Pub Talk - Greatest Cycling Photo Ever!
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Look at the size of the gear Gaul is riding! Love the beer truck photo
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No tA Doctor wrote:What do people think the essential ingredients for a truly great cycling photo are?
For me, the best of the best capture something even if you don't know the riders or the race. It's enough to recognise the pain/elegance/excitement etc. In the history of cycling countless riders have crossed the line first, whether by millimetres or kilometres. If you don't know it's a great rider and you don't know it was the queen stage of a dramatic TdF (for instance) is the picture still great?
On the other hand, there are plenty of great pictures that capture something of a great champion, or a defining moment in cycling history, where the mystique and importance of the rider/moment are part of our cultural tradition.... You can't see the classic pics of Hinault, for example, without seeing the man's legendary drive and aggression.
PS Rick - Pantani (et al) sitting in the road at the '98 TdF is one of the sport's lowest points for me. Important historically, and accurate portrayal of cycling at the time, but all the romanticism of cycling is stripped away to leave the ugliness. Not my favourite pic by a long shot.
It needs to capture the essence of the sport e.g. the pain and suffering or the sheer ecstasy. As you've said, someone who doesn't know the sport should be able to look and understand the emotion if not what is actually happening. The picture I put up of the sprint at Het Volk yesterday is a pretty good example but to me nothing beats those early races in the black and white shots.0 -
Pross wrote:Look at the size of the gear Gaul is riding! Love the beer truck photo
I love the fact that the Pelforth riders are getting stuck in despite it being a different brewery's truck :-)Warning No formatter is installed for the format0 -
No tA Doctor wrote:Pross wrote:Look at the size of the gear Gaul is riding! Love the beer truck photo
I love the fact that the Pelforth riders are getting stuck in despite it being a different brewery's truck :-)
You could photograph Charley Gaul putting the bins out and it would look magical."In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
I think that first and foremost it has to work on an artistic level. The sort of photo that would draw a non-cycling fan into it and ask what is happening.No tA Doctor wrote:What do people think the essential ingredients for a truly great cycling photo are?
And only when that is satisfied should the significance of the event become a factor.Twitter: @RichN950 -
We can all agree that cycling sans helmets made for better photos.
[Except for hairnets, obviously]Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
andyp wrote:Extralight wrote:Not the greatest cycling photo ever, but one of my best cycling pics. Anyone know who it is, and, for exctra bonus points, what race and when?
Is it Christophe Agnolutto? It looks very like the Bosberg, but the close ratio front chainrings make me think it's from Paris-Roubaix, so I'll hazard a guess at the Arenberg.
Well done, Paris-Roubaix it is. Couldn't tell you which stretch of cobbles for sure though as it was 1999, and I can't remember, but your guess of Arenberg is probably right given the crowds and barriers - I certainly watched at that stretch as well as many others. Oh yes, the rider is Andrea Taffi - Rick sussed this earlier, but by foul means!0 -
RichN95 wrote:
I think that first and foremost it has to work on an artistic level. The sort of photo that would draw a non-cycling fan into it and ask what is happening.No tA Doctor wrote:What do people think the essential ingredients for a truly great cycling photo are?
And only when that is satisfied should the significance of the event become a factor.
I think you're all right. A common element of most good photos is contrast, whether it be contrasting tones/shades, colours, components (eg. manmade vs. natural), movement (static vs. moving), emotions, etc. With cycling, as most have already observed, a great picture often captures agony and ecstasy, showing the pain and the glory, the 'heroic' elements of the sport. That photo of Pantani crossing the line arms aloft has so much of this, and with retrospect given his tragic story, seems especially poignant.0 -
Extralight wrote:andyp wrote:Extralight wrote:Not the greatest cycling photo ever, but one of my best cycling pics. Anyone know who it is, and, for exctra bonus points, what race and when?
Is it Christophe Agnolutto? It looks very like the Bosberg, but the close ratio front chainrings make me think it's from Paris-Roubaix, so I'll hazard a guess at the Arenberg.
Well done, Paris-Roubaix it is. Couldn't tell you which stretch of cobbles for sure though as it was 1999, and I can't remember, but your guess of Arenberg is probably right given the crowds and barriers - I certainly watched at that stretch as well as many others. Oh yes, the rider is Andrea Taffi - Rick sussed this earlier, but by foul means!
That isn't Andrea Tafi in '99. Tafi was riding for Mapei in '99 in the Italian Champs jersey. Like this...
Don't you remember, he won the race that year?
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greasedscotsman wrote:Extralight wrote:andyp wrote:Extralight wrote:Not the greatest cycling photo ever, but one of my best cycling pics. Anyone know who it is, and, for exctra bonus points, what race and when?
Is it Christophe Agnolutto? It looks very like the Bosberg, but the close ratio front chainrings make me think it's from Paris-Roubaix, so I'll hazard a guess at the Arenberg.
Well done, Paris-Roubaix it is. Couldn't tell you which stretch of cobbles for sure though as it was 1999, and I can't remember, but your guess of Arenberg is probably right given the crowds and barriers - I certainly watched at that stretch as well as many others. Oh yes, the rider is Andrea Taffi - Rick sussed this earlier, but by foul means!
That isn't Andrea Tafi in '99. Tafi was riding for Mapei in '99 in the Italian Champs jersey. Like this...
Don't you remember, he won the race that year?
