Bahamontes- Robert Millar
disgruntledgoat
Posts: 8,957
So the new issue is all about women's cycling... loosely speaking.
The pick of the articles I can translate for your delight are a Robert Millar profile (I think you can see where the woman angle is coming from here...), Lance Armstrong's career told through the women he loved and or crossed and the "phase by phase" style of piece about Museeuw in 1994s Paris Roubaix on that full sus Bianchi that (wait for it) looked like a woman's bike.
I'll start on the one with the most requests tomorrow
Edit: There's a Tom Dumoulin profile too
The pick of the articles I can translate for your delight are a Robert Millar profile (I think you can see where the woman angle is coming from here...), Lance Armstrong's career told through the women he loved and or crossed and the "phase by phase" style of piece about Museeuw in 1994s Paris Roubaix on that full sus Bianchi that (wait for it) looked like a woman's bike.
I'll start on the one with the most requests tomorrow
Edit: There's a Tom Dumoulin profile 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'"
@gietvangent
@gietvangent
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Ooh sounds good. Can I pick them all apart from Armstrong?!
My order preference:
1. Museeuw
2. Millar
3. Dumoulin (what's the women's cycling link there?)0 -
Ooh sounds good. Can I pick them all apart from Armstrong?!
My order preference:
1. Museeuw
2. Millar
3. Dumoulin (what's the women's cycling link there?)
There is no link. But I thought you'd all prefer that to a piece on 4 sisters who are quite good at junior level, Jacques Anqutils step daughter or that lass who rode the Giro way back when"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 feel it's only fair to say the Museeuw bit is about the bike not the rider."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 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19755193#p19755193]disgruntledgoat[/url] wrote:I feel it's only fair to say the Museeuw bit is about the bike not the rider.
tis ok... I'm a Bianchi fan... and good call adding Dumoulin to the options...0 -
Millar, Millar, Millar!
I really thought you'd go for Tom!"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 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19755193#p19755193]disgruntledgoat[/url] wrote:I feel it's only fair to say the Museeuw bit is about the bike not the rider.
Still what I would vote for.0 -
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Millar, pls, Goat0
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Millar, svpIt's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.0
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If I do the Millar one I'll pare it down a bit. The last quarter made me a bit uncomfortable. He basically gives you everything you'd need to track him down via the census/electoral roll. Given that gotthetshirt has been good enough to share his knowledge with us on here before I'd feel a bit icky."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 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19755257#p19755257]disgruntledgoat[/url] wrote:If I do the Millar one I'll pare it down a bit. The last quarter made me a boy uncomfortable. He basically gives you everything you'd need to track him down via the census/electoral roll. Given that gotthetshirt has been good enough to share his knowledge with us on here before a bit icky.
Can't say fairer than that. Thanks for the offer to translate and post, and good on you for discretion and showing RM due respect. Hat.It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.0 -
Millar please, he is still my hero and it's getting a bit late to change.'fool'0
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Probably most interested in Millar out of that choice.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0
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Just blank out any pertinent information - names, places (even countries). Also don't post anything controversial that's not properly substantiated. For many of us Millar was a big part of us becoming interested in this sport (particularly the likes of me who have never raced themselves).[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19755257#p19755257]disgruntledgoat[/url] wrote:If I do the Millar one I'll pare it down a bit. The last quarter made me a bit uncomfortable. He basically gives you everything you'd need to track him down via the census/electoral roll. Given that gotthetshirt has been good enough to share his knowledge with us on here before I'd feel a bit icky.Twitter: @RichN950 -
Just blank out any pertinent information - names, places (even countries). Also don't post anything controversial that's not properly substantiated. For many of us Millar was a big part of us becoming interested in this sport (particularly the likes of me who have never raced themselves).[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19755257#p19755257]disgruntledgoat[/url] wrote:If I do the Millar one I'll pare it down a bit. The last quarter made me a bit uncomfortable. He basically gives you everything you'd need to track him down via the census/electoral roll. Given that gotthetshirt has been good enough to share his knowledge with us on here before I'd feel a bit icky.
