Anatomy of a Photo: Take a Look While You Still Can
FDJ guy: Is that the new fizik Kurve in Bull?
Fast Phil: Oui.
FDJ guy: Mind if I have a look?
Fast Phil: Do it while you can because it’ll be blowing past you later.
FDJ guy: Is that the new fizik Kurve in Bull?
Fast Phil: Oui.
FDJ guy: Mind if I have a look?
Fast Phil: Do it while you can because it’ll be blowing past you later.
I thought he was looking at the red shorts, thinking about the rule violations.
Fast Phil: Tell your mate that he may be called Big Mat but if touches my ‘rse again I’ll chase down any irrelevant little early break that he’s in and crank the pace up just enough to turn him inside out and drag him crying to the finish.
FDJ guy looks malnutritioned. Jeez, and I thought Andy Schleck looked bad at the end of a three week tour.
Phil looks great, on the other hand. All class, even with red shorts.
FP looks about 8 yrs old
Dat ass!
I think FDJ guy is UCI spy, trying to see if some obtuse angle seat stay angle is off by 1 billionth of a degree and whether Phil should be disqualified and BMC has to quit manufacturing bicycles for eternity
(Good to be back on this site after a long period after an insane period of work)
1. That’s Yoann Offredo, isn’t it? Deserves a bit better than “FDJ guy,” even if we don’t get to see him again this year. Interesting, though, that he looks slight for such a promising classics rider.
2. Very cool that Gilbert is hanging out with the young FDJ crew, where he got his start.
3. Offredo looks more concerned that Gilbert is telling them he’s just taking it easy in Qatar and won’t race Oman, but, fuck: he’s still Jensing it: 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12.
@Steampunk
1. Indeed it is and yes, deserving of mention without a doubt. But when pictured with such company FDJ guy seemed to have more of an affect. One of France’s hopes for the classics – it’d be nice to see.
2. Totally.
3. Always.
I reckon the mark of a quality classicist is to look seriously fast standing still: race won at the gate. Phil’s got it nailed.
Oh wow, I’m just happy a photo of me doing something similar doesn’t exist. I take a beating sometimes as it is!
Truly amazing that a guy that slim is that fast & strong. I do think Yoann could afford a few pushups & some curls in his time away though. Surely it would help him travel over the cobbles? But heck, he surely knows his body & what is can handle pretty darn well.
Anyway, that’s a hilarious photo; even Phil seems to agree.
And what are the feelings on Gilbert’s kit & gear this year. Too much coordination or looking good?
@Ron
Despite the rule violation, I do believe he’s got the Pro look down solid. I vote for Looking Good.
Gilbert is the personification of casually deliberate… that guys rocks. Have to agree with Calmante (holy cow- someone take note!) that Offredo looks like he hasn’t had a decent meal in weeks.
@Ron
He’s lookin sharp and fit.
YO just wants to touch the power. Might just rub off.
@Anjin-san
It always amazes me that guys that skinny can ride as hard as they do. I know part of it is weight/power ratio working in their favor, and they still have muscle and approximately 0% body fat. But still. He needs a damn sandwich or three. And some beer.
@ ron: its right
listen, here is the deal, its really simple, Gilbert is alpha. We are all in a pack like dogs
The FDJ dude is just sniffing his ass as to say ‘good morning’, ‘how’s it hangin’, ‘can I play’? like a new dog in the pack he has no idea, but just wants to play along
and Gilbert does just like Marko mentions: whatever dude, your getting blown off the back whenever I feel like it
Last time I saw arms that skinny, they were attached to Angelina Jolie.
The other FdJ rider is taking advantage of the rare opportunity NOT to see Phil Gil’s ass.
@wiscot
Ahhahhha. That’s pretty funny! Angelina Jolie Arms… not good.
Tell me they aren’t really wearing Bell Helmets?
That Lapierre is a seriously nice bike, by the way. Quite possibly my top choice of bike (top three, anyway) in the Pro Tour.
FDJ gives a whole new meaning to “casually deliberate.”
YO: You get in front of him and tell him how many watts you can put down and I’ll sneak up and steal his mini pump…
Speaking of pimps – I got my new Jawbones today and what with the matching S-Works and Podium shoes… Well, I may not go too fast but I look marvelous doing it.
