Pedaleur de Répulsion

No_Ta_Doctor

As the opposite of the Pedaleur de Charme award (which is for aesthetically pleasing cyclists - those with fluid strokes, low backs and a soupçon of souplesse - it's not about triers, or bravery, or attacking panache) I'd like to open the nominations for Pedaleur de Répulsion. These are the cyclists that are an affront to the aesthetics of the sport. Not because they're born ugly, but because everything they do on a bike just looks wrong. You can have a face only a mother could love and still win the Charme award, and you could have the cheekbones for a cover appearance on a fashion mag and still win the the Répulsion award.

My opening nomination is for Aru, who is a disgrace to the Italian national champions jersey. I don't care that his face would be improved by hitting it with a spade, it's he way he rides that disgusts me. I honestly can't bear to see him in the red, white and green.

Lets face it, when it comes to cycling aesthetics the Italians win hands down. If an Italian can't rock his jersey like this:



Or this:


Or this:


then they should give up and go home.

ridgerider

Hand slinging off your rival...Changing gear with your hand...Class!

I always manage to spot Hesink in a group of riders, another true 'bikefighter'.

The_Boy

Latour, aru, froome, cadel. Probably missed a few.

Voeckler!!

specialgueststar

I always thought Dan Martin is unweildly He looks like my recurring dream where I can't cycle because the pedals don't go round in an expected manner

I can't remember if Landis pedalled crap or not but I always think yes because I hated him on a bike

Riis with that stupid gurn and big gear rotation Repulsive

Pross

Chris Anke Sorenson or Chris Horner are up there along with Froome and TV Tommy of course.

No_Ta_Doctor

Possibly controversial, but I'm going to add Contador - purely for his TTing. He shuffles on his saddle like a dog cleaning it's arse on the grass.

emadden

In much the same way as Chris Anker Sorensen and Dan Martin make the selection due to their horrific bobbing up and down... lets also not forget the atrocious style of Mollema.

RonB

Contador looks pretty cool climbing out of the saddle though.

above_the_cows

Pozzovivo. I know he's one of MY MEN but he looks like he's mashing potatoes with his pedal mashing.

blazing_saddles

Paco "Quasimodo" Mancebo.
Sadly, Mauricio Soler. Another all arms and legs man.

Fernando Escartin.

prawny

Mollema looked like a python on his TT bike today, was rank.

dolan_driver

Dirk De Wolf - LBL winner, 1992.

Cool name, appalling pedalling style.

Un candidate pour le title "Pedaleur de Repulsion"!

DD.

andyp

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Fernando Escartin.

/thread ends

above_the_cows

prawny wrote:

Mollema looked like a python on his TT bike today, was rank.

Mollema is not a pretty sight full-stop. But you are right that he looks like a snake, I could never figure out what it was about the way he moves that bothered me but that is it.

above_the_cows

andyp wrote:

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Fernando Escartin.

/thread ends

Oh come on the dude is lost in the roadside moment, give him a break.

B3rnieMac

Ilnur Zakarin and his weird, spidery froome-like arms greatly disturbs me.

prawny

B3rnieMac wrote:

Ilnur Zakarin and his weird, spidery froome-like arms greatly disturbs me.

Zakarin and Aru earlier today

B3rnieMac

*shudder*

k1875

B3rnieMac wrote:

*shudder*

:shock:
Jesus, that'll haunt my dreams like the big spider in harry potter.

Degenkolb is not pretty when he's giving it the beans.

yourpaceormine

Aru's 'givin it some' uphill looks like he stepped out of Belleville Rendezvous. Only in BV it looked good, Aru just looks awful.

The fact that Aru can look so bloomin awful on a bike disproves the hypothesis (somewhere up there ^ ) that Italians are the epitomy of suave sophistication en velo.

Lanterne_Rogue

Anyone who can make it through the HC climbs with the big boys and then ends up in a sprint finish. Even the ones who normally look okay on a bike. All the energy they're putting out ends up frantically trying to escape in whichever direction is most convenient, presumably out of pure embarrassment for being associated with the whole farrago.

takethehighroad

Ha, that sprint finish into Chambery was the epitomy of that. Someone described Froome as "looking like he was leading himself out"

emadden

prawny wrote:

B3rnieMac wrote:

Ilnur Zakarin and his weird, spidery froome-like arms greatly disturbs me.

Zakarin and Aru earlier today

emadden

Jens Voigt was never able to ride in a straight line... front wheel in and out. And, then he had his knees pointing out at right angles: simply horrific.

jimmythecuckoo

Another vote for Aru from me.

He looks like he is wrestling.

timoid.

From the current crop: Aru, Martin, Mollema, Voeckler (or is he historic now?) and of course Froome

From the past: Mancebo - rode with his head sideways

davidof

Ten dam is disgusting

above_the_cows

Oy laat Laurens alleen.

r0bh

No_Ta_Doctor

Just a reminder, this isn't about having good looks. You can have the face of Adonis himself and still look like a sack of potatoes on a bike. Conversely, you can have a face that scares babies and causes grown men to look away and still look like elegance personified when you start to pedal.

meursault

My Fav description of Va va Froomedog "Like an octopus shagging a washing machine".