Heaven And Hell
I love this photo for so many reasons...
Firstly, it is from one of the three Grand Tours around Europe. That would be one of the three largest bicycle stage races, the Giro d'Italia. That would be the Tour of Italy...
This stage race began in 1909. It was sponsored by the Italian newspaper, La Gazzetta dello Sport, as a way to increase the circulation (Le Tour de France was started for the same reason.) It takes place during the month of May and snakes its way throughout Italy...duh!!!
Secondly, this photo features, sort of, The Devil. This gentleman can be seen haunting the sides of the roads at every major bicycle race in Europe. Giro?...*poof!*...there's The Devil...Le Tour?!...*poof!*...there he is running along side Paulo...Vuelta?...*poof*...there he is jumping up and down...
The Devil's alter ego is Didi Senft of Storkow, Germany. That is a town near Berlin. He has been chasing cyclists for well over a decade...and to top it all off, The Devil is sponsored by a German auto parts company, Luk.
Thirdly the image captures the general, er, side show that shows up at European bicycle races. While bike races in the United States tend to be festivals for health and families, in Europe, the races are definitely male dominated. Next time you watch le Tour, check out the crazed fans on the side. See many of the delicate gender?...yep...the Angel is there for the guys...
The last part that I love about this pic, well, actually are two things...
The Leer - Check out the leer from The Devil!...What the?!!! Does Mrs. Devil know what you are really doing at the races?!!!
The Hand - What is with that hand fondling the Angel's hair?! And her expression is one of, "Hey!...back off buddy...I have mace hidden, er, dang...not too many places to hide that stuff with this get up..."
posted by LoneCactus @ 8:06 AM
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