@Cyclops
You are the pimp daddy!! Hope your shoes see a lot of podiums this season!
@Cyclops
Honest question: are those Spech shoes comfy? ’cause they really don’t do it for me aesthetically. Just too busy or something I can’t put my finger on.
The Jawbones on the other hand are stylin’.
@scaler911
The only reason that I wear them is that they are comfy. I’ve never been a big fan of Specialized as a company – that’s why I bought a LOOK instead of the S-Works Tarmac SL3 that the LBS was trying to push on me – but I always end up in their shoes. I’ve owned like five or six pair of their Body Geometry shoes because every time I try something else I have some sort of issues with them. Having said that I think the look pretty cool though. But there’s no accounting for taste, right?
@Cyclops
Beautiful piece of matching…possibly only made better if you’d been able to get the O’s on the arms in that metallic orange they offer. I know we can’t see them but I’m assuming since you didn’t mention it, that it didn’t happen.
@Steampunk
An lbs here in Adelaide currently has an FDJ Lapierre sitting side by side with a Mondrian Look, there’s a good thing there’s a window between them & me each time I walk past otherwise they’d be a little dirty by now!
@Mikael Liddy
Mark my words: if I could sell one of my kids, there’d be a Xelius in my future…
@Mikael Liddy
Naw, I went with the black “O”. That way my shoes, shades, and helmet match any kit that I wear.
@Cyclops
but surely you only wear the V-kit, no? Whoops, forgot the state champs jersey.
@Steampunk
You obviously expect to come out on top in the divorce settlement then?
@Mikael Liddy
Got the new racing team kit which is predominantly green and black…
@Cyclops
Point taken…some inspiring music you’ve got there, what happened to the dude who ate it in the two photo montages?
@Cyclops
Nice video y’all got going out there! Observation: a shit ton of centerline violations out there. If that happens in OBRA-land, you could win the race by 20min. You’d still be last. Not so strict out in potato land?
Rocking kits btw. Too much black and white in the amateur peloton now.
@Ron
Ron, I’m thinkng a little too much red. This might be mo betta’
And this is no skinny armed, missing too many doping controls, FDJ guy.
@Ron
While it is alot of red going on, he is able to carry it off rather well I think. It’s a bit like those male Mandrill’s; the more mature (read faster) PhilGil gets, the redder his bibs become. A sure sign of his dominance of the pack.
@Mikael Liddy
I don’t know, all that stuff was from last year and this is my first year with Simply Mac.
@scaler911
I don’t know, when I won the SC race the race marshal had just got done yelling at a guy for yellow line violations so when he pulled up along side me (to tell me that I was the only Cat 5 left in the lead group) I thought I was in trouble. I guess if you don’t get caught it’s legal right?
@Mikael Liddy
Actually, we are not allowed to wear the V kit in USAC sanctioned races, are we? Only USAC recognized and registered teams can wear team kits. I have just been wearing my generic cycling outfits in my races so far this year.
@Ron
It could be a lot worse….
@Gianni
That photo Frink’en (still watching my language-day three I think!) AWESOME. The Prophet just exudes power and class. Dang, what a kit.
@Buck Rogers
Being a bit international, we’d have to register with the UCI and that muppet McQuaid would somehow accidentally manage to enter us into a Grand Tour as a wildcard.
@Chris
Dibs on shotgun in the team car.
@Buck Rogers
I guess it’s not such a big deal when you are just a Cat 5 because I’ve worn the V-Kit at a couple of races…
…but I think somebody around here suggested that we could become an official club and be recognized by USAC. Maybe we should look into it because there are benefits associated with such like insurance and discounts, etc. Get on it Frank.
@Steampunk
No, they’re all 11’s – the other 10 are just spares for when he wears the one he’s on out.
@Ron
Yeah – I thought he’d have looked good in the standard team shorts with the black gripper around the guns. I’d prefer the team shorts were black, but team short are team shorts.
@Anjin-san
When we interviewed Toby Watson who at the time was the phisio at Garmin, he mentioned that nothing makes you feel healthier than hanging out with pro cyclists – they all look like concentration camp victims.
Class act of a guy, by the way.
@Souleur
+1
@wiscot
I think he sees too much of it, actually – disappearing up the road!
@TomB
I happily trust my head’s safety to the company that defined helmet safety for motorcycles.