:oops: !!!! You're right, Greased Scotsman, he did win PR in 1999 for Mapei. I was sure this was Taffi. Is it possible that I've got my years in a muddle (my archive of 35mm photos is really shambolic) - I went to watch Paris-Roubaix on several occasions throughout the 90s. Anyone know what team this is? Really looks like Taffi to me - could it be him when he rode for a team before Mapei?
Humble pie being eaten as I type! :oops:0 -
Looks like the Casino team, not a team Tafi rode for. No idea who it is thought, but does look like Arenberg Forest to me.
Oh and '99 was the first year I went, you weren't on the same coach were you? 0 -
greasedscotsman wrote:Looks like the Casino team, not a team Tafi rode for. No idea who it is thought, but does look like Arenberg Forest to me.
Oh and '99 was the first year I went, you weren't on the same coach were you?
Christophe Agnolutto?
(I did cheat to work that out)0 -
gpreeves wrote:greasedscotsman wrote:Looks like the Casino team, not a team Tafi rode for. No idea who it is thought, but does look like Arenberg Forest to me.
Oh and '99 was the first year I went, you weren't on the same coach were you?
Christophe Agnolutto?
(I did cheat to work that out)
You're right, it is the Casino strip. Don't even remember Agnolutto (sorry Christophe).
No, it wasn't me on the bus! I always went by car to watch PR. And now to get the thread back on track, how about this chap? What would be his palmares if he wasn't racing in the height of the EPO era? 2nd in the Dauphine in 1995, and yet not competitive for the overall in any Grand Tours. Hmmm.
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How good is your cheating?gpreeves wrote:
Christophe Agnolutto?greasedscotsman wrote:Looks like the Casino team, not a team Tafi rode for. No idea who it is thought, but does look like Arenberg Forest to me.
(I did cheat to work that out)
Because I don’t think it’s Agnolutto – his face was narrower and he mostly had his hair cropped short.
I don't know who it is, but what about Andy Flickinger?
He had the same high forehead and in the ’99 Paris-Roubaix he was in the initial break of about 10 riders until he had a mechanical. As a result of that, by the time they went through Arenberg, I think he was alone, inbetween the remainder of the break and the main peloton.
He is now a DS with Europcar.0 -
A group of 'county' amateurs after trying to keep up with the pros/make the time cut in the RAS
This photo was taken after stage 4 (of 8 ) when the race entered Donegal and started to get serious
This guy probably had to go back to work the following Monday
Donal Harrington of the Mayo Centra team crashed on the opening stage in 2012 but battled on bloodied to finish and went on to complete the race. Because of those photo, he became the face of Rás 2012; the stand out county man among the Men of the Rás.“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!0 -
This is a beauty, by the very underrated Phil O'Connor
Though I might be a bit biased, seeing as I bloody LOVE Sean Kelly AND I've got one of those Mavic Comete +/- discs on my retro lo-pro...It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.0 -
This reminds me that in the 1950s, in the TdF they used to give an extra prize after each stage to the rider who'd suffered the worst crash in that day's stage (I don't know if finishing the stage was pre-requisite for consideration).TailWindHome wrote:
This guy probably had to go back to work the following Monday
Donal Harrington of the Mayo Centra team crashed on the opening stage in 2012 but battled on bloodied to finish and went on to complete the race. Because of those photo, he became the face of Rás 2012; the stand out county man among the Men of the Rás.
Eitherway, perhaps it's something which could be re-introduced to honour 'hard' men (at the same time hoping each day, no award is necessary).0 -
knedlicky wrote:This reminds me that in the 1950s, in the TdF they used to give an extra prize after each stage to the rider who'd suffered the worst crash in that day's stage (I don't know if finishing the stage was pre-requisite for consideration).
Eitherway, perhaps it's something which could be re-introduced to honour 'hard' men (at the same time hoping each day, no award is necessary).
There are a few riders who seem to believe there still is a prize for this .0 -
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Contador is the Greatest0 -
Somehow these helmets go so so well with cobbles:
Contador is the Greatest0 -
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Can't argue with that as producing some of the best racing and having some of the best photos.NapoleonD wrote:Bo Duke wrote:
There were many great images taken during the mud section of the 2010 Giro d'Italia.
That was one of my most fave GT stages ever!
I didn't have a clue who was winning, but it was compelling.0 -
That whole Giro was arguably the best grand tour of recent times. The strada bianchi stage, the giant breakaway, epic stages over the Gavia and Mortirolo. Super stuff.0
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Looking back at the Casino jersey. If ever there is one retro kit Prendas should get remade (now that they have done Raleigh/Banana) its that one.0
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phreak wrote:That whole Giro was arguably the best grand tour of recent times. The strada bianchi stage, the giant breakaway, epic stages over the Gavia and Mortirolo. Super stuff.
Yup. On the strada stage the eventual winner was on the ground too. I still remember some people on the forum saying Basso was rubbish at the time and Nibs should've left him.... despite the fact that every time the road went up on the stage Basso was climbing faster than Nibs.
Awful bike handling though so he looked bad.Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
I watched that stage on the turbo today and it was quite comical. There was footage of Nibali et al crashing, and then after a few seconds a rider emerged at the edge of the shot, and it was Basso, spread eagled on the road looking utterly bemused as to what had just happened.
His bike handling almost cost him on the Mortirolo stage too as he lost nearly all of his gains from the climb on the descent, only to pull back out again on the rise up to Aprica.0
