So, it’s Friday! Time once more for the weekly thread that celebrates the best in sporting photography. Today, inspired by the efforts of Geraint Thomas yesterday;

the exertion of Thomas Voeckler

and the elation of Sammy Sanchez

let’s see some more on those themes!

Awesome performance, great pic!

Digby breakdancing with elation after beating the mighty Crusaders

London Marathon 2006.

Photo sadly spoiled by the head of the person in front of me, but I think it captures the ethos of an amateur runner well. I was standing on the last cornet of the route, 400m from the end and I think this says it all.

this is how all endurance events should finish

^^^did the all lose their contact lenses?? 🙂

Another from the Reds v Crusaders game. Will Genia:

Cav & Renshaw

Nino Schurter & Julien Absalom

Love that skiing picture.. most races seem to end with a pile up of collapsed bodies. XC skiing is awesome.

No pics of Hatton’s elation after beating Tszyu so one of the effort he had to go through to win it. Officially retired this week.

And obviously cos I like pictures of semi-naked men

Nino Schurter & Julien Absalom

What a picture! JA’s utterly distraught there…

No one suffers like Jens Voight

Vegan MMA fighter, Mac Danzig.

No one felt the need to tell us Jens Voigt’s dietary requirements, did they? 😉

Millar – No idea if he has any dietary fads, but what a climber….

CF – Google tells me that Jens eats;

“spring steel for breakfast, fire for lunch, and a mixture of titanium and carbon fiber for dinner”

http://www.google.com/search?q=what+jens+voigt+eats&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a

so he’s a vegan too.

If you get to see the Tour of Lombardia then you’ll see this guy suffer..

I give you Steffano Garzelli

Some great shots guys, thanks appreciate them.

No one felt the need to tell us Jens Voigt’s dietary requirements, did they?

for the record, Ricky Hatton eats… anything!

Father & son – Barcelona 1992

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Fiorenzo Magni

A bump for the lunchtime loiterers

Cathy Freeman, just after carrying the weight of a nation around a track

Just tentitively on topic, elation, erm nope, exertion possibly but for fighting her case in court..

Marion Jones convicted Drugs Athlete..

I’m going to get this one framed

The flawed genius that was (is) Paul Gascoigne.

Are we allowed untalented amateurs as well?

😉

I love this image. Pretty much sums up how the rest of (non italian) humanity felt at that moment.

Lars Boom winning the Worlds CX, you have to admire the Lad, he was sporting a mullet of locks fit for an 80’s Rock Star, well he is Dutch, so thats acceptable then.

Unknown rider – Tour de Romandie 2009

@mcboo, that’s a terrible photo. 😥

And we can not forget this epic battle in last years Giro, stage 7 win, Mr Evans we salute you.

A young chappie I know called Julián Adrada, 40 yrs old and still races at elite level and winner of 24hr solo at first attempt, very passionate about his cycling.

stwmanzanares 2 065 por kala y simon, en Flickr

stwmanzanares 2 064 por kala y simon, en Flickr
Not the most comfortable of final laps of a dry and sunny cx race.

Are we allowed untalented amateurs as well?

Only if their shirts fit properly 😉

He’ll grow into it. 😉