Don't feel like writing a long piece. Can only mutter some broken thoughts on the following issues:
- Cycling races can be boring, especially Tour races where in most of the stages, cyclists are just content to sit up and let some of the lesser knowns to take a stage victory here and there. But one-day racing is totally different. If you win, you will be crowned champion of that race, and so everyone is mounting attacks after attacks throughout the race. And last Sunday's World Championship held in Stuttgart was no exception, where countless attacks took place and in the end of this enthralling race, one-day specialist Paolo Bettini successfully retained his rainbow jersey.
- For Formula One junkies, two things come to their mind for racing at Japan's Fuji Speedway: Rain and chaos. After an absence of 30 years, Formula One returned to Mount Fuji last Sunday amidst, well you guessed it, rain and chaos. Due to torrential rain, the first 19 laps of the race was run with the safety car leading the field, and when the race finally started despite the condition being even worse than at the beginning, chaos were everywhere and the most notable victim was Fernando Alonso, who crashed heavily but luckily escaped injury. And in the ensuing safety car period, Sebastian Vettel crashed into the sister car of Mark Webber, ending all hopes of a likely but surprising podium finish or even victory for the duo. Lewis Hamilton survived all the chaos behind him (including a crash with Robert Kubica) and won his fourth race of the season, further extending his lead in the World Championship. If he outscores Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen this Sunday at Shanghai, he will be crowned World Champion with one race to spare.
- Speaking of Alonso, I expect him to leave McLaren at the end of this season, after just one tumultuous year at the Woking-based outfit. His frosty relationship with Hamilton and team boss Ron Dennis is no secret to anyone, and Renault has confirmed that an offer has been made to lure him back. My money is on Alonso returning to Renault replacing the overrated Giancarlo Fisichella, who will have a hard time in securing to Toyota seat vacated by Ralf Schumacher but will eventually succeed in doing so. Meanwhile, the much-coveted vacated seat at McLaren will be taken up by Nick Heidfeld.
- In American football, Osi Umenyiora (some pronounce it as "You-Are-Manure") of the New York Giants set a new team record for recording a whopping six sacks in the game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He was constantly overpowering and outrunning Eagles tackle Winston Justice in the first half, and had recorded four sacks at the interval. Interestingly and foolishly, the Eagles decided not to give the poor Justice any help and just let him be a sitting duck (bring in an extra running back for pass protection, for Christ's sake!), and Umenyiora got two more sacks in the second half as a result. His six sacks in the game is only one shy of the all-time record held by the late great Derrick Thomas of the Kansas City Chiefs.
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