Guest Anatomy of a Photo: Here We Rest
@steampunk dropped this beauty of a photo on us. Volumes being spoken here, none of which makes being a pro look so great. Thanks Steamy.
VLVV, Gianni
I’ve waxed lyrical on the darker side of le métier on these pages in the past””on the physical and psychological demands that pro riders endure. But this photograph requires even more of the cycling fan. Tan lines? Check. Eye wear? Well placed. These are pro, right?
But this kind of voyeurism almost inspires an awkward kind of guilt. Witness: the still-open door; the suitcase stand still leaning against the wall””suitcase dumped on the floor beside it; shoes (as beaten and worn down as the rider) askew in the general vicinity of the shoe mat. How do we process these? Dingy hotel. Emaciated rider. Sun-burned face. Chapped lips. Hunched shoulders. Heavy head. Distant eyes. Broken. Total, utter, complete fatigue. And tomorrow they expect panache. Again.
@allezfignon
or service his bike, especially the saddle, in his hotel room circa ‘A Sunday In Hell’
@razmaspaz
I would imagine it rings true for any profession which also seconds for some as a leisure activity, whether you sing karaoke at the weekends, ride a bike, write or fuck. I would imagine that once you take it up as a profession you are restricted by not choosing when you do it and that takes away some of the joy because you have to do it on days when you don’t want to. On the flip side, on those days when you don’t want to get on with it and everything comes good, you feel a heightened sense of achievement.
Essentially the highs become higher, and the lows become lower….
@brian
Sounds like you needed some VLVV it also sounds like you had a rather rose tinted view of cycling (in the pro world). I will not go on because we have done this stuff ad nauseum on the site, but pros have always cheated…from the very first one, all that changed was the means and the impact.
The important thing is to find and maintain YOUR love of cycling…leave the pros to fuck up their own lives. Watch them and love what they do but never confuse this with the pain and ensuing joy at your next personal ride or goal achieved…
I am glad you got that stuff off your chest because this now leaves you free and unencumbered to get out and ride ride ride!
Enjoy!
@Deakus
@brian Shit that sounded really preachy when read back, I would have scattered it with well meaning emoticons to tone down the cheese factor but I feared public retribution from those here who do not follow “the way of the emoticon” on the site…either way..welcome to the site!
@brian
No stress, mate. Everyone has an opinion here and you’ll find that people will not cast you off for that. They may argue or disagree, but that’s part of the fun. Welcome!
@Deakus
@brian argument and dissenting opinions are always allowed, but as Deakus alluded to there, avoid emoticons
@Steampunk
Steamy, I tweaked it in B&W and it looked good. Sepia was awful.
@brian
Welcome! No need to apologize. Read the posts on other sites and you’ll know we have a great community here who offer quality posts (for the most part – and I’ve posted some pish at times) and what you offered was well-written, sincere and based on experience. Stick around!
@brian
Welcome to the site. I’ve been in the bunch with COTHO (back when he was a development kid with Motorola). While i (we) didn’t know what he was about then, and it’s probably right to assume that he was clean at the time, he was a arrogant prick. That just got worse over time, even though I’ll admit still that his domination at Worlds was one of the best finishes I’d ever seen.
Don’t let any Pro ruin your love of the sport. Our is unique in the fact that we can participate in it for our entire lives (including racing if you choose), and our access to the athletes is unparalleled; I mean can you imagine being 50, putting on pads and playing football? Or being able to shimmy up next to Drew Bledsoe and having a quick chat on the sidelines like you can with Jensie?
Browse around. There was an article written about this very thing just a few days ago.
@steampunk: great photo! So much going on there. Pretty sure he spent a long day in “The Tunnel“.
@scaler911 Written like a true Velominatus. Additionally, how often to amateurs/enthusiasts get to tee up at Augusta, shoot hoops in MSG, play football at Lambeau, or anything of the sort for rugby, cricket, or soccer? We can ride the cobbles, climbs, and hallowed roads of cycling whenever we want. Unless of course it’s during a race, in which case we get to stand at the side of the road for free and watch our sporting idols go by.
Even in a photo studio during the offseason posing for a cover shot Barry comes across looking drawn and wasted.
Would you call this the less glamorous side of being a pro, or just the aftermath?
@chipomarc
Are you referring to the recent Canadian Cycling cover?
I love the jersey. And note the bike comes from his father.
@Xyverz
My take was that this was the less glamorous side. Naturally the subject has shifted our focus to talk about doping, aftermath, etc., but I suspect you could superimpose most pros into this scene.
@brian
Welcome, mate.
@scaler911
Drew Bledsoe? Really??
