It's that time in the year when school is killing you. That time of the year when allergy is helping school in its attempt to make you feel incredibly tired. That time of the year when May finally begins. And, as you know, May is the Giro-month.
I remember watching the highlights of the Giro every evening, when I was little. My father would come back from work in the evening, switch on the telly and we would watch TGiro all together. My uncle, on the other hand, would take days of holiday from work in order to watch the most interesting mountain stages.
Unfortunately, this year I'm likely to have big problems in following the Giro. These are my last 6 weeks of high school and teachers are ready to kill us with school work. In case you're interested, I have three tests in a row on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. And that's just the beginning of the month.
But still, the Giro is the Giro and nothing can stop me from watching it. If you aren't interested in this amazing race, take a look at this '71 good reasons for watching the Giro' post. I wrote a post similar to this also last year, but I've actually changed some parts of it in order to make it suitable for this year edition of the race.
As far as the technical analysis of the parcours and of the cyclists of this year race, I'll probably publish it in the next days (if I have time). In the meanwhile, enjoy this random list.
YOU’VE GOTTA WATCH (AND LOVE) THE GIRO...
1) Because Italy, in spite of us Italians, is a wonderful country.
2) Because the Giro allows you to travel through Italy, without experiencing the riders' same pain.
3) Because after seeing the same 180 faces on tv every day for 3 weeks, you feel like they've become part of your family.
4) Because only true men can sport pink jersey while riding a bike.
5) Because only super true men can sport a pink jersey and pink shorts while riding a bike.
6) Because Arroyo last year totally deserved the podium for the courage he showed by riding a pink bike during the whole last week of the race.
7) Because in the peloton there are 200 riders, everyone of them has a goal and everyone of them has a story.
8) Because, at least in cycling, there is nothing controlled by Berlusconi.
9) Because, if you're lucky, your school is closed when the Giro rides through your town.
10) Because coming back home after school and finding a Gazzetta featuring 8 pages about cycling next to your overcooked pasta corresponds to pure happiness.
11) Because in every stage there are many winners: the one who gets the jersey, the one that wins the stage, the one that gets the green jersey, the one that simply manages to enter a breakaway.
12) Because Garzelli's 'Mickey Mouse' bandana is nice.
13) Because, if Garzelli wasn't bald, he'd be a hero for many Fangirls.
14) Because old people cheering for the riders on the climbs are cute.
15) Because old people cheering for the riders on the roof of their houses should be sent to a mental hospital.
16) Because Gigi Sgarbozza (RAI's chronist) can't pronounce any foreign name.
17) Because coming across Davide Cassani (former cyclist and chronist) by chance while walking through a town is weird.
18) Because Cassani's 'r' is hot.
19) Because Savoldelli's (former rider and RAI chronist) Bergamask accent is even worse than mine.
20) Because after hearing Savoldelli speaking you can't do nothing but scream "Pota, al'è de Berghem ol Saoldel!".
21) Because Johnny Hoogerland is going to attack, attack and attack. Even on the rest day.
22) Because there are neo pros who manage to get the pink jersey.
23) Because there are neo pros that look so nervous that you'd like to go pinching their cheeks at the start of the stages.
24) Because even the maglia nera can ride far faster than you.
25) Because at the Giro there are guys who live 2 kms far from your home.
26) Because at the Giro there are also guys who come from Colombia, from Tasmania, from Kazakhistan, from Sweden and from South Africa.
27) Because there are guys who win and cry on the podium.
28) Because there are guys who think they’re daydreaming when they win a stage.
29) Because there are memories on every corner of the road you face.
30) Because this year it's the 150th birthday of Italy.
31) Because during the Giro young boys who can ride their bikes dream of becoming cyclists, while young girls who can speak English dream of becoming cycling journalists.
32) Because hearing some riders (read: 'Contador') speaking English makes you understand that, perhaps, your English accent isn't that bad.
33) Because Nibali's voice is the one of a boy who has a very bad cold.
34) Because Sella is the shortest man I've ever seen.
35) Because Menchov is racing the Giro this year.
36) Because the last time Menchov raced the Giro, he won - and I argued with my sister because she supported Di Luca.
37) Because Niemiec is ready to rock the climbs - and I'm ready to the tell the world : 'I had told you he was strong!!'.
38) Because seeing your friends pulling faces every time you mention the Giro is funny. Especially because, in the end, they'll surely spend a whole history hour telling you how hot Tyler Farrar is (it happened last year).
39) Because Thomas Lovkvist is racing and he's a hot guy.
40) Because in order to watch a stage live, you become brave enough to volunteer yourself for a test.
41) Because in front of the Giro you stop screaming 'Kant I Can't!!" and forget the Philosophy examination that is waiting for you on the following day.
42) Because studying Kant at 11 pm of the day before the examination, as in the afternoon you were too busy watching the Giro, makes you feel like a cycling martyr.
43) Because cycling can cause your 'pre University vocational crisis' to get even worse.
44) Because a stage is arriving in San Pellegrino, the only place that I can reach on my own by driving a car.
45) Because last year my grandmother kept on asking me how 'my boyfriend Chris Anker' was doing during the Giro.
45) Because explaining my grandmother that Chris Anker Sorensen isn't my boyfriend was tough.
46) Because explaining my grandmother that Chris Anker Sorensen isn't taking part in the Giro this year will be even tougher.
47) Because in the peloton there are professors like Pinotti.
48) Because discussing tactics in the family is funny.
49) Because discussing tactics with your friends who don't understand anything about cycling is weird.
