This is Kevin Ista of Cofidis winning the award for best Helmet Hair after the event.
Check out Steephill TV for more photos - including some superb shots of the winner and his girlfriend, but be warned, in an ultimate unkind moment, someone has taken a close-up of Johan Van Summeren as he crosses the line, and you can see right down his throat, through strings of phlegm and piles of dirt. Not pretty. Not kind. But ignore that one, and skip over to the others.
And as for the last one, I agree with the question, what IS Fabian thinking?
"I wonder if he's ticklish?" :D
ReplyDeleteGreat photographs Coug. There are also a collection of photographs, from various sources, on the Cycling Tips blog: http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/
ReplyDeleteI thought the following image from Liege–Bastogne–Liege (sorry to any Belgian readers, I can’t seem to insert diacritical marks!) was particularly dramatic, and beautiful. It captures something of the melee, and festal atmosphere of these races. Notice too, what seems to be the official flag of the Frank and Andy Schleck fanclub (what’s honestly sold as the Drapeu Frank & Andy, see: http://www.schleckfans.com/articles/#cc-m-product-4467105366). I kid you not, they even sell one for your car, “pour voiture”! I like to think of it as the unofficial flag of Luxembourg. And no, I won’t be waving that particular flag, under any circumstance. Ever. :P
See: http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/PIC105560665.jpg
I've got plenty of ideas ;P
ReplyDeleteE
is MJ Eli's MJ??
ReplyDeleteLOL Karalara! yes, I can just see Fabu thinking "Hmm, if I poke him just HERE then he'll fall backwards off the podium and break both skinny arms and if I do it right, Mark will take the blame for it.."
ReplyDeleteOh Fabian, we are joking, of course!
Leelu, I don't know: (*puts head to one side in questioning mode*) MJ - are you Eli's MJ?
(Aside - Eli, who's your MJ???)
Coug
Figgy, sorry for the delay in your comment appearing, it had gone into the Spam folder!! I have no idea why...
ReplyDeleteYes, I've seen and laughed at the official fan club flags - they'd be fine (and there would be one being used as a bedspread right now...) if they weren't orange..... not exactly a typical Lux colour. Not exactly a stylish colour, either!
But I do like the picture you chose, I get the tiniest feeling that there might have been some Schleck fans on that part of the route.
I've decided to make my own flag for the Tour of Britain, any suggestions for it?
Coug
mj is her maaaaaan!
ReplyDeletePS did you not see my suggestion re tuftage needing to go into the in-jokes tab?? Also I think the naughty corner needs to go in there too... just so we know where to find Barbara!
"You propose to your girlfriend at the finish line, huh? Next year Spartacus going one better. Spartacus gonna make baby Spartacus on the finish line."
ReplyDeleteWooo! I don't think I want to see that!
ReplyDeletePerhaps he's thinking "Hmmm, tall, skinny: hey Johan, you'd fit right into my team...."
Leelu, of course! And only four months to go before they are joined in the sight of God....
Naughty corner and Tuftage are now in there, so thanks for reminding me!
Coug
A serious flag, or a mocking one? I’d love to see someone make a gonfalon out of the traditional Luxembourg ensign. I guess I’m partial to the red lion, and blue stripes.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you would consider making a Schlecklander flag? Something that could pass as official looking, with heraldic lions and all that, but on closer inspection, the lions are making goofy faces, and like the flag of Cyprus, which has an outline of the country, you could have a map of Luxembourg, or a made-up map, which is actually a composite silhouette of all of their noses :P. Oh, and it should inexplicably have miniature German, Danish, Swiss, Belgian, Italian et al. flags, to acknowledge that LAY-oh-pard Trek are from all of these places. The unsuspecting may apply for citizenship, or ask, “What country is this?” To which the obvious reply is Schleckland, or, the confederated states of LAY-oh-pard Trek.
I would just eschew from putting anyone's face on there. No offence meant to the makers of the Drapeau Frank & Andy, but seriously, “pour voiture”? *dies of laughter*
As an aside, Fabian Cancellara has always struck me in interviews as the nicest person, and the one least like a playboy on the team. So I'm always astonished at the ribald comments about him. *bemused*
No, I'm not Eli's MJ.I'm female, Canadian.
