It's been a good week for ...
James Blunt
HIS ubiquitous, grating love anthem, You're Beautiful, may have seen him relegated to the status of musical pariah in recent years, but James Blunt has come out fighting.
As the saying goes, "haters gonna hate" and the singer has taken on internet trolls with aplomb, deflecting and disarming them with a canny mix of wit and self-deprecation which is close to art form. The Poke compiled a list of his 30 best comebacks, declaring him "winner" of Twitter in 2013.
"Your music makes me want to cave my own skull in with a hammer," was one insult. "Be my guest," Blunt tweeted back.
"Every time that James Blunt opens his mouth I'd like to punch him in it," said another troll, to which he cheerily replied: "Glad you're not my dentist."
"James Blunt just has an annoying face and a highly irritating voice," sniped one. "And no mortgage," quipped the former army captain.
"Why you only got 200k followers?" asked another chap, which saw Blunt respond: "Jesus only needed 12." Boom.
It's been a bad week for ... marginal gains
AS a sport long blighted by doping scandals, it has been said that "greater transparency" is required if cycling is to move forward. Team Sky would appear to have taken that a little too literally if their new racing skin-suits are anything to go by.
Reigning Tour de France champion Chris Froome has modelled a garment so sheer and streamlined that you can actually see his own skin through the fabric. The outfit looks more like a racy fishnet catsuit than elite sporting apparel - although thankfully there is a modesty-protecting black panel in the crucial area.
Sir Dave Brailsford, the man who masterminded British Cycling's global domination and the historic double Tour de France-winning success of Team Sky, is famed for his "marginal gains" philosophy to glean a competitive advantage.
Riders have benefited from everything from custom-built aerodynamic helmets to their own beds and pillows being transported to hotels.
Now, it seems, dispensing with clothes almost altogether is the latest way to squeeze that extra edge. Rumours that Ann Summers is to replace current kit supplier Rapha remain as yet unsubstantiated.
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