I'm so glad even she looks like a dork [Archive] - Women's Cycling Discussion Forums

VeloVT

09-15-2008, 01:08 PM

I'm really surprised she's sporting trainers and toeclips. Given the fact that she probably had a coach and money is certainly no obstacle, I would have expected bling gear (anyone know what kind of bike she's riding? I'm too lazy to google for that myself but I'd be mildly interested).

But seriously, what is she wearing? I would not have expected that from HER of all people, since every other time you see her she's wearing something as tight and bare as possible...

I have to say, I don't have any problem with J.LO doing a tri. It doesn't annoy me. How many other random people who are not "serious athletes" compete in races of various kinds? How many people are running marathons these days with an explicit goal of like, 5 hours (that is, with the goal to finish and not the goal to race)? How is it any different? Everyone is entitled to whatever they can acheive.

However, I won't deny taking some pleasure in making fun of JLO when given a good excuse :D.

aicabsolut

09-15-2008, 01:09 PM

an s-works Ruby with toe clips for a race ....

not to offend anyone who uses toe clips, but if you get a $6300 race performance machine, why?

and why are her brake levers pointing up?

alpinerabbit

09-15-2008, 01:24 PM

I wasn't dissing J (her time was not stellar but what the heck) - I was just doing the "superstar + helmet = dorky look" math and telling myself it's not my fault if I look like a dork on pics.

Tri Girl

09-15-2008, 01:38 PM

I still can't believe that's her. Doesn't look a thing like her (although I probably don't look like me with all my gear on).
Good for her for getting out there and doing something fun just like the rest of us. And if I had her bod, I'd definitely NOT be wearing that gigantic outfit. I'm thinking crop tri top with shorty shorts to show off my awesome bod. In my current body- I can totally see wearing something like that. :p

salsabike

09-15-2008, 01:47 PM

I wasn't dissing J (her time was not stellar but what the heck) - I was just doing the "superstar + helmet = dorky look" math and telling myself it's not my fault if I look like a dork on pics.

I still can't believe that's her. Doesn't look a thing like her (although I probably don't look like me with all my gear on).
Good for her for getting out there and doing something fun just like the rest of us. And if I had her bod, I'd definitely NOT be wearing that gigantic outfit. I'm thinking crop tri top with shorty shorts to show off my awesome bod. In my current body- I can totally see wearing something like that. :p

Yes, exactly, to both of these posts!

BleeckerSt_Girl

09-15-2008, 01:55 PM

I couldn't care less about hollywood 'stars'....but I don't blame her for wearing a baggy outfit- she doen'st want to be the center of attention during the race....it must be hard enough already with photographers rushing to get her picture.
She's obviously having fun and getting fit at the same time- and setting a good example for lots of other women. Who cares what she wears or about her bike gear? Good for her! :p

sgtiger

09-15-2008, 02:06 PM

No matter who it is that does a tri earns my respect. Good for her for going out there. If it takes seeing someone like JLo to get others out and exercising so be it. Whatever helps to motivate them is all good. It does make me feel better knowing that she has to work out too to keep her body looking good, though.

7rider

09-15-2008, 02:45 PM

Okay....I'm so out of it, I had to Google "Actress Jennifer Lopez" to find out who she is!!! :eek:
But....I got this article (http://news.bostonherald.com/track/star_tracks/view.bg?articleid=1119127&srvc=home&position=also)on that tri - and she did raise a boatload of money for an LA Children's Hospital at that tri...so I guess if she wants to wear a pillowcase while doing a benefit, that's okay by me. (and...never having done a tri...well, that's a cool thing too, right there)

By the way...I don't think she looks dorky at all.
However..this one (http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_photo.asp?EVENTID=32508&ID=54519854&FROM) (and I apologize if this is you...but please get a clue)...now this one is dorky.

OakLeaf

09-15-2008, 02:49 PM

However..this one (http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_photo.asp?EVENTID=32508&ID=54519854&FROM) (and I apologize if this is you...but please get a clue)...now this one is dorky.

wow... just two days ago I saw someone wearing a helmet backwards, and now there's a picture of someone else! I had never seen that before! How do you even do that?!

celerystalksme

09-15-2008, 03:27 PM

I can understand her gear...

