By: Zdenko Kahlina

Paulo Ongaro is coming from a cycling family
Everybody in Edmonton knows Paulo, he is very popular cyclist: sprinter and a track rider. Paulo is also successful business man. His biggest competitors are his own brothers; that’s where his pedigree is coming from.

Paulo is also my neighbor and a good friend. We sometimes go together for a Sunday morning training rides with his brothers. I try to stay in shape and control my weight, while he is preparing himself for a competition. His goal is to return into good form and participate in the 2013 World Master Games in Torino Italy, his ‘old country’, where his parents originally came from. He would like nothing less but to win the Olympic sprint!

This winter I mentioned to Paulo how I would like to write blog about his dad, Rino Ongaro, but I also needed some information about Paulo and his three brothers, to complete my story about Rino. He gladly jumped on board and provided me with the following autobiography, which I am publishing here in its original version.

Paulo Ongaro (right) and his buddy Lars Madsen

This is what Paulo has to say about his cycling life:

Paulo Ongaro (June 16, 1970)
“I have so many memories of cycling as a young boy, the smell of “A 535” on a Saturday morning as my older brothers and my dad were preparing to go out on a spring bike ride in the cold morning air. I also remember riding in a support vehicle with my dad as we followed Rudy in a local bike race.

I remember sitting watching Rudy training on the rollers when I was about 5 years old, captivated by how the wheels were spinning and why he wasn’t going anywhere I decided to test the equipment by putting my finger in the rubber cable and the steel roller…  not a good idea. One key memory though was the frequent visits to Velocity cycling store and the one question Joe Zombor (owner) would always ask me: “When are you going to start riding?”

Me beating Alex at the provincials in 1991, my greatest victory, I was so happy that I lost two in a row after that one!

As a young boy I was following in the footsteps of my brother Ross the soccer player. But soon the temptation of the bicycle machine and the shiny moving parts would bring me to the sport of cycling. At the age of 14 while my brother Alex was competing at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles the transformation began. I was riding my bike to soccer practice and enjoying the ride to and from practice, more than the practice itself. I didn’t realize it yet, but I was inevitably becoming a cyclist. At the age of 16 I rode my first race as a cadet. It was a criterium at Roper road industrial park where I finished 2nd to Kurt Innes from Calgary.

I tried to ride the road races for a season as a first year junior, but I found it very difficult. I discovered very quickly that I did not have the desire to suffer in long races. I’ve found some success in local criteriums… funny enough the same course in Namao on the Tuesday night races is where I found it easiest to hang in the group and blast out a sprint at the finish. Soon though Alex would take me to the track. This is where I had my 12th birthday party, so I was familiar with the velodrome. Actually you would find me on any banked driveway as a kid doing balancing track-stands, pretending to be a sprinter. After a few weeks of training on the velodrome, Trevor Gadd an English Born sprinter, was hired to coach the provincial team for the upcoming Nationals in Edmonton 1987. He selected me to ride the sprints and the Kilometer. I had only ridden two track meets prior to Nationals and never sprinted up to this point.

Steen Madsen and Paulo Ongaro

So for me the nationals were the first match sprinting I had ever done. I remember hearing the national team coaches mumbling something, as in my very first heat I track-standed my opponent to make him take the lead and then rushed him with a surprise jump with 300m to go for the easy victory. I remember I qualified second at those nationals and thought I could have won the title that year as a first year junior, but I was not confident and I was inexperienced. Looking back with what I know now, I should have won both junior national sprint championships.

But I didn’t have a coach with me and I just didn’t know how to ride, but the speed was there that’s for sure. In 1997 I qualified second and finished a disappointing fourth. In 1988 I qualified first and finished fourth again. As a senior I managed a couple of bronze medals in the match sprint and a silver medal at the Canadian world championship trials in 1990.

Doug Baron (Calgary), Steen Madsen and Paulo Ongaro (Edmonton)

Paulo beating Lars at the 2001 Nationals for the bronze medal.

Finally in 2001 I won a national gold medal in the Olympic sprint team event along side of Jim Fisher and Doug Baron of Calgary. 

Lars Madsen was their regular teammate and Lars was my closest training partner who I spent many hours along side. I think as a gift when he asked me to start the opening lap of the final, at the Nationals that year. I had two massive engines behind me, so I wasn’t to worried about the win, but I was really worried about the start. First of all I had never started Out of a UCI style gate, so what better place to learn than the nationals final. I never had to deal with the countdown clock and the final beep, I had no experience, but that’s O.K. I managed somehow
to get out of the blocks so to speak. In addition I had old toe straps that were starting to crack and I was worried about pulling a foot. My disc wheel was a rental and it was a piece of junk I Was terrified that the wheel was going to crumble out of the start. Also, just before the start my calf was twitching and I have always had issues with calve cramps, needless to say I was, worried about this start.

This is me giving Travis Smith a little bit of Experience with 100 meters to go at the Nationals in 2001. Travis went on to become a much more accomplished cyclist than I ever was…

It took me a bit extra to get the motor started out of that gate, but once I hit turn two I was feeling great. I simply finished my opening lap and the boys sailed on to a dominant victory. There it was my first and only national gold medal…  what no one knew was that my good friend Lars’ name was on that team list as well, since he had ridden the Qualifying round, and without a victory in the final, he would have lost his National carding/funding. He let me know this only moments before the start… NO PRESSURE!

In the same year at the individual race I knew I couldn’t beat him in the semi-final, so I saved my energy for the bronze medal ride. We made an agreement before the match; I would lead him out two straight rides. Just as we started the first heat at the line, he looked at me and said, “You are not messing around with me are you?”

I said something like, “No Steen, I know how much this means to you.”

He qualified in a track record time that I guarantee you, will never be beaten 10.48 seconds!

I qualified in a time of 11.10 seconds an impossible difference in speed, so the decision the night before was to use the semi-final rides as a warm up for the bronze medal.

I have raced in three decades. I rode the Nationals in 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1999 & 2001. I am intending to race again as I have started training with hopes of competing in 2013. This will very likely be my last Nationals. We will see I guess, we can never know anything for sure when we speak of the future.

Moments before the launch, Nationals 2001 with Doug Baron and Jim Fisher

Me with my kids on the top of the podium, a very happy moment, that is Lars peeking over my shoulder

My first national bronze this match took seven tries and this was the most dangerous race of my life, this guy was completely crazy!!!!! He crashed twice by himself and he was disqualified twice for passing inside the apron, ultimately I won.

At this moment I reached my potential and satisfaction.
 
Moments before the big race Paulo vs Alex Provincials 1990
 
Me and Curt Harnett at the World Trials, I finished second and the top two were supposed to go to worlds, They didn’t send me. I quit the following year to start a career and a family.

On my way to my first sub 11 sec. on 200 m

Looking back the sport of cycling was a true journey and a pleasure, regardless of the accomplishments or lack of, you see in my family it was very difficult for me to feel accomplished as a cyclist. I have 4 National medals, 1 gold and 3 bronze, several provincial championships and medals. However, when you grow up in the shadow of an Olympian (in the family), anything short feels like a failed attempt. Only in the recent years have I found some feelings of success as an athlete. Everyone reaches different levels, and in the end it is if you feel you reached your potential. At one point I believe I did and it was enough for me to be satisfied. Now I found the most joy in the sport than I ever have simply riding on Sunday mornings with my brothers.

