First Pro Cycling memory

dabber

Tashman wrote:

I remember the Barcelona Olympics and watching TdF Highlights. I also remember watching the tour comne through my home town of Basingstoke in '96. Just looked back and seen the line-up. Wow, Indurain, Pantani and a young pup called Armstrong.

I remember that as well. I was working in Basingstoke and all the offices around Alencon Link and Churchill Way emptied out to watch. It was packed.

iainf72

Timoid. wrote:

My first live cycle race I can remember is the 86 Nissan classic, with Kelly in green as race leader this time. The following year I got to meet him at a sponsors gig in the same race. Neither of said much. TBF I was only 10.

Not much changes eh Timoid? As I remember your lovely (now) wife called Savoldelli over in London and you had a non-conversation (ok, you not speaking Italian is probably the reason)

RichN95.

I saw the Milk Race come through my village once, because it was mentioned on Blue Peter (I think they sponsored a team that year). And I remember watching Malcolm Elliott 1982 Commonwealth Games - highlights as it was in Brisbane.

But in 1986 my French teacher, Mr Hunt, mentioned that the Tour de France was on Channel 4. Now I watched most sports at the time (aged 14) so I watched this and the first stage I watched was stage 13, which I still think hasn't been beaten as a stage. The idea that someone could have a five minute lead and not win was amazing to me, a person absorbed at the time by athletics.

Soon one thing lead to another - Winning magazine, Graham Watson books, the 7-Eleven jersey.

In 1988 I persuaded my parents to go the finish in Morzine, which was close to where we were on holiday. Fabio Parra won.

In 1989 at school we had to do a general studies project about any subject we liked. I did the Tour de France. At the end I tipped Andy Hampsten to win that year's edition. (I did include LeMond in my top ten contenders). There were prizes, I came second. The person who won did The History of Comedy. He's now the Middle East director for Amnesty International - not a lot of laughs there.

bobmcstuff

So mine is vague memories of the Armstrong years being on the TV when I was growing up (I was 11 for his first win) but the first time I paid any real attention to cycling was the 2008 Olympics, and the first tour I followed all the way through was 2012, although I watched bits of 2010 and 2011.

So by the sounds of it I have hardly seen anything yet

ddraver

TakeTheHighRoad wrote:

ddraver wrote:

However the moment when it started was finding an illegal stream of some race over a rainy easter weekend over 'cobbles' called Paris-Roubaix ( I think some memory-merging might have happened here but in my head it was the one where Hincapie's stem broke). That was the hook that got me...

Memory merging is correct. Hincapie's stem broke in 2006, and it was dry (albeit overcast)

The rainy one where he fell into a ditch is 2002 (a young Tom Boonen came 3rd) and the year before is Servais Knaven where it also rained

2006 could work...

I meant rainy in N Wales so it does little to narrow it down. Not a rainy PR. Soz.

jwa581

Watching channel 4 coverage (best theme tune ever!), with Robert Millar in polka dots and Fignon winning I think. Must be 84 or 85, cos remember watching with my dad in Windermere before we moved to Cambridgeshire. Loved watching it as a kid (dad always watched even though he wasn't really a cycling fan) and always watched it since even though didn't get into cycling properly til years later (was only 7 or 8 years old at the time).

adr82

I feel like a bit of a Johnny-come-lately after reading the thread so far...! I have some vague memories of watching occasional highlights of the TdF during the Lance years, but didn't pay any real attention to the sport until I started cycling myself and that wasn't until 2009ish. I think the 2011 Tour was probably the first race I actually sort of followed, but it took until 2012 before I actually started keeping up with the racing properly.

bobmcstuff

adr82 wrote:

I feel like a bit of a Johnny-come-lately after reading the thread so far...! I have some vague memories of watching occasional highlights of the TdF during the Lance years, but didn't pay any real attention to the sport until I started cycling myself and that wasn't until 2009ish. I think the 2011 Tour was probably the first race I actually sort of followed, but it took until 2012 before I actually started keeping up with the racing properly.

Don't worry, we are in the same boat!

rick_chasey

Patanti, les deux alpes, '98.

'nuff said.

DeadCalm

TDF 1984. Fignon's headband. Robert Millar.

Pooter

[/quote]

Tashman wrote:

I remember the Barcelona Olympics and watching TdF Highlights. I also remember watching the tour comne through my home town of Basingstoke in '96. Just looked back and seen the line-up. Wow, Indurain, Pantani and a young pup called Armstrong.

You mean '94 I think, the Portsmouth to Portsmouth stage.

mm1

Pooter wrote:

Tashman wrote:

I remember the Barcelona Olympics and watching TdF Highlights. I also remember watching the tour comne through my home town of Basingstoke in '96. Just looked back and seen the line-up. Wow, Indurain, Pantani and a young pup called Armstrong.

You mean '94 I think, the Portsmouth to Portsmouth stage.[/quote]

Watched Boardman think he'd won in Brighton, followed by sitting in a godawfull traffic jam to Portsmouth. My mate who'd done his degree at Yachtsmouth Poly, spent the evening pointing out where he'd had his head kicked in as a student. Happy days!

hommelbier

Reading Le Miroir de Sport tour de france issues (at the newsagents where I had a paper round) in the late 50s to see how well Brian Robinson was riding. Probably helped with my French 'O' level studies as well.
Saw the tour for the first time at Andover on the Portsmouth stage back when Sean Yates was riding.