She's rich...not a cycling enthusiast. She probably didn't want to go through the trouble of learning how to use clipless pedals. She just wanted to go and be in the charity event. She probably just put some pocket change on the counter and asked them to give her a nice bike that'll be comfy for her charity tri. S-Works Ruby...toe clips...

As for what she's wearing...I totally get that. I have a couple friends that are SMOKIN hot. We're talking 10's...no joke. Now...some women love the attention, love being oogled, and love showing off. However, the couple friends I have HATE that! They hate it when every single head turns to stare at them when then walk in bar. They hate guys staring at them in class, at the grocery store, at work, at the mall, etc. One of them has gone so far as purposely dressing down whenever possible! I'm guessing J-Lo wanted just a tiny bit less attention than she usually gets.

spokewench

09-15-2008, 03:43 PM

GLC1968

09-15-2008, 03:51 PM

Not putting her down - think it is great if she did a tri and raised a bunch of money, but that picture no way is Jennifer Lopez. She is a hispanic isn't she? with nice dark skin? That woman in the picture looks like she comes from Ireland

Ha! I thought the same thing and had to google her to find more pics to verify to myself that it was her. It is. She just had twins, so this was part of her quest to get back in shape. She's not quite there yet, so even if she was trying to avoid the press - I'm sure she doesn't feel like she's 'smokin' right now anyway.

Now- the pics of Matthew McConaughey in the same tri? THAT is smokin'! :cool:
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/09/14/article-1055776-02A790D100000578-921_468x687.jpg

7rider

09-15-2008, 03:57 PM

Ha! I thought the same thing and had to google her to find more pics to verify to myself that it was her. It is. She just had twins, so this was part of her quest to get back in shape. She's not quite there yet, so even if she was trying to avoid the press - I'm sure she doesn't feel like she's 'smokin' right now anyway.

I also went and Googled images of her....I couldn't find anything to post on a family-friendly discussion forum!!! :eek:
But, I dunno...pale, yes, but the round chin (not sharp and pointed, like in other pix) gives me pause.

HillSlugger

09-15-2008, 04:09 PM

I saw a video of her triathlon on TMZ.com. Would you believe she had someone holding the bike up for her so that she could get her feet into the toe clips?

This is the only triathlon I know of that has Celebrity categories! :rolleyes:

rubysoho

09-15-2008, 04:12 PM

I also went and Googled images of her....I couldn't find anything to post on a family-friendly discussion forum!!! :eek:
But, I dunno...pale, yes, but the round chin (not sharp and pointed, like in other pix) gives me pause.

check out the second to last photo on this page:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1046515/Jennifer-Lopez-begins-training-triathlon-months-having-twins.html

From certain angles she does have a rounded chin. And when some stars are photographed on the red carpet, they will stick out their chin to prevent any appearance (real or bad camera angle) of "neck flab."

GLC1968

09-15-2008, 04:21 PM

I also went and Googled images of her....I couldn't find anything to post on a family-friendly discussion forum!!! :eek:
But, I dunno...pale, yes, but the round chin (not sharp and pointed, like in other pix) gives me pause.

Here's another few - and one where she's in the same outfit and kissing her husband. ;)

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2008/09/14/2008-09-14_jennifer_lopez_completes_triathlon_in_ma.html

aicabsolut

09-15-2008, 04:41 PM

A Self magazine "celebrity blog" online says that her shoes and shirt "disappeared" in the transition area so she borrowed the XXL shirt and someone's spare shoes after the swim. I guess she's lucky she didn't need cleats. http://www.self.com/livingwell/blogs/celebrity/

Read this part:

"I've never biked in my life. With swimming, at least I'd been to the beach. And can we talk about this bike? It's so thin and aerodynamic and designed for speed. When I first got the bike, it had clipless pedals [they attach to the soles of your shoes]. The pedals were so small, it was like trying to balance on stilts. But I'd just gotten the bike and was like, 'Let's get on the road!' We went out and I did eat it! I was trying to give Gunnar [Peterson, Jennifer's trainer] my Blackberry because it was falling out of my pocket. There was a girl in front of me on the bike path and all of a sudden she swerves. It was either I hit her or go into the sand. So I go into the sand."

