Anatomy of a Photos: This Is How It’s Done

Yes and yes @photos:Tim de Waele/Corbis and CyclingWeekly

Before we move on to the last Monument of the season, let’s reflect on what happened in Richmond. My deeply held fears of the American organizers making a mess of things were unrealized. The two cobbled climbs were spectacles and the resulting road races were pretty damn fine.

Personally, I don’t think the Worlds should ever end up in a bunch sprint. Sprinters should have their chance but the race should be so tough that even a flat course ends up in a fractured gasp for the line. The women’s finish was not a field sprint. Lizzy Armitstead led from the bottom of the last hill and made sure no one got past her for very long. Anna VDB was there but she was not going to win this one. Armitstead was probably the strongest/fastest in her field and kept it together to prove that.

Peter Sagan won from kilometers out, gaining time with each corner. He might not have been the strongest or fastest but he was most definitely the smartest. He sat in the field the whole race and then jumped everyone with a move that won the day.

Neither winner had a strong team for support. When it comes down to the final kilometers, it’s all legs, brains and heart.

It will be a pleasure seeing the rainbow stripes on these two for the next year.

Gianni

Gianni has left the building.

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View Comments

wilburrox says:

Oct 3 2015 at 4:38 pm

Ya'll see Lizzie's recent tweet ? >>> First training ride in my stripes, don't worry, black shorts have been ordered <<<
Mikael Liddy says:

Oct 3 2015 at 8:02 pm

@ChrisO

@Gianni

@Neispants

Sagan’s immediate post-race interview (when he struggled to say in English that he hopes that people can change the world and that he hopes that he can be an example) was one of the coolest things I’ve heard an athlete say in a long time. The interviewer’s follow-up was one of the dumbest.

Yes! I completely agree. He is a class act.

What example would that be… to live as a tax exile in Monaco? To grope podium girls?

Seriously, the guy can ride a bike, no dispute. But I don’t need lessons on world peace and harmony from multi-millionaire sports personalities.

And most of the people who praise him for saying something will do nothing about it anyway. Retweeting doesn’t solve a lot.

As an expat working in the UAE, I doubt that first example is something you'd need any advice on.

Secondly, I'd suggest someone who's grown up in what used to be Czechoslovakia probably knows something about the societal issues that can stem from idealogical conflicts & civil wars
ChrisO says:

Oct 3 2015 at 11:53 pm

@Mikael Liddy

As an expat working in the UAE, I doubt that first example is something you’d need any advice on.

Fuck you Mikael. Really, fuck off. That's totally out of order.
Mike says:

Oct 4 2015 at 10:02 am

@lokerola

Jesus, bruh, turn the phone sideways for video. it's 2015 FFS.
Mikael Liddy says:

Oct 4 2015 at 3:53 pm

@ChrisO

Fair enough, you've obviously taken that much more seriously than I intended. Didn't mean to offend, sorry about that.
PT says:

Oct 5 2015 at 2:29 am

@ChrisO

@Mikael Liddy

As an expat working in the UAE, I doubt that first example is something you’d need any advice on.

Fuck you Mikael. Really, fuck off. That’s totally out of order.

Not out of order from where I sit. If you can't stand the heat, don't get into the kitchen. You took the moral high ground against Sagan's sentiments, you'd better be able to take it back in spades mate. HTFU.
stupidnoob says:

Oct 5 2015 at 2:32 am

@Phillip Mercer

@Darren H

@frank

This got my heart going pitter-patter

@frank

@davidw

@sthilzy

@Jay

@frank

This got my heart going pitter-patter

The finest garment in all of sports.

Please be with black bibs! Please be with black bibs! Please be with black bibs! Please be with black bibs!…

From cyclingnews: “Under UCI rules we can only have team issue shorts or white shorts. We haven’t decided which Peter will wear yet but the rules mean he can’t use black shorts.”

WTF!

What is the UCI thinking? They should stick to what they do best (pretending to fight the war on drugs) and leave the aesthetics to us, FFS.

I reckon that image is a smoke screen – surely Oleg will go with a ‘camo’ version? :-)

Surely they can make the team wear predominantly black bibs with yellow highlights. I really don’t want to see white shorts… Not even Lord Sagan can make them look good…

NOPE NOPE NOPE
sthilzy says:

Oct 5 2015 at 2:58 am

@stupidnoob

Surely they can make the team wear predominantly black bibs with yellow highlights. I really don’t want to see white shorts… Not even Lord Sagan can make them look good…

NOPE NOPE NOPE

Copy>Paste in mspaint>invert colors>free-form select>Paste over image>Better!
wilburrox says:

Oct 5 2015 at 4:25 am

@stupidnoob

I'll make note of the black shoes...nice... black seems to have been dang near abandond by the peloton.
ChrisO says:

Oct 5 2015 at 10:31 am

@Mikael Liddy

OK, sorry I've over-reacted.

I was finding it difficult to see it as anything other than personal.