50) Because, if your friends are true friends, they'll tolerate your cycling speeches even on the day of the English test.
51) Because trying to translate in Italian everything that the Eurosport British chronists say is good training.
52) Because hearing a guy like Contador speaking Spanish, and misunderstanding everything he says, can really bring you down.
53) Because when your mother notices that Lovkvist is hot, it means that she's got good taste.
54) Because only in the Giro the women of the family can find themselves in front of the screen, melting in front of a rider being particularly cute.
55) Because, if you want to see a Giro stage live, you can make it without spending more than 1 euro.
56) Because some of the pros bycicles are art jewels.
57) Because Gianni Bugno drives Rai's helicopter.
58) Because the Italian spoken by some riders (Sastre,for example) improves a lot in the third week.
59) Because hearing foreign riders say "Gratti,Grazzi,Grazi' rather than 'Grazie' makes you think that the Italian way of saying 'thank you' is the most complicated in the world.
60) Because Larsson, who won the last TT last year, is simply known as 'Veronica Andreasson's boyfriend''.
61) Because Gadret has a wife who speaks Italian and makes her translate some pages of an Italian book about Pantani every day.
62) Because Menchov smiles more often than usual during the Giro.
63) Because arriving in Milan is great.
64) Because the weather can suck even here in Italy.
65) Because they played “Highway to Hell” as ‘podium song’ last year. Too bad that Matthew Lloyd (who had won the stage) speaks English.
66) Because everyone would love to own a Girbecco.
67) Because I'm looking forward to supporting Kreuziger on the climbs.
68) Because Scarponi is hilarious (just look at his face).
69) Because every year there's an unforgettable stage.
70) Because every year a new young gun rocks the stage.
71) Because,after all, the Giro is always the Giro, aka the cycling race where there are the hardest climbs and the most exciting stages.
I remember watching the highlights of the Giro every evening, when I was little. My father would come back from work in the evening, switch on the telly and we would watch TGiro all together. My uncle, on the other hand, would take days of holiday from work in order to watch the most interesting mountain stages.
Unfortunately, this year I'm likely to have big problems in following the Giro. These are my last 6 weeks of high school and teachers are ready to kill us with school work. In case you're interested, I have three tests in a row on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. And that's just the beginning of the month.
But still, the Giro is the Giro and nothing can stop me from watching it. If you aren't interested in this amazing race, take a look at this '71 good reasons for watching the Giro' post. I wrote a post similar to this also last year, but I've actually changed some parts of it in order to make it suitable for this year edition of the race.
As far as the technical analysis of the parcours and of the cyclists of this year race, I'll probably publish it in the next days (if I have time). In the meanwhile, enjoy this random list.
YOU’VE GOTTA WATCH (AND LOVE) THE GIRO...
1) Because Italy, in spite of us Italians, is a wonderful country.
2) Because the Giro allows you to travel through Italy, without experiencing the riders' same pain.
3) Because after seeing the same 180 faces on tv every day for 3 weeks, you feel like they've become part of your family.
4) Because only true men can sport pink jersey while riding a bike.
5) Because only super true men can sport a pink jersey and pink shorts while riding a bike.
6) Because Arroyo last year totally deserved the podium for the courage he showed by riding a pink bike during the whole last week of the race.
7) Because in the peloton there are 200 riders, everyone of them has a goal and everyone of them has a story.
8) Because, at least in cycling, there is nothing controlled by Berlusconi.
9) Because, if you're lucky, your school is closed when the Giro rides through your town.
10) Because coming back home after school and finding a Gazzetta featuring 8 pages about cycling next to your overcooked pasta corresponds to pure happiness.
11) Because in every stage there are many winners: the one who gets the jersey, the one that wins the stage, the one that gets the green jersey, the one that simply manages to enter a breakaway.
12) Because Garzelli's 'Mickey Mouse' bandana is nice.
13) Because, if Garzelli wasn't bald, he'd be a hero for many Fangirls.
14) Because old people cheering for the riders on the climbs are cute.
15) Because old people cheering for the riders on the roof of their houses should be sent to a mental hospital.
16) Because Gigi Sgarbozza (RAI's chronist) can't pronounce any foreign name.
17) Because coming across Davide Cassani (former cyclist and chronist) by chance while walking through a town is weird.
18) Because Cassani's 'r' is hot.
19) Because Savoldelli's (former rider and RAI chronist) Bergamask accent is even worse than mine.
20) Because after hearing Savoldelli speaking you can't do nothing but scream "Pota, al'è de Berghem ol Saoldel!".
21) Because Johnny Hoogerland is going to attack, attack and attack. Even on the rest day.
22) Because there are neo pros who manage to get the pink jersey.
23) Because there are neo pros that look so nervous that you'd like to go pinching their cheeks at the start of the stages.
24) Because even the maglia nera can ride far faster than you.
25) Because at the Giro there are guys who live 2 kms far from your home.
26) Because at the Giro there are also guys who come from Colombia, from Tasmania, from Kazakhistan, from Sweden and from South Africa.
27) Because there are guys who win and cry on the podium.
28) Because there are guys who think they’re daydreaming when they win a stage.
29) Because there are memories on every corner of the road you face.
30) Because this year it's the 150th birthday of Italy.
31) Because during the Giro young boys who can ride their bikes dream of becoming cyclists, while young girls who can speak English dream of becoming cycling journalists.
32) Because hearing some riders (read: 'Contador') speaking English makes you understand that, perhaps, your English accent isn't that bad.
