It's Friday afternoon (somewhere), it's been a long week, we need to unwind. So here's the (un)official Dauphiné vs. Suisse Hottitude Thread. This year, I'm calling it unequivocably for Suisse. Why? Let's ponder...
Fabian Cancellara by ticinoturismo (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Damn. Cancellara. Although we sometimes use it to describe general attractiveness, in its truest sense "hottitude" denotes a rare combination of physical beauty, athletic prowess, and confident (even cocky) attitude that suggests oh yeah, the possessor knows he's got it. Spartacus embodies hottitude. And Suisse is his home race. He alone would make a case for Suisse superiority. But, luckily for us...
If there's a second man in the peloton to contest for the title of High King of Hottitude, that man would have to be Cance's biggest spring rival, Tom Boonen. Looks, palmares, attitude... he even has hair again! Fab vs. Tommeke--there's a poll for a rainy day. In the meantime, for your consideration:
Tom Boonen by Marylene Evrard (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
The Tommeke + Fabian combination at the Tour de Suisse this year is just too crushing a juggernaut to leave any chance for the poor little Critérium du Dauphiné, and that's a fact.
Disagree? Agree? Feel free to make your case in the comments, providing approved photographic evidence (see below!) in support.
Also adding spice in Switzerland are few of my favorites:
Maarten Wynants by Thomas Ducroquet (Own work) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Everyone's favorite underwear model (and Tour de Suisse stage winner) Thomas Dekker by Frederik De Buck (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Barbie! Heinrich Haussler, All rights reserved by Marvin Johnson (from Podium Cafe Flickr group)
So...argue away! Suisse? Dauphiné? Who ya got? For those who prefer their blond, diamond-studded cyclists female, feel free to chime in about the heat in Spain, where Emakumeen Euskal Bira is going on.
Tiffany Cromwell by Culture Mauges (CC BY-NC 2.0)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please follow the Podium Cafe Policy on Photo Usage! We don't want photographers to hate us, or sue us, and of course we want to give them proper credit. So, use your own photos, those you've been given permission to use (including PdC Flickr group), or those licensed for free distribution Some sources:
Flickr: use advanced search and check the box that says "Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content."
Wikimedia Commons. Not as many pics as Flickr, but I love the easy-peasy "use this file on the web" link that provides the credit you need.
Free Image Finder Mostly goes to Flickr, but you never know.
Podium Cafe Flickr Group, which was created as a community photo library for use on Podium Cafe. Shameless plug: if you have photos you're willing to allow others to use here on PdC, join up and add them! More is better.
Also, if someone posts a pic on Twitter and provides code for it to be embedded elsewhere, it's generally considered legit to do so. Double-check, though, to see if the photo originated with the person who posted it. If they pilfered it from elsewhere without permission, it isn't cool to use it. Try to trace it back to the originator and see if they provide embed code or CC license or some indication that sharing is okay.
In all cases, please credit the photographer according to their wishes, and post which license under which you're allowed to use the photo (see the photos above for how I did it). Takes a couple of seconds, and makes the usage legit.
If you have a photo you really are dying to share but it's not licensed for free use, instead of posting the photo itself just post a link to the page it's on. If it's that good, we'll go look.
Happy Friday!
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