2009 Tour of Qatar: Ah, curse that curséd watermark for obstructing pretty picture of Pippo. (Credit: Sirotti)

2010 Tour of Qatar: Do not talk crap about the carp, er, koi tattoo! (Credit: Yuzuru Sunada)

2010 Tour of Qatar: So how expensive is car shopping in Qatar? (Credit: Roberto Bettini? via Demorgen.be)

Hey, y’know, I own a Smokin’ Red Ferrari too: a 1987 Barbie Ferrari…without any hubcaps; maybe it’s time to buy one off Ebay…(Credit: Ian Langsdon/EPA via Newscom.com)

2010 Tour of Qatar, Stage 4: Are Pippo and Ballan excluding Danilo Napolitano from their conversation on style? (Credit: PresseSports/Lablatiniere via Letour.fr)

2010 Tour of Qatar, Stage 4: It is far, far safer to check out cars than chicks in conservative countries/places, no? (Credit: PresseSports/Lablatiniere via Letour.fr)

If we were apt to weep over all the soap opera-esque events in Cyclcedom then we would be weeping over Our Subject becoming another victim on the boulevard of broken clavicles in Qatar whilst he is making his Classics comeback. We hope, as we always hope when our favorite cyclists are befallen by illness or injury, that upon his return that his dedication to grinta and to panache—as inspired by Eddy the Cannibal himself! (sans scarf)—earn him victories, especially at the Giro; and of course another Classics-esque victory is desired anytime throughout the season. Forza Pippo! (Credit: Getty Images via—ZOMG!—Getty Images)

2012 Tour of Qatar, Stage 1: I wonder if those shoes are available yet at any of the monolithic retail complexes in Doha where prices are marked up. (Credit: Karim Jaafar via Getty Images)

2012 Tour of Qatar, Stage 1: Pippo posed with Andrea Guardini somewhere on the way to the Doha Golf Club. (Credit: Yuzuru Sunada if you cannot locate the watermarks)

Will the Tours of Qatar and Oman provide us with more picspam of shirtless Pippo showcasing his koi tattoo? (Credit: Getty Images via EBIL Pippo-snarking Broom Wagon blog on Sbs.com.au)