The magic of the Tour de France

Posted on By Mark Wilson
This content is 2 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.

It’s July. That means one thing to me. The Tour de France! The greatest cycle race in the world – and three weeks of watching the highlights each evening!

It’s not secret that I enjoy cycling – and that I have passed that on to at least one of my children. It’s also fair to say that he shows considerably more talent and physical ability than me.

I started watching the Tour de France (and the Vuelta a España) in around 2011 or 2012. I’m not sure which but 2012 was the year when Team GB and Team Sky’s success started to switch Britons on to cycling and I think it was before then. I remember the discovery that it was more than just a race to see who is fastest around a course. There are actually several races happening at once. Then there are the team dynamics – who is working with whom to achieve what outcome. It’s a team sport and and individual sport, all rolled up in one. And the three “Grand Tours” (Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España) are huge spectacles, each with 21 stages over three weeks…

In the Tour de France there are several competitions:

  • the overall leader in the general classification (shortest cumulative time since the start of the event) is awarded the maillot jaune (yellow jersey) and he wears that for the next day.
  • the leading young rider (under 26) is awarded the maillot blanc (white jersey).
  • the rider with most points gained for mountain-top positions (based on the difficulty of the climbs) wears the red and white polka dot jersey.
  • the rider with most points in the points competition (intermediate sprints, finish positions, etc.) wears the maillot vert (green jersey).

The other grand tours have similar systems but the jersey colours vary.

There are also prizes for the most combative rider, and a team classification. Put those things together and the dynamics of the race are many and varied.

I watch the Tour de France on ITV – mostly because I like the production style of their coverage. In previous years, the highlights programme has featured quiz questions at the start and end of each advertising segment but this year it’s little facts about the race and the sport – which is steeped in history. I’ve collected some and posted them here, along with a few extras I added myself.

AutobusA group of riders (typically non climbers) who ride together on mountain stages aiming to finish within the time limit.
BaroudeurA rider who attacks the race from the start in order to show off their sponsor and try their luck in winning the stage.
BarrageRace officials impede the progress of team cars when they could affect the outcome of the race.
BonkA sudden loss of energy, cause by depletion of gycogen stores in the liver and muscles. Usually caused by a lack of proper fuelling.
BlockingWhen riders of leading teams ride the width of the road to control the peloton’s speed, to ensure that no more riders join the breakaway.
BreakawayA group of riders who have managed to ride off the front of the race, leaving a clear gap.
Broom wagonA support vehicle following the race, that may pick up riders unable to continue. First introduced in 1910.
Bunny hopTo cause one’s bicycle to become airborne momentarily. Usually performed to avoid pavements.
CadenceThe rate at which a cyclist pedals (in revolutions per minute). High cadence is typical in climbers.
Chasse patateFrench for “hunting potatoes”. A rider caught between breakaway and peloton, pedals furiously but makes little headway.
Circle of DeathA Pyrenean stage including the Peyresourde, Aspin, Tourmalet and Aubisque. Dubbed the “Circle of Death” in 1910.
Coup de chacalThe “Jackal Trick”. A surprise attack in the last few kilometres to detach from the peloton and win the race.
Danseuse(French: danser – to dance.) Riding out of the saddle, standing up, and rocking side-to-side for leverage.
DerailleurThe gear-shifting device which is controlled with a lever on the handlebars or frame. First permitted at the Tour de France in 1937.
DomestiqueA rider whose job is to support other riders in their team, typically carrying water (literally “servant” in French).
DossardRace number attached to the back of a competitor’s jersey. If not visible then fines will ensue.
DraftingThe ride close behind another rider or vehicle using their slipstream to reduce wind resistance and required effort.
EchelonA diagonal, stagger line of riders in single file. An echelon is formed to save energy when riding in a strong crosswind. The Belgian teams are considered the masters of riding in an echelon.
Feed zoneA designated area for soigneurs and other helpers to hand out food and water to riders.
Flamme rougeThe red flag suspended over the road to confirm that the finish line is one kilometre away.
Full gasRiding as hard as possible, which can leave on needing recovery, and vulnerable to attack.
Hors catégorieA term applied to the hardest climbs on the Tour. A climb that is literally beyond category.
Hors délaiLiterally “out of time” – a rider finishing outside the time limit is eliminated from the race. Typically occurs on a mountain stage.
King of the mountainsThe leader of the mountain classification. First sponsored in 1975 by Chocolate Poulain whose chocolate bars were covered in a polka dot wrapper.
Lanterne RougeFrench for “red lantern”, as found at the end of a railway train, and the name given to the rider placed last in a race.
Magic spannerThe scenario where a mechanic appears to be adjusting a rider’s bike from the support car. The reality is the rider is usually using the team car to rest of get back to the peloton.
Maillot jauneYellow jersey. Firs introduced as the colour of the leader’s jersey in 1919. Yellow was the colour of L’Auto newspaper.
MusetteFrench for a farm horse’s nosebag. Small cotton shoulder bag, contains food and drink given to riders in a feed zone.
MuurDutch for wall. A short, steep climb. Muur de Huy is one of the more famous examples, last used in the Tour in 2015.
PalmaresThe list of races a rider has won. (French, meaning list of achievements.)
PanacheStyle or courage. Displayed by breaking away, remounting after a crash or riding whilst suffering injuries.
ParcoursThe profiles of the race or stage route in French.
PavéRoad made of cobblestones. Significantly cobbled stages have featured 6 times in the Tour de France since 2020.
Pedalling squaresRiding with such fatigue that the rider is unable to maintain an efficient pedalling form that is strong and smooth.
PelotonA group of cyclists that are coupled together through the mutual energy benefits of drafting, whereby cyclists follow others in zones of reduced air resistance.
PullTo take a “pull” is to ride at the front of the peloton or group. Usually done in short bursts, it requires immense power and endurance.
Road rashThe cuts, scratches and bruises that riders pick up after a fall or crash.
RouleurA cyclist who is comfortable riding on both flat and rolling terrain. A powerful rider, they can drive the pace along for hours.
SoigneurThe French term for “healer” who usually specialises in giving the riders post-race massages. A soigneur will also look after the riders’ non-racing needs.
SouplesseThe art of perfect pedalling that gives the rider a smooth and efficient style on the bike.