Paulo Ongaro 200 meters personal best
Calgary Hand Timed 10.69 sec, 10.74 sec, 10.89 sec,
Calgary Electronic timing 10.91 sec , 10.93 sec

Paulo’s three brothers were also heavily involved in sport. With exception of Ross, all of them were cyclists. Here is their short cycling biography:

Rudi Ongaro
Rodolfo Patrizio Ongaro, was born March 17, 1956 San Giorgio al Tagliamento, in Italy. He came to Canada in 1958 with his parents and lived in Edmonton until 1968 when the family moved back to Italy and lived there until May of 1969.

The family than returned to Canada once again. Up to this point Rudy was a promising young soccer player, until he caught the cycling bug at age 16. The first year Rudy rode with his father for fun, until together they decided they were ready to begin competing. What a learning experience that was… they were getting hammered by everyone. The next year was spent trying to learn how to train properly for competitive cycling. By the beginning of our 3 rd. year results were starting come. Rino and Rudy met Marijan Kahlina (coach and rider) and joined Alberta Cycle Racing Club. That year (last year as a junior) Rudy was selected to ride with the provincial team, both on the track and road. The Canadian Nationals and the Canada Summer games were the highlights. Rudy continued to race frequently at the local races, being selected to represent Alberta at National competitions. Rudy hung up his bike in 1985 only to find it again in 2005. Since then Rudy has been training mainly to keep fit and socialize with friends through the sport. His long term goal is to go to Torino and win the Olympic sprint with his two younger brothers, Paul and Alex.

In this photo: Rino, Paul and Rudy in Italy on a March training camp in 1976.

Ross Ongaro
Rosario Luigino Ongaro, born September 9, 1959. He too began to compete in some early spring races in 1970. Ross was already showing great promise as a soccer player, but decided to try a few races. He was a cadet, and I don’t remember too much because his cycling career only lasted 3 races. At that time there were maybe 3-4 boys that age riding , one was Shane Frohm and …..Heachock (spelling??) and Ross of course. Also it is important to note that Rudy Frohm, Shanes father would always follow the race in his BMW motor bike. Long story short Ross won the first race. He won the second and then won the third. Shane crashed following Ross’s wheel and Rudy Frohm was really mad and yelled at this 11 -12 year old kid. Ross quit, and went back to soccer. Good thing… The rest is history.

Born in Edmonton, he is a retired Canadian soccer player who earned one cap each with the Canada U-20 men’s national soccer team and Canadian Olympic soccer team. He played professionally in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, Western Soccer Alliance and American Indoor Soccer Association. He has coached extensively at the professional level and was the head coach of the Canadian Beach Soccer and Futsal Teams until September 2011. He has been hired for 2012 by the Chinese Football Association to become their National Beach Soccer Head Coach.

National team
In 1979, Ongaro played one game with the Canada U-20 men’s national soccer team. He was on the roster of the team at the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship but did not play a game in the tournament. Ongaro also played one Olympic qualifying match in 1979.

Alex Ongaro on the podium with another gold medal. Shaking hands with Zolt Zombor.

Alexander ‘Alex’ Ongaro (Oct 5, 1963)
Alex Ongaro, an Edmonton born athlete and 7 year member of the Canadian National Team was a silver medalist at the 1986 Commonwealth Games and 9th place finalist at both the 1984 Olympics and 1985 World Championships. In Bassano at the world championships in 1985 he clocked the third fastest time behind Luts Hesslich and Michael Huebner of the DDR. In 1986 unofficially he held the world record for 200m, after he rode a blazing 10.29sec 200m sprint in a heat with no disc wheels and no wind up.

Alex was a natural born sprinter on the track. He was in Canada Olympic team for Los Angeles 1984 games, where he participated in the Men’s sprint discipline on the track and achieved very good qualifying time of 11.23 sec.

In this photo: Zdenko, Alex, Marijan and Rudy (Paul was late… lol!)

By: Zdenko Kahlina

‘What the Hell Is Zdenko’s Corner?’
Keeping track of my 500+ blogs and stories, emailing my contributors, designing graphics, editing stories and answering emails/comments from my growing readership of 20,000+ monthly loyal fans – while at the same time maintaining regular job, family and bike riding, it’s sometimes too easy to get stuck in the trenches. So as I am approaching “Zdenko’s Corner” 3rd birthday, this is a great time to up-periscope and take stock of just where the heck am I, how far I’ve come, and where I’m headed with this blog site.

How it all started
A little bit more than three years ago, I got this idea about having my own web site. My computer at home was loaded with files that I wanted to share with my friends and family. Every year, Vera and I would travel to different destinations, several times a year. I was always taking photos and making notes about these trips. Upon return, I was using my notes to create diaries and stories from the trips, but was unable to share my stories with anyone. In addition to these written stories, came digital photography era and need for easy photo sharing. Instead of developing photos and mailing them to my friends around the world, the idea was to post them on the web site, so everybody can see them, at their own time and pace. So, that’s how all this started…

Zkahlina.ca – English front page

The beginning
At the beginning I had to learn how this web business worked, and what is required to have my own personal web site. That’s when I started talking to people who knew more than I did and I was asking lots of questions. Soon after I registered my domain name, choose host provider and was ready to go.

In January 2009, I started the “Zdenko’s Corner” web site with the help from friend of mine Bobby Gorman. He already had experience working on other web sites, knew HTML code and wanted to learn WordPress. I on the other hand, wanted to learn everything, so it was a perfect match.

We designed a website that I thought would be cool – a place where fans like me could get info on traveling, retro cycling – beyond race results, and a little bit about my home city of Zagreb and city where I currently live Edmonton. 

Zdenko loves cycling

What the Hell Is Zdenko’s Corner?
Right from the beginning I knew what I didn’t want to write about. I didn’t want my site to turn into site that reports about the race results, daily news and similar stories. There are many sites that already do that. They have professionals who work every day, travel around and have enough time (and money) to be on top of all this.

I wanted to write about stuff that very few write about. Like about old heroes in cycling, or some old race stories from the time when I was still competing. Nobody ever wrote about the cycling in Croatia as well as about cycling here in Alberta. It’s a small sport in both countries. I also wanted to write about my home city of Zagreb, some unknown local stuff. Than I figured because I am living in Edmonton, that I should also write similar old stories about Edmonton. 

2009 – Awstats produces visual statistics about visitors of my site.

My first year…
That’s how all this started, and that’s what “Zdenko’s Corner” is all about. I admit I never had a clear idea that I would develop the range and depth of quality content blogs that I have, but I did have a desire to build it and see what happens.

The site looked cool – so I thought – even if I only had few blogs at the beginning. At the time, I was pulling in other site’s headlines and blogs from a third party provider as content – I knew it was lame, but I had to do something. So I began searching chat rooms and forums for other fans, who I thought might want a place to publish their comments. I found several friends and few bloggers and somehow convinced them to send me a few travel or cycling reports. I had no marketing budget, but thanks to the beauty of the web – readers started finding me.

Traffic grew slowly but steadily, ever since I started. I was creating new blogs and stories and closely monitoring visitors on my site. To give you some perspective – I had about 2,000 Unique Readers in May of 2009 and that number doubled by December. I was happy with this.