@Buck Rogers
Pro cyclist and porn star: two professions I think that sound great in theory, but the reality is rather…less than desirable.
Note I didn’t use the adjective “sucks” or “unfulfilling.”
@brian
Ranting is what makes this site so great. Glad you’re here to join in the fun.
Disagree with the “cycling is a privilege not a right.” I’d agree perhaps that bike racing is a privilege (invited, prepped, licensed, etc etc) but cycling, particularly the VLVV, is very much a right. Those are in fact my roads, I do own them. Comes with a responsibility of course, but all rights do.
@brian
Your original post (first here?) seemed like one of the usual-new people come and make a stink, without looking to contribute. However, in your posts since then you have piqued my interest, and I enjoyed reading about your experience. Stick around, it is a great place that Frank and the other Keepers have cultivated over the years. It is one of the unique places on the web for the close community it fosters IMO.
Referencing the photo, what are the circumstances of it? TdF I’m assuming, what year?
Well, since doping is being discussed I wanted to share this. I haven’t had the chance to read it all yet, but a provoking look at what is going on in the governing bodies.
http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/01/analysis/hoberman-qa-outlining-corruption-doping-collusion-at-the-ioc-uci_270482
With regards to Lance’s possible confession and being allowed to compete: On the one hand, maybe it is in line with previous suspensions, has there ever been a life suspension before? On the other hand, fuck Lance.
@Steampunk well chosen!
This is a photo by Camille John Mcmillan that is one of the true masters of cycling photography. Please do not alter (black and white) his photo, instead have a look at his beautiful site http://camillejohnmcmillan.com/
@Steampunk
@eightzero
your right,and thats what meant, racing is a privilege.i realized it after i posted.d’oh.
@DerHoggz
thanks,and your right about the site.i’ve been lurking here for awhile. love that you all love cycling,had been looking for a site to talk cycling.
and thanks deakus and the rest for the for the welcome.cheers for the V.
@brian
It goes without saying, too, that more Canadians definitely raise the classiness of this dump of a site exponentially.
@Pedale.Forchetta
Wow. The Reynolds photos–just what I went to first–have color and texture that are hyper-real. Just gorgeous. I can feel and smell the grease and metal shavings.
@brian
“cycling was so pure,i mean you watched every calorie you,you trained in the pissing rain,it was,you know,to see how good you could be.so much suffering,for fleeting glimspes of glory and i don’t just mean winning,finishing spring races in sleeting snow/rain,glasses fogged up ,can’t see,sucking the wheel in front of you. damn i miss those days.”
Brian this has to be the best summation of what I imagine we all feel/felt about racing – love it! Welcome.
Steamy, in my very limited stage race experience after the fifth day any activity off the bike resulted in the thousand mile stare and a goofy surreal existence but on the bike reality returned and a laser like (well as much as I have ever had a laser like mind) race mentality locked in.
So in a funny way this image evokes not a pity response but more nostalgia for that “special” feeling that I only ever had in those moments.
@PeakInTwoYears
Working in a metal shop, I must disagree, nothing gorgeous about that stuff.
@DerHoggz
The setting is exotic to me, so I respond like the bookish effete wanker that I am. But looking at those images I get a hit of my grandfather the ironworker’s shop, which was a magical place for a little kid.
My god what our heros to them selves in the name sport. I don’t see anything pitiful in this image, I see a warrior. I know that sounds cheesy.
@Steampunk
I loathe American Football now to be honest. His was just a name that came to mind when I was tapping out that post. I used to really love FB when I was a kid. Somehow it seemed better then. My grandfather was friends with Jim Plunkett both being Stanford Alumni.
@scaler911
I’m almost loath to admit that I have a degree from WSU, so the Drew Bledsoe comment piqued my curiosity.
@DerHoggz
There are life suspensions around – but they are for recidivists, eg. The Hard man from Marblehead. Not sure whether the Cobra has one too?
For the love of God. Let’s all please refrain from destroying Camille’s outstanding portrait by mangling it with “sepia” or a BW conversion. If that’s how they wanted it, that’s how they would have made it. Camillle’s photo, not ours. Camille’s just letting us all appreciate it.
It truly is a great portrait. You guys should drop the name into Google and check out some of the other work. Great stuff. Also, Kristof Ramon & Emiliano Granado & Daniel Wakefield Pasley do excellent cycling documentary photography.
@Rob 5 days? Man, the longest “stage” race I have done is 4 stages in three days. I secured a strong place in the bottom third and was completely sun-fucked after the last stage. I weakly rolIed into the front seat of the car for the 4 dried rive home and my VMH, who just rode the women’s race and had to be lumped in with the pros for numbers, turns to me in the passenger seat and says…
“oh pumpkin, does your cunt hurt? Or do you have sand in your ovaries? Because I think I rode alot more kms than you did this weekend.”
