I saw this picture hanging on the wall of the Roquefort Cycle Lodge. It was taken by Austin during the 2005 tour in the Pyrenees. It left me gobstruck as I think its one of the best pro cycling pictures I have ever seen and Austin kindly gave me a copy to keep (which I scanned so not the best quality I am afraid)

Reasons for this are

• Firstly its just a great cycling picture. The riders are neatly framed by the motor bike on the right and the fans on the left. Most of the movement is coming from the fans who are all in motion while the riders, in contradiction to the reality, look static. But because of this the picture appears to almost be in 3D with the riders coming out of the middle of the picture.
• Secondly in the context of the 2005 tour. Examine the faces of the riders. Even if you know nothing of cycling or cyclists one face stands out, with an expression of steel hard focus while all around other faces show signs of effort and exertion. The face is of course that of the rider in yellow and goes some way to explain why he is on his way to winning his 7th victory in a row.
• Thirdly in the context of later tours. The other recognisable riders in the picture are Kloden, Ulrich, Mayo, Landis, Leipheimer, Vinokorov and (I think right at the back) Rasmussen. So with the exception of Kloden/Leipheimer, you have the full house of disgraced big names 2006/2007.