Anatomy of a Photo: After the Finish on Ventoux

Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

This has to be one of the best photos of the 2013 Tour: Nairo Quintana at the finish on the Ventoux. Nairo gives very little away when he climbs but as he crossed the line his head dropped and the lights went out. He later admitted having gone too early again. Before that, on the slopes of the Giant of Provence, he knew he was going to win. Then he was caught, then dropped, then he regained Froome’s wheel. Finally he was dropped a second time, towards the summit. There was no fighting back to Froome’s wheel, only the need to race on, as fast as possible.

His soigneur drapes a fresh long sleeve jersey on his shoulders, a bottle of pink spanish recovery fluid awaits. Nairo’s left hand lies open by his leg. His head hangs with exhaustion and disappointment. This soigneur has to do his magic now as Quintana has left it all on the Ventoux.

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73 Replies to “Anatomy of a Photo: After the Finish on Ventoux”

  1. @eenies

    Obviously an exception should be made for the guy running with the stuffed wild boar, that was just so bizarre it was awesome.

    + 1.

  2. Great photo. Definitely in my top 10 “totally wrecked” photos now. #1 is a tossup:

  3. @the-farmer

    Just straight arm the feckers in the puss, job done!

    I was surprised his arm didnt just snap off there, skinny fecker.

  4. @frank

    Yeah, and then we need to have the riders take a break halfway through because its so hard to ride for 90 minutes or whatever and then have Bouncie play to interrupt the boredom.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42w3I-kwS_Q

    I move that this post and link be stricken from the official record.  It doesn’t even deserve the honor of being scoffed at by the Velominati.

  5. @Mikael Liddy

    ok so how the fuck does he manage the no-hander?

    That reminds me of the old joke:  Rumor is that a pedestrian on Fifty-seventh Street, Manhattan, stopped Jascha Heifetz and inquired, “Could you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?” “Yes,” said Heifetz. “Practice!”‘

  6. The VMH saw that lead photo yesterday (video) during the closing highlights and said, “Oh my gosh, is he dead?”

    I’m baffled by the jerks who run alongside the riders and distract them. Anyone who has ever played any sport should know that being harassed or heckled totally fucking sucks. Fun ribbing is great, but I hate drunken negative idiots harassing athletes. “He gets paid a lot.” So what, have some fucking respect.

    Great photo, Quintana is impressive.

    Kittel definitely has impressive hair too. Hey, how about the voices on some of the lads? I think the Team Award for that has to go to Saxo. Both sound like their bibs are a bit too tight.

  7. @Gianni:  I’m in total awe when I see these guys, I would never want to mess with their concentration.

    That, in a nut shell, is the difference between a true fan and the attention whores.

  8. @scaler911

    Great photo. Definitely in my top 10 “totally wrecked” photos now. #1 is a tossup:

    Number 1 is definitely the LeMan photo.  That is a 1000yd stare that even Vietnam Vets could learn from!

  9. @il ciclista medio

    An amazing shot.

    @TommyTubolare

    @Pedale.Forchetta

    Good points made by you both. As much as I love cycling and watching these blokes punsih themselves like Quintana has done here, these clowns are are making the TdF spectacle into a circus. It is truly a glorious sport that has become almost too popular for its own good.

    *cough this is not news….since the year dot the spectators have interferred.  In early tdfs the french beat up Belgian Participants, in the Giros the Cogniscenti pushed Italian participants up hills.  The Vuelta is the exception, it is not the supporters it is just all the spanish riders seeking to hamstring any non spaniard…..Let’s not even talk about Robert Millars stolen Vuelta, it is still too painful!

    The clowns are there, they will always be there, what I loved about this Tour is the number of spectator runners who were fucked over by their own….I saw this one when it happened at I spat my beer out and near pissed myself!

    Beautiful…let them all police each other, it will be carnage!

  10. Quintana discovered riding outside himself that the outside is still out there.

  11. “Sweatshirt Unkut Pas Ch猫re” hi,isintngvik your comments named “Velominati “º Anatomy of a Photo: After the Finish on Ventoux” daily. Your writing style is awesome,keep doing what you are doing!thx “Sweatshirt Unkut Pas Ch猫re”

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