A hardy breed those early classics riders !

moray_gub
moray_gub Posts: 3,328
edited March 2009 in Pro race
http://www.cyclingrevealed.com/Top_20_C ... 0Cl_10.htm

Surely one of the all time classic Milan San Remo wins or any classic win for that matter . Drama and incident seemed to follow Eugene Christophe all through his career


MG
Gasping - but somehow still alive !

Comments

  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    Moray Gub wrote:
    http://www.cyclingrevealed.com/Top_20_Clsscs/top20Cl_10.htm

    Surely one of the all time classic Milan San Remo wins or any classic win for that matter . Drama and incident seemed to follow Eugene Christophe all through his career


    MG

    Some race by Eugene Chrisophe...hospitalised for a month after though...sounds like a nightmare....heavy snow rutted roads, and still going for sprint primes..and 2nd placed rider an hour down on Chrisophe in San Remo :shock: :shock: :o
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    I was reading in Sweat of the Gods yesterday that Gino Bartali checked himself out of hospital to go down to the finish of the '88 Tour of Lombardy to congratulate Charley Mottet after a 150km breakaway saw him win by 5 mins...

    SO having watched the 1st half of the race on telly in a hospital bed, he got up and drove to the finish to tell Mottet"That's how we used to win!"
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    I was reading in Sweat of the Gods yesterday that Gino Bartali checked himself out of hospital to go down to the finish of the '88 Tour of Lombardy to congratulate Charley Mottet after a 150km breakaway saw him win by 5 mins...

    SO having watched the 1st half of the race on telly in a hospital bed, he got up and drove to the finish to tell Mottet"That's how we used to win!"

    cool...what a man Bartali must have been. I remember that Lombardy win...mottet was some rider . I raced in his amatuer club near Valence for a season-Charly's hometown and his 1987 Maillot Jaune was pinned up in our team sitting room in the house...had dinner with his coach loads and generally got motivated by aura of the man...
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    That's a brillaint story!

    Although having spent 48 hours in Valence on one occasion, you have my sympathy dave.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    http://www.cyclingrevealed.com/Mar06/top25-8.htm

    Tough hard men for tough hard times
    M.Rushton
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    "Stage 1 PARIS-REIMS, 182 km winner Marcel Dussault (Fra)"

    Jeez, even the prologues were hardcore back in the day.,.
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    mrushton wrote:
    http://www.cyclingrevealed.com/Mar06/top25-8.htm

    Tough hard men for tough hard times

    did you see the lenghth of the final time trail of the 1949 TDF ...........it was 137 km !!!!!


    MG
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    They had a few easy days leading up to it though. 275 km, 257 km, 265 km, 283 km.....
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • simon_e
    simon_e Posts: 1,707
    Moray Gub wrote:
    http://www.cyclingrevealed.com/Top_20_Clsscs/top20Cl_10.htm

    Surely one of the all time classic Milan San Remo wins or any classic win for that matter .
    "After his victory Eugene Christophe was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he remained for a month before recovering full use of his arms and legs."

    Forky nell! (and other exclamations).

    In a bid to learn more about the spring classics i've borrowed William Fotheringham's A Century of Cycling from the library. More incredible stories in there too.
    Aspire not to have more, but to be more.
  • micron
    micron Posts: 1,843
    Thanks for posting that link MG - it's exactly that kind of stuff, and the Bartali/Mottet story that got me into this sport in the first place - the exploits and panache that seem to be sadly lacking these days, with a few notable exceptions - but these great rides are being done by the grand champions, not domestiques looking to get their sponsors name on TV
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    Simon E wrote:
    Moray Gub wrote:
    http://www.cyclingrevealed.com/Top_20_Clsscs/top20Cl_10.htm

    Surely one of the all time classic Milan San Remo wins or any classic win for that matter .
    "After his victory Eugene Christophe was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he remained for a month before recovering full use of his arms and legs."

    Forky nell! (and other exclamations).

    In a bid to learn more about the spring classics i've borrowed William Fotheringham's A Century of Cycling from the library. More incredible stories in there too.

    Thats a great book that there is great a picture of a rider on the front with big glasses on looks like he has just come up from a shift down the pit.Cant remember who it was maybe André Leducq he seems to ring a bell.

    MG
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,247
    Thanks for the original link - some great tales there.

    Having read http://www.cyclingrevealed.com/Top_20_Clsscs/top20Cl_8.htm Henri van Lerberghe is my new ancient history hero. That's winning with style and panache as far as I'm concerned.

    He moves ahead of:

    Louis Trousselier: Won the 1905 Tour de France and then blew all his winnings on the final night gambling; and

    Honore Barthelemy: Lost an eye in a freak cycling accident, but kept his career going, spending much of his winnings on replacement glass eyes.
    Twitter: @RichN95

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