What race got you hooked?

RichN95.

I was wondering what race people saw (live or on TV) that got them hooked on the sport. Now I know that some of you raced first, so that was you in.

For me the first race I saw was the 1982 Commonwealth Games (aged 10), won by Malcolm Elliott and then the Milk Race passed through my village.

But what really got me was in 1986 my French teacher casually mentioned that the Tour de France was on Channel 4, so one day tuned in at it was the stage to Superbagneres (Ithink) when Hinault, in yellow attack miles out, only to be reeled in by LeMond and Hampsten with the former going on to win the stage. As an athletics fan at time, unused to comebacks like that, I thought it was the greatest race I'd ever seen. Looking back I realise I got lucky and that was an exceptionally good stage - but that's what got be hooked. The next year I watch religiously and then I was buying Winning every month.

By 1988 I was bugging my parents to go an watch it on holiday (we saw the finish in Morzine - Fabio Parra won, and I manged to persuade someone from 7-Eleven to give me one of their jerseys - it didn't fit then, but i does now))

The Prodigy

Glad to see a thread not corrupted by the dope heads yet.

For me it was Boardman winning the prologue of 94 Tour. Just following a winning Brit got me into the rest of the cycling world.

I hope Cav has similar effects on some of the youth of today.

ju5t1n

watching ANC Halfords tackle the 87 Tour

GroupOfOne MkII

I remember going to watch the Milk Race, twice, in about '90 and '92, but was too young to realise anything beyond it's a bike race going past.

Then I remember watching the '96 TdF prologue from Hertogenbosch, and being quite impressed by Alex Zulle in the pink ONCE kit.

But what really sealed it for me was flicking onto C4 one night during the opening week of the '97 TdF - the sunshine, Rominger crashing on a roundabout, Zabel v Cipo in the sprints, and Cipo's ever more outlandish kits (all in yellow, the Stars & Stripes). Went out and bought the official guide the next day and never looked back...

teagar

Patani up Les Deux Alpes in '98, in the rain.

neilo23

The 1988 Tour. Remember the 1/2 highlights on Channel 4? It was the first time I'd seen cycling on TV and was hooked. From then on I was going to win the Tour, just like Pedro Delgado did.
Got a 10 speed (!) Raleigh in team colours (just like Fignon's) for my birthday a few weeks later. Trying it out on the Sussex hills I soon realised that Pedro, Rooks, Theunisse, Parra and co made it look a lot easier than it really was. Knowing this, these men became my heroes as they were doing what for me was (at that speed) impossible. At 15 I already wanted to lose a couple of inches in height to be like Pedro. If only I was smaller, I could fly up the mountains like him! Even my mum enjoyed watching it because of the "lovely scenery".
I still have the 15 minute long highlights film on video shown on the last day with up to the date music from Terrence Trent D'erby and Kraftwerk, presented by a hairier than ever Richard Keys.

thebongolian

I'm a born again fan - my Dad was a tour addict so we watched it at home growing up until 95 or so then went off it until the 2005 tour and since then it's the classics and the giro that have kept me hooked

dave_1

RichN95 wrote:

I was wondering what race people saw (live or on TV) that got them hooked on the sport. Now I know that some of you raced first, so that was you in.

For me the first race I saw was the 1982 Commonwealth Games (aged 10), won by Malcolm Elliott and then the Milk Race passed through my village.

But what really got me was in 1986 my French teacher casually mentioned that the Tour de France was on Channel 4, so one day tuned in at it was the stage to Superbagneres (Ithink) when Hinault, in yellow attack miles out, only to be reeled in by LeMond and Hampsten with the former going on to win the stage. As an athletics fan at time, unused to comebacks like that, I thought it was the greatest race I'd ever seen. Looking back I realise I got lucky and that was an exceptionally good stage - but that's what got be hooked. The next year I watch religiously and then I was buying Winning every month.

