn’t the vaccine work?
Didn’t the vaccine work?
They need to use triple masks and lockdown the entire race, limit the stages to 5km from their hotel.
Anyway, how dare Remco ride in public knowing he had Covid, he’s killing Grandma.
brooksby wrote:
Masks do not work. The whole “source control” stuff is nonsense. The whole notion that ordinary people, wearing non-fit-tested masks with gaps around the nose often, which they often remove anyway, stops covid is a nonsense.
We have RCTs on this. But people just want to _believe_.
Masks are the lucky sprigs of shamrock and rabbits feet for the Internet generation.
brooksby wrote:
It’s funny, isn’t it? I thought I was making a pertinent comment that introducing a mask mandate after [fill in relevant number] of the riders had tested positive and had to go home seemed a bit late in the day, and that if it was something that bothered them then a mask mandate might have been more effective before all these international teams of riders starting hanging out together. Looking at the replies, clearly I was actually just pouring petrol and lighting a match…
I find it very hard to
I find it very hard to believe that any cyclist would object to police stopping speeding. Must have been one of those fake actors from ABD !
Hirsute wrote:
If it had been Essex rather than Hampshire…
Runners advised to wear
Runners advised to wear helmets!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-65601462
Don’t they know that helmets
Don’t they know that helmets aren’t effective against an articulated lorry driving over your foot at 200mph?
Totally irresponsible of the New Arc Wildlife Centre for suggesting such drivel. I bet they’re not even experts in made-up-helmet-science.
Quote:
Left ear, right ear, left eye, right eye, mouth, does nose count as one hole or two?
So they started off with six (or seven) holes. Technically, I think the buzzards gave them six extra holes.
brooksby wrote:
Are we talking about topological holes? Having a quick look around, there doesn’t seem to be an accepted answer for the genus of a human. There’s complications such as whether the mouth is open or closed and also there can be various piercings which would increase the genus. The simplistic answer is that we’re mainly a doughnut.
Luckily, there’s a VSauce video on the topic, so I’ll have a watch of that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=egEraZP9yXQ
Edit: So far, I’ve learned that using a scale of 60 microns (e.g. imagine a spaceship that can go through holes bigger than 60 microns), the human body is a seven holed doughnut.
Also, supernumerary puncta can add to the number of holes along with accessory ostia (some kind of handbag?).
I believe the bauplan of most
I believe the bauplan of most animals coming after sponges* is a tube (so doughnut) – although possibly bag-forms came first.
* Up until recently the view was that all other animals might be really odd and often rather restless types of sponge.
chrisonatrike wrote:
A friend of mine likes to state that our legs are really just evolved anal fins.
The sponge hypothesis explains why some people are so self-absorbed. Also something, something, Martin Loofah King.
I think a Disney artist did one of those drawings