Thrusting for the line

[thom]

Also, excellent, they look like they have bent spokes

Yeah those pictures always look like that - my theory is .... :
I think it's a photo that comes from a video of them passing directly over the finish line, so what you see is an image composed of the passing of time over the finish line. That explains for a start the horizontal lines : vertically the image is of the same point in the road. It also definitively identifies the order in which the riders cross the line.
Now.... if you think about it, whenever you cycle, if you are moving at 10mph, then well the center of your tire is moving at 10mph but the contact point is instantaneously stationary ie. is moving at 0mph but the top of the wheel is moving at 20mph. This is I think there are more spokes close together in those images at the top of the wheel (it is moving faster so more pass through the finish line above the axle as opposed to at the contact point of the wheel with the ground which is stationary so .... waffle, waffle, waffle, zzzz )

 

[Chuffy]

But would they take off on a treadmill?

 

[iLB]

It's caused by a thing called the rolling shutter effect, the photo is made from a series of images horizontally across the finish line- kindof like a scanner or something but really fast.

 

[thom]

But would they take off on a treadmill?

if there was red bull in their bidons they would

 

[2PedalsTez]

But would they take off on a treadmill?

Ha! I was going to post that, but thought better of it (my head is hurting enough)