Proper hard men.

dennisn

Rick Chasey wrote:

For my list I want 75+kg men with faces like shovels from years of riding over horrible windy, wet, badly made roads. Then they go and win races by just being harder and stronger than everyone else, by saying "you know what? I feel so good I'm gonna go from 40km out, in one of the hardest days of racing in the calendar".

Can you imagine someone asking Sean Kelly if they should use a power meter???

DaveyL

Well, his team use them:

http://blog.trainingpeaks.com/2008/06/o ... adura.html

chriskempton

Sean Kelly power meter:

1.Soft pedal
2. Majorly big effort
3. On the rivit

DaveyL

4. "Fookin' drillin'" ?

mandie

What about Andre Tchmil?

Kléber

Great Sean Kelly story, he goes to a sauna with Paul Kimmage. Kimmage comes out feel faint and weak and seeing Kelly, Kimmage says something like "Jaysus Sean, you look like death warmed up.". Kelly replies "it's normal, this is how I feel after a race".

Also this landed in my inbox this morning, some writing on Jean Stablinksi, the French rider who worked in the mines as a boy:

The son of Polish immigrants who had travelled to work in the coal mines of Northern France, Stablinski joined his parents in the mines when he was a boy. Too small and weak to work fully, children were given smaller tasks and much smaller pay packets. Stablinski himself earned enough money to buy a bike after winning various accordion music and dancing competitions and used the bike to win races and turn pro. Cycling was not just a sport, it was a way out.

From the Inner Ring blog. The whole blog post makes the point that riders are soft today, in the past they used the bike and a pro contract as a means to escape a short life mines. Today's riders have to be soft compared to these hardships.

DaveyL

That can probably be extended to the general population.

Cue the Four Yorkshiremen sketch...

Chip \'oyler

Talking of Yorkshiremen without doubt the hardest bloke on a bike is Wayne Randle.

Anyone who can crash into a caravan and wreck it deserves respect.

He's also just had a bad accident. Doctors said he'd never ride a bike again. He's on it now - probably riding in the big ring up Rosedale Chimney

pat1cp

DaveyL wrote:

4. "Fookin' drillin'" ?

Said live during a commentary. A wee spanish climber (Rubiera ???) was getting dropped on the first climb of the day and sean came out with "He's been out of form but what he needs now is a "fookin drilling".

Imagine Harmons face sat next to him.

Chip \'oyler

Rick Chasey wrote:

As far as I am concerned, Hamilton has no place on this list, not because of his misdemenours, but because he was a skinny little climber.

For my list I want 75+kg men with faces like shovels from years of riding over horrible windy, wet, badly made roads. Then they go and win races by just being harder and stronger than everyone else, by saying "you know what? I feel so good I'm gonna go from 40km out, in one of the hardest days of racing in the calendar".

I.e. Not Iban Mayo.

You've just described Wayne Randle

shockedsoshocked

Chip \'oyler wrote:

Talking of Yorkshiremen without doubt the hardest bloke on a bike is Wayne Randle.

Anyone who can crash into a caravan and wreck it deserves respect.

He's also just had a bad accident. Doctors said he'd never ride a bike again. He's on it now - probably riding in the big ring up Rosedale Chimney

Wayne is a hero. I can't think of many British cyclists who garner so much respect. He is hard. Fact.

Rodrego Hernandez

Randle and Tanner, hard as fuck. Tanner has dished out kickings to Julich and Leipheimer to name but 2. Harder than nails.

rick_chasey

So who's on the list so far?

afx237vi

pat1cp wrote:

DaveyL wrote:

4. "Fookin' drillin'" ?

Said live during a commentary. A wee spanish climber (Rubiera ???) was getting dropped on the first climb of the day and sean came out with "He's been out of form but what he needs now is a "fookin drilling".

Imagine Harmons face sat next to him.

I think it was Ardila.

