mattm

Some thoughts for your next podium shot:

1) What I call "arm balance" - only the winner puts up both arms, everyone else puts up their outside arm

- if not the winner, put your other arm (the inside one) on the small of the back of the guy next to you

- Natural elbow angle: don't have your arm at a 90-degree angle like a "stick 'em up!" pose (I've seen this!), or on the other hand a completely straight arm.. a slight bend looks best

2) Wear your kit. Even if you have to change back into it, please please were your damn kit. Just a jersey is better than nothing, but it looks ridiculous with whatever street clothes you have on.

3) No helmets!! (I've broken this rule, it's easy to forget)

- sunglasses ok, team hats ok

Steve Tilford actually covered most of this on his blog: Podium Etiquette, Let?s Send Joseph to Europe, etc. | Steve Tilford

globecanvas

Also:

- Clench your quads so hard that your vision starts to red out and you are at risk of spontaneous pooping. Be sure to sustain the clench until you are certain that all possible photographs have been taken.

- If the podium heights are unclear, or if you are in California where they line up a half dozen guys on either side of the podium to make sure everyone gets a pony, hold up a number of fingers to represent your placing. In California, or if your day job is framing carpentry, this may require two hands. This is an exception to the "one hand" rule above.

- If you don't have a buddy or significant other there, give your phone to one of the other podium guys' girlfriend and tell her to take at least a dozen shots to make sure at least one is in focus. Make the other podium guys wait until you check over the photos and post them to instagram and your team tumblr, in case you were blinking or the girlfriend took a video by mistake.

Andy STi

Perfect!!

waterrockets 

Fast people problems.

Also:

mattm

Ah yeah, I forgot about flexing those guads!!

Another thing I forgot is to hold the pose for longer than you think you might need to. It feels weird, but hold those arms up and that smile for a good 10-20+ seconds, until everyone is done taking photos.

carpediemracing 

Personally I almost never need to worry about this stuff. However they're all good tips for a race promoter to put on the race's site.

YMCA

Way to go mattm.
This thread is desperately needed and should be shared with every USAC licensee.
#1 is definitely most important.

oespinoza83

Never been on a podium, but I have never understood the whole arm raising thing. If I ever get on there, especially the 1 spot, I am doing something different/unique to celebrate my first win.

topflightpro

At the race our team put on back in January, a guy came up to the registration table to ask about the podium photos.

"What podium photos. We don't do podium photos. It's a training race."

"But my sponsor wants a photo."

"Fine, go stand on the picnic table and someone will take your picture."

Ygduf

"hover hand" is weird. It's ok to touch someone and the gap is almost always noticeable. I feel like the podium is one place outside of a rainy belgium race where a cycling cap _IS_ OK, too.

I prefer athletic shoes to cycling shoes, but I guess that's a timing thing.

mattm

You should sit on the podium with your face in your hands and look really sad!!

That will show everyone.

hack

I'll add...if you make it on to the podium, show up to the podium pic. I figure you just raced your ass of to get a podium spot, the least you could do for your team (or yourself/friends/family) is show up for the pic. I think a podium pic that is missing a person is worse than off balanced hands.

06SpiceRed

yes!

aaronmcd

I'd love any podium pic. The only top 3s I got were a few of the cat 5 early bird races... I beat a bunch of other newbs like myself, yay! All I got was the chance to nonchalantly move my hand up a few inches while examining my data when the mentor asked who won.

About not showing... what if it's cold and raining? I've seen some empty podium spots in those conditions.

Ygduf

If there's a podium and they take pics, for the race website, series, or whatever, I feel like you should show up. Not everyone wins or places, so if someone is pumped to finally land a 2nd place, and 3rd place doesn't show up, their pic looks weird.

EventServices

Also take food and water. You don't want to bonk in the green room.

Have you never seen the end of American Flyers? It's required. Kevin Costner insists!

At Grand Rapids crit last year, UHC swept 4 of top 5. The only non-UHC guy (4th place) came up and asked how deep the podium went. It goes to three. Always. He begged. Needed a photo for his sponsor. The UHC guys were fine with that. Whatever.
So guess who misses the podium? Seriously, it was like 30 seconds later and he was nowhere to be found. Comes back 10 minutes later all cleaned up asking if we can reshoot it.

We didn't.

oespinoza83

I was thinking Breakfast Club fist pump

thechemist

I just don't get it when they go 5 deep. They wanted us all in the shot b/c prizes went 5 deep. Felt really weird. I was 4th and just kept my arms down

Ygduf

let me solve this.

everyone should have to line up and the winner gets the only step. 1 winner. the rest are losers. @needmoreair knows

SopFu

I have one win, and they did the podium while I was racing a later race. Thankfully someone grabbed my medal :/

Enthalpic

The biggest stage race around here (Banff bike fest) takes this so seriously that you forfeit half your payout if you miss the presentation or wear street clothes.

Hida Yanra

Nope, this was the real score of the day:

Caad08

As someone who's on the podium every weekend, this stuff eventually just becomes second nature.

mattm

This!

Everyone else must stand in shame.

jmikami

What about the fluff it or stuff it rule. That has to be in there somewhere?