Continental Caricature

Pete Rubi

Every time we would leave a hotel the last thing to do is give the room a once over. Check under the beds and in the closets to make sure that no one has left anything behind. The other thing that I look for are little drawings that Cole Maness leaves behind. Maybe they are for the help, the people that come around and clean up after us — piles of towels used to clean bikes — a drain filled with the shaving remnants just to name a few. But the drawings he leaves are always humorous and filled with moments from the days riding. So, in concert with the Amgen Tour of California stages that we put up last week we asked Cole for his take on the participants. Click through to see them all and make sure to check out the films and photos of that great race in California that kicks off this coming weekend.

Slate Olson

The drawings that Cole did are a fantastic reminder of the fun that we had while riding the Tour stages. Peter Rubijono's is an amazing rendition of the unfortunate accident that took Rubi out for the final day and put him in the Lanterne Rouge cap. If he looks a little bit sad in that drawing it is only to mirror what we all felt the final day not having him with us. Slate Olson was the other "injury" on the trip when he went a little light on the sunscreen (like, not using it at all) and was left with the worst sunburn that we had ever seen. Cole's mild obsession with the Garbage Pail Kids of our youth come out in the drawing of Slate and Pierre. They are a great way for him to highlight the "Continental Kids" and show each of the little traits that set us apart from each other.

Tim Johnson

Tim Johnson is the next one to receive the treatment. There are a couple little intricacies that deserve pointing out. One of them is that he is wearing his Red Bull hat. That Red Bull hat stays on all the time in case you were wondering. We were convinced that he slept in that hat. The other thing to note is Johnson's love for donuts. Sure, we all love donuts, but this man has a straight up problem. We could not pass a shop without him at least mentioning them.

Pierre Vanden Borre

Pierre Vanden Borre was a newly christened Doctor, so his drawing celebrates that achievement in his life. Also, when Cole and I stayed with Pierre, or PVB as he is known to us, last summer we noticed a large number of personally monogramed stuff around his apartment. Cole spent one day photographing all the PVB's placed around the house, so it makes sense that a few of them appear here.

Jeremy Dunn

This last one is me and it makes me laugh every time I look at it. Tim Johnson had a joke that he liked to make when we rode to Washington DC earlier in the year and it was about the sheer number of photos that I take. Well, I like to take photos and I do take a lot of them so I guess it apropos that I have a camera in one hand and an iPhone, to take more photos, in the other. The butterfly knife was a gift from Cole when we went to the handmade show in February. I have been practicing. And the bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey, I have no idea where that comes from.

The thing that comes through best with these fantastic drawings and likeness' that Cole put together are the light-hearted feeling to them. Thanks to Cole for the sketches and thanks to all the guys for contributing their particular blend of humor mixed with good times. The only thing that is missing from this is one of Cole, can you do one of yourself??