Anatomy of a Photo: You Can Leave Your Hat On

Alfons De Wolf, Peter Winnen and Silvano Contini. Photo: Cor Vos via VeloNews

Sometimes, when there’s a job to be done, you just don’t care what you look like. As with gardening, changing the oil or building that new pergola, the best gear for the job is usually the most practical, not the most stylish. In this Cor Vos image from the 1985 Liége-Bastogne-Liége, keeping warm is clearly the main objective of this hard working trio.

De Wolf (L) has gone for the classic beanie with pom-pom, a look usually favoured more by Saturday morning rugby dads than pro cyclists. He also raided the cupboard under the kitchen sink for his gloves, which as anyone who has ever done the dishes knows, do a better job of letting water in than keeping it out. Contini (R) has tried to keep the style points accumulating by jamming a cap over the tuque that his grandmother knitted him, and almost pulls it off, if not for the slightly sheepish look on his face hinting at a modicum of embarassment. Winnen (C) has tried the opposite approach, going for the wooly hat over the cap, which looks like it’s had its visor modified crudely with a pair of scissors. He’s thrown all style and three-point-system pointers right out of the window, and doesn’t give a fuck. Both Contini and Winnen possess guns which are impervious to water and cold.

Looking closer, it seems all three may well be wearing hairnets, making the combining of multiple layers of headwear a challenge that each has met in his own unique way, and somehow manage to still look hard as nails.

Brett

Don't blame me

View Comments

  • @frank

    Sloppy work, fellas. Did you miss your espresso today? Fixed your posts.


    @Campagnolo Vince!



    @MegFisher



    My rules go something like this:
    Look good, have fun, safety third. For the most part, cyclists have this down to a science.


    Yes, look good while having fun, but don't kill anyone "” least yourself! Our science is more like mysticism. Meg you must have a slew of points from this blog site by now. +1


    @Dan_R



    Looks like a typical March group ride here on the hinterland - but badass and stylish all the same.


    Style - not giving a crap what anyone else thinks and backing it up V & XVV


    We are a base-V community, the symbol X holds no meaning for us.

    Unless X is used to represent the intersection of 2 (or 4) Vs. Perhaps symbolising that the many forms of the V all point back to the same philosophical centre.

    My work here is done. I will now disappear for another week...

  • Apart from the Joe Cocker reference (though, being a Randy Newman original, redeems itself), a fine piece Brett!
    Contini's gaunt, has anyone seen my nuts 'cause it's so fricken' cold, look is pretty hardcore. De Wolf's yes, I'm chewing on one of them now look, is brilliant.

  • @Bianchi Denti
    Good work, but it still doesn't represent the number ten in a base V numbering system. I love the X being symmetric V's that all point back to the V-Locus.

    @sthilzy
    I might have to watch that tonight.

  • @CanuckChuck

    @Buck Rogers



    That is the type of photo that inspires me to get out there and ride.


    So Buck, can we expect you to be sporting an equally stylish ensemble in Vermont?

    God Damn, that's setting the bar pretty high right there, mate! Maybe if we roll a Cogal in December we might be able to pull off an ensemble like that.

  • What sort of violation is riding a bike while wearing a cowboy hat?

    And woah, I sometimes ride with a guy who looks an awful lot like Costner there. Hmm, I'm guessing he's a big fan of the movie considering his mustache is quite similar. Never thought of that until seeing that photo.

  • great one brett! nice work

    temprature perception on the bike is via the feet and hands
    I have never had problems with cold hands, but my stinking feet/frozen toes are always the challenge

    so the pic with The Prophet donned in gloves and a short sleeve wool jersey makes a ton of sense to me

    and yes, being a hardass and riding in snow, sleet, and a hard North wind may lend to momentary lapses in style judgement. Most forgiveable, but violations

    However, when done right, its RIGHT
    I first witnessed this as a newbie sophmore rider in 1992, one winter, as I went to ride all bundled up like the michelin man and a svelt rider came effortlessly by in 3/4 knickers, roubaix-esque top and the thing that caught my eye was the had...no helmet, and a cool capo styled knit cap with a draw string...dangling in the breeze as he worked on the spin...it was RIGHT

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