Let me say this right off the bat: This is a LANCE-FREE ZONE. After the mammoth task of putting together the definitive Tweet Special on Doprah, this column is going to be light and airy, filled with pictures and joy that the season has begun and the boys are back on their bikes (and tweeting up a storm)!

The God of Thunder is back, baby!

So remember how Thor joined BMC last year and then, um, well, we didn’t really see him much after about February? Well, the Norse god is back and feeling so good, he’s commanding the weather!

However, he can’t command the wildlife. The boys are in Argentina, where they seem to have to share the roads with teeny tiny little horses.
 

“This one is for all you ladies out there … How you doin’?”

As befits a legendary god, Thor seemed to have two birthday celebrations last week. And if you look closely, you can see that he has two cakes, TWO cakes! That’s what I’m doing wrong on my birthday – I only have one. But isn’t it great to see Thor looking so fit, healthy and, dare I say it, cheerful? Welcome back!

Posing a question

On another BMC note, that boy Phinney was doing his publicity duties last week – very interesting indeed. Hmmmm, shooting a life-size cardboard cutout … Sean Weide, can you send one of these to me? Pleeeeeeeeease!!!!!! I mean, after all, I have picked Taylor as one of my riders to watch this year. It’d be a lot easier for me if I could watch him as he stood in my front room. (Hey kids, anyone who does get their picture taken with the finished version of this will get it posted here in Tweets!)

Those BMC boys get around. Marco Pinotti is somewhere in the world for training camp. God knows what young Brent Bookwalter did to deserve this, but apparently you don’t cross Marco (who calls this punishment ‘movement prep’).

Love me some Lotto boys

One thing I have been looking forward to over the harsh few months where there was no racing and I was bereft of any decent supply of Tweets was the return of the Lotto-Belisol boys on Twitter. My patience has been rewarded. They landed in Adelaide and immediately began to enrich my world (and this column).

Is it just me or does Andre Greipel look just a touch, a touch, like Paul O’Grady in this picture? (Or Lily Savage with short hair …) No? Just me then, huh?

After Andre had a quick snooze with his trusty steed, all the team went out onto the water. Get a load of Marcel Sieberg‘s quiff! Legendary!

Ah, an original Hansen montage. I’m so glad Adam’s back at the Twitter-helm. I’ve missed him.

So how do I get one of these? (I’m so greedy today! I want two birthday cakes, a Taylor Phinney cardboard cutout and an Andre Greipel keychain, thank you very much!)

Argonaut Alert!

Looks like Marcel Kittel has been to the same quiff-meister as Marcel Sieberg. Or maybe it’s anyone named Marcel has to have flamboyant hair. Oh, but don’t they look so bright and shiny, just like a brand new ProTeam should!

Is it just me or does Mr Kittel look a bit like Sting’s younger, fitter, better-looking brother? No? Just me again? Huh.

Colour me delighted

You didn’t actually think we’d get through a column without a picture of My Beloved, did you? Fools!

And on that note, till next week, tweeties!