Proper hard men.

1246

Comments

  • tanner got flicked a few times and had some team problems. He could defo handle himself overseas but didn't get the chance as he was too old.

    proper tough rider and top bloke too
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    So these two guys sound pretty bloody strong so why were they never picked up by some top teams?

    If there are riders for teams in the ProTour from small eastern european countries getting picked up, I think the teams would know what is going on in the UK scene?
    Contador is the Greatest
  • tanner is back racing with his son who is defo looking like he is going to be just as good as his dad,and will; hopefully get the breaks that his dad and wayne never did.
  • Chip \'oyler
    Chip \'oyler Posts: 2,323
    tanner is back racing with his son who is defo looking like he is going to be just as good as his dad,and will; hopefully get the breaks that his dad and wayne never did.

    Yep Tanner Senior was in a break in the recent re-named Tour of Girvan
    Expertly coached by http://www.vitessecyclecoaching.co.uk/

    http://vineristi.wordpress.com - the blog for Viner owners and lovers!
  • eskimo Joe
    eskimo Joe Posts: 764
    Suburban studs yodel better than anyone else
  • Pross 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).

    Better than Newton?
    "A cyclist has nothing to lose but his chain"

    PTP Runner Up 2015
  • andyp wrote:
    Mark Lovatt?
    hard as nails.
    lovatt, tanner, randle
  • pottssteve
    pottssteve Posts: 4,069
    I offered to punch a coach driver who tried to cut me up this morning - do I get on the list? (It was raining) :D
    Head Hands Heart Lungs Legs
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Kelly-StPats91-PhSptsm.jpg
    Bernard_Hinault_01.jpg
    rbx02-mud.jpg
    liege80-hinault.jpg
    cobbles-kelly.jpg
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Bronzie
    Bronzie Posts: 4,927
  • Mark Lovatt was an animal. I remember him pulling the bunch along at an all categories race about 5 years ago. He sat on the front, on his own, for the whole of the first lap at over 30mph... the race was a 3/4 and an E/1/2 merged, he did it just to get rid of the 3/4 riders.
    "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
  • Meds1962
    Meds1962 Posts: 391
    The cannibal.
    O na bawn i fel LA
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    First time I've seen this site. Great stuff, very well done.

    http://www.bigringriding.com
    Contador is the Greatest
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,820
    FF, what happened to your other sig? I liked it, even if not too many others did.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    FF, what happened to your other sig? I liked it, even if not too many others did.

    Haha, thanks. I will bring it back when Sastre starts taking some mountain stages solo hopefully. Not much opportunity to update it at the moment.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,547
    First time I've seen this site. Great stuff, very well done.

    http://www.bigringriding.com

    That's done by a club mate of mine, it's very good.

    I even get a credit. :oops:
  • shockedsoshocked
    shockedsoshocked Posts: 4,021
    So these two guys sound pretty bloody strong so why were they never picked up by some top teams?

    I think one of the reasons Randle didn't get picked up (from what I can gather) is he's a too nice a bloke. Lads who raced against him said if you got on his wheel when the Wayne Train left the station, he'd only ask you to come through once, and if you said no, he'd not ask you again! So he probably didn't win as much as he genuinely should have. Also, I think like a lot of British based Pros he liked being at home, and back in the 80s most of them weren't prepared to do what was needed to get on over in Europe (I know that's he reason Curran never went).
    "A cyclist has nothing to lose but his chain"

    PTP Runner Up 2015
  • Randle and Tanner were both unfortunate to have been the victims of circumstances outside of their control. The time they were dominant wasn't a great time to be a pro, the pro scene in the UK was dying on its arse. Tanner I think had an opportunity to ride for Giant but may not have wanted to take the risk. He had just kicked Bobby Julich and Levi Leipheimer around the east coast of Australia to win the Commonwealth Bank Classic so undoubtedly had the talent and results.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    This thread needs a revival. There is definitely a softening of the peloton.

    http://8m89.tumblr.com/post/40678649652 ... -a-flahute
    Contador is the Greatest
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    lfcquin wrote:
    COPPER585 wrote:
    Sean Kelly

    +1

    +2
  • davelakers
    davelakers Posts: 762
    This thread needs a revival. There is definitely a softening of the peloton.

    http://8m89.tumblr.com/post/40678649652 ... -a-flahute

    Are you serious?

    Did you not see the pictures from Milan-San Remo?
  • Rigga
    Rigga Posts: 939
    Some great stories on this thread!
  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    Stannard, Ian.
    "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

    PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
    B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills
  • Not the quickest out there, but Haussler is proper hard.
  • I can't believe no-one's mentioned Tom Simpson.

    Rode himself to death.

    Literally.

    QED
  • I can't believe no-one's mentioned Tom Simpson.

    Rode himself to death.

    Literally.

    QED
    Doesn't count, he had assistance. He cheated.
    1968, human content on bitumen.
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    was it tchmil i saw crash then bash his arm back into its socket against a car then crack on with Paris Roubaix?

    Time and alcohol hazes the memory
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    rubertoe wrote:
    Stannard, Ian.

    :roll: :D:D:D:D:D:D errr not by a long stroke yet
  • robklancs
    robklancs Posts: 498
    Not exactly what you are after but I always think of sprinters as tough guys (not tough riders). To fall off/get knocked off at top speed, have the whole peloton run over your head and then get back on the next day deserves some respect.
  • LutherB
    LutherB Posts: 544
    From way way back, how about Eugène Christophe? Any rider from back then were truly hard, but having to become a blacksmith in the middle of a TdF stage to repair your broken forks costing 5 hours in total, back on your bike for 2 more climbs to finish is summat else. He finished the tour 7th overall.