This collection of entries is from August 25, 2004.
I've seen videotape of this event and and didn't know it was that time of year again.
Imagine a village in Spain that has - every year - a tomato throwing fight on the streets of the town. They go through 132 tons of tomatoes, just loaded into dump trucks. People climb inside, the trucks drive through the streets and the people on the ground and the people in the trucks just wail on each other with tomatoes.
Was flipping through the channels and saw something I've never seen.
It was cycling at the Velodrome at the Olympics. I don't know what event it was (I found out it was the second heat in the Men's Keirin, whatever the hell that is). There was a collision and two cyclists went down. There was a shot of one of them being tended to. He was in a lot of pain. When he fell onto the wood track and slid, going probably around 50-60 kph, the track burned away his uniform and burned him.
Lets face it - they're not wearing any real padding or protection and it's not like those suits are made of Nomex or other material that will protect the wearer from burns and abrasions.
Boy that's gotta hurt...
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ATHENS, 25 August - A spectacular crash before the finishing line in the Men's Keirin second heat had Theo BOS (NED), the 2004 Olympic Men's Sprint silver medallist jeered off the track after he bumped local rider Labros VASILOPOULOS (GRE), causing both rider's exit from the competition.
Shane KELLY (AUS) won the second heat after taking the lead in the back straight with Men's Sprint bronze medallist Rene WOLFF (GER) second and Mickael BORGAIN (FRA) third. KELLY will join compatriot Ryan BAYLEY (AUS) who, in winning the first heat, showed the speed that won him the Men's Sprint gold medal on Tuesday.
BAYLEY turned the power on in the back straight to win with Josiah NG (MAS) sitting on his wheel to come second and Jose ESCUREDO (ESP) third to claim a place in the final later tonight.
Jamie STAFF (GBR) crossed third in the first heat but the 2004 world champion was relegated for moving down towards the inside of the track when a rival was already there, thus ending his chance of being dual Olympic and world champion.
ONS ed/pjg
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