Bahamontes: 100 Rondes

disgruntledgoat
disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
edited March 2016 in Pro race
New issue out today!

So, I have some choices for your translating delight, i think I know the answer to this before I ask, but here your options for translation

1. Long interview with Sagan
2. 100 questions to the organiser of De Ronde
3. Look back on the 86 Race. The best ever, apparently.
4. Piece on the axing of the old finish.

Won't have time over the weekend but most votes by Monday afternoon wins
"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
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Comments

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Gilbert's worlds need finishing, if you please. Would love to hear about the euphoria after the agony of that final climb. Sorry to nag, it's so gripping!
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,157
    3 with 2 as reserve.

    (Sagan never seems a particularly interesting interviewee to me)
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Ps. Agree with rich on choices
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Correction: it's the 1985 race.

    I don't know if you're a big fan of Adri Van Der Poel, Rich but I'm very sorry
    "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
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,391
    I would actually say Sagan as I ve never really read a long interview with him but I'm easy...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,157
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    Correction: it's the 1985 race.

    I don't know if you're a big fan of Adri Van Der Poel, Rich but I'm very sorry
    Ha, no. I remember him though. He seemed to be permanently number two on the World Rankings behind Kelly.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    There's a really odd piece of photos of bergs and cobbles at night.
    "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
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,648
    I think 100 questions, as I've never seen the 85 race.

    Now if someone could find me some footage, I could be persuaded....
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    I think 100 questions, as I've never seen the 85 race.

    Now if someone could find me some footage, I could be persuaded....


    It does sound pretty good...

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Tour_of_Flanders

    24 Finishers!
    "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
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,561
    I'm with Rich.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,328
    I'm also with Rich, with the provisio that you should do the one you reckon is most interesting :-)
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    AS tempted as I was to sub in the interview with GVA's extended family eating cake, here we go with the best Ronde ever...
    Words by Jeroen Denaeghel, published by Bahamontes, I don't own a damn thing.

    The 1985 Tour of Flanders is for us what the 1963 Elfstedentocht is to the Dutch (DG: A legendary edition of a 200km ice skating race). What What played out in apocalyptic conditions on the hills of the Flemish Ardennes was the finest of "Flanders Finest" ever seen. VRT also realised this, because they re-broadcast the entire race last year. And, once again, we heard the superlatives of 30 years ago. Merckx! Lion! Flandrien! That day, Eric Vanderaerden was all of them.

    In 1985 the DNA of the race was still intact. The Muur was not yet amputated from the course and there were no loops around Oudenaarde. In the newspaper you didn't see any complicated three coloured maps of the finale. Every bike fan knew the crucial moments off the top of his head: First shift on the Oude Kwaremont, next selection on the Koppenberg, outsiders were shed on the Taaienberg, catch the break on Haaghoek, the finale starts after Tenbosse and the last act on the Muur. The line was in Meerbeke and the start was not in Brugge, but on the Grote Markt in Sint Niklaas. The biggest square in Belgium- the size of four football fields-in the news every year for it's hot air balloon parade. On the morning of April teh 7th 1985, there were no hot air baloons. Instead, cumulonimbus clouds were in the air. "stacked rainbringers" climatologists call them today, but in the 80s we had the meteological evangelism of Armand Pien. His reading was inconclusive. "A chance of showers" the weatherman said.

    "Before the start there was intense discussion among the riders" says Eric Vanderaerden, as the coal stove in his Lummese villa heats up. "Most of them thought that, at the worst, there'd be a shower. But I feared It might rain all day. Just before the start I prepared for the worst: I asked my Soigneur to smear my whole body in beef fat and pulled a rain jacket on. Before we'd even left Sint Niklaas it started throwing rain and it didn't stop all day. The peloton was shocked, most of them were still only wearing shorts. After an hour, when they had realised the rain wasn't going to stop, they put their rain jackets on. But they were already wet through and I was still dry. Don't forget that we were still racing in woolen jerseys. If they were wet, they weighed 3kg. If you rang them out, you'd get half a bucket of water. To make matters worse, it was also cold. Less than 3 degrees. I'd also prepared for that. Friends of mine were waiting along the route with flasks of tea. I had also given them pairs of woolen gloves to give to me. After 15 minutes, those were wet through and you had to throw them away but at least you had a bit of warmth. Also, the tea: I took a gulp and threw the rest over my legs. That gave you the feeling of warmth and you could keep going a bit further. To be fair, I have to say that i always went well in bad weather. It gave me a psychological advantage over the rest. "Oof! it's going to be windy!", i'd hear riders cursing before the race and I thought, at the same moment "Great! It's windy! When I pull through today, they'll get dropped."
    "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
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,738
    1963 elfstedentocht is quite something....
    _
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    1963 elfstedentocht is quite something....

    I must admit, I'd never heard of it until today. Did they win an extra big bag of spuds that year or something? :wink:

    Edit: I'm being very unfair. You must need a really crappy winter to even run that race.
    "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
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Inferno on the Koppenberg

    Eric Vanderaerden was named in the paper as one of the favourites. Yet he had the feeling that it was not going to be his day. "Simply because every day was my day" laughs Eric, "At the start of my career, I would imagine I was unbeatable at the start of every race. I wasn't scared of anyone. In my first Pro race, the GP Peymeinade, I got into a confrontation with Eddy Planckaert, the fastest man in the peloton. His brother Walter shoved me into the barriers but I'd got my membership card. A real champion has no fear. You have to already have that mentality in the junior categories too. If I heard a young guy say before a race "Oei! It's going to rain!", I knew that he would never become a great."

