While looking at rider names the other day I happened to notice ProTour team photos. These photos are an interesting study and fall into five general categories. These categories would be...
Traditional
Unstructured
The Pack
NJB (Not Just Bikes)
Non-traditional
However, lets begin by addressing loser teams, like Cofidis and Lotto, who don't even make an effort at a team picture and only give a collection of head shots. Poor form, fellas.
TraditionalThe traditional team photo is a couple rows of team members standing and/or sitting. Nothing too fancy. Gather everyone together and take a nice photo.
Milram has the traditional team photo down pat.
CSC knows the traditional game too.
T-Mobile follows the traditional game plan but they take it to nature.
Euskaltel uses a very stiff, structured double row.
Discovery is similarly stiff and structured but symmetrically tightens up the team while trying to soften the photo with grass and mountains behind.
QuickStep follows the Discovery model but enhances the symmetry with a pyramid shape that mirrors the angles of the building in the background. Quite clever.
The French Ag2r squad also follows a symmetrical theme but with a disturbing chasm dividing the team. I can only conclude that this symbolizes the divide between the ASO and UCI.
UnstructuredThe unstructured team photo closely resembles the traditional but with a more relaxed format.
Lampre looks traditional at first glance but you have one guy leaning on his bike and the guys on the grass taking any position they want whether it is sitting, squatting or lounging around.
Saunier Duval, while somewhat symmetrical and traditional, has riders relaxing on large hotel wicker furniture for its unstructured feel.
The PackThe pack team photo lacks any structure. It's as if the photographer says "Everyone, gather 'round" and then snaps a quick picture or two.
Credit Agricole seems to best define the "pack" technique. Simply a group photo.
Unibet seemed to make an effort at a "traditional" photo but lacked some direction. Their defiantly crossed arms seems to be saying "Harumph, please let me play with the other ProTour teams"
Gerolsteiner deftly executed the "pack" team photo with the extra twist of hiding the photographer in the building rafters.
NJB (Not Just Bikes)The NJB team photo is one in which the team puts a team vehicle into the photo as well.
Astana is the first example of an NJB. They snuck a team car into the picture but they don't seem very proud of their ride. Instead, the team is covering up half of the car and the Astana name. Not unlike their doping practices that were covered up until the Tour rolled around.
Rabobank is mighty proud of their cars. Not one, but two cars right out front. In fact, they seem prouder of the cars than the team.
Speaking of proud, Francaise de Jeux is very proud of their bus. They may ride around in lily white shorts most of the year but they have a BIG bus and don't you forget it.
Non-TraditionalThe non-traditional team photo has the team members in inappropriate places acting completely normal.
Take Bouyges Telecom, for instance. They would like you to believe the team hangs out at the beach in their lycra, roasting hot dogs and singing songs as the waves crash ashore.
Even more ridiculous is Liquigas fully kitted-up and hanging out in a palatial ballroom with gold gilding adorning the walls and ceilings.
That brings us to perhaps the most ridiculous team photo. Caisse d'Epargne sheds the lycra and dons their Armani suits while posing in the company's world headquarters, looking as if they just attended a meeting of the Board of Directors.
