Tweets of the Week: Hansen’s 9 days of Hell, Swiss knitting and SuperSagan’s gym secret

December 18, 2012 kittyfondue Leave a comment

Well, it’s the last Tweets of the Week for 2012 – if I get around to it, I will try to put together a Greatest Hits of Tweets for Christmas week as the Twitterstream has been rich fishing grounds all year and I’ve caught VeloVoices’ quota of succulent tweets. However in the meantime, I will leave you with an (almost) all-photo Tweets, starting with the best series of tweets in the world, ever. Yes, it’s …

Hansen’s Training Camp Diary

Jump, Fabs, Jump!

Training camps came in all shapes and forms: RadioShack-Nissan did some sort of bizarre track and field training camp. Um, hey guys, don’t quit your day job.

Poor Fabs.

Andy Schleck, however, got to do the pole vault. Is this just the strangest training camp ever? Give a guy with a broken pelvis a long pole with which he has to somehow catapult himself through the air and over a bar. Does that sound wise to anyone out there? However, something must have cheered Fabs and Andy up (Bruyneel disappearance perhaps?), as they’ve both been tweeting again. As has Mark Cavendish now that he no longer rides in the Death Star – funny that.

There was quite the spirit of bonhomie in the RadioShack training camp – not to mention a little knitting needle action. Gregory Rast seems to be a dab hand at purling and casting off. And I for one think Fabs will look, well, fab in this chunky jumper.

Before we leave RSNT, let me just say the next couple tweets are a veritable masterclass in Fabianese. I’m so glad he’s back!!!

I love him. I. Love. Him.

And to wrap it all up

The guys from the team formerly known as Rabobank have taken matters into their own hands, I see.

While SuperSagan seems to have taken the elegant Mr Basso into his hands and onto his shoulders. Why? God only knows. Maybe perfecting his Incredible Hulk persona. Anyway, glad to see the Velvet Samurai back as well.

And last but not least, That Boy Phinney. Yeah yeah yeah, I’m putting in my favourites today, so sue me. But I can’t wait to see how Taylor performs in 2013 – another maglia rosa? A podium place in a spring Classic? The sky’s the limit for this guy. And his hair is trying desperately to kiss the sky too …

And that’s your lot. This year, it was the best of times and the worst of times, but no matter what, it all was Twitter fodder. I suspect next year will be just as fun and infuriating. Let’s all hope for a catastrophe-free season in 2013. And some damn fine racing!

Gallery, Road World Championships

Road World Championships photo special: Peloton portraits

September 23, 2012 kittyfondue 4 Comments

VeloEye Danielle Haex was in the VIP area for the start of the World Championships’ final event, the men’s elite road race and has kindly shared some of her pictures with us.

So without further ado, let’s have a look at some of the big names and key players in a race which fully lived up to its billing!

All signed in – let’s go!

2011 World Champion Mark Cavendish, who abandoned the race early: black helmet

2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins, who also abandoned the race: white helmet

Thomas Voeckler – always a magnet for the media. Love the French jacket!

Kitty’s favourite Movistarlet Andrey Amador, the lone Costa Rican rider. He looks thrilled, doesn’t he?

One of Danielle’s favourite riders, Switzerland’s Gregory Rast

French rider Sylvain Chavanel, looking a bit moody. For a while in the race, it looked like he was going to set something up with Thomas Voeckler for a French one-two

Taylor Phinney with his nasal strips and superhero kit! Rumours of his abandonment were grossly exaggerated – he finished the race

Oscar Freire in his last race – an early crash put paid to his chances, even though he finished the race

We thought that Peter Sagan, the Velvet Samurai, would be in the mix at the end, but it was not to be. We really only saw him momentarily out in front

The riders who lit up the race

Dutch rider Koen de Kort rode a great race, helping chase the break with the Orange Armada when the time came. He finished 16th

Big Tom Boonen was part of the strong Belgian squad that played the peloton well, setting up the ultimate win for his fellow countryman

Alberto Contador, riding for a super strong Spanish team, went off like a pistol (get it?) on a number of attacks that ripped the peloton apart

In the azzurro of the Italian team, Vincenzo Nibali attacked inside the last 5km but couldn’t sustain the charge. And out from behind him swung the new champion to break away in the last 1.5km …

Baby-faced Norwegian Edvald Boasson-Hagen took the silver medal

And finally, we have the King of the World

He might have had a disastrous season up until a few weeks ago, but this is the way to salvage your reputation! Philippe Gilbert did what everyone thought he would do – rode away on the final climb. From the moment he got away, everyone else was racing for second. Chapeau to the new World Champion!

Thanks, Danielle, for sharing another great set of photographs!