Feargal McKay
@cycologies.com
Reviewing cycling books and writing about professional cycling's mythological past and the reality behind the stories told and retold by cycling's duff historians
cycologies.com 🇮🇪
cycologies.com 🇮🇪
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Feargal McKay
@cycologies.com
· 19d
Turns out a couple of paragraphs - about Nencini and Zoetemelk - got lost during one of CN's CMS upgrades. The full set of three articles - with the lost material reinstated - can be found below:
Money from ski resorts is a vital part of cycling's economy. So what will we do when all the snow is gone?
‘Ghost resorts’: as hundreds of ski slopes lie abandoned, will nature reclaim the Alps?
With the snow line edging higher, 186 French ski resorts have shut, while global heating threatens dozens more
www.theguardian.com
December 27, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Money from ski resorts is a vital part of cycling's economy. So what will we do when all the snow is gone?
Reposted by Feargal McKay
Did I jump timelines again?
When I were a lad we put a basin in the sink to do the washing up in, but suddenly everyone's calling that basin a washing up bowl? WTAF?
It's not round! It's not just for the washing up!
It's a feckin' basin!
And, yes, it is stupid in a sink.
But useful elsewhere.
When I were a lad we put a basin in the sink to do the washing up in, but suddenly everyone's calling that basin a washing up bowl? WTAF?
It's not round! It's not just for the washing up!
It's a feckin' basin!
And, yes, it is stupid in a sink.
But useful elsewhere.
It’s the most washing-up time of the year. So here’s a timely jeremiad.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The hill I will die on: Washing-up bowls are horrible and should be banned | Jason Hazeley
These unhygienic, offensive lumps of plastic do everything the sink does, and less. It’s time to get rid, says comedy writer Jason Hazeley
www.theguardian.com
December 27, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Did I jump timelines again?
When I were a lad we put a basin in the sink to do the washing up in, but suddenly everyone's calling that basin a washing up bowl? WTAF?
It's not round! It's not just for the washing up!
It's a feckin' basin!
And, yes, it is stupid in a sink.
But useful elsewhere.
When I were a lad we put a basin in the sink to do the washing up in, but suddenly everyone's calling that basin a washing up bowl? WTAF?
It's not round! It's not just for the washing up!
It's a feckin' basin!
And, yes, it is stupid in a sink.
But useful elsewhere.
Did I jump timelines again?
When I were a lad we put a basin in the sink to do the washing up in, but suddenly everyone's calling that basin a washing up bowl? WTAF?
It's not round! It's not just for the washing up!
It's a feckin' basin!
And, yes, it is stupid in a sink.
But useful elsewhere.
When I were a lad we put a basin in the sink to do the washing up in, but suddenly everyone's calling that basin a washing up bowl? WTAF?
It's not round! It's not just for the washing up!
It's a feckin' basin!
And, yes, it is stupid in a sink.
But useful elsewhere.
It’s the most washing-up time of the year. So here’s a timely jeremiad.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The hill I will die on: Washing-up bowls are horrible and should be banned | Jason Hazeley
These unhygienic, offensive lumps of plastic do everything the sink does, and less. It’s time to get rid, says comedy writer Jason Hazeley
www.theguardian.com
December 27, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Did I jump timelines again?
When I were a lad we put a basin in the sink to do the washing up in, but suddenly everyone's calling that basin a washing up bowl? WTAF?
It's not round! It's not just for the washing up!
It's a feckin' basin!
And, yes, it is stupid in a sink.
But useful elsewhere.
When I were a lad we put a basin in the sink to do the washing up in, but suddenly everyone's calling that basin a washing up bowl? WTAF?
It's not round! It's not just for the washing up!
It's a feckin' basin!
And, yes, it is stupid in a sink.
But useful elsewhere.
Reposted by Feargal McKay
![Comic. [Banner: Mathematical Society: 2025 Meeting.] PERSON 1 with bun: Any other new developments from the year to cover before we wrap? PERSON 2: Oh, the teens picked a new funny number. PERSON 3 with short hair: Aww, I’m glad to hear they’re still doing that. PERSON 4 with ponytail: I’ll add it to the list. [List: 23 (skidoo!; 42; 69; 420; 1,337; 58,008; [circled]: 67]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreig43e2u4zzpifhq6fbf2iwplmva2lt5rokfg5uws5dysbe55up6wa@jpeg)
December 26, 2025 at 10:44 PM
So, Pluribus may have been a disappointment, especially after having saved it for a Christmas binge. Bloody hive mind, hyping the crap of of things.
