The Clouds Factory

This year’s course for the World Championships in Austria is one of the hardest ever. With 260km ( 162mi ) of racing and a whopping 4,670 metres ( 15,320 ft ) of gained altitude, it is designed for the climbers. The finish could be compared to the Giro di Lombardia’s (autumn classic) and the overall climbing to that of Liege-Bastogne-Liege's (spring classic), but it is unique in the relentless pursuit of pain and concentration, with punishing climbs and breakneck descending. The race starts in the town of Kufstein and it winds south-westerly along the River Inn. There are three lumps almost from the off and they will be the springboards for teams and riders who have no hope to win but are eager to showcase their abilities in a breakaway. The first proper test comes after about 65km (40mi), over the Gnadenwald : a short climb of 2.6km ( 1.6mi ) with an average gradient of 13% , which will be used in the individual time trial as well. www.innsbruck-tirol2018.com On

My fascination with Physics has grown in parallel with my interest in Philosophy . Debates arise as to the merit of either discipline in the understanding of our world. I see no distinction of importance between the two ( Carlo Rovelli: Why Physics needs Philosophy ) as I maintain that the empirical and the metaphysical are equally crucial for the understanding of the universe. Without the right questions, we would never find the right answers. As things became very small with the study of Quantum Mechanics , a link was needed to the very massive (Einstein's  Theory of   General Relativity ), in what is supposed to become a Theory of Everything , also known as  Quantum Gravity . I've played with the idea and philosophised about it and these are some of my musings, which I call the  Theory of (N)everything . The silly title is to emphasise my total awareness of my shortcomings both in scientific and philosophical terms. In the beginning, there was coffee. Scattered coffee