WRT Stablinski, he was the man who used to ride over the Arenberg Trench every day on his way to a shift down the pit and thought "hey, they should use this road in a bike race!" Nutter.

LangerDan

afx237vi wrote:

pat1cp wrote:

DaveyL wrote:

4. "Fookin' drillin'" ?

Said live during a commentary. A wee spanish climber (Rubiera ???) was getting dropped on the first climb of the day and sean came out with "He's been out of form but what he needs now is a "fookin drilling".

Imagine Harmons face sat next to him.

I think it was Ardila.

Yup - Harmon was on about how Ardila han't been quite the best investment that Rabo had made and Sean explained about how certain riders lack "motivation" and that the team manager needs to give said rider the aforementioned "drilling" before the days stage.

Giro 08 IIRC - one of the stages along the Adriatic shore. Poosibly even the stage where the TV helicopter showed some guy at the beach with this girlfriend - while his wife was at home watching the Giro on telly.

thejesusandsedischain

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

Chip \'oyler wrote:

Talking of Yorkshiremen without doubt the hardest bloke on a bike is Wayne Randle.

Anyone who can crash into a caravan and wreck it deserves respect.

He's also just had a bad accident. Doctors said he'd never ride a bike again. He's on it now - probably riding in the big ring up Rosedale Chimney

Wayne is a hero. I can't think of many British cyclists who garner so much respect. He is hard. Fact.

add sid barras to the list still dishing it out.

LittleLance

Rick Chasey wrote:

As far as I am concerned, Hamilton has no place on this list, not because of his misdemenours, but because he was a skinny little climber.

For my list I want 75+kg men with faces like shovels from years of riding over horrible windy, wet, badly made roads. Then they go and win races by just being harder and stronger than everyone else, by saying "you know what? I feel so good I'm gonna go from 40km out, in one of the hardest days of racing in the calendar".

I.e. Not Iban Mayo.

beacuse climbing up mountains ain't hard? riding on the flat is for wimps

shockedsoshocked

thejesusandsedischain wrote:

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

Chip \'oyler wrote:

Talking of Yorkshiremen without doubt the hardest bloke on a bike is Wayne Randle.

Anyone who can crash into a caravan and wreck it deserves respect.

He's also just had a bad accident. Doctors said he'd never ride a bike again. He's on it now - probably riding in the big ring up Rosedale Chimney

Wayne is a hero. I can't think of many British cyclists who garner so much respect. He is hard. Fact.

add sid barras to the list still dishing it out.

SId's also hard in a "probably could have been a pro boxer" way as well!

Le Commentateur

Rick Chasey wrote:

For my list I want 75+kg men with faces like shovels from years of riding over horrible windy, wet, badly made roads. Then they go and win races by just being harder and stronger than everyone else, by saying "you know what? I feel so good I'm gonna go from 40km out, in one of the hardest days of racing in the calendar".

I can imagine the maniac Breton Bernard Hinault saying something like that, but there are far too many words there for Sean Kelly.

disquieting_museeuws

Gaston Rebry.

I was going to say 'not the painter' if you Google the name - bizarrely (or maybe not) it turns out to be the son of the Bulldog of Flanders, but perhaps I'm just showing my ignorance. Interesting that the son (also a former racer) moved to Canada to paint landscapes the year after his father's death.

andyrr

Chip \'oyler wrote:

Anyone who can crash into a caravan and wreck it deserves respect.

Does crashing into a motorhome in a TT and putting a big dent in it count :oops:
Don't know the damage as I think I got knocked out for a moment as I sumersaulted onto the road but the insurance co. did contact me later looking to make a claim.


Niko Eeckhout has to be one tho': nicknamed Rambo, legs like Arnie, built like an outhouse.
Remember seeing a race a few years ago (might have been the year he won the Belgian RR champs) where the motorbike camera caught up with him having been catapulted into a field after a comign together in the bunch.
He climbed out looking a bit groggy and sore, gently got on his bike and gave chase to the bunch.
He's also exhibited a pretty cool permed Euro-mullet which must give extra points.
Also he's heading for 40 years of age, still gets decent results ( and rider for Kelly's An-Post team.
Top-10 in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this year.

mididoctors

Chip \'oyler wrote:

Talking of Yorkshiremen without doubt the hardest bloke on a bike is Wayne Randle.