By 1988 I was bugging my parents to go an watch it on holiday (we saw the finish in Morzine - Fabio Parra won, and I manged to persuade someone from 7-Eleven to give me one of their jerseys - it didn't fit then, but i does now))

For me, my big brother had raced so a little bit his influence but also, summer 1984 was really sunny and hot I remember, and the 1984 TDF breifly reported on TV some days...seeing Fignon's attacks, and gottheteeshirt winning the guzet neige stage and KoM jersey just mesmerized me totally and was on a bike everday by mid 1984 onward, aged 14 and exaclt the riders and races mentioned above further reinforced what a brilliant sport it was to be in

doddy178

Tour de France 2002. (Don't read too much into that, i'm only 17, only 10 then)
At first i enjoyed the scenery, then got into the racing.
Went to the Tour 2003 in Paris.

Started following the season year round at the end of 2005, first full season 2006.

phreak

teagar wrote:

Patani up Les Deux Alpes in '98, in the rain.

+1 for that. That was an incredible spectacle that got me hooked on both the sport and the Pirate.

emadden

I think it was Paris Roubaix in 86 on the TV... then that summer I went to see a Kelloggs Start City Centre Crit in my home city (Cork).. later in the year I saw the Nissan Classic climb St Patricks hill and Kelly fell off right in front of me and brought half the bunch to standstill... Seeing all the commotion and the bike mechanics running around with wheels, the blaring claxons, TV helicopter cameras.. all of it just got me hooked.. I was 9 then :-)

Monty Dog

World of Sport used to provide very brief coverage of cycling back in the late 70's - it was probably coverage of the 1978 Paris-Roubaix won by Francesco Moser - it was classic spring classics weather.

takethehighroad

The first memory I have of cycling is a vague recollection of Indurain in trouble (must have been '96 Tour)

But the thing that "hooked" me will have been Cedric Vasseur in the Tour in '97 holding off (probably) Ullrich in the mountains for another day in yellow. Epic.

Then it was confirmed for me the next year with The Pirate's escape in the rain.

It's strange, but I'm not as affected by all the positives as some people, and it's because my first memories involve doping in some way. For example, the go slow stage of '98 sticks out.

I don't know, what do the other people who put the 98 Tour as their memory think?

iainf72

I saw the Tour De Suisse live in 78 or 79. My dad always had an interest in cycling and used to tell me about Merckx etc

Tour in 86 was the beginning of my serious interest.

Tailed off around 93 and returned 5 years later.

hammerite

Tour of Switzerland in 1998. I'd be there putting Eurosport on waiting for a World Cup football match to start and I had Duffers doing his...... "if you've tuned in waiting for the football, stay with us and I'll explain what's going on". I watched every stage of remaining, and most of the TdF.

So for me Duffers rambles on there really worked, can't say I think the same 11 years later, but respect to the guy!

I've only been following the whole season for the last 3 years though.

phreak

TakeTheHighRoad wrote:

It's strange, but I'm not as affected by all the positives as some people, and it's because my first memories involve doping in some way. For example, the go slow stage of '98 sticks out.

I don't know, what do the other people who put the 98 Tour as their memory think?

I think it depends. There's nothing more exciting than seeing a really gutsy ride. Vino recovering from his falls or Landis doing his miraculous ride. To then learn that both did so by cheating sucks. I guess Pantani wasn't caught until the following year so his performance isn't quite so tainted.

edhornby

watching the tour - hour reviews with phil and paul on Channel 4, the year that fignon and Lemond battling it out for the maillot jaune went down to the last TT..... gripped from then on

dave_1

I should add, in 1984...I'd been riding around on a Raleigh Arena..quite fat tyres and my bro loaned me his Elswick Hopper bike that had Fiami rims, and skinny tubulars...I still remember how incredibly different it felt and the responsiveness of them compared to my raleigh so saved up at my hotel dishwashing job-after school hours and bought a Dave Yates and was bought race wheels at Xmas 84...so it was kinda appreciating the tech at 14 as compared to normal bikes

pollys_bott

Can't remember the year (2001 or 2002?), but it was a mountain stage in the Vuelta with Kelme where the Oxtoas and possibly Oscar Sevilla did a great tactical ride - two of them shot off up the road, another domestique dragged the other up to the first guy who then towed him up to the final guy who towed him up to the stage win. The teamwork and timing really made an impression on me.
Another memorable Vuelta stage was one where two guys had broken away miles ahead of the peloton and were messing about in the final kilometre trying to psyche each other out, almost coming to a standstill so as not to be the lead man in the sprint. What they didn't know was that Vino had shot off the front of the bunch and was chasing them down hard, they were still messing about in the final straight when Vino burnt past them to nick the stage win. I think Duffers was commentating on that so you can imagine the kittens he was having
The flip side of the thread question has to be the Landis ride - I couldn't believe what I was seeing yet knew damn full well what I was seeing... started losing interest a bit after that but you can't let go fully can you?

nolf

Being young and having got into it recently, I remember watching on the news david millars comeback to Saunier Duval being shown and him cycling around. That was rather cool to watch. before then I'd not really been interested in the professionals.

Then of course theres the fact that on club runs everyone is talking about the latest action!

dave milne

The prologue in London 2 years ago. Followed the whole event on itv4 that year and really got into it. Started cycling seriously last year and am doing the marmotte this year. I now follow a lot of the season, so will watch all 3 grand tours, tour of britain any classics I can catch

ms_tree

Wimbledon was rained off and we turned on Channel 4 in 1996 or 7. I remember Riis hurling his bike anyway. Gradually got more interested then got cable just for Eurosport. Live in a bubble now in July and a bit for rest of season! No sorry can't go to quiz, party whatever the Tours on!

Agent57

For me I think it was the TdF in 1984 or 1985, when I was about 15. The Channel 4 programme was on at a sensible time (6-6:30pm) so I could watch it easily. I can't recall what specifically drew me to it, but watching subsequent Tours in the 80s, and the city centre crit series really cemented my love of the TdF in particular and cycling in general.

AndyRubio

2006 Paris-Nice when I realised that sport could be interesting. I admired Contador's riding style.

Bronzie

'89 Tour - Lemond v Fignon in the final TT into Paris - I nearly peed my pants with the excitement*

* yes, I know TTs cannot be exciting by definition (UCI ruling 112.0014.21.A) but this was as close as it could get

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jimmerslimmer

It was Robert Millar circa 1984 that kicked it all off for me. Then it was watching Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche that cemented it whilst I'd probably I'd say that it was the Champs Elysee in 89 that put me into terminal decline. However I blame one individual more than anyoneelse: Phil Liggitt - his genuine excitment and passion was really what got me hooked.

pabloweaver

Bronzie wrote:

'89 Tour - Lemond v Fignon in the final TT into Paris - I nearly peed my pants with the excitement*

* yes, I know TTs cannot be exciting by definition (UCI ruling 112.0014.21.A) but this was as close as it could get

+1 on this ...always had an idea i liked cycling ....it felt " right " ...saw this and thought wow , now thats drama ...and the rest as they say ...


oddly ( and going a tad sideways on the topic ) .... it wasnt until i'd been cycling for years when i found out my grandad and his brother were very active cyclists and time trialists in their day ...found a 25mile TT certificate for my grandad 1928 ( 1 hour 10) , his brother died last year aged 94 ....stopped cycling aged 92!

Bill & Eric Weaver for anyone from the Warringon/Newton le Willows areas

knowing that all that has also been a hook !

sorry for digressing !

donrhummy

1989 TDF. Granted, I only saw clips but followed it everyday in the news. WOW. Still the best TDF I've ever seen/followed.

paulcuthbert

Tour de France. Since i was a kid. Love it!