But I also saved Cemetery Road for the festive season and it was well worth waiting for. Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson were fabulous in it.
But I also saved Cemetery Road for the festive season and it was well worth waiting for. Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson were fabulous in it.
December 26, 2025 at 9:07 PM
So, Pluribus may have been a disappointment, especially after having saved it for a Christmas binge. Bloody hive mind, hyping the crap of of things.
But I also saved Cemetery Road for the festive season and it was well worth waiting for. Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson were fabulous in it.
But I also saved Cemetery Road for the festive season and it was well worth waiting for. Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson were fabulous in it.
Reposted by Feargal McKay
Hey look what came in the mail!
NOW READING: Christopher Sweet, “A History of Bicycling in Illinois: 160 Years of Booms and Busts” from @illinoispress.bsky.social www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p0...
NOW READING: Christopher Sweet, “A History of Bicycling in Illinois: 160 Years of Booms and Busts” from @illinoispress.bsky.social www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p0...
December 26, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Hey look what came in the mail!
NOW READING: Christopher Sweet, “A History of Bicycling in Illinois: 160 Years of Booms and Busts” from @illinoispress.bsky.social www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p0...
NOW READING: Christopher Sweet, “A History of Bicycling in Illinois: 160 Years of Booms and Busts” from @illinoispress.bsky.social www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p0...
So. Pluribus. Talk about a hive mind.
The pacing in the first episode makes Bela Tarr seem positively athletic.
Each scene is about seven times longer than it needs to be. Maybe even eight.
Every other scene seems to just repeat something from earlier without adding anything.
The pacing in the first episode makes Bela Tarr seem positively athletic.
Each scene is about seven times longer than it needs to be. Maybe even eight.
Every other scene seems to just repeat something from earlier without adding anything.
December 26, 2025 at 1:17 PM
So. Pluribus. Talk about a hive mind.
The pacing in the first episode makes Bela Tarr seem positively athletic.
Each scene is about seven times longer than it needs to be. Maybe even eight.
Every other scene seems to just repeat something from earlier without adding anything.
The pacing in the first episode makes Bela Tarr seem positively athletic.
Each scene is about seven times longer than it needs to be. Maybe even eight.
Every other scene seems to just repeat something from earlier without adding anything.
All I want for Christmas is AI-free media...please Santa, please, I'm beggin' ya!
After-Christmas sales: The best cycling deals for 2025 www.cyclingnews.com/features/aft...
December 24, 2025 at 12:46 PM
All I want for Christmas is AI-free media...please Santa, please, I'm beggin' ya!
Reposted by Feargal McKay
Seeing American non-boxing fans on socials suddenly discovering Anthony Joshua this week 😂😅 had half my brain going 'omg essay on 1880s lads doing music hall boxing exhibitions for the ladies!!!'. My brain said, no, drink wine and watch Christmas cartoons with the kid. Still. The thought was there!
December 24, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Seeing American non-boxing fans on socials suddenly discovering Anthony Joshua this week 😂😅 had half my brain going 'omg essay on 1880s lads doing music hall boxing exhibitions for the ladies!!!'. My brain said, no, drink wine and watch Christmas cartoons with the kid. Still. The thought was there!
I do not like that Lidl prat!
I do not like him! He's a twat!
For him I feel no Christmas cheer!
I will not wish him a Happy New Year!
My only wish for the new cycling season
Is that none us will have a reson
To talk about that Lidl man!
Let's all agree, that's the plan!
I do not like him! He's a twat!
For him I feel no Christmas cheer!
I will not wish him a Happy New Year!
My only wish for the new cycling season
Is that none us will have a reson
To talk about that Lidl man!
Let's all agree, that's the plan!
'You only get paid because the TV's on' - 🇺🇸 Quinn Simmons' all-action approach is here to stay
📰 www.domestiquecycling.com/en/news/you-...
📸 Cor Vos
📰 www.domestiquecycling.com/en/news/you-...
📸 Cor Vos
December 24, 2025 at 8:05 AM
I do not like that Lidl prat!
I do not like him! He's a twat!
For him I feel no Christmas cheer!
I will not wish him a Happy New Year!