33) Because Nibali's voice is the one of a boy who has a very bad cold.
34) Because Sella is the shortest man I've ever seen.
35) Because Menchov is racing the Giro this year.
36) Because the last time Menchov raced the Giro, he won - and I argued with my sister because she supported Di Luca.
37) Because Niemiec is ready to rock the climbs - and I'm ready to the tell the world : 'I had told you he was strong!!'.
38) Because seeing your friends pulling faces every time you mention the Giro is funny. Especially because, in the end, they'll surely spend a whole history hour telling you how hot Tyler Farrar is (it happened last year).
39) Because Thomas Lovkvist is racing and he's a hot guy.
40) Because in order to watch a stage live, you become brave enough to volunteer yourself for a test.
41) Because in front of the Giro you stop screaming 'Kant I Can't!!" and forget the Philosophy examination that is waiting for you on the following day.
42) Because studying Kant at 11 pm of the day before the examination, as in the afternoon you were too busy watching the Giro, makes you feel like a cycling martyr.
43) Because cycling can cause your 'pre University vocational crisis' to get even worse.
44) Because a stage is arriving in San Pellegrino, the only place that I can reach on my own by driving a car.
45) Because last year my grandmother kept on asking me how 'my boyfriend Chris Anker' was doing during the Giro.
45) Because explaining my grandmother that Chris Anker Sorensen isn't my boyfriend was tough.
46) Because explaining my grandmother that Chris Anker Sorensen isn't taking part in the Giro this year will be even tougher.
47) Because in the peloton there are professors like Pinotti.
48) Because discussing tactics in the family is funny.
49) Because discussing tactics with your friends who don't understand anything about cycling is weird.
50) Because, if your friends are true friends, they'll tolerate your cycling speeches even on the day of the English test.
51) Because trying to translate in Italian everything that the Eurosport British chronists say is good training.
52) Because hearing a guy like Contador speaking Spanish, and misunderstanding everything he says, can really bring you down.
53) Because when your mother notices that Lovkvist is hot, it means that she's got good taste.
54) Because only in the Giro the women of the family can find themselves in front of the screen, melting in front of a rider being particularly cute.
55) Because, if you want to see a Giro stage live, you can make it without spending more than 1 euro.
56) Because some of the pros bycicles are art jewels.
57) Because Gianni Bugno drives Rai's helicopter.
58) Because the Italian spoken by some riders (Sastre,for example) improves a lot in the third week.
59) Because hearing foreign riders say "Gratti,Grazzi,Grazi' rather than 'Grazie' makes you think that the Italian way of saying 'thank you' is the most complicated in the world.
60) Because Larsson, who won the last TT last year, is simply known as 'Veronica Andreasson's boyfriend''.
61) Because Gadret has a wife who speaks Italian and makes her translate some pages of an Italian book about Pantani every day.
62) Because Menchov smiles more often than usual during the Giro.
63) Because arriving in Milan is great.
64) Because the weather can suck even here in Italy.
65) Because they played “Highway to Hell” as ‘podium song’ last year. Too bad that Matthew Lloyd (who had won the stage) speaks English.
66) Because everyone would love to own a Girbecco.
67) Because I'm looking forward to supporting Kreuziger on the climbs.
68) Because Scarponi is hilarious (just look at his face).
69) Because every year there's an unforgettable stage.
70) Because every year a new young gun rocks the stage.
71) Because,after all, the Giro is always the Giro, aka the cycling race where there are the hardest climbs and the most exciting stages.
PS: 71 brings good luck because it isn't a multiple of 2. Or at least, that's the stupid excuse I've decided to use if you ask me why I chose 71 reasons rather than 70 or 80.
PS1: New great post from this year AGR on Bananas About Bikes (link at your right)! The story is great and so are the pictures! To see them better, I suggest you clicking on them. Hope you'll enjoy it!
Bad news girls. Jakob Fuglsang has an offficial girlfriend named Loulou in Lux.
RispondiEliminaLook the video on tele.rtl.lu/waatleeft/replay/v/20110502/35/40189
RispondiEliminaOh how cute- I have no idea what they said-translation anyone?
RispondiEliminaI still think Jakob is to 'beautiful' for a male and even though he has this girlfried he still stares adoringly at Andy-sweet.
His new lady love looks so much bigger than him ie shoulders and bottom but I think she is probably quite small -its just he is so skinny.
She is very pretty but to much eye makeup. She probably had to just slap it on as Jakob was not sharing the mirror with anyone- takes a lot of work to keep those eyebrows perfect.
Jen
@ Anonimo: Jakob has a girlfriend? Really? Oh my, some fangirls will surely faint when they read about it! Let's go on with the emergency procedure!
RispondiEliminaOk, you Jakob fangirls who have just found out about Loulou: just listen carefully to me. Stop screaming/ trembling/ crying/ whatever else you're doing in order to show your desperation/ and just sit down on a comfortable chair. Take some deep breathes and count from 1 to 10. Don't click on the vid posted by Anonimo as long as you don't start feeling good again. Is it working? Ok,good to know.
Now count from 1 to 10 again while breathing slooowly and caaalmly. This won't cause the girlfriend to disappear, but it'll help you feeling a bit better.
Ok, how are you now? Slightly better? Ok, glad to hear about it. Now, if you think you're strong enough, you can click on the link posted by Anonimo.
If you start feeling dizzy again, go back to the emergency procedure. Don't look at the vid if you're at home alone.
So, now that I've prevented the Jakob's fangirls out there to get a heart attack, let's comment the news.
