Rouleur Classic

[Bollo]

A friend of mine who's a bit of a fanboy scored some cheap tickets to this event for the Thursday night. I'm not a huge fan of events like this but the beer and prosecco-flavoured meths was flowing and it was an opportunity to get up close to notable riders. The rider 'interviews' were a bit of a cock-up as the room had shocking acoustics.

I took loads of pictures of mainly random stuff, but here's a selection:

Juan Antonio Flecha

• Bollo
• 3 Nov 2017

Juan Antonio Flecha - nice guy.

Paolo Bettini

• Bollo
• 3 Nov 2017

Paolo Bettini

Sparticus

• Bollo
• 3 Nov 2017

Sparticus. A very stylish gentleman

A Tramp

• Bollo
• 3 Nov 2017

A Tramp who got in

Wood Bike

• Bollo
• 3 Nov 2017

Wooden bike frame

Someone will use it as an avatar

• Bollo
• 3 Nov 2017
• 1

Avatar for sale!

Cobbles

• Bollo
• 3 Nov 2017

Actual Classics Cobbles apparently.

Cool classics top

• Bollo
• 3 Nov 2017

Cool classics top

Aguerooooooo!

• Bollo
• 3 Nov 2017

Aguerooooooo! Hand painted shoes

Old Mavic Renault

• Bollo
• 3 Nov 2017

Old Mavic Renault Peugeot.

 

[Slick]

I quite like getting close and personal with different sportsmen and other individuals involved in sport like football managers. Did you not get a chance to ask anyone anything?

 

[Bollo]

I quite like getting close and personal with different sportsmen and other individuals involved in sport like football managers. Did you not get a chance to ask anyone anything?

I'm a bit the other way TBH. The pictures make it look more intimate that it really was - it wasn't crazy busy but you weren't going to have much time with any of the more well-known riders. I was quite happy to step back and people-watch or chat with the mechanics or kit reps. I had a decent DSLR with a speedlight, so a few people asked me if I was press. Not sure if that helped or hindered. Juan Antonio Flecha was probably the most approachable.

 

[Slick]

Yeah, I thought the pictures looked good. You would get good inside information from mechanics, gossip, who hates who and even who the next big thing will be. I'd be a nightmare at one of those things.

 

[Bollo]

Yeah, I thought the pictures looked good. You would get good inside information from mechanics, gossip, who hates who and even who the next big thing will be. I'd be a nightmare at one of those things.

Thanks for the appreciation. I took plenty more but they're probably only of interest to a few, so I won't clog up the page.

What's clear from these events is that most of the riders were very much on-duty. Doing the promo work and shaking the fans' hands is just another aspect of the job. Some are good at it, some are more genuine than others and some would rather have teeth pulled. I can't bring myself to attempt smalltalk and cope with them being politely interested for about 20 seconds, so I'm happy to look for other angles.

Wiggo was an interesting watch though. This was clearly a hearts-and-minds operation and he was on his very best behaviour. The last time I got close-up close was when me and Mrs Dr B shelled out for hospitality at the London stage of the 2013 ToB (the last year before promoter Sweetspot ramped the prices). Although he'd just won, he was really quite vexed and not in a fan-friendly place. I never saw him in his track build, but he's certainly relaxed the diet since his Tour win.

Fabian Cancellera was probably the smoothest - he had a nice balance between staying professional, working for his sponsor (Gore) and giving the fans his time. And he just looked ...... great.

 

[Slick]

Thanks for the appreciation. I took plenty more but they're probably only of interest to a few, so I won't clog up the page.

What's clear from these events is that most of the riders were very much on-duty. Doing the promo work and shaking the fans' hands is just another aspect of the job. Some are good at it, some are more genuine than others and some would rather have teeth pulled. I can't bring myself to attempt smalltalk and cope with them being politely interested for about 20 seconds, so I'm happy to look for other angles.

Wiggo was an interesting watch though. This was clearly a hearts-and-minds operation and he was on his very best behaviour. The last time I got close-up close was when me and Mrs Dr B shelled out for hospitality at the London stage of the 2013 ToB (the last year before promoter Sweetspot ramped the prices). Although he'd just won, he was really quite vexed and not in a fan-friendly place. I never saw him in his track build, but he's certainly relaxed the diet since his Tour win.

Fabian Cancellera was probably the smoothest - he had a nice balance between staying professional, working for his sponsor (Gore) and giving the fans his time. And he just looked ...... great.

Yeah, I appreciate some would be better than others, same with everything really. I like the "relaxed the diet since his tour win" comment, I may use that myself. I love to see pictures of such things, so post the rest if you can.