Bikes, with their cute mechanical simplicity and efficient way of using of energy, fascinate the engineer in me. Combined with the thrill of blurring past the seemingly static world with fleshy swirling feet grafted to steel and rubber, bike riding confuses me for a bit into thinking I’m a mechanized version of myself. You know, a Philbot. So, this last weekend when nearly 180 of my mechanized brothers assembled in Monaco for the start of the 2009 Tour de France, I shifted my cyborg eye away from art and marketing for a few hours to watch my favorite sporting event and cheer on the race for the coveted Maillot jaune.
As you all are hopefully aware, the leader of many a mechanized-two-wheeler assault peloton, Lance Armstrong, has come out of retirement and is competing in the 2009 Tour de France to promote cancer awareness through his Livestrong organization. What you all may not be aware of is that Lance has a thing for art and has commissioned some pretty notable artists and designers to create bikes for him.
For example, Marc Newson, whose designs were included in our recent exhibition, European Design Since 1985, is responsible for the graphic treatment on this time trial bike.
Marc Newson's bicycle for Lance Armstrong