So. Jakob Fuglsang has got a girlfriend... Well, how nice!!!! Really, they look like a nice couple and she's really beautiful. Moreover, she seems a 'normal' girl, not one of those super hot women/famous athletes (Danish swimmer, I'm referring to you!) with which we common girls can't compete. I'm so happy for them!!
And the vid is nice, Jakob even has a Nespresso machine in his flat!!! :O
Btw, doesn't Andy look a bit too 'grey' in that vid? And doesn't the house look a bit too 'white'? :P
But hey, we're talking about the house of two young boys in their twenties, so I suppose we really shouldn't complain about it.
I think that for young cyclists it is good to have a girlfriend, especially if they don't live in their original country. It's someone they can rely on :)
Btw, why do I have the feeling that also Andy may now start looking for a girlfriend? I mean, his best friend has a girlfriend, his brother has a wife... Andy, if you need someone, I'm here ;)
@ Jen: We all need to learn Luxembourgish. I've understood something like 'Sorry Ladies, the womanizer is taken', was it just me or did they actually say that? :P
However, as you can see on Mar's tumblr (list on your right), Loulou appeared on Jakob's side already some time ago (when Frank got married). On that occasion she looked simply great!!
Cyclists are so skinny! One of my arms is 3 times bigger than a cyclist's one (ok, perhaps I'm exaggerating...but still)!
LOL at the eyebrows part of your comments! Btw, I don't think Loulou (is this her real name, I wonder?) wears too much eye make up. I've seen much worse things over the years! Btw, she's very pretty indeed :)
I like reasons 2) and 15)—I think I watch the Tour de France every year, just for sightseeing. I honestly didn’t pay much attention to the race until about a few years ago, when Lance Armstrong made the Tour very popular.
RispondiEliminaOh, I love the idea of people watching the race from their houses, it makes cycling seem like a working man’s sport, not something that you have to buy tickets, or sit in an auditorium for. Have you seen these amazing old photographs of the Tour, from the Netherland’s Nationaal Archief?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cycling_racer/galleries/72157622995730283/#photo_3153878359
Does the video really say, “the womanizer is taken”. That’s really quite blunt :P I must be in the minority of people who is genuinely happy for these guys when they find girlfriends / wives—I realize I am putting myself in great danger, and risking getting hanged, drawn, and quartered by fangirls, but it’s surely more important that these guys are happy in their personal lives, yes? Then again, I’m in Andyhab, so the sooner that guy gets himself a girlfriend, the sooner I can “get over” him :P!
Perhaps it’s a Catholic way of thinking, but when I see that a man is married, it doesn’t matter what he looks like. I’m just not interested. Also, I seriously want back that part of my brain that keeps wandering to Luxembourg. It's very hard to focus, when half of your brain insists on hanging around somewhere else! *pleads with brain to board a flight back home*
Fede, what is going on with the Berlusconi trial? Even my Italian friends who were born in Toronto, shake their heads in shame, and frustration when his name comes up.
@ the original post: I go for reason 21, 45 and 62.
RispondiElimina@anonimo: So her name is Loulou? I missed that.
@Jen: your comment made me laugh out loud! I always wonder how much time Jakob (and Stefan Denifl..) spend in front of the mirror.
@Fede If anonimo is right, and her name is Loulou, then it's not the same girl as on Franks wedding. Her name was Andrea. (NO I am not a stalker! another stalker looked this up!) They also look slightly different. Nikki and I are having a discussion about it on tumblr :P We're not sure.
And YES the house is too white. But I LOVE that art-work he has!
Ah well, I think it's a lovely couple and Jakob looked totally awesome in that video.
I gladly volunteer and clean their houses and restyle his appartment (read: paint the walls)
@ Figbash: If you like sightseeing, this year Giro will be perfect for you. The cyclists are riding through the whole country, it will be great to see! And one day they're even arriving in a place that is 10 kms far from my house and which is absolutely great. You'll all fall in love with San Pellegrino as soon as you see the riders riding there ;)
RispondiEliminaThose pictures are great! Every time I look back on the origins of cycling, I'm always amazed by the efforts that the first riders did. I mean, they rode for 300 kms pro day, with heavy bikes and without mechanics, and they evenhad 3 days of time to finish a single stage! How impressive!
Cycling actually was a working class sport, at least at the beginning. I've been making researchs on sport lately and cycling was considered a great novelty at the end of the 19th century because it allowed people from the working class to move easily through the towns and compete against each other in races. That's why it was so popular.
Moreover, cycling was important also for the first feminists. In fact bikes allowed women to move freely through towns and they forced them to wear trousers under their skirts - a thing that first feminists really loved. However, lots of men thought that cycling was negative for women because they feared it could create problems at the moment of having children. Ops, I realise I'm digressing... :P
My grandparents could actually watch the Giro from their house in 2007 (I preferred to go on the road outside my house because from there I could see the riders better), it was nice! :)
Don't worry Figbash, you're not going to be executed for saying that you like it when cyclists get themselves a girlfriend ;)
Actually, I agree with you. After all, I think that none of us really thinks that we have true chances of marrying one of the cyclists we like, so why getting desperate when they find a girlfriend? After all, the most important thing is that our guys are happy and have someone that cares about them in their private lives. And girlfriends can surely provide them the happiness and the serenity they need for facing such a tough job day after day.
Andyhab will surely make you forget about Luxembourg. Btw I agree with you also on 'the husband issue': as soon as a boy is taken, Fangirl immediately gets him crossed out on her list of 'imaginary impossible' boyfriends!