"This was the first time I was really riding, too. I had been doing all my rides on the stationary trainers. Then I couldn't get back on the bike and in the pedals. I could not get going. I'm thinking, If I fall in the race for whatever reason, I need to be able to get back on my bike by myself. It's my bike! So I said, 'I'm not doing these pedals, give me the toe clips' [metal cages on the pedals that feet slide into]."

I'm not really sure what she's talking about, but it sounds like she just tried using tennis shoes on clipless pedals. No wonder she didn't like them. I mean, I have a friend who can sprint in tennis shoes on Speedplays, but he's got above average skill. :p

I feel like the S-works Ruby was wasted on her. Must be nice to have boatloads of cash. Oh, she's also sporting the $230 S-works helmet.

TrekTheKaty

09-15-2008, 04:56 PM

AlpineRabbit, I appreciate your point--even celebrities look goofy in a bike helmet. However, I like the pic of Matthew better!

ASammy1

09-15-2008, 05:01 PM

I agree w/ cunninghamair! Although I did hear that Matthew McConaughey had some raging B.O. because he doesn't believe in deodorant. Also, I cant stand to hear him speak, so I'd rather sew his mouth shut and just look at him!

tc1

09-15-2008, 05:45 PM

Muscle shirts are out of style? Dang, I didn't get the memo. Next you're gonna tell me the mullet is old news.
Seriously, I like the muscle T on girls, looks gloriously butch.

Flur

09-15-2008, 05:59 PM

luvmypwds

09-15-2008, 06:10 PM

I say good for her. It's great that she's out there doing something active. These celebrities are often times role models (unfortunately I guess) to teenagers, so in my mind, if JLo goes out and does a tri and gets active, she'll win points from me. I don't care how much she's trianed or not - the point is she is out there doing it. Heck, I'm sure lots of people feel that my bike is wasted on me too, lol.

Pedal Wench

09-15-2008, 06:56 PM

Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I think it's a bit insulting that she really didn't prepare and work towards being successful in the tri (as per the quote above). It's one thing for Matthew McConaughey, who's an athlete, but quite another for Ms. Lopez. It's insulting to the rest of the contestants that worked for it, and that work really hard to justify spending the $$ to have a bike like that. She could have trained more, put some effort into it.

Or maybe it's just that I really don't like her, don't see what people see in her, etc.

She DID train. I believe she meant that before she started training, she hadn't ridden a bike. She had a trainer, and there's no way she hopped on a bike for the first time for the race. She raised over $127,000 for the Children's Hospital, and the entire race raised over $900,000. She DID train, was sponsored by Specialized, and never got comfortable with cleats. What's wrong with that? SELF magazine has been following her training efforts: http://www.self.com/livingwell/blogs/celebrity/
Here's a shot of her with her trainer back in August
http://self.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/15/dscn0109.jpg

aicabsolut

09-15-2008, 07:01 PM

From that part of the blog it looks like she never tried cleats.

BleeckerSt_Girl

09-15-2008, 07:06 PM

She might continue riding her bike in between taking care of her newborn twins.
Who are we to judge whether she 'deserves' her bike or not? :eek:
Heck I'd say she deserves any bike at all if she raised $127,000 for a children's hospital.

aicabsolut

09-15-2008, 07:17 PM

Aggie_Ama

09-15-2008, 07:38 PM

Ummm if you had enough money for multiple houses, an engagement ring that costs more than my house and whatever else she has wouldn't you just go into the bike shop and ask for a good bike? I mean if I had that kind of money I would want the best and wouldn't care what it costs. We know a S-Works is more bike than she needed but to her $6k for a bike isn't going to make even a tiny dent in her fortune.

Patrick Dempsey also rides an S-Works, given the number of celebs photographed riding high end Specialized I would almost venutre to guess Specialized gives them the bike.

I got from the Self magazine the first time she went out for a road ride she tried clipless, fell and got discouraged. She wouldn't be the first one to do that!

I am not a Jennifer Lopez fan but I think there is some jelousy and cattiness that loses sight of she raised a boatload of money for a worthy cause and was actually photoed doing something healthy and positive. For once she is being a good example.