Zdenko on his bike

We Have Lift Off
Over the next twelve months traffic continued to grow and with it my responsibility about everything I was writing in the blogs. I now live and breathe thru my writing every day and most nights, and I’m still not (touch wood) bored by all this and someone please shoot me if I ever become “jaded” – I really do love it – and consider this the most fun and rewarding “job” I‘ve ever had.

The only disappointment came from the ones close to me – my friends, for whom I started this site in the beginning. They failed to show much interest in all this and judging on their luck of comments left on the site, they are not stopping by very often to read any of my stuff. But other than that, I’ve had many rewarding moments in the past three years, and have earned a place on the desktops of many readers all over the world. I gained enough credibility to be received well by most people I ask for interviews and a loyal readership that our advertisers want to connect with.

By doing all this I’ve met and work with the coolest people, get to see the best places in the world. I called up some interesting people for interviews, who were really surprised for my interest to write about them. I’ve received emails from all over the world, from people who read my blogs and had something to say. Some of them would send me links and other information that I needed at the time and some sent me books and magazines, to give me information I was still missing in my blogs. Incredible network of people – so, yup things were looking pretty good. 

2010 – Awstats produces visual statistics about visitors of my site.

I Deserve a Break Today
The following year I had even more ideas to write about, just not enough time. Vera and I traveled throughout Europe, Mexico and United States and I created lots of new blogs with beautiful pictures. I was receiving only positive comments about my blogs.

Since my site was bilingual from day one, once I had enough blogs on both languages I decided to split the site between to different languages. In January 2010 Bobby helped me to create Canadian and Croatian sites as separate entities. I still like the concept, but this change requires more work on my part, as some of the blogs had to be written on two different languages (like this one!).

That’s why we implemented “Translator” application in 2011, which will bring some international visitors to my site and help me save some time, by not being in position to write the same blog on two languages. Already, I have people visiting from countries like Brazil, Germany, Japan, China, Russia, Mexico and others. Top three countries on my visitors list are: U.S.A, Canada and Croatia, which is normal and expected.

Gotta Add Some Training Advice
This is something I wanted on the site from the very beginning, but this is area where I would certainly appreciate some help. I am still looking for a cyclist, possibly ex-rider, who would like to provide training and fitness articles for my site. Toolbox section is also awaiting some articles… Of course this would be a volunteer position as I don’t have resources to pay for this work.

There’s no way I could have done this myself, so my hat goes off to all the people who send their text and pictures to me, and all the sponsors and advertisers that still support me. Of course big thank you to all readers – who’ve supported me and continue to visit “Zdenko’s Corner” day after day. Thank you all very much. 

2011 – Awstats produces visual statistics about visitors of my site.

Future
This will be an awesome year at Zdenko’s Corner – I promise to bring you more of the content you won’t find on other sites – and if you see me somewhere, please say hello or at least leave a comment after reading and viewing my blogs.

I’m going to continue to use my site for travel blogging, writing about sport of cycling (my passion), and writing about my family and my heritage. This will include memories about my home town Zagreb and Croatia – country where I was born. This is fun for me, like biking. I take it seriously, but it’s still fun, and for me fun usually means dumb, so I can’t guarantee that anything here will actually be worth reading. I can promise to ramble, preach, moan, whine, comment, brag for no apparent reason, and normally not say anything of too much importance. So yeah, hope you enjoy and THANKS for reading. 

Camera is my tool when working on the blog

Milestones – Some Highlights of Zdenko’s Corner

• January 2009 – Zdenko’s Corner Launches
• April 2009 – For the first time reached more than 1,000 monthly visitors.
• December 2009 – After slow but steady traffic growth, readership reaches 5,000 monthly visitors and almost 200 published blogs.
• January 2010 – Site was split between Canadian (English) and Croatian blogs.
• September 2010 – Number of monthly visitors went over 10,000.
• December 2010 – Site continues to gain on popularity and by the end of the year I have record number of monthly visitors: more than 17,000 for two months in a row. I have published total of 378 blogs so far.
• January 2011 – Google AdSense was implemented as a first step to commercialize the site. In addition links to Facebook and other social sites were added to every blog, for visitors to select “Like” button and share the blog with others.
• January 2011 – Implemented Translator application on both web sites for more international audience.
• April 2011 – Commercial Ads were added to the header on the main page(s).
• April 2011 – Photo slide show of “Daily Distractions” Gallery was added to the main page on English side.
•  May 2011 – Gotta comment? Was added to each blog template.
• May 2011 – Contact tab was expanded with information how to become a sponsor and RSS feeds.
• May 2011 – Set up the daily distractions box on the Croatian side.
• December 2011 – Site continues to gain on popularity and by the end of this year I have record number of monthly visitors: more than 22,000 for several months in a row. I have published total of 378 blogs so far. Remember: this is still a one man operation!

Zdenko and wife Vera; his biggest support! 

At the end of another successful year, Zdenko thanks you for your support and for your reading. Best wishes to you, your family, friends and colleagues this Holiday Season. Merry Christmas and happy New year!

By Zdenko Kahlina
 
King of the Classics
Rik Van Looy was born on December 20, 1933. Nicknamed the “King of the Classics” or “Emperor of Herentals” (because he lived in the small Belgian city near the Dutch border), Rik Van Looy won just about every one-day race worth mentioning.

Rik Van Looy – King of the Classics

He was the first cyclist to win all five of cycling’s monuments (Paris-Roubaix, Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Tour of Flanders) for a total of eight victories in these races, including three wins in Paris-Roubaix. Van Looy won the Paris-Roubaix Classic in 1961, in front of Belgians Marcel Janssens and Rene Vanderveken, in 1962, in front of Belgians Emile Daems and Frans Schoubben, and in 1965, in front of Belgians Edward Sels and Willy Vannitsen.

Rik Van Looy world champion

Rik Van Looy winner of Paris -Roubaix

Van Looy was 2nd in 1963 behind Emile Daems of Belgium, and in 1967, behind Jan Janssen of Holland. Van Looy was also 3rd in 1958 behind Leon Van Daele of Belgium and Miguel Poblet of Spain. Van Looy won the 1958 Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders in 1959 and 1962, the Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 1961, the Tour of Lombardy in 1959. Van Looy won the 1960 World Championship Road Race in front of Andre Darrigade of France and Pino Cerami of Belgium. Van Looy also won the event in 1961, in front of Nino Defilippis of Italy and Raymond Poulidor of France.

Rik Van Looy was good sprinter

Van Looy was also 2nd in 1956 behind Rik Van Steenbergen of Belgium, and 2nd in 1963 behind Benoni Beheyt of Belgium.

In addition, Van Looy was 4th in 1957 behind Rik Van Steenbergen of Belgium, Louison Bobet of France, and Andre Darrigade of France.

In other one-day races, Van Looy won the Paris-Tours in 1959 and 1967, the Ghent-Wevelgem in 1956, 1957, and 1962, plus the Fleche Wallone in 1968.

Rik Van Looy with young Eddy Merckx (behind)

Rik Van Looy had to fight with young and talented Eddy Merckx

In the Grand Tours, Van Looy won the Points Jersey in the 1963 Tour de France and the Mountains Jersey in the 1960 Giro d’Italia.

