Bike-ku

Of the many cycling mags that come through the mail slot here, my favorite has to be the UK publication Cycle Sport . They can call it Cycle Sport America, but the editorial content is grade A prime British humor (or humour, as it were.) Plus they cover riders BESIDES Lance Armstrong, so it's a dead giveaway.

Last night - somewhat belatedly - I was flipping through the Tour de France preview issue and came to the section where they profile the Favourites for the 2009 tour. And here's where their coverage really diverges from Bicycling Magazine or VeloNews: besides tour stats, analysis of vulnerabilities, and quotes from the riders themselves, they include each rider's tour prospects, in haiku.

For instance, this about 24 year old Andy Schleck, who ended up winning 2nd overall but really is built like a 12 year old girl:

Looks like a small child
Rides up mountains fast
Likes staring at girls

or this about the Manx Missile, Brit Mark Cavendish who is well known for his potty mouth:

Cav has won the stage
"Fook, is that microphone on?"
Same again next day

And the Denis Menchov haiku was so perfect that I can't even start. So before next year's tour, consider a Cycle Sport subscription. Perhaps they'll be busting out the sonnets in 2010.