@Dan_R *4 hour drive home. Damn autocorrect
@DerHoggz
That Reynolds factory could do with a jolly good steam clean. Seriously – it worries me that people let that much crap accumulate on surfaces that could easily be kept properly maintained, whether it’s a bike or a hulking great metal press.
@Dan R Harsh. But at least she calls you pumpkin, not bitch. To your face anyway…
@ChrisO
Sometimes it’s better to leave the gunk on as it becomes part of the machinery. I’ve cleaned many machines as a operator, but have to agree Reynolds is a very dark dingy place. It’s what comes out the front door that matters.
@Dan_R
Priceless….I bet you felt about 2ft tall……..through the miasma of post ride exhaustion………
@sthilzy
Yes true, the final product is most important. But from some of my experiences with construction companies and system installers the ones who have an organised and tidy yard or fabrication area are more likely to produce the final product with the least amount of hassle and the highest quality.
Not universal of course, but like a bike and rider – if someone turns up on a filthy frame the immediate assumption is going to be against them being the sort of person you want to have riding at close quarters. And you’ll be pleasantly surprised if it turns out otherwise.
Are there any pictures of the Columbus factory to make a comparison I wonder ?
Sometimes I think it might be fun to work in a bike shop while I finish school and before I get a “real” job. But, just like a lot of things, fun in theory but I don’t think I’d like it as a job since it would steal some of the fun and casualness for me. I’m sure lots of you have worked in shops though.
“Un homme en forme est un homme malade.” Ah, this makes a lot of sense & coupled with the race car analogy sorts out my confusion about him not looking like a professional athlete. His body is primed to do one thing very well.
Sports! I’m with ya, scaler. I can no longer stomach American football. It’s so slow, there is far too much arguing/analysis/replay of every single down. And the college football season isn’t even over yet? I also don’t understand the NBA. I actually enjoy watching faux wrestling now and again for the silliness of it and to me to NBA is only slightly different, especially during the regular season. Entertain, yes. Heated competition, rarely.
I’m still pissed off about the NHL strike since I have finally found free tickets to games. I only follow PRO cycling, futbol, and hockey (if it’s being played) these days. Absolutely no love for the “big three” American sports. Hell, I don’t even love lacrosse anymore and that was the love of my life for most of it. Kind of like what happened to surfing along the way – became all about show and not about substance. Oh well, I’m happy and have plenty of cycling to watch as it is. Heck, I could just watch old races on the ‘tube if the peloton ever strikes.
@Dan_R
And that’s how we know you married an Australian. I think she may have even lifted those lines directly from the national anthem.
@minion
Yeah, she’s a catch alright. I just need to watch my back at the top of the stairs.
@Deakus
I wish I could pretend to be a pimp from Oakland. Actually, when I was in the army the saying went, “hey Sarge, don’t make me call my mom and tell her I am in the infantry, she thinks I do something with more class. I told her I play piano in a whore house in Red Deer.” Um, you should see Red Deer.
Back to the original AOP topic – after choosing her pick for the winning picture from the photograph competition Mrs Engine went on to say that “there’s nothing a bowl of soup and a good wash wouldn’t cure”.
I can relate to this photo. We Velominati obsess with the desire to “look pro” and yet when we return from a ride where copious amounts of V were sprayed about we, or should I say “I”, usually dismount the bike, kick off the Pepe Le Pews, take off the jersey, pull the bib straps down and flop on the couch and relish that ethereal tug-of-war between the desire to fall asleep and the craving to stay awake and enjoy the endorphins. Most happily is seems (from the photo above) that though I am sprawled on the couch, HRM strap dangling loosely from a strengthless hand, pasty white torso glaring, etc. that I am indeed “looking pro”. Save the extra 16k of girth but I’m working on that too.
“Pasty white torso” was mentioned, and this came to my mind. -The tan lines are OK.
@Steampunk Definite upgrade from all of those Aussies.
“We Are the Robots…”
@Cyclops
Hey…relax a bit! I thought you looked at pretty good fightin’ weight in your submission for Photo of the Year!
@sengelov
Shit I thought that was a top he was pulling down at first!
Being from Scotland, I thought I was highly familiar with the pasty white skin affliction. This, however, takes the prize. I mean, has that torso EVER been exposed to direct sunlight? To really win the prize, join the dots and try and figure out which country he was in when he said he wasn’t there.
@sengelov
Please pass the fork. I need to gouge out my eyes.
I thought the starting image was just Frank post Haleakala Round IIV
@Deakus
Hate hate hate that chicken motherfucker