In the Vuelta a Espana, Van Looy was 3rd in 1959 behind Antonio Suarez and Jose Segu of Spain, and was 3rd in 1965 behind Rolf Wolfshohl of Germany and Raymond Poulidor of France. Van Looy also won the Points Jerseys in those years as well. Van Looy’s career spanned eighteen seasons beginning at age 19 in late 1953 and ending at age 36 in 1970. During this time, he racked up an impressive 379 professional road victories.

Van Looy’s career was sandwiched between two other great Belgian riders: Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx.

In fact, Rik Van Looy may not have begun bicycle race had it not been that his name was so close to that of the then-current Belgian superstar, Rik Van Steenbergen.

Van Looy rode a heavy bicycle delivering newspapers where he was teased by neighbors because of his name being so close to the established star at the time. This taunting spurned him on to ride competitively.

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By: Zdenko Kahlina

IN MEMORIAM – One year anniversary JURE ROBIC (1965 – 2010)
Ultra-endurance competitions produced physical exhaustion, imaginary assailants.
Jure Robic, a long-distance bicyclist who won the grueling Race Across America five times and whose seemingly endless, sleep-eschewing stamina tested the limits of human endurance, died Sept. 24 2010, during a training ride when he collided with a car on a mountain road in Plavski Rovt, Slovenia, near his home in Jesenice. He was only 45 years old.

Primoz Kalisnik, a Slovenian journalist and a friend of Robic, said that the driver of the car, a 55-year-old local man who was not hurt, was not at fault and that Robic, who was going downhill on a mountain bike, may have been travelling as fast as 80 kilometers an hour on a narrow, winding stretch of unpaved road where it was impossible to see around the next bend. He was training for next month’s Crocodile Trophy mountain bike race in Australia, Kalisnik said.

Such a sad scene… Jure was driving down this road you see… and as far as I know, he was going really fast. So that car you see here (not police one) collided with Jure… and sadly as you already know…

Even in the circumscribed world of ultra-endurance athletes, Robic (his full name is pronounced YUR-eh ROHbich) was known for his willingness, or his ability — or both — to push his body to extremes of fatigue. Compared by other riders to a machine and known to friends as Animal (a seeming contradiction that nonetheless made sense), he once rode 835 kilometers in 24 hours, a world record.

Jure Robic (left) and his friend Marko Baloh

Jure and Marko

Jure with friends

One occasional feature of his training regimen, which included daily rides or other workouts stretching between six and 10 hours, was a 48-hour period without sleep: a 24-hour ride followed by a 12-hour break followed by a 12-hour workout. Play, a magazine about sports that appeared in The New York Times, reported in 2006 that Robic rode 45,000 kilometers — more than the circumference of the Earth — every year.

His five victories in the Race across America, an approximately 4,800-kilometre transcontinental ride that has been held annually since 1982, are unequalled. (The current course extends from Oceanside, Calif., to Annapolis, Md.)

Always surrounded with friends – Jure is on the right.

Jure (in the middle) at the start of the race

Unlike the Tour de France, the Race Across America is not a stage race; once it begins, there is no respite for riders until they give up or cross the finish line, so determining when and how long to sleep is the event’s primary strategic element. The winner generally sleeps less than two hours out of 24 and finishes in less than nine days (although Robic’s winning time this past June was a relatively lethargic 9 days, 46 minutes).

 Five victories in the Race across America – Jure Robic

In 2005, Robic won the race and two weeks later won Le Tour Direct, a 4,000-kilometre European version with a course derived from Tour de France routes that included 42,000 meters of climbing — almost the equivalent of starting at sea level and ascending Mount Everest five times. His time was 7 days, 19 hours.

Robic became accustomed to both the physical and mental stress that pushing himself to extremes brought on. In the later stages of long-distance races, feet swell as much as two sizes and thumb nerves go dull from the pressure of hands on handlebars. Robic told Daniel Coyle, the Play magazine reporter, that for weeks after the Race Across America, he had to use two hands to turn a key.

“Don’t even ask about the derriere,” Coyle wrote. “When I did, Robic pantomimed placing a gun in his mouth and pulling the trigger.”

Jure Robic legs

The mental anguish may be worse. As each race went on, Robic’s temper grew shorter and occasionally exploded. He was prone to hallucinations. More than once he leaped off his bicycle to do battle with threatening attackers who turned out to be mailboxes. Once he imagined he was being pursued by men with black beards on horseback — mujahedeen, he explained to his support team, who encouraged him to ride faster and keep ahead of them.

In 2003, the first time Robic entered the Race Across America, finishing second, Kalisnik volunteered to work on his team and was stunned by the changes the event wrought in Robic’s demeanor.

“We were just a group of guys helping a friend,” Kalisnik said. “We discovered someone we were absolutely afraid of.”

Jure Robic was ultra-endurance athlete

Robic knew this about himself. “In race, everything inside me comes out,” he said. “Good, bad, everything. My mind, it begins to do things on its own. I do not like it, but this is the way I must go to win the race.”

Robic was born in Jesenice on April 10, 1965. From 1988 to 1994, he was a member of the Slovenian national cycling team, and until recently he was a soldier in the Slovenian army, a member of its athletic corps, which allowed him to train full time. (Among other methods employed during races to penetrate Robic’s numbing exhaustion and motivate him, his crew members, riding in a van behind him, sometimes blared Slovenian military music through a loudspeaker.)

Robic’s marriage ended in divorce; he is survived by a half-brother and a son. A brother, Saso, a former professional skier, committed suicide earlier this year.

R.I.P.

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Source: Cyclingnews.com
 
The Giro’s first superstar
Alfredo Binda was the first multiple Giro d’Italia champion, securing five victories between 1925 and 1933 that redefined the way stage races were ridden. As the Giro celebrates its centenary edition Cyclingnews’ Les Clarke takes a look at Binda’s impressive record of overall triumphs that wasn’t broken for 20 years.

Alfredo Binda redefined the way stage races – Photo ©: AFP

Handsome, rugged and talented, Alfredo Binda was undoubtedly the first superstar of the Giro d’Italia. A popular rider, Binda essentially became the archetypal modern stage racer way before his time. The legacy he left cycling with was his ability to combine the strength of a one-day Classics rider with an incredible climbing prowess.

Three road world championship titles, five Giro wins, two Milan-Sanremo crowns and four Giro di Lombardia victories all indicate the immense capabilities Binda possessed. His record of overall Giro titles wasn’t beaten until another legendary Italian rider, Fausto Coppi, took his fifth title in 1953.

It was Binda’s climbing ability that netted him 41 Giro stage wins, a record eclipsed only by Mario Cipollini in Montecatini during the 2003 edition of the Giro. It was ironic that a sprinter achieved that feat, although Cipo’s joy in breaking the record is testament to the esteem in which all of Italy’s generations of professional cyclists hold Binda.

“I never thought I could break (Binda’s) record. I’m a champion in the sprint and I can’t be compared with champions like Merckx and Binda… but at 36 years old I tried to do my best,” said an emotional Cipollini on May 19, 2003. It’s apt that ‘Super Mario’ was the man to break the mark – both men were mercurial professionals, able to charm the Italian public both on and off the bike.

It wasn’t until 2003 that Mario Cipollini beat  – Photo ©: AFP 

Binda was born in Cittiglio, Varese, seven years before the first Giro d’Italia was held. Just 23 years later he would become the race’s 13th champion; the 1925 Giro was the first of his five titles over a 12-year period. The dominant nature of his career gave rise to an interesting anecdote that was as unprecedented as his amazing 1927 Giro victory.