Anyone who can crash into a caravan and wreck it deserves respect.

He's also just had a bad accident. Doctors said he'd never ride a bike again. He's on it now - probably riding in the big ring up Rosedale Chimney

he is an animal

knows the road

mididoctors

greasedscotsman wrote:

Garry H wrote:

Chip \'oyler wrote:

Has anybody mentioned Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle?

He looked like the sort of fella who could have got to the bar at a rough pub in Castleford.

He loses big "Hard Points" though for resorting to using Rockshox in Paris-Roubaix. Real hard men would never resort to such softness

That rules out Museeuw then, he used a full suspension Bianchi in the '94 Roubaix.

paid for though...he was so knacked trying to chase tchmil he couldn't unclip when he snaped the frame and just fell over

1994 was the deathnail for suspension road bikes...

frenchfighter

Just been reading about Wayne on a Facebook page...seems pretty nut cracker tough. Anyone have any good sites to read about him or any clips of him riding?

Hadn't heard of Tanner before, but his palmares look pretty great:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tanner_%28cyclist%29

all show no go

frenchfighter wrote:

Just been reading about Wayne on a Facebook page...seems pretty nut cracker tough. Anyone have any good sites to read about him or any clips of him riding?

Hadn't heard of Tanner before, but his palmares look pretty great:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tanner_%28cyclist%29

Have a scroll around the Planet-X website, Wayne Randle's been involved with 'em for a few years now. Worth looking at for Ian Cammish's blog as well if you like yer biking to be a bit old-school retro-cool.........

Pross

frenchfighter wrote:

Just been reading about Wayne on a Facebook page...seems pretty nut cracker tough. Anyone have any good sites to read about him or any clips of him riding?

Hadn't heard of Tanner before, but his palmares look pretty great:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tanner_%28cyclist%29

Tanner's probably the best British based pro of the past 20 years. Eurosport are showing some of the Premier Calendar events this year, boost your education and watch. It may not have the big names and historic races of the fancy dan European scene but the racing tends to be full on from the gun.

I assume Tanner has retired now though as he isn't on the start sheet for Lincoln this weekend (nice to see a few Sky riders down though).

mididoctors

Pross wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Just been reading about Wayne on a Facebook page...seems pretty nut cracker tough. Anyone have any good sites to read about him or any clips of him riding?

Hadn't heard of Tanner before, but his palmares look pretty great:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tanner_%28cyclist%29

Tanner's probably the best British based pro of the past 20 years. Eurosport are showing some of the Premier Calendar events this year, boost your education and watch. It may not have the big names and historic races of the fancy dan European scene but the racing tends to be full on from the gun.

I assume Tanner has retired now though as he isn't on the start sheet for Lincoln this weekend (nice to see a few Sky riders down though).

he should have gone to the continent

Monty Dog

Wasn't Tanner involved with the ill-fated Linda McCartney venture? He's a lot like Russ Downing in that respect but never got the chance to ride the big-time - maybe they couldn't take the Donnie out the lad? Along with Tanner and Randle there was third rider in the Donnie crew who was equally tough - can't remember his name?

andyp

Mark Lovatt?

mididoctors

Monty Dog wrote:

Wasn't Tanner involved with the ill-fated Linda McCartney venture? He's a lot like Russ Downing in that respect but never got the chance to ride the big-time - maybe they couldn't take the Donnie out the lad? Along with Tanner and Randle there was third rider in the Donnie crew who was equally tough - can't remember his name?

yeah He was..

they were all a bit too home boys for the continent IMO..they could have cut it on the road..

yates was the DS IIRC...won a stage at the Giro with matt stephens or was it mckensie?