Re Berlusconi: which trade are you talking about? The one for the sex-scandals? Or the one for the Mediatrade? Or the one for his suspected relationships with mafia? Really, I've forgotten in how many trades that man's involved... :P And now Gheddafi has said he wants to declare a war to Italy and all because of our lovely Prime Minister, how nice!!!
Really, Italian politics is the most depressing thing on Earth and I think that the Italian politicians are the most useless, hypocrite and arrogant creatures on Earth. People from all over the world take the mickey out of us Italians just because of Berlusconi. It's so unfair!!! :(
@ Mar: As you can see, there are 3 Chris- Ankerish reasons why to watch the Giro. Surprising, isn't it? ;)
One hundred million dollar question: are 'Loulou' and Andrea the same person? Hopefully we'll find an answer soon ;) Btw, if they are two different girls, I think we can definitely say that Jakob has a weakness for blonde girls with blue eyes ;)
Jakob looked very cute in that vid, that's for sure! Also Andy looked adorable, but he had a scratch on his forehead. I wonder why.
I'll join you in your 'restyle' mission! Actually, I think I'd be able to cook some tasty Italian dishes for the boys, if they got me as their personal cook. And I can also prepare wonderful expressos!!
Fede, I study humanities at school, and sometimes I think the mission of every humanities department in North America, is to brainwash all of its students into falling in love with Europe, and planting an idea (an Inception!) in our minds to move there someday. I must have been the saddest-looking person at Heathrow airport, the day I had to return from my holidays in Great Britain.
RispondiEliminaYou are talking to the queen of tangents / digressions. I have a food blog in which I fail to discuss food 97.3% of the time. Don’t ask me where I came up with that percentage. Besides, I like learning historical details like the one you expounded on about feminists, and cycling.
We just had a federal election in Canada yesterday, and I honestly couldn’t be bothered to vote. I realise that democracy is a privilege, but when your choices are:
A) A conservative government who run condescending ads, trying to stir up a bogus sense of nationalism, by using phrases like “Canada must be free (you mean we’re not free? I didn’t even realise we were oppressed), and “united” (I didn’t realise national unity was an issue this year), and “full of hope” (you mean we’re a country of despair too?). To me, showing hockey games, and old wartime footage in a campaign ad, is a cheap sentimental trick; a cynical appeal to the lowest common denominator. Those soldiers didn’t die to show up in a political ad, to further the incumbent Prime Minister’s career.
B) Liberals who are taxing you to near death at the provincial level, that you could never vote for them to hold federal power.
C) The New Democratic Party, run by an impractical idealist who will probably raise taxes in order to fund his ambitious social programmes
Okay, the cycling—but not really—related portion of this long-winded comment:
Jen: Thanks for the laugh. I can absolutely imagine Jakob dominating the bathroom, preening himself, and plucking his eyebrows. He honestly has a better eyebrow shape than every woman I know! I’m kind of envious…
Mar: “NO, I am not a stalker!”. Ha ha, this is what I insist to friends, when I realise I have steered the conversation to Luxembourg again. I guess that makes me a lazy admirer? One that can’t be bothered to do the research, and considers her own conduct and/or behaviour to be “above” the more dedicated stalker. I.e., “I didn’t discover this stuff on my own, I’m just reading about it.” :P
And finally, when Andy walked into the room of that video, did anybody else think it looked like a television sitcom? I half expected a voice-over narrator to say that the show is filmed before a live studio audience…
Hahaha! (I'm just sitting in the bus and laughing - out loud - and everyone is looking at me xD)
RispondiEliminaI love your reasons for watching the giro. I'm actually really excited now - I was only mildly excited before because I can't watch in on TV :P
And on to the really exciting stuff (:P) - Jakob's girlfriend! They do look cute together and I'm really happy for them. I was actually quite surprised: I wasn't the least bit sad or anything!
I just have to say that if her name really is Loulou (and why wouldn't it be?) it's... pretty horrible xD I'm sorry, but that is an awful name!
About the very white appartment, I agree but it's a very scandinavian thing that everything has to be so bright.
I really have to thank Nikki (http://liveeachdayofyourlife.tumblr.com/)for her stalking abilities. (She's not a stalker, she's just very good at searching stuff.
RispondiEliminaLoulou is also her name on FB (shh, you don't know that) and she's a model. Suprise suprise! ;)
She is indeed different than the Andrea girl.
Let's close the stalking chapter here!
Haha, I think I was writing my comment at the same time as Fishbag did. I mean, Figbash. Sorry, I always read that name wrong!! XD
But I believe the voice over said something like: The womanizer is *letzebuergish* 'held by his hand', which means taken, like she's strongly keeping him close.
Well, that's my interpretation of Luxembourgish! Don't know if it's correct.
@Fede, you cook, I clean, boys relax on the couch. perfect.
Wow! That is one white apartment. It looks more like a hotel room rather than a proper home. I think it probably looks so sparse because as cyclists they're always on the road so don't really spend enough time at home to make the place feel 'lived in'. Also, they're boys. Hating to stereotype but lets face it, how many guys go out and buy accessories/decorations for their home? He probably thinks it's fine - coffee machine? check. Big screen tv? check. He's all set to go.
RispondiEliminaI wonder if Andy also has a secret girlfriend? If not, I agree that he'll probably start looking more seriously, seeing as his best friend is now in a relationship and Frank, who he looks up to, is married and with a young family now. Better get myself to Lux quicksmart! Oh wait, I don't look like a model *sigh* :( A
Not that I even like Jakob but my stalking effort of the infamous new g/f's facebook picture and her first name makes me think she is a model of the stripping variety.