Directors of Gazetta Dello Sport, in their capacity as Giro d’Italia organisers, offered him money not to race the 1930 edition. His commanding performances had led to a drop in the public’s interest, and with Italy’s Grand Tour still a relatively new event, its immediate future may have been at stake.

A cash payment of 22,000 lira – a very princely sum in those days – ensured that Binda stayed away from the 1930 edition of the Giro. Can you imagine Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) telling Lance Armstrong not to ride the Tour de France after he had won his fourth title? It’s another chapter in what was an amazing story for one of Italy’s favorite cycling sons.

He was back to his finest in the 1933 race, taking his fifth and final Giro title. The benchmark has only been equaled by two other riders – Eddy Merckx and Fausto Coppi – two of the all-time greats that sit with Binda in the highest branches of the cycling tree.

Binda died on July 19, 1986 and the Cittiglio native is still revered amongst Italian cycling fans. He has a high-profile race, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, held in his hometown, a distinct sign of respect for riders who have made a significant impact on the sport in Italy.

Alfredo Binda 

1925 – Numero uno
Given the limited technological developments in the sport, and the nature of the parcours, the 1925 Giro d’Italia was a race of attrition like few others. With 126 riders making the start in Milan and only 39 finishing in the same city on June 7, just surviving the 12-stage, 3,613km journey was an achievement.

Binda managed it in 137 hours 31 minutes and 13 seconds. The gap of 4:58 to runner up Costante Girardengo was relatively small considering the race circumstances, although there was in excess of two-and-a-half hours separating first and 10th place.

Alfredo Binda 

1927 – The biggest
Having finished second in 1926, Binda’s 1927 Giro performance can be summarized in two words: utterly dominant. He made it to the finish in Milan with an advantage of 27:24 after 3,758km of racing. After taking out the opening 288km stage from Milan to Turin, Binda led the race from start to finish in a display that was unprecedented.

His feat that year has never been repeated since. It’s unlikely that it ever will.

With the shortest stage measuring 153km and the average stage length a whopping 250km it was another incredibly tough race. Of the 266 starters, 80 finished on June 6 for an even greater attrition rate than the 1925 edition. The 1926 winner Giovanni Brunero finished as runner up to Binda, although it was nearing the end of Brunero’s peak and Binda was rapidly becoming the nation’s finest rider. His Giro performance exemplified this perfectly.

1928 – Equaling the best

Alfredo Binda inspired the likes of Faema’s Eddy Merckx -Photo ©: AFP

Binda’s main rival until the 1928 Giro, Giovanni Brunero, had secured his third Giro d’Italia crown in 1926. Just two years later Binda had equaled the achievement in a style not seen by cycling fans before.

In a manner similar to his 1927 victory, Binda took the race lead on the fourth of 12 stages and held it to the finish in Milan. In the process he managed to secure seven stage victories and rode in the commanding style fans were becoming accustomed to seeing from the 26-year-old.

A new rival emerged for Binda during the 1928 Giro – Domenico Piemontesi. He took the first maglia rosa and five stages, but didn’t make it into the top 10 when the race finished. Much in the style of the Merckx-Poulidor battles that took place several decades later, Binda overshadowed Piemontesi’s immense talent and he never shone as brightly in another Giro as he did in the 1928 edition.

Alfredo Binda  

1929 – Time for a new record
Again it was a Binda – Piemontesi showdown, and this time the underdog came close to upsetting the favourite and three-time champion. A gap of only 3:44 overall when the race finished in Milan displayed Piemontesi’s improved consistency, despite only winning one stage in Parma.

Like the great champions he would inspire to success in the years to come, Binda managed to overcome the challenge offered by his closest rival to win eight stages and again hold onto the maglia rosa from stage four in Potenza to Milan on June 9.

With his victory came Binda’s place amongst the immortals of the sport, something that has endured until the present day. He wasn’t finished yet, however, although backroom deals done with Giro organizers (see above) meant he didn’t return to defend his title the following year.

Alfredo Binda fixing a flat tire 

1933 – Bellissimo
A seventh place in the 1932 edition of the Giro was no way for Binda to end his participations in Italy’s grandest race. He was back to the pointy end of proceedings in 1933 and up against Domenico Piemontesi once more.

Proving how irrepressible his talent was and what an insurmountable task it was to beat him, Binda overcame Belgian Joseph Demuysere by 12:34 in Milan. Piemontesi took another podium back in third.

Although the stage lengths began to look more like those of modern Grand Tours, eight of the 17 days in the saddle lasted longer than 200km. Binda took the final monster stage of 284km from Bolzano to Milan, adding that to his wins in the second, eighth, ninth, 10th and 13th stages.

It was another amazing performance from a man who dominated the Giro nearly every time he rode it. Binda would be considered in his prime by modern standards when he retired at the age of 31, although with his status as a legend of the sport confirmed he could end his career on a definite high.

Alfredo Binda – Picture courtesy of Geert Dessein.

Alfredo Binda was born in the village of Cittiglio near Varese, Italy on August 11, 1902. He was born in Italy, but was raised in Nice, France.

Binda was a keen cyclist in his youth and used to ride on the track in Pont Magnam, France.

Binda was good on the track, but better in the mountains. He was a born climber.

Binda’s claims to fame is that he was the first cyclist to win the Giro d’Italia five times, the current record, and the first cyclist to win the World Championship Road Race three times, the current record, including the inaugural event in 1927.

Binda was the first rider to win the Giro d’Italia – World Championship Road Race in one year. He did this in 1927.

Binda won the 1925 Giro d’Italia in front of Costante Girardengo and Giovanni Brunero of Italy.

Binda won the 1927 Giro d’Italia in front of Giovanni Brunero and Antonio Negrini of Italy.

Binda won the 1928 Giro d’Italia in front of Giuseppe Pancera and Bartolomeo Aymo of Italy.

Binda won the 1929 Giro d’Italia in front of Domenico Piemontesi and Leonida Frascarelli of Italy.

Binda won the 1933 Giro d’Italia in front of Joseph Demuysere of Belgium and Domenico Piemontesi of Italy.

Binda was also 2nd in 1926 Giro d’Italia behind Giovanni Brunero of Italy.

Binda won 41 stages in the Giro d’Italia including 12 in the 1927 race alone, the current record.

Binda also won the first Mountains Jersey competition which was held in the 1933 Giro d’Italia.

The Giro d’Italia didn’t hold the Point Jersey competition until 1966. Binda would have probably won most of these as well.

Binda could have possibly won more Giro d’Italia titles, but was paid the prize money he would have won not ride in 1930 because the organizers were worried that it would kill public interest if he won again.

Binda’s other claim to fame was that he was the first cyclist to win three World Championship Road Race titles.

Binda won the inaugural World Championship Road Race, which was held in 1927, in front of Costante Girardengo of Italy and Domenico Piemontesi of Italy.

Binda won the 1930 World Championship Road Race in front of Learco Uerra of Italy and Georges Ronsse of Belgium.

Alfredo Binda world shampion – Picture courtesy of www.memoire-du-cyclisme.net

Alfredo Binda world shampion -Picture courtesy of www.terra.es

Binda won the 1932 World Championship Road Race in front of Remo Bertoni of Italy and Nicolas Frantz of Luxembourg. Binda was also 3rd in the 1929 World Championship Road Race behind Georges Ronsse of Belgium and Nicolas Frantz of Luxembourg.

