The wall. The green machine. A happy oligarch. €1,000 jersey. International Day of Fabs. Men behaving like gentlemen. All in this week’s TWEEEEEETS …
Russian effervescence
Alberto Contador (Baby Blackbird) and Roman Kreuziger‘s performances in Tirreno-Adriatico over the weekend put the snap crackle and pop into one Oleg Tinkov. He might possibly be underestimating any team that Sky fields for the Tour but let’s let him have his day in the sun, shall we?
That “Concentrate!” sounds ominous, don’t you think?
I think that’s a fine idea. Periwinkle is a very underestimated colour. And flower!
Three-pronged attacks
While we’re on the subject of Tirreno, let’s gather up those tweets and sing ourselves a song – a song of the two seas.
In a WTF photo opportunity, some of the main contenders for the trident that Panache is fixated on got all dolled up for a few wacky pics with prongs. Did I say dolled up? They actually look like they got sprayed with glue then rolled around in the bargain bins of JDSports. #SartorialFail. Except for Nairo Quintana, the oldest looking young man in the peloton. He looked like he made an effort.
This picture – well. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen something quite so … well, bewildering. On so many levels. What are you doing, Fabs? Mark Cavendish looks like the guy out of The Big Bang Theory – nerdy, unsure, hoping to get a pretty girl. Oh.
For all the talk of Contador, a certain Velvet Samurai has not been garnering much attention on the TV coverage. But not so on Twitter.
There’s nothing quite so uplifting as seeing Adam Hansen in a breakaway. Or seeing Adam Hansen hang on for dear life on one of the toughest climbs in cycling to come in fourth. #LoveThisGuy!
Simon Geschke came second.
Ben King came third and still had the energy to smile.
And of course, my #KwiatKrush – he hung on valiantly on Saturday to keep the leader’s jersey but Sunday’s flight of the Baby Blackbird put paid to Kwiatkowski’s dreams of victory. His tweets say it all, including how gracious he is in defeat. You know how much I love a gracious rider! My #KwiatKrush grows.
But hey, #IDIDTHAT! Horner is back and injured again, which should mean he’s out most of the season until he spectacularly wins the Vuelta.
And end on a happier note.
![Tirreno chemical toilet]()
The International Day of Fabs
Today, Tuesday 18th March, is Fabian Cancellara‘s birthday. A feast day in the Fondue calendar. Let us celebrate the Sacred Haunches.
I see that cyclists’ feet are no better looking than ballet dancers’ feet. (I hate feet…)
So, at the TTT in Tirreno, we saw Fabs in his Swiss national TT champion’s jersey. It highlighted the fact that the Trek pinstriped kit doesn’t lend itself to, well, anything but it also cost Spartacus €1,000 in fines because he’s not a team time trial champion, but an individual time trial champion. And it’s a no-no to wear it in the wrong TT. (But I seem to remember him wearing his World Championship skinsuit in a TTT years ago – but that might be because it was before TTT had world champions, who are, of course, OPQS.) Too many TTTTTTs. 
The Gruppetto
I love Rui Costa‘s tweets. They’re so polite, so gentle. “Hello my friends! Do not worry!” He’s like the Zen tweeter of the peloton.
Oooooh, that’s gotta hurt. Poor Geraint – he really does have the most atrocious luck with staying on his bike.
The helmet is bigger than Carlos Betancur‘s head. He looks like a very serious little boy. Or maybe he’s just realised that his future involves wearing brown shorts.
I just liked this picture from Jon Baines, who was trawling through his photos from last year. I expect he’ll have some great ones this year as well!
To be fair to the Ronde van Drenthe, all these appliances were given to the men as well. I’m wondering what’s in that basket in cellophane – looks like a chicken.
This is from a while back but only just popped up in my Twitterstream so I put it in – considering the appliance prizes, I think Tom got off lucky.
Nope, I don’t have a clue either.
Aw, nuts.
These helmets look like trophy Ninja turtle heads.
For all the talk of Bradley Wiggins being a ‘student of the history of cycling’, it’s Mark Cavendish who really lives the spirit of that history and tradition, as can be seen by his donning of the cap, not hat, for the podium presentation.
Hey, Pierre Rolland! THIS is the way to wear the polka dot jersey. Doesn’t Pim Ligthart looks snazzy? And pox-free? That Lotto-Belisol kit is the business.
I always suspected that Dan Lloyd was a bit of a sadist. As all cycling-crazed folks are.
Simply a great picture.
The Last Word