Lanterne_Rogue

Not entirely sure which was first, but saw a stage of the Milk Race start from my home town (seem to recall I was underwhelmed as I reckoned we went faster on our BMXs, and very probably did as we only saw the ceremonial roll-out), and I watched Boardman winning Olympic gold on the telly. I was sufficiently detached from it that by 1993 I still had no idea why my French teacher kept banging on about Indurain, although I think by the late nineties I was watching highlights from time to time.

As for when I started watching it more regularly, it was actually earlier than I remembered - I had forgotten that I used to tune into the highlights of the TdF in 2000 when David Millar was in yellow - he was the first cyclist whose results i learnt to keep an ear out for. I'm convinced that we had Eurosport by the 2001 Tour, but 2003 was the first one I can definitely remember watching live. By 2007 I was starting to follow results in other races and was sufficiently aware of the sport that I had heard about Cavendish before the Tour started that year, and his Milan San-Remo win (and searching for footage of it) was what spurred me into watching races throughout the season.

Overall I've been watching long enough to know what real doping scandals look like, I guess, and just long enough that I can remember the transition process from "3 tours is pretty special for Lance" to "Armstrong's almost certainly doped to the gills and is just taking the piss now".

ridgerider

I can recall in the early seventies having to stop to let the Milk Race go past on our car journey to my Grandpa's in Worcester.

Soon after that, Tony Doyle used to ride past our house in Surrey (on training rides I now presume) in a bright orange jersey...I think he was sponsored by Hales Aggregates as they had lots of gravel pits in our area.

Then it jumps to that Irish/British bloke coming out of the mist on a mountain in the Tour.

ridgerider

Just checked Google and I might not have got those in the right order...so much for memories!

alanparsons

1983 Giro, we were on holiday at Lido Di Jesolo up the coast from Venice.
Stage 3, Comacchio - Fano, came through the resort we were staying at and I remember leaving the beach to watch them race through. I was well into BMX at the time and raced in Holland at VVV Venlo, I couldn't belive the speed they came down the road. It was probably all over in a couple of minutes.
I was 12.

disquieting_museeuws

In April 1983 the Sealink International came past my parents front door twice. It was a sort of pro-am race usually taking in the low countries and Britain.

I was riding a terrible old Raleigh (some idiot will call it a classic today) road bike for fitness and was vaguely aware of the strange, exotic and sometimes frightening world of bike racing.

I remember I could look across the fields from my bedroom window and get a glimpse of the peloton coming towards us about a mile distant, which fascinated me.

Dutchman Bert Wekema won the stage (and the next two) and the overall. That name means nothing to me, I must say. Old faithfuls like Elliot and Curran were also riding.

john_wr

Isle of Man Cycling Week 1964. Being in the same B & B as the Falcon cycles racing team (Billy Holmes, Albert Hitchen, Bernard Burns and John Perks) through Billy Holmes membership of Hull Thursday Road Club. Having a beer after the track meet at the Onchan velodrome and seeing Rudi Altig enter the bar with an armful of St Raphael jerseys to sell. Watched the International race for pros and independents and then at the evening prize giving in a theatre, sitting having a conversation with Barry Hoban about racing on the continent. Happy days.

John.

tonyf34

Can't really recall the first time watching on TV but I've still got my 1982 Panini European Sports sticker Album that had the likes of Joop Zoetemelk and co in it, the first time live was the 1986 Milk Race, first time watching TdF was 1990, accidentally bumped into it in Paris when on my first tour. Dayum it was hot!

philbar72

1985 tour for me, Kelly in green and a dominant Badger for what would have been the last time.

timoid.

iainf72 wrote:

Timoid. wrote:

My first live cycle race I can remember is the 86 Nissan classic, with Kelly in green as race leader this time. The following year I got to meet him at a sponsors gig in the same race. Neither of said much. TBF I was only 10.

Not much changes eh Timoid? As I remember your lovely (now) wife called Savoldelli over in London and you had a non-conversation (ok, you not speaking Italian is probably the reason)

Ha ha. Yeah. She also ended up with Hincapie's autograph. I was more worried about Frank Schleck, who she called "quite the dish". Had to steer her away.

There goes 11 years...

rick_chasey

Timoid. wrote:

[. I was more worried about Frank Schleck, who she called "quite the dish". Had to steer her away.

johnnymcg259

Dorset Boy wrote:

ITV's World of Sport showing about 30 mins of highlights on a Saturday in the Merckx era. Then going out riding my bike outside pretending to be him! Then then same with Robert Millar in polka dots.

First live tour stage was 1993 (I think) from Perpignan to Andorra. Watched roadside early on to see the peloton flash by in about 30 secs, but got a photo that included big Mig.

I remember ITV's World of Sport Saturday afternoon coverage but it was Hinault I seem to recall - mid 1980's. Very grainy tv pictures and tinny commentary but it made me take note......it was different and exciting.

First saw the Tour for real in 1991, final stage into Paris, very hot day and boy oh boy.......Abdou face planted in the sprint but still won the green jersey!

term1te

1987, watching Stephen Roche edging it from Delgado on a tiny black and white TV propped up at the end of my bed in a student slum in Bath. I had to re-adjust the aerial every five minutes to clear the static snow. Happy days.