    In De Ronde of 1985, the constant heavy rain caused a slaughter in the peloton. By the time the hills came, there were only about 35 of the 173 starters left. "That was normal for the time, though" says Vanderaerden, "There were no UCI points to gain, so the riders stopped as the weather got worse. Nowadays, they'll sprint for 17th place, you didn't see that then."

    On the Oude Kwaremont, a self confident Vanderaerden rode with authority at the front of the group. In contrast to his filthy Belgian Champion's jersey, his eyes looked fresh and lively. "Just give me this Ronde" he says he thought. But he wasn't the only one with ambitions. His teammates Phil Anderson and Eddy Planckaert had also set their sights on De Ronde. And also, Eric knew, Peter Post had refused to name him as Panasonic's top man. "Post never said the word "Leader" out loud." Eric tells us, "That's why he won so many races. He aimed for a team that had strength in depth. That day, Phil Anderson, Eddy Planckaert and myself were put up as leaders, but that was no guarantee. If we weren't going well, he would put someone else up. In our team, almost everyone could win a classic. We proved that with Johan Lammerts and Jean Marie Wampers, two so called domestiques who, repsectively, won De Ronde and Paris-Roubax."
    "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
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,738
    Can't say I've heard of smearing yourself in beef fat before a wet ride.

    I'm sure there's som artisanal market for that stuff.
    _
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,391
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    1963 elfstedentocht is quite something....

    I must admit, I'd never heard of it until today. Did they win an extra big bag of spuds that year or something? :wink:

    Edit: I'm being very unfair. You must need a really crappy winter to even run that race.

    It's so mystical because it's run so rarely. When there is the chance of the canals icing up it is talked about in hushed tones...when it's run The Netherlands shuts down. We ve had 2 years of frozen canals since I ve been here but it's never been in Elfstendentoch condition

    Back on topic there is a bike sportive run around the same course in May which is a rite of passage for any Dutch person with a passing interest in road cycling
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,391
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Can't say I've heard of smearing yourself in beef fat before a wet ride.

    I'm sure there's som artisanal market for that stuff.

    Rapha Beef Fat

    Made from the finest Belgian Blue Bulls (yes I googled a Belgian cow breed) and scented with herbs from the meadows of the Ardennes
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    I think it was even a little more niche than beef fat. My reading was Ox fat, but i thought I'd stick with the mundane. I mean, where are you gonna get an Ox?

    At least he could whip himself up a dripping sarnie at any point he got a bit hungry.
    "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
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,328
    ddraver wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Can't say I've heard of smearing yourself in beef fat before a wet ride.

    I'm sure there's som artisanal market for that stuff.

    Rapha Beef Fat

    Made from the finest Belgian Blue Bulls (yes I googled a Belgian cow breed) and scented with herbs from the meadows of the Ardennes

    Fine for the poseurs, but Sky use Kobe beef fat, from cattle that have been massaged by a select team of Sky soigneurs. Guaranteed clenbuterol free, as nobody would ever interfere with the beef marbelling by giving Kobe cattle a fat-stripper.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,391
    No No it's Rapha you ve got to tenuously link it to a cycling heartland

    What were those cows that Barguil nearly hit on the Tourmalet last year?
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,328
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    I think it was even a little more niche than beef fat. My reading was Ox fat, but i thought I'd stick with the mundane. I mean, where are you gonna get an Ox?

    At least he could whip himself up a dripping sarnie at any point he got a bit hungry.

    Well Dutch is fairly similar to Danish, and in Danish Ox/Beef are almost interchangeable. "Oxmeat" refers to the substance and "beef" to a piece of it, generally a steak. Ox is the Germanic root and beef is Latin.
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  • Richmond Racer 2
    Richmond Racer 2 Posts: 4,698
    Florian Vachon?
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,328
    Dunno, but I bet they're glad it wasn't Betancur. He'd have thought it was a feed station.
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  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,561
    Apparently Wouter Wippert was covering himself in Vaseline prior to yesterday's PN stage...

    Can I also just highlight this quote:
    A real champion has no fear. You have to already have that mentality in the junior categories too. If I heard a young guy say before a race "Oei! It's going to rain!", I knew that he would never become a great."
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    I'll get back on this today or tomorrow. I'm having about the busiest 2 weeks of my life on all fronts and I'm suffering a bit.
    "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
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,738
    Oh Frenchie.

    RIP.
    _
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,157
    No tA Doctor wrote:
    ddraver wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Can't say I've heard of smearing yourself in beef fat before a wet ride.

    I'm sure there's som artisanal market for that stuff.

    Rapha Beef Fat

    Made from the finest Belgian Blue Bulls (yes I googled a Belgian cow breed) and scented with herbs from the meadows of the Ardennes

    Fine for the poseurs, but Sky use Kobe beef fat, from cattle that have been massaged by a select team of Sky soigneurs. Guaranteed clenbuterol free, as nobody would ever interfere with the beef marbelling by giving Kobe cattle a fat-stripper.
    Belgian Blues are the dopers choice. They have a genetic mutantion which effects the production of myostatin which makes them super muscular (some humans have it too, but we are yet to have it bred into us). Myostatin blockers are a possible future doping avenue. The Belgian Blues are discussed in David Epstein's The Sport Gene
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,561
    Leaping off on a tangent triggered by this quote
    The head of his Belgian fanclub, Dirk Biliau, told us that Kristoff reminded him of the 1985 Flanders and 1987 Roubaix winner, Eric Vandaerarden. "Who?" says Kristoff. "Never heard of him. That was before I was born. I know who Eddy Merckx was and some of the biggest guys but I don't really pay attention."

    but the interview with Kristoff on CN is pretty decent.
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    The Belgian Blue is so inbred, fact fans, that it cannot give birth unaided.
    "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

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