Categories: Anatomy of a Photo

Anatomy of a Photo: Depletion

One eye open and dreaming; were the building on fire, I suspect this shell of a man could hardly be bothered to move from his bench.

As a Cyclist, the enormous weight of the total exhaustion felt by LeMond at this moment fills my spirit with equal measures of dread and envy.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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frank says:

Feb 17 2012 at 8:16 pm

@Nate

@frank

@Gianni

@Nate

Merckx bless LeMond and his ilk, like the Badger, for being GC men who'd still go out and shatter themselves at Paris-Roubaix in April.

yeah, my thought's exactly when I saw this photo. Lemond was ready to waste himself in April and on through the summer. He was trying to catch Kelly all year long. Who is the modern day version of GC Hardman? Thor, but he is really not for the GC. Maybe none, too specialized now.

I can't think of anyone. Not one. Roubaix and the Tour and the Worlds? Pick two. Liege and the Tour and the Worlds? Pick two.
Admittedly, the UCI fucked with that model by pushing the worlds so late in the year - the guys who are doing the Tour are cooked by October. When it was in August - it wasn't ideal, maybe terrible even, given peaks, but you could carry form over and still be competitive. And October peak after the Tour would be almost impossible.

Cadel has the Tour and Worlds and could win Liege in the right circumstances. Actually, from a team perspective he'd be well set up this year to play the wildcard there to Gilbert's ace. I wouldn't put a good showing at Roubaix past him either. It would be rad to seem him go for it in awful weather. But he'd be less likely to win that race.

True enough, but he won the Worlds after a total fuck all at the Tour - I think we can all agree he was two months from peaking that year!

And on the cobbles? Cadelephant? Not without his mountainbike!
frank says:

Feb 17 2012 at 8:17 pm

@Nate

@frank
Also noting LeMond was second in MSR to Sean Kelly once upon a time. Class.

And Lombardy. He was a Four-Season Fuckness Stopper!
Marcus says:

Feb 17 2012 at 8:24 pm

@frank
Pretty sure cuddles won't race Liege this year - maybe never again. He will stick to last year's program...
Nate says:

Feb 17 2012 at 8:27 pm

@scaler911
I don't think I mentioned Clenbutador. The idea of him doing Roubaix is laughable.

@frank
Coming in second to Sean Kelly -- possibly even more classy than actually winning. Just ask Moreno Argentin:
Nate says:

Feb 17 2012 at 8:28 pm

@Marcus
Probably right. It would be cool if he went for it, though.
scaler911 says:

Feb 17 2012 at 8:30 pm

@Nate

@scaler911
I don't think I mentioned Clenbutador. The idea of him doing Roubaix is laughable.
@frank
Coming in second to Sean Kelly "” possibly even more classy than actually winning. Just ask Moreno Argentin:

No, I didn't think you did. I was just saying a great GC guy can't be/ isn't a Classics guy. The two don't mix anymore. Post reads funny cause of my friend Mr. IPA.
Nate says:

Feb 17 2012 at 8:36 pm

@scaler911
Hey, Mr. IPA is visiting at my house too. Obviously.

Some of the GC guys like Cadel can do hilly classics like Liege, Fleche, Lombardy and Worlds on the right course. Maybe not in the same season, though, as @frank points out. None of those guys are going to win P-R or MSR but it would be a lot cooler if the would show up and be a factor, because some of them surely could. Look at Scarponi's ride last year at MSR.
Calmante says:

Feb 17 2012 at 8:55 pm

@Nate

Wow. That was a great video. Thanks for posting it. Interlaced video, though, oi.
Nate says:

Feb 17 2012 at 9:02 pm

@Calmante
There are probably better versions of it to be found on the innertubes.
scaler911 says:

Feb 17 2012 at 9:11 pm

@Nate

@scaler911
Hey, Mr. IPA is visiting at my house too. Obviously.
Some of the GC guys like Cadel can do hilly classics like Liege, Fleche, Lombardy and Worlds on the right course. Maybe not in the same season, though, as @frank points out. None of those guys are going to win P-R or MSR but it would be a lot cooler if the would show up and be a factor, because some of them surely could. Look at Scarponi's ride last year at MSR.

Yep. And, BTW, Dazed and Confused is a fantastic film.