I’m not suggesting that readers of this blog will suddenly become cycling fans but maybe you’ll understand a little more about how it works when, later this weekend, the Tour de France culminates in a sprint on Paris’ Avenue Des Champs-Élysées and the overall prizes are awarded. And, if nothing else, enjoy the scenery along the rest of the route to Paris!

Featured image: author’s own – a still from the video taken when I was a Tour de France marshall in 2014!

Password complexity in the 1940s

Posted on By Mark Wilson
This content is 2 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been fortunate enough to have two demonstrations of Enigma machines. For those who are not familiar with these marvelous mechanical computers, they were used to encrypt communications. Most notably by German forces during World War 2.

The first of the demonstrations was at Milton Keynes Geek Night, where PJ Evans (@MrPJEvans) gave an entertaining talk on the original Milton Keynes Geeks.

Then, earlier this week, I was at Bletchley Park for Node4’s Policing First event, which wrapped up with an Enigma demonstration from Phil Simons.

The two sessions were very different in their delivery. PJ’s used Raspberry Pi and web-based emulators, along with slides and a demonstration with a ball of wool. Phil was able to show us an actual Enigma machine. What struck me though was that the weakness that ultimately led to Bletchley Park cracking wartime German encryption codes. It wasn’t the encryption itself, but the way human operators used it.

Downfall

The Enigma machine was originally invented for encrypted communications in the financial services sector. By the time the German military was using it in World War 2, the encryption was very strong.

Despite having just 26 characters, each one was encoded an electrical signal which passed through three rotors from a set of five, changed daily, with different start positions and incrementing on each use, plus a plug board of ten electrical circuits that further increased the complexity.

There’s a good description of how the Enigma machine works on Brilliant. To cut a long story short, an Enigma machine can be set up in 158,962,555,217,826,360,000 ways. Brute force attacks are just not credible. Especially when the setup changes every day and each military network has a different encryption setup.

But there were humans involved:

  • Code books were needed so that, the sending and receiving stations set their machines up identically each day.
  • Young soldiers on the front line took short-cuts. Like re-using rotor start positions. They would spell out things like BER, PAR (for their home city, where they were stationed, girlfriend’s name, etc.).
  • Some networks issued guidance that all 26 letters needed to be used for a rotor start position each 26 days. This had unintended consequence that the desire for perceived variety meant the letter being used was predictable. It actually reduced the combinations as it couldn’t be one of the ones used in the previous 26 days.
  • Then there was the flaw that an Enigma machine’s algorithm was designed to take one letter and output another. Input of A would never result in output of A, for example.
  • And there were common phrases to look for in the messages to test possible encryption combinations – like WETTERBERICHT (weather report).

All of these clues helped the code-breakers at Bletchley Park narrow down the combinations. That gave them the head start they needed to use to try and brute force the encryption on a message.

Why is this relevant today?

By now, you’re probably thinking “that’s a great history lesson Mark, but why is it relevant today?”

Well, we have the same issues in modern IT security. We rely on people following policies and processes. And people look for shortcuts.

Take password complexity as an example. The UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) specifically advises against enforcing password complexity requirements. Users will work around the requirements with predictable outcomes, and that actually reduces security. Just like with the “use all 26 letters in 26 days” guidance I cited in my Enigma history lesson above.

And yet, only last month, I was advising a client whose CIO peers maintain that password complexity should be part of the approach.

One more thing… the Germans tried to crack Allied encryption too. They gave up after a while because it was difficult – they assumed if they couldn’t crack ours then we couldn’t crack theirs. But, whilst German command was distributed, the Allies set up what we would now call a “centre of excellence” in Bletchley Park. And that helped to bring together some of our greatest minds, along with several thousand support staff!

Postscript

After I started to write this post, I was multitasking on a Teams call. I should have concentrated on just one thing. Instead, went to open a DocuSign link from the company HR department and fell foul of a phishing simulation exercise. I’m normally pretty good at spotting these things but this time I was distracted. As a result, I clicked the (potentially credible) link without checking it. If you want an illustration of how fallible humans are, that’s one right there!

Featured image: author’s own.