It’s scorching and the air is thick with the smoke of Canadian wildfires (in addition to the same old smugness that wafts in from up there), so as an alternative of doing something fascinating I’m simply grabbing the closest Fred bike and sweating on it:
Did I point out it’s scorching?
So scorching in actual fact that there was a big snake basking on the trail, which had vanished by the point I circled again to {photograph} it, although thankfully it didn’t find yourself in my drivetrain:
Apparently that’s “the world’s second most venomous snake:”
Japanese brown snakes are extremely venomous and have been dubbed the world’s second most venomous snake. They’re typically a medium-sized species discovered throughout jap Australia in a large stretch from northern Queensland to South Australia. Though brown snakes are the commonest trigger of deadly snake bites within the nation, deaths by bites from any species of snake are uncommon.
So mainly it’s the Jonas Vingegaard of snakes.
Anyway, the state of affairs was clearly dire, and they also needed to name in a Snake Frederica:
The snake catcher Sarah Mailey, who was referred to as to the scene, mentioned liberating the snake from the bike chain was extremely difficult as a result of its higher physique remained fully free.
“Its head wasn’t within the chain so it was free to have the ability to strike her leg,” she mentioned.
Sadly, people who cannot solely deal with snakes however are additionally proficient in trendy gravel drivetrains are fairly uncommon, and so bystanders needed to step in to assist with that second half:
Mailey was finally capable of pin the snake’s head whereas bystanders assisted in disentangling the chain. Police additionally attended the scene on the request of paramedics to make sure public security within the space.
The snake was euthanised attributable to accidents sustained within the ordeal, Mailey mentioned.
Wait a minute.
So Australia mandates helments for all bicycle riders however doesn’t require internally geared hubs or, on the very least, fast hyperlinks to guard its serpentine wildlife from rapacious derailleur programs?!?
Appalling.
Anyway, thankfully for the rider, the snake didn’t handle to get any venom in her when biting her, but when it had after all somebody would have needed to suck out the poison:
Identical to Tour de France riders are sucking down lactate gels:
Hey, did anyone say lactate???
Apparently that jersey was forward of its time.
Some speculate that medication are the one affordable clarification for Pogačar’s otherworldly efficiency, however maybe he’s simply lactating:
Secrecy fuels rumours, together with that one Tour crew has invested closely for unique entry to the ExoLactate Gel. It’s been mooted by some that the crew in query are UAE Staff Emirates-XRG, who reportedly examined it on the Tour de Suisse. There’s additionally grainy footage doing the rounds of Tadej Pogačar consuming a gel with related packaging on the 2026 Tour’s Stage 6 descent of the Col du Tourmalet earlier this week, although that turned out to be an Enervit prototype.
Right here’s a nonetheless from that grainy footage:
In any case, whereas some persons are impressed by a bunch {of professional} athletes using round France for 3 weeks, that’s nothing in comparison with using from India to Sweden simply to “get some:”
Right here’s the preview for the movie:
If solely he’d had entry to a correct gravel bike…
