This week, we have laundry hijinks, gourmet peanut butter sandwiches, Hour rumours and the thrill of a desert race. From Sagan to Froome, Mick Jagger to Luca Paolini, Spartacus to Stybar and Bertie to Schleck the Younger. It’s another week of tweets …
Riddle of the Sands
Let’s start this column out with one of the best pictures from Oman. This little guy looks unfazed by the fact that he’s lining up with some of the best cyclists in the world.
You work your ass off all day long in the peloton and your podium moment is in an empty parking lot. You’d think they’d have put a little more razzle-dazzle into it!
You work your ass off all day long in the peloton and after you’ve gone over the finish line, you just have to stay on the bike and do another 100km to get to your hotel.
Let’s face it – Peter Sagan can sometimes get it very, very wrong (ref: Pinchgate) but for the most part, he’s a great ambassador for the sport. Always seems most approachable and friendly. I like that.
Mick Jagger – in action!
And Mick makes the final podium, in third place. Not bad for an off-season that seemed to consist of hanging around airports. But hey, do you notice that teeny tiny little camera in his hand? Is he a spy now too?
Chris Froome successfully defended his title in this year’s Tour of Oman and, of course, there was a media scrum wherever he went.
Here’s someone we’ve not seen a lot of: Schleck the Younger. Unfortunately, he missed out on his goal of a top-ten finish in Oman by about, oh 62 places. He finished 72nd. At what point do I stop saying, “I’d really like Andy Schleck to get it together and show us some of that flair he had a few years ago when he was battling Contador …” I think that might be about now.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man
So Fabs is going to make an attempt at the hour record this year – this much he’s said outright. When it will be? That’s not clear. Where it will be? That’s not clear either. There was a rumour last week that Fabs was going to go round and round in circles on August 3rd in Mexico. That rumour was quickly dispelled. But it didn’t half get people afroth with excitement (and me on the Expedia site for flights to Mexico City …)
Now, I’m not just saying this because I love Fabs, but he is one of the superstars of the peloton. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t down to earth. Or loses his laundry, just like an ordinary man! Somehow, his and Hayden Roulston‘s kit snuck into Zdenek Stybar‘s room last week.
Some pressing problems
Speaking of Stybar, he looks to be a dab hand at ironing. Yes, there is an iron in this picture, although to be honest, I didn’t actually notice it for the first 100 times I looked at the pic. (I wonder if he’s ironing Fabs’ laundry?)
While we’re on the shirtless theme (for that is what we’re on), Tweets doesn’t seem to be complete without a picture of Pippo showing off a body part or two. So here he is, shirtless, showing off his haircut that seems to have gone awry. Does he not look like a dead ringer for that guy in Sparks?
I’m liking Roman Kreuziger‘s new do, though. It looks like those little nubby things that grow out of a young deer’s head, that later grow into antlers.
See what I mean? It’s a young velvet buck …
Why, Roman, I’ve never seen you looking so vascular!
It’s Pippo again, looking a bit shattered. Luca Paolini, who usually has quite a handsome tinge about him, looks downright Appalachian, and the divine Manuel Quinziato looks like he’s got a big tarantula vying with his helmet for control of his head. (I was going to put in a picture of a tarantula, so that you could judge for yourself, but then thought better of it. You’re welcome.)
IMPORTANT FLUFFERNUTTER UPDATE!
Last week, Ted King bemoaned the lack of Fluff in Girona as he wanted to make his friend, Koen de Kort, a FlufferNutter sandwich. Ever vigilant, Velocentric sprang into action, like a marshmallow cat (?) and sent Ted a jar or two of this food of the gods. (Psssst. Just between you and me, Velocentric is also good for scoring Oreos, even the chocolate-covered double-stuffs.)
We await pictures of the FlufferNutter feast!
The Gruppetto
Brave woman to deny Jens the coffee of his choice. You can feel the outrage, can’t you!
Shane Stokes, the Athos of cycling journalists, found a handy tome. (No pun intended – Oh who am I kidding, totally intended!) I wonder what the stickers look like? The mind boggles.
Team Sky was the most recent victim of the targeted bike heists that have become more and more frequent. Thieves carried off all their Pinarellos from Haut Var the other day and had to borrow bikes from other teams to race. Christian Knees has found a solution to the security problem, it would seem. I’d watch where those pedals are resting, dude.
Bertie looks chilled and thrilled.
Queuing never really caught on outside of Britain.
Awwwww, Alex Howes has a little friend.
The World Champ ready to roll. Rui always looks so cheerful, doesn’t he?
Still odd seeing Sammy Sanchez in BMC colours, I keep thinking, “huh, he looks familiar …”
I’m not sure I would admit this if it happened to me.
Good to know The Ladies’ Favourite™ is a multi-tasker!
The Last Word
This column has always been about the fun of Twitter and I try to keep it lighthearted. Unfortunately, however, last week the cycling world lost Kristof Goddaert in a tragic training accident in Belgium on the 19th. The peloton took time to honour his memory prior to stage two of the Tour of Oman.
I think it’s only right that this should be the final tweet of the week. Stay safe, people.