My only wish for the new cycling season
Is that none us will have a reson
To talk about that Lidl man!
Let's all agree, that's the plan!
I do not like him! He's a twat!
For him I feel no Christmas cheer!
I will not wish him a Happy New Year!
My only wish for the new cycling season
Is that none us will have a reson
To talk about that Lidl man!
Let's all agree, that's the plan!
New Ineos sponsor...
December 23, 2025 at 8:08 PM
New Ineos sponsor...
Reposted by Feargal McKay
I did some work on the Haslett case for this episode. A really awful story and one which must have been a huge shock to their descendants when they discovered it.
This week marks a first for us: a listener-led investigation!
It's a LADY KILLER IN MY FAMILY.
Listener Charlotte asks us to investigate a murder and we reveal what happened - but, most crucially, we explore WHY.
3pm on @BBCRadio4, or @BBCSounds. #LadyKillers
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
It's a LADY KILLER IN MY FAMILY.
Listener Charlotte asks us to investigate a murder and we reveal what happened - but, most crucially, we explore WHY.
3pm on @BBCRadio4, or @BBCSounds. #LadyKillers
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley - Series 4 - 52. Amelia Haslett - Lady Killer in My Family - BBC Sounds
Lucy Worsley is approached by a listener with a Lady Killer in her family.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 23, 2025 at 1:35 PM
I did some work on the Haslett case for this episode. A really awful story and one which must have been a huge shock to their descendants when they discovered it.
Reposted by Feargal McKay
Sending some Christmas cheer from 1937 The Bicycle - not that much has changed for club runs has it? #cyclinghistory
December 23, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Sending some Christmas cheer from 1937 The Bicycle - not that much has changed for club runs has it? #cyclinghistory
2026 sees Andre/Schwandt/Kahn's Dream a Little Dream of Me (1930) enter the public domain.
Here's Terry Hall and Salad doing a practically perfect cover of it 30 years ago.
If 2026 sees a better version I'll eat my socks.
Here's Terry Hall and Salad doing a practically perfect cover of it 30 years ago.
If 2026 sees a better version I'll eat my socks.
December 22, 2025 at 9:44 PM
2026 sees Andre/Schwandt/Kahn's Dream a Little Dream of Me (1930) enter the public domain.
Here's Terry Hall and Salad doing a practically perfect cover of it 30 years ago.
If 2026 sees a better version I'll eat my socks.
Here's Terry Hall and Salad doing a practically perfect cover of it 30 years ago.
If 2026 sees a better version I'll eat my socks.
We're back to this?
Is 'marine worm EPO' the next doping wave that disappears before testing can react?
📰 domestiquecycling.com/en/news/is-m...
📰 domestiquecycling.com/en/news/is-m...
December 22, 2025 at 6:45 PM
We're back to this?
Reposted by Feargal McKay
Le Mouvement pour un cyclisme crédible (MPCC) fait part de son inquiétude quant à "l'usage excessif de médicaments dans le cyclisme".
Le MPCC demande à l'UCI d'agir et propose des interdictions préventives pour les produits dans la "zone grise" durant le temps d'investigation.
Le MPCC demande à l'UCI d'agir et propose des interdictions préventives pour les produits dans la "zone grise" durant le temps d'investigation.
December 22, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Le Mouvement pour un cyclisme crédible (MPCC) fait part de son inquiétude quant à "l'usage excessif de médicaments dans le cyclisme".
Le MPCC demande à l'UCI d'agir et propose des interdictions préventives pour les produits dans la "zone grise" durant le temps d'investigation.
Le MPCC demande à l'UCI d'agir et propose des interdictions préventives pour les produits dans la "zone grise" durant le temps d'investigation.
Reposted by Feargal McKay
Amazing how @metoffice.gov.uk gets this wrong. It continues to get darker in the morning until January, and its been getting lighter in the evenings since last week.
Great news for those who aren't fond of the shorter, darker days. We've officially passed the Winter Solstice, meaning longer days are ahead 🕕
From this point on, you can look forward to earlier sunrises and later sunsets ☀️
From this point on, you can look forward to earlier sunrises and later sunsets ☀️
December 22, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Amazing how @metoffice.gov.uk gets this wrong. It continues to get darker in the morning until January, and its been getting lighter in the evenings since last week.
There's no stability in cycling, JV is right.