7rider

09-16-2008, 04:17 AM

Really. If you were a salesperson at a bike shop, and someone with deep pockets like JLo walked into your store and said "I need a bike" - are you really gonna steer her towards and entry-level Dolce?
Besides...if Specialized sponsored the event, there's probably no way they would ALLOW her to be seen at the event on an entry-level bike...toe clips or no toe clips. The amount of publicity would be awesome. Look at the discussion we're having now about it.....

OakLeaf

09-16-2008, 04:51 AM

Oh heck...

I'm riding a bike that's wildly more expensive than most people could imagine spending for a piece of sports equipment...

I bought it intending never to race it (not really a race bike anyway)...

I'm not a serious athlete, I hardly ever ride three days in the same week, and I'm not normally "training" for anything... Most people would say my bike is wasted on me.

I'm signed up to do a charity ride and I've been hitting people up for money (albeit halfheartedly) even though I could just as easily write my own check, and already have, for most of it...

Why can't everyone just ride the bike they want and can afford? Does J.Lo have to buy bikes for every one of us?

OakLeaf

09-16-2008, 04:57 AM

given the number of celebs photographed riding high end Specialized I would almost venutre to guess Specialized gives them the bike.

Funny you should mention that.

Here's a picture (http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/2008/mgp/indy/geebee/1/6.htm) of the brothers Hayden at this weekend's MotoGP race being presented with S-Works bikes in each of their team colors (sort of). (if you're not aware of it, most motorcycle racers train on road and mountain bicis these days.)

Considering the cost of advertising vs. the price of the bikes, it's cheap publicity for Specialized.

Aggie_Ama

09-16-2008, 05:24 AM

Oakleaf- I don't want to admit to reading celebrity news but sometimes my life needs some fluff in it. I have seen Patrick Dempsey (cover of Bicycling Magazine!), Jake Gylennhaal (or however it is spelt), that blonde from Saved By the Bell Mark whatever, all on Specialized. They should give some of these hollywood women who talk about their pilates and yoga really great bikes. :)

I wish I were somebody and Specialized would sponsor me and give me the best bike and helmet. I would ride all over to show it off for them. :p

On what you need vs. what you have. My bike is probably more than I need even though it has a triple and 105 the frame is a sort of race frame. Actually the frame is similar geometry to a Ruby. The amount I ride lately I should probably be on my old $599 Fuji with Sora but oh well. My budget was $2500, JLo's probably unlimited. :rolleyes:

Flur

09-16-2008, 05:25 AM

Does J.Lo have to buy bikes for every one of us?

Now that I wouldn't complain about. If JLo bought me a bike, maybe I wouldn't change the channel every time she showed up on my tv.:eek:

I'm kidding of course. Well, sort of.:eek:

Like I said above, the offense I've taken might just be because I don't like her.

BTW - Patrick Demspey actually rides alot, and Jake Gyllenhaal rides with Lance.

arielmoon

09-16-2008, 05:54 AM

Wow didnt even look like her. How aweful to have your shoes and shirt disappear. Kudos to her for getting fit and raising money for a good cause.
Ha! I thought the same thing and had to google her to find more pics to verify to myself that it was her. It is. She just had twins, so this was part of her quest to get back in shape. She's not quite there yet, so even if she was trying to avoid the press - I'm sure she doesn't feel like she's 'smokin' right now anyway.

Now- the pics of Matthew McConaughey in the same tri? THAT is smokin'! :cool:
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/09/14/article-1055776-02A790D100000578-921_468x687.jpg

*drools*

smilingcat

09-16-2008, 06:23 AM

I'm honestly happy that she raised as much money as she did. For the amount of money she raised, she can ride what ever bike she wanted. Yeahhh I'm bit jealous.

And oakleaf, great catch about the helmet. doh!! Glad to see some celeb who isn't "all about me" or the guy in country music I can't stand singing "what about me!" so it's a breath of fresh air.

As for Specialized giving her a S-works ruby. What a wonderful marketting. Even though, like aicabus, I think its a waste of such a fine machine but then who is to judge. am I worthy to own a S-works Transition Pro with SRAM force... as my TT bike??