In addition, Binda won the Tour of Lombardy Classic four times, in 1925, 1926, 1927, and 1931. Binda also won the Milan-San Remo Classic in 1929 and 1931. Possibly one of Binda’s greatest moments in cycling occurred after he was retired. As coach, he had to mediate between Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali when they were riding on the Italian team in the Tour de France.

Binda died on January 1, 1986.

——————————————————————————————————————-

Soon, he would become my first cycling idol (next one was Eddy Merckx), because that same year I started to ride my own bicycle. But this is a story about Jacques Anquetil… the legend!

Jacques Anquetil

Picture courtesy of www.img.stern.de

Jacques Anquetil was born on January 8, 1934. He died on November 18, 1987.

Anquetil was the pre-eminent stage race and time trial rider of his day, and was the first to win five victories in the Tour de France.

Anquetil was also the first rider to win all three Grand Tours (Tour de France five times, Giro d’Italia twice, Vuelta a Espana once). His total of eight Grand Tour victories is third behind Eddy Merckx (11) and Bernard Hinault (10).

Anquetil was also 3rd in the Tour de France once, 2nd in the Giro d’Italia twice, and 3rd in the Giro d’Italia twice. Anquetil won the Tour de France – Vuelta a Espana double in 1963 (the first rider to do so) and the Tour de France – Giro d’Italia double (the second rider after Fausto Coppi to do so) in 1964.

Anquetil won one of the cycling’s monuments, the Liege-Bastogne-Liege. He also won the Ghent-Wevelgem, and finished second and fifth in the World Championships Road Race.

In addition to the CyclingHallofFame.com designated races, Anquetil won the most prestigious time trial of the year, the Grand Prix des Nations, a record nine times, the first one in 1953 at age 19, and his last in 1966 at age 32. Anquetil also won the Paris-Nice stage race five times.

In all, Anquetil won an impressive 200 road races during his career.

Anquetil claimed that his sole aim was to make money in cycling and he chose his targets carefully to maximize his value.

During the height of his career, the French public viewed him as an emotionless machine and often sided with his beaten rivals, such as Raymond Poulidor who was nicknamed “The Eternal Second”.

His popularity wasn’t what it should have been because the French public found him too distant. It was thought that most of his wins were the result of his time trialing expertise, not necessarily by grit and determination.

Anquetil was also a known partier and consumer of fine wines and fine foods, as the next story illustrates.

Picture courtesy of www.membres.lycos.fr

Anquetil left, Poulidor right on the Puy de Dome during the 1964 Tour de France, picture courtesy of www.deblauwe.org

On the rest day in Andorra during the 1964 Tour de France, Anquetil feasted on a slab of roast lamb while the other riders were out for an easy ride and a day of rest.

The next day Anquetil was dropped on the first climb and was behind the leaders of the stage by over four minutes. Only after drinking a champagne-filled water bottle did his stomach troubles subside and allow him to rejoin the leaders after a considerable chase.

Later in the 1964 Tour, on a stage up the Puy de Dome, Anquetil and Poulidor had a showdown. Poulidor was normally a much better climber than Anquetil. This being the last major climb in the Tour, with Anquetil holding roughly a minute advantage over Poulidor, Anquetil bluffed Poulidor and rode side by side with Anquetil matching the better climber, Poulidor, with each turn of the pedal.

Anquetil finally cracked and Poulidor beat Anquetil by roughly forty seconds. The only decisive stage left in the race was a time trial which Anquetil easily won and stretched his lead over Poulidor by 55 seconds.

Anquetil retired in 1969 at age 35, and died from stomach cancer in on November 18, 1987 at age 53.

By: Zdenko Kahlina
New location!
One of the oldest bicycle shops in Edmonton moved this year to its new location. After more than 30 years residing on 101 Avenue, at the east end of the city, current shop’s owner Calvin Berube moved the shop further south at Argyll Road, as part of the growing process when they needed more show room space.  

New location: 9833 – 63 Avenue, Edmonton
 

This move prompted me to pay visit to the original owner of the Velocity Cycle Shop – Joe Zombor, who originally started this bike shop back in 1981. Joe has retired few years ago and is riding his bicycle when the weather permits. He is also very active ping-pong player and still plays three times a week.
 
I met Joe Zombor in 1989, when I was new in Edmonton. He was the first person introduced to me in Edmonton cycling community. Right away I knew he was an honest person who liked cycling the same way I did. Joe invited me to join Velocity Cycling Club and connect with Edmonton cycling, which I did. Since than I always had high respect for him. When I called him for this interview, he was surprised, but didn’t send me away. Instead he invited me to his home where we chatted for more than two hours. 

Velocity Cycle shop at old location 

About Joe – original owner of the Velocity Cycle shop
Joe Zombor was born in Hungary in 1935. He lived in the capital city Budapest, where he was growing up as a teenager. In his youth he raced on his bike from 1953 until 1960. His main goal was to get into the national team, to get opportunity to travel outside of Hungary and immigrate to the west. At the time Hungary was under the Russian iron grip and the living was hard.
 
He progressed from junior level all the way to the first class senior rider. In the mid 50s he was recruited in the Hungarian army for almost two years (1955-1956). Joe was a finished typesetter by profession. Than one day, the opportunity finally came and Kathy and Joe moved to Canada, because his brother George was already here. At that time he left his trade and began working in the print shop, together with his wife Kathy. 

Joe Zombor with the original Velocity Cycling Club jersey made of wool.

 They both worked night shift for several years and didn’t like it. He noticed that Edmonton had only few bike shops, not nearly enough for the growing cycling community. He always dreamed about working in the high level bike shop, which would sell high quality top level 10-speed bikes and other cycling equipment. In the early 70s bike business was blooming in Edmonton. He started to look for the opportunity and purchase one established bike shop to start a business on his own.
 
Once during the visit to South side Cycle & Sports shop, he met the owner (John Dawns) who was trying to sell his business. The price was too high and Joe didn’t make purchase at that time. He waited for several years before he noticed a small add in a daily paper, that this same store was on bankruptcy sale. Joe and Kathy submitted their offer and waited. In November 1978 someone from trustee called them and informed them that their offer was accepted. And like they say, the rest was history. They finally owned their own business.
 
Pretty soon Kathy also quit her job at the print shop and both of them started working in their new bike shop, named “Velocity Cycle” shop. The shop stayed on 101 Avenue until the end of last year.
 
Since cycling was in Joe’s blood, he always had idea of having a cycling club associated with his store. In the seventies there were only two cycling clubs in Edmonton: Nameo Cycling Club and ERTC of Edmonton. Couple of years later, in 1981 Joe have had started new Velocity Cycling Club in his store with the help from several bike enthusiasts from that time. First names that pop in his mind are the Willberg brothers (Chris and Karl). 
 

Joe and Kathy were once again organizing cycling event

 Velocity Cycle store was not only about cycling. They were selling hockey equipment, and Kathy was telling me, how they had to learn in a hurry all the names for hockey equipment and parts. Soon the news about good customer service in the new Velocity store spread through the city and the business was blooming. They even learnt to sharpen kids skates and became one of the best in town.
 
