32 Replies to “Anatomy of a Photo: The Look 2003”

1. Irrespective of what we suspected then or know now, and irrespective of their various levels of douchbaggery, these riders and many others, were the ones who raised, developed and sustained my interest during my formative road cycling years. For that I thank them. 

2. I never knew the evil twin rode for Phonak, or that he was growing out of Tyler’s back.

3. Motoman not in the picture.

   Big George(tm) now has a book coming out. More money for the cheaters that never prosper. Nice of sport to have such great examples – win at any cost, keep your winnings, claim later you’re still a winner. Cheat now, retire rich. Nice. Levi has a Gran Fondo named after him that is ostensibly a charity event, but that certainly benefits him personally.

4. @Nate

   I never knew the evil twin rode for Phonak, or that he was growing out of Tyler’s back.

   Or that his (unhelmeted) head was so puny and able to turn 180 degrees.

5. @Bespoke

   @Nate

   I never knew the evil twin rode for Phonak, or that he was growing out of Tyler’s back.

   Or that his (unhelmeted) head was so puny and able to turn 180 degrees.

   Nice one.  Hopefully we are just getting started here.

6. Lance: “What a douche, I don’t think I can trust the little bastard”.

   Tyler: “I know the fuckers checking me out, what a douche, I don’t think I can trust the big bastard”.

7. @JohnB Seriously. At the risk of sounding like an acolyte of a certain cantankerous Texan, he’s the reason I got into cycling during grad school. I emulated what I know now to be his magnificent stroke on my own rides. It took a while for the gloss to wear off and realize all of those guys I idolized at the time were cheating.

8. 3 riders, and since it’s a one day and not a Grand Tour, approximately 16L of “augmented hemoglobin transport fluid” between them.

   I understand that in week 2 of Le Tour the volume in that photo would be just under 20L.

   Wait… is just me or does Huevos have some serious horny hoods?

9. This from Tyler’s book.

   With about 3 kms to go, it was down to eight contenders including Lance and me. It was the same old situation, like we were back on on the roads of Nice: Lance and I looking at each other, our wheels one centimeter apart, seeing who was stronger…

   And after Tyler won

   …He (Lance) stalked out without saying a word to me or anyone else. I heard later that he threw his helmet across the his team’s bus.

10. @JohnB ,

    @Owen   Hell yes, I was so thrilled when Tyler won this race. I was totally thrilled and totally clueless and I enjoyed the hell out of it.

11. No parking sign date not updated ?

12. Photo is so perfect with a Pharmarack jersey riding along as the 3d anonymous wheel. Just like Tyler described Lance in the book, Lance’s look says it all: “what new shit is he on?”

13. @VirenqueForever

    No parking sign date not updated ?

    More like an omen: the way up to Heaven is blocked–only way out is down through Hell.

14. @Gianni

    This from Tyler’s book.

    With about 3 kms to go, it was down to eight contenders including Lance and me. It was the same old situation, like we were back on on the roads of Nice: Lance and I looking at each other, our wheels one centimeter apart, seeing who was stronger…

    And after Tyler won

    …He (Lance) stalked out without saying a word to me or anyone else. I heard later that he threw his helmet across the his team’s bus.

    Of course he did. ‘Roids will do that to ya.  Hi Lance, I know you’re watching, you’re too self absorbed and narcissistic not to be.  Fuck off. (not you gianni, love you big guy)

15. @JohnB

    Irrespective of what we suspected then or know now, and irrespective of their various levels of douchbaggery, these riders and many others, were the ones who raised, developed and sustained my interest during my formative road cycling years. For that I thank them.

    Well put, @JohnB.

16. @scaler911

    @Gianni

    This from Tyler’s book.

    With about 3 kms to go, it was down to eight contenders including Lance and me. It was the same old situation, like we were back on on the roads of Nice: Lance and I looking at each other, our wheels one centimeter apart, seeing who was stronger…

    And after Tyler won

    …He (Lance) stalked out without saying a word to me or anyone else. I heard later that he threw his helmet across the his team’s bus.

    Of course he did. ‘Roids will do that to ya. Hi Lance, I know you’re watching, you’re too self absorbed and narcissistic not to be. Fuck off. (not you gianni, love you big guy)

    I was brought up in the good old ethos of:

    1.  Don’t break the rules

    2. If you do, don’t get caught

    3. If you get caught take your punishment and don’t whine about it (Whine verb – to snivel or complain in a peevish, self-pitying way: He is always whining about his problems.)

    Now I don’t think this at all condones what they did to cycling but they need to shape up on point 3.

17. Tyler refuses to look in Lancey’s direction because his shorts are so fucking long.

18. Nothing says european pro cycling like the Mavic spare tire holding up the traffic sign.

19. @ErikdR

    @JohnB

    Irrespective of what we suspected then or know now, and irrespective of their various levels of douchbaggery, these riders and many others, were the ones who raised, developed and sustained my interest during my formative road cycling years. For that I thank them.

    Well put, @JohnB.

    Indeed.  I would venture they played a large role even in the popularity of this wonderful website.  My love for bike riding stated week before Gunderson and Tyler’s evil twin- but my passion for Cycling started there.  Thankfully I have found what is good and pure in our sport (bikes and suffering) and I hold on to those things regardless of the soap opera of the pro’s.

20. Having come into the sport just as Eddy was retiring and then eventually riding with some future US and Canadian pros as a clueless amateur I learned not to be too impressed (by myself too sometimes!)… Some individuals were pretty cool but they were few and far between.

    Therefor, when Lance appeared I was impressed with the story but a niggling doubt always made me uncomfortable about his character. I’m not sure I ever voiced it up to the 3rd Tour win but after that it became a dull howl and a frustration of why the record did not match the commonsense  feeling about why this guy was getting away with it.

    Since then as some, who I thought brilliant and cool, like Tyler, Hincapie (just cool) and others whom I had never met, became white trash I now feel that unless I could look them in the eye and find their true north I will doubt all of them before letting my emotions embrace them.

    Fabian, Tomke, mini Phinney, all are suspect but I will still watch and enjoy!

21. “The look” is an indespensible tool for the cyclist. It is used to gather information on your foes, or send a message. Much like the word “dude,” how you look at someone can send many different messages.

    Not sure exactly what Lance is trying to say here, but perhaps it involves the word “douche.”

22. I think “the Look” is hideous. I prefer the “Don’t Look” – AKA “Eyes Front”.

    COTHO looks terrified. TBone is doing his job very nicely.

23. Pics like that make me wish for a world that could have been.

24. @Owen

    @JohnB Seriously. At the risk of sounding like an acolyte of a certain cantankerous Texan, he’s the reason I got into cycling during grad school. I emulated what I know now to be his Magnificent Stroke on my own rides. It took a while for the gloss to wear off and realize all of those guys I idolized at the time were cheating.

    I’m not convinced it is currently any different honestly.

25. I mean I know NCAA D3 football players who do painkillers for games, apparently even intramurals.  Fucking troglodytes.

26. Is this one of those caption competition games ?

    “Hey Tyler, you know how there are only 81 rules, well me and Johan just added Rule #82 and you suck.”

27. @DerHoggz oh, sure, I’m certain the pressures and opportunities to cheat are still there. As a scientist I try to be evidence-based, and when riders get popped I tend to think they should serve their ban and be done with it. I just like to wait for the evidence. The evidence, aside from Valverde sailing up the Huy, suggests that doping is at least being kept to a tasteful minimum. I hope, anyway.

    I really love this sport, but I think with its past it’s easy to be cynical. It’s why jagoffs yell “Go Lance” at us — all they see is the doping and not a real sport.  Maybe they also are jealous of  looking fantastic too. Who knows.

28. I think Pharmie is unhappy with Tyler’s rule violations on his armwarmers. What a hideous gap and uneven roll-down.

29. For me it’s more like “I used to have that (*&^ under my thumb and now he’s giving me a hard time, &^%$”

30. @Gianni

    This from Tyler’s book.

    With about 3 kms to go, it was down to eight contenders including Lance and me. It was the same old situation, like we were back on on the roads of Nice: Lance and I looking at each other, our wheels one centimeter apart, seeing who was stronger…

    And after Tyler won

    …He (Lance) stalked out without saying a word to me or anyone else. I heard later that he threw his helmet across the his team’s bus.

    “Yea, still here dude!”

31. When winning is everything, sport and sportmanship are dead.

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