What really gets me annoyed or irked is when a person is using a sports equipment that does not match their ability and where they become unsafe and dangerous. As an example, I would be upset if I saw someone with very little or no experience trying to ride my TT bike. That would be way too dangerous. Another example I see all the time is in alpine skiing. I see this especially with guys. They get "racing boots" super stiff... top of the line Lange, Atomic, Rossignol, Nordica... THEY ARE UNCOMFORTABLE to say the least medevil foot torture device at worst but the 1-1/2minute to 5minutes of race they are great. for a recreational skier it is a very dangerous piece of equipment causing all those torn knees and blown knees.

S-work Ruby for JLo? Probably a waste of good machine in one sense but atleast, she's not a danger to herself.

aicabsolut

09-16-2008, 08:07 AM

You're worthy if you ride it. if j. lo keeps it up, then sure. i kind of got the impression that she thought this was challenging and for a good cause, but overall, she could care less. At least Matthew rides bikes and runs and stuff on his own. But i did see him say on tv recently that he wasn't training for this event.

Patrick Dempsey is a pretty serious roadie.and he's a race car driver, so i can see him appreciating a good performance machine. He at least picked the right bike for his needs (Roubaix) instead of the tough Tarmac. I wouldn't be surprised if he did buy his bike. You don't have to be in the TdF to want nice equipment to make your rides more enjoyable. I feel that if you're going to buy "too much bike" at least ride it enough and learn enough about the sport to appreciate it. I'm not sure why I feel insulted. Maybe Specialized should sponsor more dedicated athletes.

JaneE

09-16-2008, 08:14 AM

As has probably been stated previously, I'm sure Specialized figures they're getting some good advertising bang for their bucks. They know that the press follows these celebs around constantly. Every picture taken of any of these celebrity athletes on a Specialized bike is free advertising, well worth the cost of "gifting" the bikes in the first place. They're smart! ;)

violette

09-16-2008, 09:41 AM

I'm just saying, why do you need a $6300 road bike to do a triathlon in tennis shoes? There are plenty of people out there doing tris on all kinds of equipment, and if that makes them happy and healthy and gives them motivation to train for good causes or whatever, then good for them. I am just kind of irked that she's riding a lot of people's dream bike and she probably could've done just as well on a Dolce. It seems more like a publicity stunt than like she cares about the sport.

Hey...if I had JLo's money and had to get a bike and I'd raised $127,000, I'd buy whaterver I wanted!!! She deserves it. Specialized sponsered her; they gave her one of their best bikes, not rocket science...

alpinerabbit

09-16-2008, 10:27 AM

Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I think it's a bit insulting that she really didn't prepare

erm. she paid dearly for being unprepared. 2:26 for a supersprint?!

Velobambina

09-17-2008, 01:24 AM

I'm not a J-Lo fan, but I applaud her doing the tri.

Who cares what she rode, wore, her time, etc? She seemed to want to do it for the right reasons (raising money).

BleeckerSt_Girl

09-17-2008, 03:02 AM

I'm not a J-Lo fan, but I applaud her doing the tri.

Who cares what she rode, wore, her time, etc? She seemed to want to do it for the right reasons (raising money).

+1 :)

And this 6 months after giving birth to twins. I admire her energy and positive attitude.

li10up

09-17-2008, 12:22 PM

She'll probably end up donating the bike to some charity so it will likely end up in the hands of someone who appreciates it.

What chaps my hide is celebs who go on tv and tell me how wonderful they are for recycling their plastic grocery bags....meanwhile, they have 10 gas guzzlers sitting in their driveway, and every room in their 20,000 sq. ft. house has the lights on and the air conditioning set at 68 degrees, and an endless stream of water on their lawns, etc......... ugh!!!!!!!!!!!

Bluetree

09-17-2008, 02:25 PM

that blonde from Saved By the Bell Mark whatever, all on Specialized.

That blonde, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, is no slouch. He's a Cat 2 racer on both road and track. ;) He used to ride for Team Helen's, but I think he's with a San Diego team now.

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/interviews/markpaul-track.jpg
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races08/toca08/toc08st06rp-mpclimb2.jpg

As for celebs, a lot of them frequent Cynergy Cycles – a Specialized dealer.

It's kind of a no-win situation if they want to ride seriously. One big star (who shall remain nameless) wanted to join my club/team and there was quite a bit of opposition to it from the membership. No one wants to go on group rides with paparazzi cars swerving around them, blocking their path, or creating other dangerous situations.