My preference is just to omit it. I've no idea of the veracity of what they published and it's well known how Millar guards his privacy. If Rick PMs me (as a mod), I'd like his opinion on what to do. Richard Moore comments throughout most of the article and stops at that point. Peiper is in there a lot too but he's just speculating there too... I really would feel crappy if I was the guy to put it into English and get cut and pasted all over the place. I was a big fan of RM as a rider and regardless of that, if he chooses not to publicise his life then I respect that"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 -
Ah. I think I misunderstood. I was under the impression that Millar had had an input. That appears not to be the case - so you're probably right.[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19755446#p19755446]disgruntledgoat[/url] wrote:My preference is just to omit it. I've no idea of the veracity of what they published and it's well known how Millar guards his privacy. If Rick PMs me (as a mod), I'd like his opinion on what to do. Richard Moore comments throughout most of the article and stops at that point. Peiper is in there a lot too but he's just speculating there too... I really would feel crappy if I was the guy to put it into English and get cut and pasted all over the place. I was a big fan of RM as a rider and regardless of that, if he chooses not to publicise his life then I respect thatTwitter: @RichN950 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19755203#p19755203]disgruntledgoat[/url] wrote:Millar, Millar, Millar!
I really thought you'd go for Tom!
I admire the rider, but I suspect there is not a great deal of personality there really.
It seems a lot less contraversial thoughWe're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
Ok, Robert Millar was the most popular choice so, with some omissions, here it is. Words by Jeroen Denaeghel, published in Bahamontes magazine. I own none of this!
Robert Millar: The Ballerina of the Pyrenees
"'Robert is like a young rooster. He struts proudly in front of his hutch, but don't you dare chase him' this quote come from In Search of Robert Millar by Richard Moore, a 2007 biography of the best Scottish rider of all time. Moore had tried for years to meet with Millar. In vain. He had to piece together his biography from testimonies of those who surrounded him, including ex team mate Allan Peiper who sits before me today in a Geraadsbergen cafe. Together we try to keep warm by an open fire in the first cold of autumn and to keep the lively history of Robert Millar alive.
"It was 1994 when I last heard from Bob" says Peiper as he stirs his green tea. From 1983 onwards Peiper, Sean Yates and Millar formed an Anglophone enclave within Roland Berland's Peugeot team. Three foreigners in an otherwise exclusively French group. That must have created tensions? "We didn't really click with the others" laughs Peiper. "The French were sweat thieves who looked down on us and took themselves incredibly seriously. The 'Did you see me's' we called them. Every time Duclos Lasalle and co came in from a race... 'Did you see me at the start? Did you see me close that gap? Did you see my sprint?' we were sick of it.
Creme Caramel
It wasn't just the language that separated the Three Musketeers from the rest. "We were all vegetarian" says Peiper "We had our muesli and yogurt for breakfast and meanwhile the French were scoffing their steak and eggs. They used to laugh at our 'rabbit food' but we knew better .
Millar was the most driven of the group, the French treated him to a nickname: Monsieur Sans Sauce. He once sent back a salad three times for a couple of drops of vinaigrette. "He was maniacal with his food" recalls Eddy Planckaert, who shared a room with Millar at Panasonic in 1987. "So much so he would only eat his pasta if it had been cooked in pure water. If the chef had used butter, salt or oil, Millar noticed immediately". Peiper recalls "If his pasta was overcooked, it was not a small thing. He once threw his plate against the wall shouting 'can you see it isn't al dente now?!' at the hotel staff, pointing at the damp strands slithering down the wallpaper like tapeworms."
According to legend, an argument over a dessert led to his split with Peter Post, the boss of the Panasonic team. Post had the riders, due to budget considerations, eating in a budget snackbar which did not sit well with Millar. At the end of the meal time, Millar had left his dessert, a creme caramel, ostentatiously untouched. "Eat your dessert, i've paid for it Millar was not of the same opinion "I've eaten" he said and and walked away from the table. White hot with rage, Post stood shouting after him that he must come back, but Millar kept walking. "You couldn't do that with Peter Peiper says "His word was law". A month later, Millar was looking for another team."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 -
Robert Millar please, really thoughtful to offer to omit the guide to invading Robert's privacy section. Robert's commitment to being himself at the expense of what others believe he should have been is admirable.
