tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3505434595026982929.post9208589259117898608..comments2023-11-29T09:02:41.478+00:00Comments on Flies in your Teeth: London 2012 OlympicsGary Francehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05163380727432573785noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3505434595026982929.post-84080757667881709542011-10-17T09:24:03.414+01:002011-10-17T09:24:03.414+01:00VStarLady - Thank you for your kind words!VStarLady - Thank you for your kind words!Gary Francehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05163380727432573785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3505434595026982929.post-75029560194862264742011-09-24T02:18:50.839+01:002011-09-24T02:18:50.839+01:00Gary, I, like my fellow "Canajun" will b...Gary, I, like my fellow "Canajun" will be delighted to say, "I know the guy who..." But better than that, I'll be bragging, "Like, he's a biker friend of mine!"<br />Well done. You've earned your big smile!VStar Ladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634216576989421497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3505434595026982929.post-73224455387486275332011-09-21T14:40:03.956+01:002011-09-21T14:40:03.956+01:00biker baby – I am certainly proud of my role withi...biker baby – I am certainly proud of my role within it.<br /><br />Jack – I loved nearly every minute of working on London 2012 and I can look back with considerable pleasure at most, even the stressful times. On my trip across the USA last year, Lake Placid was one of the places I went to see. I am pleased that I did. Clearly the Winter Olympics of 1980 still has a large influence on Lake Placid and it was especially pleasing for me to see some of the venues where the Games took place. I remember LP well as it was not only a great place to see, but I also got totally soaked in the one the few times I got rained on during my trip. I am sure London will do a great job in 2012.<br /><br />Canajun – LOL. That made me smile.Gary Francehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05163380727432573785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3505434595026982929.post-87903883935387337302011-09-20T22:28:28.512+01:002011-09-20T22:28:28.512+01:00Now when I watch the games next year I'll be a...Now when I watch the games next year I'll be able to say, "I know the guy who...". Congratulations to you and the City of London.Canajunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17529505799866207528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3505434595026982929.post-33077988732765814212011-09-20T19:49:28.264+01:002011-09-20T19:49:28.264+01:00Dear Gary:
What a thrill to be a part of such a h...Dear Gary:<br /><br />What a thrill to be a part of such a huge, and enduring endeavor, that will not only have a huge cultural impact but a vast economic one as well. I lived for many yeaers in the little community of Lakle Placid, a Winter Olympic community. The town was never the same in so many great ways. <br /><br />Yet London, a vast city I have visited on many occasions, will undoubtedly take these events in stride.<br /><br />Fondest regards,<br />Jack/reep<br />Twuisted RoadsJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3505434595026982929.post-19810051384244635842011-09-19T20:11:06.163+01:002011-09-19T20:11:06.163+01:00Definitely something to be proud of.Definitely something to be proud of.biker babyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13472957923070962416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3505434595026982929.post-77031347156207223082011-09-18T06:57:07.883+01:002011-09-18T06:57:07.883+01:00Charlie6 / Dom – Thanks. It was great to be given...Charlie6 / Dom – Thanks. It was great to be given that sort of access and to see a few of the colleagues I had previous worked with. You are right about it being locked down and this will happen well in advance of the Games.<br /><br />Geoff – Both London 2012 and Sochi 2014 certainly are big projects and quite daunting at first. I can remember one day, soon after starting work on London 2012, standing at one end of the site where the Olympic Park would be and trying to see where the other end of the Park would be, some 2.5km / 1.5 miles away, and the size really struck me for the first time. It is very large indeed. The two sites (mountain for the snow venues and coastal for the ice venues) for Sochi are even bigger. Great fun!<br /><br />Jean – I am retired. This wasn’t working, more an informal visit to see how the Olympic Park had developed from the early plans into the reality of today. It is difficult to work on something for so long and never go back to see how it all came out, so retired or not, I have often gone back to look at the projects I helped develop the plans for. Thanks for your kind words.<br /><br />Bob – Planning is really what I enjoy doing, be that working out how to construct a building, an Olympic Games, or even planning a motorcycle tour. I get a kick out of working out what should happen in the future and then seeing it happen. I laughed about carving my initials somewhere – I think that may have been spotted!Gary Francehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05163380727432573785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3505434595026982929.post-56073647018158984092011-09-18T04:33:32.661+01:002011-09-18T04:33:32.661+01:00Gary:
We are all proud of you and that you had a ...<b>Gary:</b><br /><br />We are all proud of you and that you had a chance to display your planning skills. They picked the right man for the job.<br /><br />did you have a chance to carve your initials somewhere prominent ? when no one was looking<br /><br />bob <br /><a href="%E2%80%9Dwww.wetcoastscootin.blogspot.com%E2%80%9D" rel="nofollow">Riding the Wet Coast</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05258612401956399482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3505434595026982929.post-10618501594748357222011-09-17T22:02:13.752+01:002011-09-17T22:02:13.752+01:00Wow! Good for you. Thought you were retired, but I...Wow! Good for you. Thought you were retired, but I guess that is subjective. The venues look fantastic. Am looking forward to seeing the Olympics taking place in them and congratulations on your role in bringing them about in the lovely city of London.Jean Nelson Paintings and Photographyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14265826470226696233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3505434595026982929.post-24434194721460776132011-09-17T21:50:50.080+01:002011-09-17T21:50:50.080+01:00That's great Gary and you can be justifiably p...That's great Gary and you can be justifiably proud to have had a significant role in such an incredible project and Russia too! Not many people get to work on projects as big as that. I'm sure that both events will be superb.<br /><br />That photo of you taken in the Velodrome is absolutely spectacular. It's the first time I've seen a photo which conveys the steepness of the banking so well!Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3505434595026982929.post-36465133089902078772011-09-17T21:19:10.935+01:002011-09-17T21:19:10.935+01:00I am sure Gary, that its definitely not in part a ...I am sure Gary, that its definitely not in part a small measure but a great measure of you and your team's work that enabled things to be as well built as you saw them. <br /><br />Must have been pretty cool to have the kind of access you were given, am also sure that things will get "locked down" quite a bit during the Olympics.<br /><br />dom<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://redlegsrides.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Redleg's Rides</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-14097-Colorado-Motorcycle-Travel-Examiner" rel="nofollow">Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner</a>redlegsrideshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10927757855921321097noreply@blogger.com