'It was time to recharge' - Marc Madiot to step aside as General Manager at Groupama-FDJ www.cyclingnews.com/pro-cycling/...
December 20, 2025 at 1:42 PM
There's no stability in cycling, JV is right.
Reposted by Feargal McKay
Had a great chat with Floortje Mackaij for @cyclist.co.uk about all different things, including her role at Movistar, speed skating, Dutch drama, and why recovering her period after a number of years without is so important to her ⤵️
www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/flo...
www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/flo...
Floortje Mackaij Q&A: ‘Movistar really feels like a friend group’
Cyclist: How has your off-season been this year? Floortje Mackaij: I had a really different off-season than normal. I raced
www.cyclist.co.uk
December 19, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Had a great chat with Floortje Mackaij for @cyclist.co.uk about all different things, including her role at Movistar, speed skating, Dutch drama, and why recovering her period after a number of years without is so important to her ⤵️
www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/flo...
www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/flo...
Reposted by Feargal McKay
If we can't even talk about eating disorders in cycling when a rider names her struggles as such herself, when are we ever gonna do it?
Eating disorders across the spectrum are complex and complicated and frustrating and painful and also frustratingly common, so why treat the word as if it's taboo?
Eating disorders across the spectrum are complex and complicated and frustrating and painful and also frustratingly common, so why treat the word as if it's taboo?
December 19, 2025 at 8:34 PM
If we can't even talk about eating disorders in cycling when a rider names her struggles as such herself, when are we ever gonna do it?
Eating disorders across the spectrum are complex and complicated and frustrating and painful and also frustratingly common, so why treat the word as if it's taboo?
Eating disorders across the spectrum are complex and complicated and frustrating and painful and also frustratingly common, so why treat the word as if it's taboo?
One book written by a woman.
One.
Out of eight.
Go women!
One.
Out of eight.
Go women!
Book club: The Cyclingnews team's must-reads www.cyclingnews.com/cycling-cult...
December 19, 2025 at 3:06 PM
One book written by a woman.
One.
Out of eight.
Go women!
One.
Out of eight.
Go women!
Here's something for the engineering nerds: an extendable crank arm that can add two inches to your stroke?
Patented in 1906, due for a comeback in 2026?
Engineering / physics are beyond my ken so maybe @doctorhutch.bsky.social might have an opinion on this madness / genius idea...
Patented in 1906, due for a comeback in 2026?
Engineering / physics are beyond my ken so maybe @doctorhutch.bsky.social might have an opinion on this madness / genius idea...
December 19, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Here's something for the engineering nerds: an extendable crank arm that can add two inches to your stroke?
Patented in 1906, due for a comeback in 2026?
Engineering / physics are beyond my ken so maybe @doctorhutch.bsky.social might have an opinion on this madness / genius idea...
Patented in 1906, due for a comeback in 2026?
Engineering / physics are beyond my ken so maybe @doctorhutch.bsky.social might have an opinion on this madness / genius idea...
Reposted by Feargal McKay
Meanwhile, in the world of MTB…
December 19, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Meanwhile, in the world of MTB…
JV has also made himself quite wealthy from cycling's economic model.
More wealthy than he was when he was an estate agent.
But that's a part of cycling's economic model he doesn't want you thinking about.
Cause then you might start questioning whether the economic model is really broken.
More wealthy than he was when he was an estate agent.
But that's a part of cycling's economic model he doesn't want you thinking about.
Cause then you might start questioning whether the economic model is really broken.
But, hats off to the man.
He's achieved fuck all in 15 years of banging on about cycling's economic model ...
... with the exception of getting gormless hacks to constantly call cycling's economic model broken.
He's positively Trumpian in that regard. Chapeau to the man.
He's achieved fuck all in 15 years of banging on about cycling's economic model ...
... with the exception of getting gormless hacks to constantly call cycling's economic model broken.
He's positively Trumpian in that regard. Chapeau to the man.
December 19, 2025 at 12:17 PM
JV has also made himself quite wealthy from cycling's economic model.
More wealthy than he was when he was an estate agent.
But that's a part of cycling's economic model he doesn't want you thinking about.
Cause then you might start questioning whether the economic model is really broken.
More wealthy than he was when he was an estate agent.
But that's a part of cycling's economic model he doesn't want you thinking about.
Cause then you might start questioning whether the economic model is really broken.