The store was providing job opportunities for others as well, because it was doing so well. One of the first people who joined Joe and Kathy was Randy Murchison. Their personalities worked well together and soon after Randy purchased half of the business from them to become their business partner.

Joe with Randy Murchison – ex co-owners of the Velocity Cycle store 

Joe Zombor was involved in Edmonton cycling on many levels, not only through the store. As mentioned before, he founded the Velocity Cycling club. In addition, Joe was also one of the first members of the Edmonton Veterans Cycling Association, which was started in 1986. The first meeting of the Edmonton Veterans Cycling Association was held on June 16, 1986 at the Italian Cultural Centre. Of the nine people in attendance that day, only Joe Zombor is still a member. The EMCC arose from the perceived need for age-related bicycle racing in Alberta.

Velocity Cycling Club members with Joe
 
For the Velocity Cycling club, Joe was helping organize bike races and purchase first club jerseys with his own money. He was always committed to the club and racing. For some races, he would also purchase medals and other prices, as cycling never had enough sponsorship that would provide all those things for riders. Joe and Kathy sponsored several Cabotto criterium races in the area of Little Italy in Edmonton. Joe remembers how in 1982 and 1983 he sponsored club junior team to travel to Colorado (USA) and made their appearance in the Red Zinger cycling stage race.
Joe and Kathy sold their store in 1995 as they wanted to retire. They still visit the store when ever they can, but it appears that these days they have less free time than before.  

Velocity Cycle store – new location at 9833 – 63 Avenue

 
Grand Reopening and Win Your Ride 
Well, this was little bit about the history of the Velocity Cycle store and who started it. Now the store has a new owner – Calvin Berube, and they just moved to a new location (9833 – 63 Avenue).
Calvin is young enthusiastic entrepreneur from Edmonton, who purchased this store several years ago from Randy Murchison. He was also successful bike rider in his youth and he even won 2002 Western Canadian Championships and was second in 2002 Canadian Championships the same year.

These days they are getting settled in, more and more as time goes by. The mechanic shop is fully open for business, the bike fit studio has been busy, and they draw nearer each day to unveiling the new look on their website.  For them it’s been great to welcome all the new and familiar faces in their new home.
 

No more exclusive Marinoni shop – they have lots of Giant bikes  
So, mark your calendars for their Grand Reopening, which will take place April 1-2.  April 1 will feature Breakfast Television live on location!  You can find the event on Facebook here.

In addition, on Saturday April 2nd, you will have the chance to Win Your Ride.  All bikes bought from the day they opened new doors on February 1st, 2011 to the end of this Grand Reopening event will be eligible.  They will draw a name at random and one lucky customer will win back the purchase price of their bike!

Big new show room and huge selection of bikes

 Big new show room and huge selection of bikes

New show room is fully stocked with bikes  

Welcome to the NEW Velocity Cycling Club location!

 So, when the bike shop moved, the associated Velocity Cycling Club moved too. Velocity Cycling Club is an Edmonton based cycling club that was founded in 1981 by Joe Zombor – the original owner of the Velocity Cycling Store.

During its infancy, the club was primarily a racing team with an emphasis on road and track racing; however, over the years the club has broadened its focus to include BMX, cyclo-cross, and triathlon.

Today, Velocity Cycling Club is one of the largest clubs in the province with cyclists ranging from the weekend enthusiast to provincial and national champions. They have a group of dedicated, enthusiastic volunteers on the executive committee. Their goal is to have a cohesive, team-oriented club with an undying penchant for the big ring.

Velocity is committed to promoting the sport of cycling at all levels and abilities and hosts several well attended events throughout the year including: the Ardrossan Stage Race, the Shishkebob Track Event; the annual Harvest Ride and Anniversary Ride; various BMX and road skills camps, and winter spin class sessions. They participate in Alberta Bicycle Association sanctioned races throughout the province as well as the local Tuesday Night Race Series and Master’s Racing Series (for members 30 years of age or older). Additionally, they are members of the Argyll Velodrome Association and Edmonton BMX Association which provides members with access to the local velodrome and BMX tracks throughout the riding season.

Velocity club members in front of the old store  in 2006 – ready to ride

Velocity Cycling Club members in 1985

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Velocity Cycling Club, come on out and join club members for one of their weekend recreational rides or their winter spin class sessions. For more information, check out their Membership Sign Up form on their website.

By Paula Findlay 
 
Winning Ways
Tara Whitten, ’07 bsc, winner of a gold and three bronze medals at the 2010 commonwealth games in India, takes a break from training for the 2011 track cycling world cup to talk with third-year student and fellow athlete Paula Findlay.

You’ve had lots of successes in cycling, but this is actually a relatively new sport to you. When did you start competing seriously?

I first got on a track bike in 2005, but I was still cross-country skiing competitively, so it wasn’t until July of 2007 that I started doing it seriously.

What made you switch?

I had some success in skiing, but I wasn’t consistently successful on the international team, and I felt like I was still a ways from that point. So I started cycling just for fun, and everything moved really quickly.

What do you like so much about cycling?

It has a bit of everything. You need a lot of speed and power and endurance, but you also need to be smart and have tactical sense. And things happen quickly so you have to have fast reactions. It’s exciting.

Is there anything you don’t like about it?

There can be crashes. I don’t like crashes.

Have you had many?

No, I’ve been lucky. But I’ve seen some nasty ones, and it’s a little bit scary.

Do you have any regrets about leaving cross-country skiing, especially after seeing the Vancouver 2010 Olympics?

Well, I do miss skiing and I miss winter because right now I spend my winters training in Los Angeles. But I was just really excited to see the people I knew doing so well, and I feel like I’m in the right sport. I know I’ll be more competitive in London than I might have been had I qualified for Vancouver.

Tara Whitten (Canada) in action during the qualifying rounds of the women’s individual pursuit.

Did you participate in a lot of different sports growing up?

I was very active when I was young. My family is very active. My dad actually competed in mountain biking when I was growing up, and we followed him to races around the province. We did a lot of mountain biking as a family, we went on canoe trips and ski trips, but cross-country skiing was the first thing that I did competitively.

Were you training on the cross-country national team while an undergrad at the U of A?  

Yes, on and off. The first few years of my undergrad I was on the junior national team, so I would miss quite a bit of school for competitions, but it was manageable. When I made the transition to being a senior skier I decided to move to Canmore and train full-time, so I took four years off school. Then one year I didn’t make the national team, so I came back to Edmonton and continued to ski and finish my undergrad.

How did you balance the demanding training schedule with a heavy school load?

There were certain semesters that I knew would be more of a challenge, so I would take maybe three or four courses instead of a full load.

Tara Whitten (left), Lyne Bessette and Julia Bradley.

Was there any way in which your education contributed to your sporting career?

Oh, I think so. Because I was doing both school and sport I learned how to be very efficient, which I think has helped me as an athlete and in everything that I do. And, on top of that, being a scientist influences the way I think about training. I’m very analytical about my training. I always want to understand why I’m doing something, and I think that’s really helped me to define my training and to be very methodical about how I approach it.

Women’s Omnium world champ… Tara Whitten, CAN(gold), Elizabeth Armistead, GB(silver), Leire Olaberria, ESP(bronze)

You’re currently in the middle of a PhD at the U of A. What are you studying?