RispondiEliminaNow Im sure she is not and I'm certain that she is a lovely lass who doesn't get her gear off for the camera's -not like Cavendish's missus. But I agree with Susanne- a very unfortunate name for a lady in those boots.
I must say its so predictable to see these sportsmen with the token blonde model gf. Thats why I like Fabian Cancellara so much- hot body, best face in cycling in my opinion, seems like a pretty good guy and his wife is not a 6 foot model. Even Martine seems like a fairly normal sort of a girl who has been on/off with Frankie for a long time.
So Andy and other cute single cyclists- consider girls outside the sterotype blonde model-they will only dump you when your million dollar plus contract doesn't get renewed!
Jen
@ Figbash: The funny thing is that, if you came to Italy, you'd discover that most of the people would like to live in a different country and that a big majority of them would like to go living in America (especially in the USA). After all, the grass in your neighboour's garden always looks better (I love ways of saying :P)!
RispondiEliminaGreat Britain, that's one of the places I love the most! I've visisted just London, but I feel like I could live there forever. So I completely understand your sadness when you had to leave :(
Oh, I'm talking to her Majesty the Queen of Digressions! What a honour! :O
Well, in case you didn't know it, I'm a queen too. My noble title is 'Her Majesty miss Fede, Queen of the Long Comments' ;)
I understand your problems with voting. If you have problems in Canada, just imagine how things are in Italy :P
We have Berlusconi's party, the Northern League (which would like to divide Italy in two parts), the Center and the left. Or, better, we should have a left :P In reality, Italian left is just a big mess of people who can't do nothing but complain about Berlusconi, without offering any valid alternative. So annoying!
It did look like a sitcom when Andy entered the room! These videos from RTL are a bit staged, but I love them anyway!!
@ Susanne: Sorry for having made you laugh while you were in the bus :P It's not a good feeling when people stare at you and you realise you're pulling ridicolous faces in order not to laugh!
This year Giro will be exciting, although on paper it looks a bit too hard for the riders. I mean, as a supporter I love watching tough stages, but I don't want the riders to kill themselves (metaphorically :P) on the climbs or during the long transfers!
TV2 disappoints me once again. And to say that Chris Anker's blog is on their website, phfew. Perhaps they're not broadcasting the race because CA isn't there :P
Poor girl, Loulou is a terrible name indeed :( But perhaps it could have gone even worse (just think about 'Ermenegilda' or 'Filomena) :P
You're actually right about the white house (not the one in America, the one where Jakob and Andy live!): the more you go up north, the more the houses look bright inside.
@ Mar: Nikki does the dirty work for us once again! We all really need to thank her. All together: 'Thank you very much Nikki!!'
Loulou is a model? Well, don't ask me why, but I somehow expected it :P
We do need to learn Luxembourgish. At least one of us has. Anyone wants to volunteer and become our official translator?
Mar, I completely agree with you! You clean, I cook, the boys relax on the couch (is it a problem if I can just prepare potatoes and salads?)
@ A: LOL at the 'Coffe machine, big screen' part!! However, you've forgotten to mention two things: the mirror and the thing you use to pluck your eyebrows. We mustn't forget that it's also Jakob's house...
RispondiEliminaI think that Andy will look for a 'normal' girl, so I think that we all have a chance, although we don't look like models. Btw I agree with you: better get to Luxembourg as soon as we can!
Andy and a secret girlfriend? Well, why not? Btw, I don't think he should be afraid of presenting her to us fangirls. At the beginning we may be envious and joke about our 'broken hearts' and things like that, but in a few hours / days time we'll surely start to like her (I've already seen this happening with Martine and with Chris Sorensen's girlfriend, so I know how things work ;))
@ Jen: I also really approve the fact that she's not one of those stripping models. She is beautiful indeed, but she looks 'normal' anyway. Not like miss Cavendish! Btw, is Mark still going out with her? I mean, Cavendish left his fiancé for that girl, but then I read somewhere that they had left each other... I just wanted to know whether it's true (and whether Mark has gone back to his childhood sweetheart or not).
Ok, end of the gossip part.
I really like Fabian's wife too. He is hot, but she is a normal woman, just like us. And the same goes for Martine and, luckily, for many other girlfriends/wives of cyclists :)
Btw, dear cute cyclists out there, what's your problem with curly girls? They're as good-looking and funny as the other ones!!
I just love your 26 reason !!
RispondiEliminaPahola
Haha, you're welcome guys xD
RispondiEliminaThis is actually my first comment here, love your blog btw :)
Right now I'm being a little stalkerish and found a lot of pictures from Loulou.. Like underwear-pictures O.o Somehow I'm hoping we're wrong and she's not his girlfiend. Otherwise it would be very awkward... xD
I think/hope I can post again at your blog Fede, if so I would like to say to Figbash that she is so very right. I can't stand it, but my mind would be so free if that boy would get a decent girlfriend.
RispondiEliminaI'm always amazed at how ineffective governments can be. My friend Laura works for the Ministry of Ontario, and she informs me it's just full of unhappy, frustrated, and useless people :p
RispondiEliminaI think I could happily live out my days in Oxford, and Cambridge. One of the things I loved about London, is that the museums, and galleries are free! I honestly felt so badly, that I kept buying postcards at the gift shop, as a way of payment. I have a few photographs of England here: http://individual.utoronto.ca/montag/still/
Barbara: I think one of the reasons it's nice to find a blog like Fede's, is that you find like-minded people, who are on the same wavelength as yourself. I really can't wait until I'm an old lady, looking back at this period in my life with amusement, and seeing some article in a newspaper, with a picture of a balding Mr. Schleck (winner of the Tour de France, 2011-2014, and 2016!) with his wife, and "heaps of kids".
