The humorous descent of Alexis Vuillermoz
Alexis Vuillermoz is streaming down the side of the Col de la Biche this morning. He is at the head of the race. It is stage 9 of the Tour de France. His front wheel slips slightly in the rain on the road. He keeps his balance. Commentator Robbie McEwen explains the French rider's mountain bike resume has prepared him for the sliding and drifting that happen when courage mixes with a wet descent. "It's a huge advantage for him," McEwen says. "When you're used to things getting a little bit loose on you, and staying in control, because it's about staying calm, when it gets loose and you tense up or touch the brakes, that's when you go down. You gotta be able to flow [emphasis not added] with it." Nude Descending A Staircase, Duchamp The trickster Vuillermoz is riding a corridor of humor. The term is from French painter and sculptor and chess player Marcel Duchamp. "While Dada was a movement of negation and, by the very fac...