Those with French-sounding first names:
Marcel Kittel
André Greipel
Simon Geschke
Emanuel Buchmann
Marcel Sieburg
Those with first names that could be either French or German:
Paul Martens
Christian Knees
Robert Wagner
Marcus Burghardt
Those with British-sounding first names:
Tony Martin
John Degenkolb
Rick Zabel
Those that don’t seem to fall into any of the above:
Nikias Arndt
Nils Politt
Jasha Sütterlin
Those with out-and-out, no-question-about-it, traditionally German first names:
Rüdiger Selig
Update: As of this afternoon both the Marcels are out. There is a lesson in there somewhere.
Christian Knees? – I thought they were for praying on.
Robert Wagner? – He must be in fine fettle considering he was born in 1930.
And didn’t Tony Martin shoot someone?
I’m perplexed: Is this post apropos of anything in particular? Or do you just have a fetish for German cyclists?
Robert Wagner could be American, so he could be in either boat or another…
The first set of names puts me in mind of one of P. D. Q. Bach’s friends, the Alsatian artist Hans-Jacques Pferdemerde.
If young Christian’s parents had christened him Hans however, it might have been an unfortunate name for a cyclist.
“As of this afternoon both the Marcels are out. There is a lesson in there somewhere.”
You can’t mime your way to victory?
I’m watching way too much Tour coverage.
Degenkolb showed up in my dream this morning. As, if my vague memory serves, the CEO of a startup company.
Marcel Kitty, I mean Kittel is in reality one of the Jedward twins (see his hairstyle). John Dekenkolb when interviewed when he first started winning races would start his interviews with a long drawn out ‘yah’ and punctuate his talks with more long drawn out ‘yahs’. I added that detail apropos of nothing, except it amused me in a puerile way
And didn’t Tony Martin shoot someone?
No; he slept with Cyd Charisse.
And not even one Mohammed. How dat?
Those with French-sounding first names:
Marcel Kittel – born in East Germany
André Greipel – born in East Germany
Simon Geschke – son of East German cyclist Jürgen Geschke
Emanuel Buchmann – born in Swabia
Marcel Sieburg – ????
Those with first names that could be either French or German:
Paul Martens – born in East Germany
Christian Knees – born in Westphalia
Robert Wagner – born in East Germany
Marcus Burghardt – born in East Germany
Those with British-sounding first names:
Tony Martin – born in East Germany
John Degenkolb – born in East Germany
Rick Zabel – born in Westphalia
Those that don’t seem to fall into any of the above:
Nikias Arndt – born in Hanover
Nils Politt – born in Rheinland
Jasha Sütterlin – born in Breisgau
Those with out-and-out, no-question-about-it, traditionally German first names:
Rüdiger Selig – born in East Germany
I think I am as surprised as anyone to find that nine of the sixteen cyclists are East German.
As to the non-German names: cross-language penetration happens a lot these days. Lately I’ve watched a lot of European mystery-story TV, and I note odd outcroppings of English in the credits. German, French, and Italian shows all have credit lines for “Casting”; a French show has a credit line for “Transport des rushes“.
I’m sure they are all good, clean chaps who are only following Team orders.
The history of German successes in the Tour de France is not to be sniffed at.
To put it into perspective: photo of Germany taking the all-classes win of the 1940 Tour de France.
Gordon Gottlob must have confused the chaps at Biggin Hill back in the day.
Gordon Gollob must have confused the chaps at Biggin Hill back in the day.