July 29, 2003

IF THE sight of men in Lycra pumping their legs furiously appeals to you, then you're in luck - the Tour de France is just around the corner. And the official website - www.letour.fr/indexus.html - isn't going to disappoint the fans out there.

Well-designed, full of facts, news, maps, team lists and pictures, it's a tribute to the art of giving people the information they need without hiding it in a maze of pointless links or behind some irritating Flash animation. The Tour route map is especially well done and even prints out well.But this site - much like the Le Mans official one - is also a joy to behold simply for the translation.

Sentences which probably flowed like a Shakespearean sonnet in French are reduced to the clunkiness of a Windows NT training manual. It's not quite Engrish (see www.engrish.com), but it's good for a laugh. Here's an example: "This is what we expect of the Tour de France today, in the straight line of sporting ethics, that should not be provoked in favour of the attraction of the show alone." What?

GOOD news for TNS, being drawn against Manchester City in the Uefa Cup. Shame the result's a foregone conclusion, but The Saints certainly have a strong presence on the Web. saints-alive.co.uk/ is a tremendous site, with everything the TNS fan could want to know about the club and its history. Records, stats for individual players, news, fixtures, club history, league tables, pictures, trivia, a forum, links to all the other Welsh Premier clubs. . . the list goes on. Considering the population of Llansantffraid is about 600, this is a website that puts bigger soccer clubs to shame. A superb site, well designed and easy to navigate.

BOG-SNORKELLING! Imagine my disappointment when I discovered this has nothing to do with shoving people's heads down toilets. Head over to http://llanwrtyd-wells.powys.org.uk/bog.html and prepare to be amazed!