ReplyDeletemjm
Hi mjm, do feel free to give yourself a name, otherwise I may invent one for you... mwaah haaah haaa!
ReplyDeleteFiggy, taking your points in reverse order, I didn't particularly care for Fabian until I saw the Saxobank video of the team choosing who they would go out with ("Jessica Alba" said Andy.... sigh, there goes my chance again) and Fabian refused to answer, saying "Non! I am married!" They went back to him later, and he still refused - and I've had a soft spot for him ever since. I think he's very nice.
The Shleckland Flag: ooh, ooh, yes! Serious? Mocking? Er, halfway between, I think. Not mocking, certainly, but not taking itself too seriously.
I love the idea of using the shapes of the noses to make a composite silhouette - you mad thing, you! I had to google Gonfalon, thought it might be some sort of muppet (oh dear, we're back to Beaker Klemme again) but it turned out to be "a long flag or banner, often with several tails" which would be eminently suitable, me being a cougar and all that.
I'm very tempted by a variation on the Lux stripes.... memo to self, must get a pale blue and white striped tee shirt. Oh, no need, I'm going to wear my Stomach of Anger tee, of course.
Definitely no orange, definitely no faces. Like the idea of the flags of many nations round the edge, that sounds fun.
Hmm, I'll have to give this some thought - all suggestions welcomed!
Coug
Ahh, I remember that video…
ReplyDeleteI was more impressed by the QUICK, knee-jerk response of Jens-I’m-a-father-of-six-Voigt. And so specific too! :P Unlike the generic names the rest of them came up with. Furtado? Minogue? Pfft. (Pfft, my way of clucking disapproval). If those people aren’t high maintenance divas in real life, I’ll boil my socks for supper. *burns socks in case she's wrong*
I would guess that 97% of the male population would say Alba, so it’s hard to feel too badly about it. I mean, there’s a kind of solidarity to be derived from it, isn’t there? The “My husband / fiance / boyfriend / object of affection digs Jessica Alba” club.
Hah, My MJ has some very un-compliementary things to say about cycling and the other MJ doesn't :P
ReplyDeleteBut this is MJ.
http://vile-bodies.tumblr.com/post/4587804066/and-my-gorgeous-fiance.
(apologies if any one find the rest of my tumblr a little rude.)
Eli x
PS- Fabian, not a playboy? Ohh, I'm sure he is.
I'm sure an invented name would from Coug would be, what? fine, acceptable, cool,an honour? I was too lazy to sign my full name, although it's only 5 letters, or even use caps but I will use it from now on.
ReplyDeleteJoyce, formerly mjm
Hi Joyce! Glad to hear from you, don't worry about being lazy, you won't get sent to the Naughty Corner for minor misdemeanours. I'm not exactly full of bounce myself this morning - had strange and worrying dreams all night. (stop sniggering, Eli) Memo to self: don't watch "House" (medical drama) late at night.....
ReplyDeleteFiggy, I hope those weren't your Lux socks that you were burning? Or do they live in a special display case when not being worn? (*sniggers*) Jensi was only a father of, I think, 4 when that was recorded.... but I agree, it was suspiciously "pat", wasn't it? Dear old Jensi! The more I see him in interviews etc, the more I like him - he's funny!
Wup, time to go to work, have a nice day everyone, see you later.
Coug
Coug, I was going to email this info to you, but feel that this kind of utter nonsense, is best shared with a group.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the Trek Travel website? http://www.trektravel.com/race.php
In young people's parlance, OMG. They're advertising meeting the Leopard Trek Team as part of some deranged holiday package, see under Race France (which by the way, sounds like a Gallic neo-Fascist group), it reads:
"LEOPARD TREK Team & Team RadioShack access".
Access? You might as well call it Stalk-A-Schleck / Stalk-A-Leopard Vacations, because that's what it is! *pretends to be indignant, whilst eyeing every piggy bank in the house evilly, wishing she had put dollars in there over the years, instead of pennies*