Yes Fede Mr Cav is still with Miss page 3 herself-Peta Todd. Shes not the italian girl that he left his childhood sweetheart for- the one in the Curacao shots who supposedly had fake boobies. This one is what we would politely call a 'slapper'. His c/hood sweetheart must be impressed with what he has left her for.I don't like Cav but have to admit his tweets are sometimes quite funny now he's joined the tweet world.
RispondiEliminaNow Nikki- you have got me intrigued- are they racey underwear shots/ is she really a model of the true definition or are my stripper suspicions right? Do tell.
Jen
@Jen Here's the link: http://www.humbert.lu/loulou02.html They're okay I guess. Almost overdoing it, but okay. I also found pics of her wearing leopard print xD And she is signed with an agency, so I guess she's a real model. She also has some pics where she has clothes on, so it's not purely underwear/sexy stuff.
RispondiEliminaMar and I are almost 100% sure this is the girl from the video.. But I really feel like a stalker now, so I guess I'll back down from looking for info on her. (Well, I say that now, let's see how I'll do when I'm bored :P)
Jen,
RispondiEliminaAnother cyclist who hasn't gone for the tall blond model type is Tom Boonen. His partner, Lore, is a short well rounded attractive women, but not a model by any means.
I agree that Cav has really outdone himself in the girlfriend deparment since he dumped his childhood sweatheart 'Lissie'. Both my husband and I read Cav's book, Boy Racer, and Lissie featured in it a lot. My husband took quite a liking to her and was highly insulted when Cav dumped her. He was so outraged that he cheered for all the other sprinter at last year's Tour and was expremely happy when Cav did not win a sprint.
Brenda
Thanks Nicki- guess I feel I know her quite well now.
RispondiEliminaJust decent- I definately agree its her. Is she perhaps a little "horsey" in the face department? (or am i being bitchy).
She is the fantasy girlfriend for most guys of Jakobs age I would imagine. Probably wouldn't want his mum to see those lingerie shots though. I bet Andy goes bright red everytime he speaks to her if he has seen those shots.
Actually Jakob could hang some of her pics up around his ultra white apartment. The red lingerie or even the leopard print on a large canvas would add some colour to his apartment.
Jen
Jen, you are so funny XD
RispondiEliminaAnd right! But what if he would have his girlfriend on canvas on his walls... Poor Andy would not be able to be in Jakobs appartment anymore! He would be walking around with red cheeks and a b.... Let's stop here. I don't want to be mean to Andy or any of his fans....
Oh my... My mind is quite visiual, thanks Mar :P Anyway, I have reasons to believe (Uhum *cough* Facebook *cough*) that Andy has access to more photo's than we have. And her profile pic is quite sexy.. (I think, I guess, I don't know, I'm not a guy ;)) so he doesn't need to walk around in Jakob's appartment for 'that' to happen. Okaaaay, anyway, we were talking about Loulou, right? xD
RispondiEliminaWait, this post was about the Giro xD There are two numbers 45 btw, loved them. Have the exact same thing with my grandma ;)
@ Fede - you're right! I should have included 'reflective surfaces? Check. Tweezers? Check' in my previous post :)
RispondiElimina@ Jen re: Fabian's wife - that is definitely one of the things that makes Fab so fab! He hasn't gone in for the podium model or famous person but obviously someone who really means a lot to him (not to say that really beautiful and/or famous people can't be the same, but it's a lot harder for other people to get past the 'it must be because she's beautiful etc...' GOsh, does that make sense at all?)
I would certainly be interested to see what type of girl Andy would choose - model or girl next door/'normal'? Of course, I'm sure most of us would hope he goes for the latter, thereby giving fangirls around the world a small flame of hope (I say this as I mentally board the next flight to Lux *sigh*)
@ Jen and Mar - for some reason I'm inclined to think Andy wouldn't be that embarrassed around Loulou after seeing those pics but maybe that's just me. Part of me is inclined to think Andy might actually be quite the ladies man/equal womanizer that Jakob is (sorry, was), the other part thinks he's something of the opposite to that (but that could very well be more wishful thinking!) A
Hey Fede did you turn off the anti-spam comment thingy (very technical wording there)? I just noticed that I wasn't asked to type in the random word/letters like usual...A
RispondiEliminaNaughty girl Mar.Actually I don't want that image in my head.
RispondiElimina@A- I'm sure lovely Andy would not be so superficial and go for a 'model type' especially one with fake boobies- those stories of him and podium girls and pictures of him ogling girlies chests are not evidence that he is like that. I bet he stays home watching videos on hunting and fishing and never goes out clubbing.I'm sure he only has long term relationships with nice wholesome girls-no one night stands for this good boy. Dam my nose has suddenly grown really long!
Re the giro-this is the first year I'll actually be watching it so really looking forward to it. And without Andy and Fab I can possibly concentrate on the race unless another luscious cyclist catches my eye. I love Italy so looking forward to it indeed.
