Inspired to dream! Here is a very personal, random role-call of some of the names – and things – that fired the enthusiasm of club riders over the century of steel. Lots of new contributions from my good mate Ian Sorrell. Let me know what inspired you!
A. Jacques Anquetil – Monsieur Chrono; 5 TdF victories. “To prepare for a race there is nothing better than a good pheasant, some champagne and a woman”
Alp D’Huez, especially Dutch Corner
Lance Armstrong. Boooooo! I’m not giving him write-up. 🙁 “What am I on? I’m on my bike Busting my ass six hours a day. What are you on?”
B. Beryl Burton – Man beater. GB’s greatest athlete ever. Any sport. Any era. Either gender……. (But her relentless success became Blooming’ Boring)
Bill Bailey 4 times world amateur sprint champ., GB track coach, Saxon Chief Engineer.
Gino Bartali – Il Pio; Hero of Italy; 2 TdF victories either side of a wartime risking all to save jews.
Frederico Bahamontes, The Eagle of Toledo. TdF winner ’59, KOM in all grand tours. First in the peloton to use 531.
Dave Bedwell. The original pocket rocket.
Brooks; BH Airlite; Bluemels; Bianchi- all that celeste!
The Bonk Bag. See also ‘Hunger Knock’.
Bordeaux-Paris. It’s a long way!
Mike Burrows He closed the book on the age of steel.
Chris Boardman – Trusted Mike Burrows, encouraged Obree. “The Tour is the only race in the world where you have to get a haircut halfway through”
C. Fausto Coppi – Il Campionissimo. “Ride a bike. Ride a bike. Ride a bike”
Eugene Christophe. Famously DQ’d from the 1913 Tour for outside assistance – the blacksmith had worked the bellows while he brazed his broken forks. After that he made sure the toe-clips he supplied didn’t break…
Mark Cavendish – the Manx Missile. “As long as I’m riding a bike I know I’m the luckiest guy in the world”
Cipollini. Outrageous stylist. Forgiven ‘coz he could sprint a bit too.
Catford Hill Climb – the world’s oldest race. UP UP UP !!
Campagnolo; Charter-Lea; Constrictor; Cinelli; Columbus;
the Chain-Gang. Do your bit/Peel off/Kick to catch/Cling to the concertina/Recover/Repeat.
the Cake stop. Yum!
D Dunlop – especially silks;
Derny – hang on!
E. Evens. 20 mph. First goal of a newcomer. Last gasp of an old-timer.
Alf Engers. ‘The King’. Scourge of the officials. The first to beat 30mph for a ’25’
F Fiamme rims;
Tour of Flanders
G Giro d’Italia, Galibier- the Giant.
Charlie Gaul. Angel of the mountains, maybe the best grimpeur ever.
Tommy Godwin (1) the pre-war mile-eater. Tommy Godwin(2) the track king.
Tony Gowland thrilled us with his 6-day racing. Big win in London ’72 with Patrick Sercu
GB (Gerry Burgess, that is). Established Hiduminium brakes, bars, stems. We all used them.
H Herne Hill;
Reg Harris, chain smoker, womaniser, powerhouse.
Hiduminium. If it’s strong enough for Spitfires….
Harden hubs. Sweet!
Hunger Knock/that ‘Bonk’
I Big Mig Indurain. All engine.
J. Jensen. Well, I would include that wouldn’t I ?
Ron Jowers. Hard as nails. 50 mile TT record.
K Koppenberg It’s steep. It’s lumpy. It sorts the men from the boys.
Sean Kelly. His commentating is boring. His riding wasn’t.
Ferdie Kubler. TdF winner in ’50, Giro, multiple Classics, World Champ. But Ventoux wobbled him in ’55.
Hugo Koblet. Another Swiss! TdF in ’51. So stylish, not a hair out of place.
L Boone Lennon – the ski coach who revolutionised cycle sport. First triathletes, then Greg Lemond and that last gasp 8 second TdF victory. Nobody did a TT without aerobars after that.
M Eddie Merckx, The Cannibal. “Cyclists live with pain. If you can’t handle it, you will win nothing”
Francesco Moser;
Toni Merkens;
Leon Meredith;
Milan-SanRemo;
Mavic rims;
Mafac brakes
N Nervex lugs.
O Graeme Obree – the maverick; “My biggest fear is not crashing on a bike…. It’s sitting in a chair at 90 and saying, “I wish I had done more””
Oscar Egg
P Paris-Roubaix;
the Peace Race;
Raymond Poulidor – ‘Poupou’ the Eternal Second.
Marco Pantani– Il Pirata;
Peugeot
Q Queue at TT start. Pulse quickening/Check the bike again/Tubs OK?/Right gear to start?/
Banter with the others/Feign calm/30 secs. Strap in/15secs. Into the zone/ 3–2–1–Go!
R Rick. Van Looy or Van Steenbergen.
Reynolds 531; Renold chains; Regina blocks, Team Raleigh
S James Starley – blame him, he started it all;
Percy Stallard – brought GB back to racing;
Tom Simpson- world champ, GB’s first TdF yellow, a tragic warning ;
the Solo Break. How far to go? Are they gaining? See also: Hunger Knock/ Bonk.
Six Day races;
Sturmey-Archer. Epic gears (as in epicyclic);
Stronglight
T Marshall ‘Major’ Taylor – defied the barriers; the first superstar.
U Under the Hour……. Under Two……..Under Four. Who can do it?
V Ventoux; Vuelta a Espagna, Vigorelli
W. Wiggo. Wake up world, British cycling has arrived. “Kids from Kilburn don’t become favourite for the Tour. You’re supposed to become a postman or a milkman or work in Ladbrokes”
Williams chainsets. Up until the AB77, anyway. Who needed tapered splines??
X. Cross (Cyclocross, that is). Mudpluggers like Atkins, Keith Mernickle, Dave Nye, Mick Ives. Riding where no bike should go; running lumbered with an awkward 10kg load. Are they nuts?
Y Sean Yates. The fastest ever TdF stage before aerobars; Bradley Wiggins’ mentor and hero. “I know that one of these days I’m going to hit the dust and I’m going to be f*cking history. But sod it”
The Yellow Jersey.
Z Arthur Zimmerman, 180rpm pedaller extraordinaire