Explain this 'panache' idea to me...

tailwindhome
tailwindhome Posts: 19,434
edited December 2012 in Pro race
This word gets thrown around the Pro Race forum quite a bit.

What I don't understand is how some riders get credit for showing 'panache' while other gets condemned as 'wheelsucker's or boring....when in reality each is only playing to their individual strengths.
“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
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Comments

  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    This word gets thrown around the Pro Race forum quite a bit.

    What I don't understand is how some riders get credit for showing 'panache' while other gets condemned as 'wheelsucker's or boring....when in reality each is only playing to their individual strengths.

    It's the flamboyence/confidence the win is taken in / the ride shown.

    For example.

    Cancellara's Strade Bianchi win this weekend was 'panache'.

    He attacked audaciously and with such confidence that he could hold off everyone else. A more extreme example is his '10 Roubaix win or Schleck's Galibier win.

    It's partly the way they race and hold themselves on a bike. No gasping for air, no sign of weakness, just confidence to take risks and be flamboyant - yet still be in a good chance to win it.

    That's how I understand it anyway.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    I think you could say it's when you do more than is necessary. So attacking "just because" or to show you're strongest, rather than because you have to. The sensible approach is to do no more than required to win
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Panache is a sporting concept invented by the French to allow them to claim a moral victory even when they've lost.

    It's also a trademark registered to Amgen.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,434
    This word gets thrown around the Pro Race forum quite a bit.

    What I don't understand is how some riders get credit for showing 'panache' while other gets condemned as 'wheelsucker's or boring....when in reality each is only playing to their individual strengths.

    It's the flamboyence/confidence the win is taken in / the ride shown.

    For example.

    Cancellara's Strade Bianchi win this weekend was 'panache'.

    He attacked audaciously and with such confidence that he could hold off everyone else. A more extreme example is his '10 Roubaix win or Schleck's Galibier win.

    It's partly the way they race and hold themselves on a bike. No gasping for air, no sign of weakness, just confidence to take risks and be flamboyant - yet still be in a good chance to win it.

    That's how I understand it anyway.


    I think I get it.

    That said Cancellara's '10 Roubaix win is a good example of the (under educated) point I'm making. His best chance of winning was to turn the race into a 40km time trial so he employed that strategy.

    Schleck/Contador want to turn every race into a steep climb. Schelck's solo break is panache but Evans TT isn't

    The most audacious riding I've seen in recent times was Thor's attack in the mountains to gather green jersey points and his 2nd(?) stage win in last years tour.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    This word gets thrown around the Pro Race forum quite a bit.

    What I don't understand is how some riders get credit for showing 'panache' while other gets condemned as 'wheelsucker's or boring....when in reality each is only playing to their individual strengths.

    It's the flamboyence/confidence the win is taken in / the ride shown.

    For example.

    Cancellara's Strade Bianchi win this weekend was 'panache'.

    He attacked audaciously and with such confidence that he could hold off everyone else. A more extreme example is his '10 Roubaix win or Schleck's Galibier win.

    It's partly the way they race and hold themselves on a bike. No gasping for air, no sign of weakness, just confidence to take risks and be flamboyant - yet still be in a good chance to win it.

    That's how I understand it anyway.


    I think I get it.

    That said Cancellara's '10 Roubaix win is a good example of the (under educated) point I'm making. His best chance of winning was to turn the race into a 40km time trial so he employed that strategy.

    Schleck/Contador want to turn every race into a steep climb. Schelck's solo break is panache but Evans TT isn't

    The most audacious riding I've seen in recent times was Thor's attack in the mountains to gather green jersey points and his 2nd(?) stage win in last years tour.

    Yeah, that's the kind of thing.

    It's also about the excitement the ride generates.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,462
    It's a way of justifying putting in loads of unsuccessful attacks for every victory you achieve ;)
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    It also seems to be about the rider who does it. Lance Armstrong probably won a similar number of big mountain stages as Marco Pantani, but Pantani is often held up as an example of panache, whereas Armstrong is held up as a boring, arrogant American who only cared about one race.
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    It also seems to be about the rider who does it. Lance Armstrong probably won a similar number of big mountain stages as Marco Pantani, but Pantani is often held up as an example of panache, whereas Armstrong is held up as a boring, arrogant American who only cared about one race.

    He was pretty risk averse.

    Pantani wasn't.

    It's about being seen to being confidence to take the risk and the talent and fortitude to make it stick.

    It's flamboyance, but then the good to back it up.

    So not Voeckler ;) since he can't back up his attacks.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Contador is the Greatest
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    It also seems to be about the rider who does it. Lance Armstrong probably won a similar number of big mountain stages as Marco Pantani, but Pantani is often held up as an example of panache, whereas Armstrong is held up as a boring, arrogant American who only cared about one race.

    He was pretty risk averse.

    Pantani wasn't.

    It's about being seen to being confidence to take the risk and the talent and fortitude to make it stick.

    It's flamboyance, but then the good to back it up.

    So not Voeckler ;) since he can't back up his attacks.

    Fair point, I was just trying to give an example of how peoples perceptions of a rider alter how their style is described. My example was probably too extreme (the calculating texan versus the literally unhinged Italian). A better example might be Armstrong and Contador, who despite FF's championing of him is a pretty calculating rider really.
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,434
    From the Wiki link above
    panache was not necessarily a good thing and was seen by some as a suspect quality
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    Panache - when a doped rider rides away from a bunch of clean riders making it look easy.

    (hides)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,548
    Fair point, I was just trying to give an example of how peoples perceptions of a rider alter how their style is described. My example was probably too extreme (the calculating texan versus the literally unhinged Italian). A better example might be Armstrong and Contador, who despite FF's championing of him is a pretty calculating rider really.

