Bye bye Gibo
Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
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The end of an era.
Father time caught up with him at last year's Giro.
38 isn't bad, considering what the retirement age used to be.
I'm miss his heart on a sleeve, shoot from the hip, soundbites and his willingness to attack whenever the road went up.
A major contributor to the best GT of the decade, that being the 2005 Giro."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Blazing Saddles wrote:The end of an era.
Father time caught up with him at last year's Giro.
38 isn't bad, considering what the retirement age used to be.
I'm miss his heart on a sleeve, shoot from the hip, soundbites and his willingness to attack whenever the road went up.
A major contributor to the best GT of the decade, that being the 2005 Giro.
unfortunate avtar picture with those sentiments blazing !
:shock:
Quite agree though0 -
My favourite rider ever, immense climber, always willing to attack, played the mardy short man to perfection. A class act.
As Blazing says as well, he was a major actor in the 2005 Giro and the 03 one he won was great value too."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'"
@gietvangent0 -
I wholeheartedly agree with Mr Goat.
Amazing that Gilbert was still punching at that level while nudging up to his 40's. Awesome climber, and stylish too, serial attacker - great entertainment value! I'll always remember watching him in sepia on Italian TV climbing that unmade road in the Giro a few years ago.
http://www.gregarios.co.uk0 -
Il bastardo, Damiano is wringing out his hankie as we write this - but the 1995 and 1996 Giros were truly epic, demonstrating that the Giro is as much a worthy race as that 3-week procession in July.Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..0
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30/11/2009Simoni: "My last race will be in mtb '
http://www.ciclismo.it/edisport/ciclism ... d/Simoni--«La-mia-ultima-gara-sara-in-mtb»-interview.cyclingfever.com0 -
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An entertaining rider, to think he seriously thought he could take on Armstrong in the Tour.
I can't help thinking he's been very, very lucky given practically every rival has been taken down by CONI at some point.0 -
Kléber wrote:An entertaining rider, to think he seriously thought he could take on Armstrong in the Tour.
I can't help thinking he's been very, very lucky given practically every rival has been taken down by CONI at some point.
That's an interesting point, and I don't deny that he'd have seen/done his share of dirt at Jolly, Lampre and Saeco, but after his Spat with Cunego and, more significantly, the lozenge incident, he seemed to have a turnaround in attitude. He was never in to the celebrity side of cycling, still lives in the same village he grew up in, was always very family oreintated (the nice guy defence!) but more importantly, I think his actions of speaking out in support of Simeoni and even trying to get him a place a Saunier Duval speak louder.
He never "spat in the soup" but after all of those and his diminishing Giro performances I always had him pegged as a quiet conchy on the doping front. In truth he probably just recognised that as an aging two-time Giro winner he had more ot lose than most and less to gain."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'"
@gietvangent0 -
Yes, there's no point judging him in an absolutist tone. Given the riders he rode against, he was an entertainer both on and off the bike, a forceful personality and a tough guy on the bike. I like his blunt style, we probably all do.
I think we'll see him keep doing MTB marathon rides, even if he's no longer a full time pro. He'd make a good TV pundit or columnist.0 -
Oh and he did come out with that brilliant line when Basso said he'd been working hard on his descending...
"He can practice all he wants, he still comes down like a bag of cement""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'"
@gietvangent0 -
He can be quite funny, but remember when he claimed Basso offered him money in the 06 Giro?
And then changed his mind.
Odd little man.Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
iainf72 wrote:He can be quite funny, but remember when he claimed Basso offered him money in the 06 Giro?
And then changed his mind.
Odd little man.
Equally classy was hurling abuse at Cunego (his TEAMMATE!) whilst he was on the podium accepting his fnial Pink Jersey.
Or how about giving Ricco a near-literal clip round the ear for his boneheaded attack in the 2008 Giro?"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'"
@gietvangent0 -
He descended with Basso off the Stelvio (was it ?) then Basso rode him off his wheel on the way up to Aprica. At the time I thought it was the most impressive ride I'd ever seen, now I feel sorry for Gibodisgruntledgoat wrote:Oh and he did come out with that brilliant line when Basso said he'd been working hard on his descending...
"He can practice all he wants, he still comes down like a bag of cement"0 -
Well, as it happens:
http://www.ciclismo.it/edisport/ciclism ... mtb%C2%BB-
He says that he'll retire after the 2010's Folgaria Megabike-Gibo Simoni Marathon, a MTB race to be held on August 29th 2010."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
pat1cp wrote:
He descended with Basso off the Stelvio (was it ?) then Basso rode him off his wheel on the way up to Aprica. At the time I thought it was the most impressive ride I'd ever seen, now I feel sorry for Gibodisgruntledgoat wrote:Oh and he did come out with that brilliant line when Basso said he'd been working hard on his descending...
"He can practice all he wants, he still comes down like a bag of cement"
That was the point that i decided doping was not a good thing.0 -
iainf72 wrote:He can be quite funny, but remember when he claimed Basso offered him money in the 06 Giro?
And then changed his mind.
Odd little man.
Yes.
I also remember the Italian federation making a barely veiled threat, during their "investigation", that changed his mind.
We all know money passes hands, on the road, but there ain't exactly a paper trail.
No evidence, so he had to retract.
IMO, just another, "nicer" branch of Omerta.
I recently watched this stage again. Gibo stayed on the front for a full 15kms, without so much as a questioning glance.
Then Ivan began to take longer, harder pulls on the front.
The end.
Much as I like Basso, Aprica was not his finest hour."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
How on earth he got away with the Colombian sweeties,I've no Idea :shock:Kléber wrote:An entertaining rider, to think he seriously thought he could take on Armstrong in the Tour.
I can't help thinking he's been very, very lucky given practically every rival has been taken down by CONI at some point.so many cols,so little time!0 -
IIRC he managed to get hold of another one from his auntie and get CONI to do a comparative analysis which proved his story. At least that was the line coming out of CONI in the early 2000s, so god alone knows what happened.
I imagine Frank Vandenbroucke was reading his trade magazine and cursing his luck that he wasn't italian and that lucky."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'"
@gietvangent0 -
It's just struck me that as french fighter is to Contador, I am to Gibo... I'm a low rent French Fighter :oops:"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'"
@gietvangent0