Robert was and still is the person I hark back to when I consider where my love of cycling came from. I recall spending a few days with Halfords spray paint trying to make my first "racer" which my granddad then a bin man rescued from the dump look like his Peugeot.
I still have the 30 year old poster we used as reference on my garage wall.
Edit_ thanks, you posted while I was typing0 -
"Robert couldn't bear amateursim" says Peiper "I never saw a rider look after himself so well. He was ahead of his time. I remember that he used to put ashtrays under the feet at the bottom of the bed in order to stimulate the circulation in his legs to recover better. He maximised his rest. After a race he was straight into bed. By the time I was out of the shower, he already had his eyemask on to block out the light" .
"He was a total perfectionist" remembers Planckaert. "out of fear of catching a cold, he wouldn't allow a breath of air in the room. I remember a really hot day at the Vuelta. The windows must not be open, even a crack and it was 40 degrees! He was a good guest, but I never had much fun with him"
Robert Millar was a gifted climber, it took him a while to break through.He put his foot in the door for the first time at the 1980 World Championships in Sallanches, the famous Hinault Championship. On a tough course in the Alps with 3 laps to go a group of 4 riders were up front: Michel Pollentier, Jorgen Marcussen, Gianbattista Baronchelli and the complete unknown Robert Millar. The young Brit, he was 21, made an impression. Whilst Pollentier and Marcussen dropped off on the 17th lap, he managed, with Baronchelli, to stay on the wheel of the rampaging Hinault. In the 2nd to last lap, the lights went out completely but by then it was already clear that here was a real climbing talent. Strikingly, Millar's hero was Lucien Van Impe. He imitated his hair style: A lovely, undulating perm" says Richard Moore "And just like the rider from Erpe (I can't believe Moore actually said that!) he was a rider with style. As he climbed he moved his head gently back and forth in perfect synch with the rhythm of his pedalling. His eyes were always focussed on a point a couple of meters in front of his wheel. He always had a blank expression 'The face of a hungry man' Phil Ligget called it.".
Millar had a hungry time with the pros too. He waited 3 years for his first bite at winning. But the victory, the 10th stage in the 83 Tour, counted. Every cycling lover over 40 remembers the legendary Pyreneenne stage from Pau to Luchon. It was the day that Sean Kelly, at that moment the leader and a favourite for the overall, realised that he would never win the yellow jersey. In a crazily tough stage over the Aubisque, Tourmalet, Aspin and Peyresourde he lost more than 10 minutes. At Peugeot, on the other hand, they were delirious. Pascal Simon sat comfortably in yellow more than 4 minutes ahead of the then unknown Laurent Fignon. And another Peugeot rider, Millar, had won the stage after an epic duel with Pedro Delgado.
A day later, however, fate intervened. Simon fell and broke his collarbone. The Frenchman didn't want to give up. For 6 days he held his lead until he finally gave up on the stage to Alpe D'Huez and handed the crown to Fignon. Cycling fans still ask themselves what might have happened if Peugeot Directeur Berland hadn't sacrificed the chances of Millar and Steven Roche to the moribound Simon. With the absence of Hinault there were at least a dozen candidates to win the Tour.
Millar's best ever result in the Tour was his 4th place in 1984. Some claimed he did't have a big enough engine to win the Tour. In the Pyrenees he was the best, he won 3 stages, but in the Alps he always had his jour sans. Peiper proposes another explanation. He wasn't a good enough time trial rider. In the 80s, when the French had Hinault and Fignon, true TT specialists, you could be sure the organisation would put at least 2 Time Trials of 50km in the parcours. Sometimes 3. He had no chance.""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 -
The Ghosttrain of Segovia
Millar never won a grand tour. He came 4th in the Tour once, 2nd in the Giro, and was twice second in the Vuelta. The latter he should have won. The Vuelta of 85, he ran into one of the biggest combines in the history of cycling. On the 11th of May 1985, 2 days before the end of the Vuelta, Robert Millar had the gold leaders jersey. Pedro Delgado was the big favourite, but he hit a slump in the stage to Covadonga, losing 6 minutes. Millar only had to fear Ruiz Cabestany and Pacho Rodriguez, the closest of these was 1:10 behind.