Jen
@ Pahola: Welcome back in the comment area! :D
RispondiEliminaPuedo entender porqué te ha gustado la razòn numero 26 ;) Hay muchos buenos ciclistas colombianos en este Giro y estoy segura que haràn algo bueno. Por ejemplo, pienso que Cayetano Sarmiento podrìa ser entre los mejores en algunas etapas de montaña, dado que es muy fuerte (y joven) :)
(Pardona mi español, no lo utilizo mucho y porlotanto a veces hay errores en lo que escribo :P)
@ Nikki: I love your tumblr too! :D
Oh my, there are two number 45! :O Well, the Chris-Ankerish reasons to watch a race can never be enough ;)
You have the same problem with your grandma? Who's your boyfriend then? ;)
'She also has some pics where she has clothes on', LOL! But still, I think we know enough things on Loulou, so for the moment we can stop looking for information. Very well done anyway, secret agent Nikki ;)
We had just finished to say that Loulou didn't look like one of those underwear models, and here we go... But still, underwear are clothes, right? After all, it could have gone much worse for our womanizer. And after all, being an underwear model is a bit like being a bikini model - you don't actually show off too much.
@ Barbara: You can post again on my blog, yay!! :)
I really don't know what was wrong in the last days, but in order to avoid problems, as @ A. has noticed, I've decided to sacked the anti-spam filter. Bye bye filter!!
Everyone's mind would be so free if Andy got a girlfriend! But still, I'm afraid we'd immediately find another young, single cyclist :P
@ Figbash: Those photos from London are great!!! And you visited also Cambridge and Oxford, how cool! Unfortunately, I could visit just London when I went to England :(
I loved the London museums too - I spent a lifetime in the British Museum (in the end I was actually begging my uncle to go out and buy me a Frappuccino, I was so tired!). Morover, I fell in love with the Tower of London. There is so much history inside that building! I did some school researchs about the Tower last year and I had so much fun ! There were actually some gruesome parts (the ones about torture, for example), but I loved studying the history of the building itself - for example, did you know that it was a zoo until 1828?
Balding Andy Schleck? Never! :O
Oh, and so you think that Andy will take a break from work in 2015 ;)
@ Jen: Let me understand: Cav left his sweetheart Lissie for the woman with fake boobies, and then he left the woman with fake boobies for a porn model. My English teacher would call that 'a jaw-dropping news'.
RispondiEliminaReally, Lissie should be happy that he's left her... I mean, he probably didn't deserve her if he eventually ended up with girls like those!
The boys could definitely hang Loulou's pictures on their house's walls - or perhaps they've already hanged them and they hid them under their beds because they knew they were going to be interviewed.
I actually can't imagine Andy going red as he speaks to Jakob's girlfriend. After all, I think he's a bit of a womanizer too. He and Jakob probably steal lots of girls' hearts every time they go to a party!
Cyclists and podium girls: I think we should actually get worried if our glorious leader never eyed podium girls!!
I'm sure there will be some new handsome cyclists catching your eye in the Giro, Jen. What about Thomas Lovkvist from Sky? Not exactly my kind of guy, but he's attractive.
As far as landscapes are concerned, this year Giro will be amazing from this point of view. Torino is a great city, just like the other ones that the riders are passing in the next 3 weeks!
@ A: I'd be interested in having the answer to that question too. So far we only know about Andy's flirt with Lotte Friis- not a model, but a famous swimmer. However, it just looked like a short adventure for OGL.
As far as I think, Andy looks like a normal guy who could go for a normal girl. But still, I can't understand whether it's Logic thinking this or whether it's Fangirl hoping it :P
@ Brenda: So 'Boy Racer' didn't have that negative effect just on my sister! She read a bit of it too and she was very shocked when she discovered that Cav had left Lissie for 'Miss Italy in the World' - or something like that. Lissie seems a very nice girl and I think that, as women, we cannot help sending her our solidariety. She seems so sweet and beautiful in the pictures of the book!
@ Mar: I've just had a very bad image in my head too :P As Cougar Girl would say, 'off to the naughty corner!!' ;)
Yes, the Loulou chapter is now closed. Unless I become friends with her I can't see her FB-profile, so that's that. No more info on her. And if Jakob really is such a womanizer according to the guy in the video, who knows how long this will last. And I'm getting kind of scared that I somehow bump into nude-pictures. Not something I wanna see O.o And yes, underwear doesn't show too much, yet still... i don't think it's the image LT is going for xD Maybe I should contact Ken, oh wait, maybe not. He would think I'm a crazy stalker. And yes, I'm crazy, but no stalker (yet :P) (I hope so, at least xD)
RispondiEliminaAnd about my 'boyfiend'... Me and my cousin were at my grandma's house and she had her laptop with her. Her background image was of sleeping Andy and Jakob. Grandma: 'Oh who are these nice, young men? Are they your boyfriends?' Us:'We wish, grandma, we wish' xD
This was also around the time Stefan was confirmed for LT and my cousin had send him some tweets and he replied. So we were having fun about that all day. Constantly talking about Stefan, mostly in English and German, so all my grandma understood was Stefan this, Stefan that. In the end she thought he was my cousin's boyfriend xD It was hard trying to explain that to her xD
Nude pictures? Oh my, this is getting serious! Ok, I think we should forget about Loulou for a while :P Jakob surely knows about those pictures, so I think we shouldn't complain about them: if he doesn't care about them, then we shoulddn't care about them either.
RispondiEliminaAnd then, as you say, who knows what will happen in the next months. Things change rapidly at a certain age... But still, the most important thing is that Loulou and Jakob are happy and in love with each . The rest is meaningless.
What a funny story! Poor Grandma, I can understand why she was confused!!! So you have Andy and your cousin gets Stefan, wow!! ;)