    You don't get a nickname of "the accountant" without being calculating. :wink:

    Armstrong, post cancer, was someone who'd use his team to pummel the oppostion into submission then apply the coup de grace himself on the final summit finish. It was predictable, and stolen directly from Indurain before him, and a low risk strategy.

    Pantani was different in that he'd attack from a long way out, i.e. the Galibier attack in 1998 which ultimately won him the Tour, or when he was already leading comfortably. It was much higher risk and, sometimes, meant he'd lose time to his rivals.

    Racing has changed though and you can understand riders who ride defensively in major stage races. Coming 5th in the Tour will see them earn more in future years than winning a stage but losing 30 minutes a day later and coming in 25th.
  • yakk
    yakk Posts: 589
    Shandy?
    Yak
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Lets not argue that Contador does not know how to attack. I am not even going to go down that path as it is so clear. Re his calculating aspect - yes he has that, in addition to everything else. He is a total champion and doesnt have the palmares he does from luck.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    Ah, of course, the true definition of panache - a quality possessed by any rider that FF likes, but not by low quality, low post-count types
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,548
    Lets not argue that Contador does not know how to attack. I am not even going to go down that path as it is so clear. Re his calculating aspect - yes he has that, in addition to everything else. He is a total champion and doesnt have the palmares he does from luck.

    Did anyone say he wasn't an attacking rider? You can be both an attacking rider and a calculating one.

    His palmares clearly wasn't built on luck. He had other assistance in putting that together.
  • mfin
    mfin Posts: 6,729
    Its only a word though isn't it.

    The Oxford Dictionary Online says "Flamboyant confidence of style or manner"

    For "Flamboyant" it says "(of a person or their behaviour) tending to attract attention because of their exuberance, confidence, and stylishness"...

    For "Exuberance" it says "the quality of being full of energy, excitement, and cheerfulness; ebullience"...

    For "Ebullience" it says "the quality of being cheerful and full of energy; exuberance"...

    ...here's one such photo of a famous cyclist displaying that cheerfulness... :)

    _58371765_contadorgetty.jpg

    ...perhaps Panache only applies when things are going someone's way I spose.
  • bobtbuilder
    bobtbuilder Posts: 1,537
    Lets not argue that Contador does not know how to attack. I am not even going to go down that path as it is so clear. Re his calculating aspect - yes he has that, in addition to everything else. He is a total champion and doesnt have the palmares he does from luck.

    I'm sure that "Special" beef has something to do with that palmares. :evil:
  • Remarkable
    Remarkable Posts: 187
    Why does everyone pick on voeckler? He is one of the most attacking and winningest riders in the peloton.. :roll:
  • mfin
    mfin Posts: 6,729
    Remarkable wrote:
    Why does everyone pick on voeckler? He is one of the most attacking and winningest riders in the peloton.. :roll:

    Just been a thread discussing him...

    http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40002&t=12839028
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    Remarkable wrote:
    winningest

    AARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! Damn you to Hades!

    :wink:
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Remarkable wrote:
    Why does everyone pick on voeckler? He is one of the most attacking and winningest riders in the peloton.. :roll:

    The first five years of his status as France's no.1 cycling hero, the biggest thing he won was a stage of the Tour of the Basque Country.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Remarkable
    Remarkable Posts: 187
    RichN95 wrote:
    Remarkable wrote:
    Why does everyone pick on voeckler? He is one of the most attacking and winningest riders in the peloton.. :roll:

    The first five years of his status as France's no.1 cycling hero, the biggest thing he won was a stage of the Tour of the Basque Country.

    Quite a few quality wins mentioned here:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Voeckler
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Remarkable wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    The first five years of his status as France's no.1 cycling hero, the biggest thing he won was a stage of the Tour of the Basque Country.

    Quite a few quality wins mentioned here:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Voeckler

    And in the first five years of his status as France's cycling hero (2004-2008), the biggest win (only Pro Tour win) was a stage of the Tour of the Basque Country, just like I said.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Bakunin
    Bakunin Posts: 868
    Panache = lovely plumage.
  • Remarkable
    Remarkable Posts: 187
    RichN95 wrote:
    Remarkable wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    The first five years of his status as France's no.1 cycling hero, the biggest thing he won was a stage of the Tour of the Basque Country.

    Quite a few quality wins mentioned here:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Voeckler

    And in the first five years of his status as France's cycling hero (2004-2008), the biggest win (only Pro Tour win) was a stage of the Tour of the Basque Country, just like I said.

    2004 1st National Road Race Champion 1st A travers le Morbihan 1st Stage 4 Route du Sud 18th Overall Tour de France Held Maillot jaune from Stage 5–14 Held Maillot blanc from Stage 5–18
    2005 1st Stage 3 Four Days of Dunkirk Held Mountains classification for Stage 2 Tour de France
    2006 1st Paris–Bourges 1st Stage 5 Vuelta al País Vasco 1st Overall Route du Sud 1st Stage 1
    2007 1st Mountains classification Paris–Nice 1st Overall Tour du Poitou Charentes et de la Vienne 1st Grand-Prix de Plouay Ouest-France
    2008 1st Overall Circuit de la Sarthe 1st Overall Grand Prix de Plumelec-Morbihan Held Mountains classification from Stages 1–5 Tour de France
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,548
    Some big races there, like the Grand Prix de Plumelec-Morbihan and the Tour du Poitou Charentes et de la Vienne.

    I grew up dreaming of winning those two.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Wow, you two (Rich and Andy), simply don't like anything or anyone. You always take the dark side, the negative side, the pedantic side, the boring side. Bloody hell.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    andyp wrote:
    Some big races there, like the Grand Prix de Plumelec-Morbihan and the Tour du Poitou Charentes et de la Vienne.

    I grew up dreaming of winning those two.


    :lol: