Merckx Preps New Bikes for Quick Step's Tour Leaders

Though I can't say for certain, I think that it was the great Italian sprinter Mario Cipollini who ushered-in the era of matching kit and bikes for grand tour classification leaders. But even if it wasn't Cipo's doing, the practice certainly seems like something you'd ascribe to the Tuscan Playboy, no?

Team Quick Step's Sylvain Chavanel is no Mario Cipollini when it comes to swagger or braggadocio (not that that's necessarily a bad thing), but both he and his French teammate Jérôme Pineau will be sporting custom-painted Eddy Merckx bicycles when Tour de France stage 3 begins today - and Chavanel's bike will have a unique twist - a Yellow AND Green paint scheme to reflect his position as leader of both the overall classification and the points competition!

Our contact at the factory in Belgium was kind enough to forward the following email, which went out to Merckx's commercial partners and contains a link to an album's worth of interesting photos that document the process of preparing the frames for the start tomorrow: 

"We at Eddy Merckx Cycles are very proud of Sylvain Chavanel’s victory in today’s stage of the Tour de France. To congratulate Chavanel with his yellow and green jersey, he will ride a customized yellow-green emx-5 bike tomorrow. What a great way to enter his home country. Today Sylvain Chavanel showed us he’s a real cannibal.

The making of a yellow and green EMX-5 was not a simple task in such a short time frame. We made a webalbum where you can check the making off pictures."

UPDATED: Boonen Implicated in New Form of Motodoping!

Pappillon just received the following photograph and text from a friendly rival in the news media. "In addition to Cancellara's scandal the cycling world is shocked by another issue. We have received an info leak from a trustworthy source that the top sprinter Tom Boonen who rides under the colours of Pro Tour team Quick Step is also using unlawful means of powering his Eddy Merckx bike. Seems that the FFWD F5R [wheels] have a built-in hamster wheel, with what Boonen can use an extra power for sprints to the finish line.

In normal racing conditions the hamster is sleeping inside the rim. When the special button is being pressed, a carrot will be lowered into the vision zone of the animal. After that the effort put in by the hamster will increase the speed of the bike about another 5km/h according to the size of the carrot. Seems that the system is working, because the man is unusually successful. Is any other cyclist using this clever invention is not yet to be discovered."

UPDATE: Boonen has ALSO been accused of electro-motodoping, with this spy-video showing the Belgian pre-race testing the electro-motodoped bike: http://www.vimeo.com/1176776.

UPDATED: Vino's Golden Eagle

Stunning.

Original: here.

UPDATED: More Stunning, Still!

Vino Wins Liege and will be welcomed to the Tour by ASO!

Bike Porn: Deda Elementi carbon Forza stem

Picture of the Year: Candidate #3 (Cadel Gets Flicked)

The Bicycle (seat collar) as Art

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