The penultimate stage from Alcala de Henares to Segovia was ridden in foul weather. Riders kept their rain capes on, obscuring their numbers (a not unimportant detail later). At the foot of the second climb, the Cotos, Millar got a puncture. Teammates Ronan Pensec and Pascal Simon brought him back but but had to let their leader go before the top. This was the green light for the Spanish teams to bring the Scot to heel. The moment Millar got back onto the Peloton, Cabestany sent his young teammate Delgado on the attack. But he was silent towards Millar and also Rodriguez. Because the riders were unrecognisable in their rain capes, Millars directeur didn't know who was still in the peloton. Radios and TVs in the team cars were still a long way off. With no information, Millar didn't know that the 3rd place rider was off. The Scot sat in the wheels of Cabestany and Rodriguez. He didn't know that Delgado, with 40km to go, together with Jose Recio had gained 3 minutes... As Delgado rode through the forests of the Sierra de Guadarrama, Millar gets the feeling something is up. He doesn't see any updates on the gap. On the top of the Leonas, the last climb, Ruiz Cabestany shakes Millar's hand "It was not to be, you were the best. This Vuelta is yours" the Spaniard says with a poker face. 15KM later, Millar realises Cabestany has given him a Judas kiss.
With 25KM left, Berland discovers that Delgado is riding ahead. He has nearly 5 minutes advantage. Another half a minute and Millar will lose his lead. Millar is in a state. He asks Rodriguez, who's 2nd place is threatened, to ride but he refuses. The other riders in the chasing group also won't ride. They all ride for Spanish teams and have no interest in seeing a foreigner win. Peugeot were in total panic. Where were Pensec and Simon? WHy were they, given the slack tempo in the following group, not back yet? Millar must solve it himself. If he rides after Delgado himself, he can't counter a late attack by Rodriguez. He must hold something in reseerve. This gamble proves fatal. The clock above the finishing line says 6'13" when Robert Millar arrives in the high street in Segovia. The fans along the way are going out of their minds, but they're not shouting for him. "Perico, Perico!" resonates from thousands of throats. In the 400m he rolled up the line, Robert Millar lost the Vuelta.
Subsequently, it would become clear how criminally the race organisation had acted. Time gaps were intentionally not given. The moto riders who would usually do this had another task on that day, to act as pace makers for Delgado and Recio who gained a huge advantage in their slipstream. People also wondered why Pensec and Simon never got back up to the front to help their leader. They were held up by a level crossing. For minutes they stood waiting for a train that never came."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 -
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I definitely didn't say 'undulating perm.'0
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I definitely didn't say 'undulating perm.'
You're not fooling anyone
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I definitely didn't say 'undulating leave mRick Chasey wrote:[url=<span class= wrote:richardmoore73[/url]"]I definitely didn't say 'undulating perm.'
You're not fooling anyone.
Leave my bad Dutch aside.surely you didn't know van imperial was from Erpe?
I'd be interested to know how you felt about the rest of the article 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 -
No, I didn't know he was from Erpe. I haven't read the whole article but I was uncomfortable with some of the questions I was asked.0
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No, I didn't know he was from Erpe. I haven't read the whole article but I was uncomfortable with some of the questions I was asked.
I've no idea how your dutch is, but since you were directly approached for it and quoted, I can send you either the dutch or my translation of what was published via pm on here if youre interested.
Apologies for bad quoting too, I was typing on a phone from a bar."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 -
That's very kind... I just tried to send you a PM but it didn't seem to work. My email is richardbmoore@btinternet.com
Don't worry if it's too much hassle but thanks very much.0