I’m studying neuroscience in an electrophysiology lab in the psychology department with Dr. Clayton Dickson. I’m looking at rhythmic electrical activity in a particular area of the brain — the hippocampus — during sleep-like states. But I’m putting it on hold for two years as I prepare for the London Olympics.

Why is L.A. your training base for the Olympics?

Because track cycling internationally is held on indoor 250-metre wood tracks, and we don’t have any of those in Canada at the moment — although Edmonton is trying very hard to get one. For now, L.A. has the only international-standard velodrome in North America.

What does a typical training day look like for you leading up to a big competition?  

Maybe two-to-three weeks out I’ll be training twice a day with high intensity workouts, mostly on the track, just trying to overload a little bit. Then I’ll taper down in the last 10 days or so leading up to the competition.

Does cross-country skiing still play into your training schedule?

I don’t do a lot of cross-training, actually. When I go back home, I ski a little bit, but not a lot.

What do you do in your down time? Do you ever just hop on your bike and go for a ride?

Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of down time. When I do I try to just rest and recover and do normal things like go out for dinner and see movies with my friends, maybe go camping or something. I don’t do much biking in my free time. Last summer, I went mountain biking with my parents in Moab, Utah, and I broke my elbow.

Tara Whitten wins omnium gold at World Cup.

You’re primarily a track cyclist, but you recently won a gold medal in the road time trial at the Commonwealth Games. Is there a big difference between racing on the track and on the road? Which do you prefer?

I prefer the track, but I really enjoy the time trial on the road as well because it’s actually really similar to the kind of racing I was used to as a skier. The time trial for women usually lasts 30-45 minutes, which is right in the range of the typical event in cross-country skiing. And it’s just you and your bike on the road, which is something I like. But because road racing and track racing are different seasons, I am able to do both.

What are your plans for after London 2012?

Well, I have about two years left in my PhD, so I’d really like to go back and finish it.

Would you try to compete in Rio in 2016? Or maybe you’d like to try a different sport?

At a certain point there are other things I want to do in my life, but at the same time I love competing and training, so it’s hard to say.

Interviewer Paula Findlay is working on her undergraduate degree in science at the U of A and hopes to pursue a career in medicine. She is a Canadian national team triathlete, who recently won back-to-back World Championship Series races in London and Kitzbühel, Austria, and is currently ranked fifth in the world. Next up on her schedule is a World Cup race in Australia in March.

Tara Whitten of Canada wins the gold medal in the Women’s Omnium Final at the Laoshan Velodrom during day three of the 2010-2011 UCI Track Cycling World Cup on January 23, 2011 in Beijing, China.

By Zdenko Kahlina
 
The popular Italian racer and Paris-Roubaix specialist was killed last year in a racecar crash.
If the measure of a man is the pit of grief that remains when he is gone, the 48 hours after Franco Ballerini’s trafgic death in a rally car accident on 7^th of February, 2010 were a worthy homage to one of pro cycling’s undisputed nice guys.

Franco Ballerini rides to victory at Paris-Roubaix in 1998.

The loss of Franco Ballerini is not one that will be forgotten anytime soon. The sport’s best are at a loss and two of the greatest riders of our generation, Mario Cipollini and Paolo Bettini, are lamenting the loss of a brother. That Sunday morning, the news in Italy spread of Ballerini’s sudden death after a car he was co-piloting crashed in a rally race in the Tuscany area of Italy. Ballerini was only 45.

According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport at the time, Ballerini, was competing in the rally within the municipality of Larciano as a navigator for pilot Alessandro Ciardi when their vehicle left the road and crashed. Both were rushed to nearby Pistoia Hospital where despite the efforts of doctors Ballerini passed away soon afterwards.

Much like French downhill ski champion Luc Alphond, he started racing Rally-style automobiles on the side. On several occasions he even teamed up with Bettini, who retired himself in 2008.

For any fan of cycling’s epic Paris-Roubaix classic, Italian Franco Ballerini was a mythic figure. Few riders in the sport are ever so identified with the great cobblestone classic.

As a pillar of the mighty Mapei Armada in the 1990s, Ballerini was a constant force on the team that won Paris-Roubaix most years. On three occasions, the team finished one, two, and three.

He quickly became the Italian national professional men’s road coach and was in charge of the team that won the rainbow jersey with Mario Cipollini in 2002, Paolo Bettini in 2006 and 2007, and most recently with Alessandro Ballan in Varese in 2008. Paolo Bettini also won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics under Ballerini’s management.

Franco Ballerini’s death has caused sorrow not only in his native Italy, but also in Belgium, where he rode for Mapei in the 1990s. He had his biggest successes with the team, winning Paris-Roubaix in 1995 and 1998 and two if his ex-teammates and one of his former bosses have spoken about their memories of the man.

Salzburg (Austria) 2008 – Italian team with Ballerini

Giro d’Italia 2009 - Ballerini with Basso

He had chances to win even more. In 1993 he lost by less than a tire’s width in a final sprint with Frenchman Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle. In 1996, after making the initial break with his teammates Johan Museeuw, Gianluca Bortolami and Andrea Tafi, he punctured and watched as his three teammates rolled on to their first Paris-Roubaix triple.

Patrick Lefevere, head of Team Quick Step, was Directeur Sportif at Mapei during Ballerini’s time with the team. “He had a tremendous physique, but it was difficult for him to win,” Lefevere told sporza. “When he came to Mapei, Ballerini was a fierce attacker who didn’t think much. We had to do a lot of tactical tweaking.”

Lefevere continued: “I remember Paris-Roubaix in 1993. Ballerini went for the win, but did something wrong and finished second behind Duclos-Lasalle. And in 1996 he had a flat tyre, otherwise Mapei would have had the top four places.” Ballerini finished fifth.

Franco Ballerini: One Race Is One Man’s Legacy

The loss of Franco Ballerini is not one that will be forgotten anytime soon. The sport’s best are at a loss and two of the greatest riders of our generation, Mario Cipollini and Paolo Bettini, are lamenting the loss of a brother. In this painful time, Peter Easton takes a second look at the man and the race that defined his career.

Contributed by: Peter Easton

In 1980, Frenchman Gilbert Duclos-Lasalle finished 2nd to former World Champion Francesco Moser in Paris-Roubaix. The 25 year old Duclos-Lasalle withstood constant attacks from the Italian in the closing stages before finally conceding. Sometimes steely resolve alone cannot change the course of history. While Moser went on to win his third consecutive Queen of the Classics by nearly two minutes, Duclos-Lasalle would come up empty as a Paris-Roubaix favorite for another eleven years.

While each year his target was victory, what he did not plan was how his destiny would be written, from being second best in his youth to the oldest winner in history. While one victory is enough for many, Duclos-Lasalle said he still felt the desire to race, and to win, and to prove his point, he defended his title in 1993. The man he beat that April Sunday was Franco Ballerini.

Clearly the stronger rider, the 27 year old Ballerini was outwitted in the sprint by the more experienced Frenchman. The photo finish declared Duclos-Lasalle a winner by eight centimeters. After having raised his arms in triumph, Ballerini was inconsolable as second best. When asked by a reporter if he had made any errors, a distraught Ballerini replied “yes, I made the mistake of becoming a bike racer.”

In the 1990 Paris-Roubaix, Steve Bauer lost to Eddy Planckaert in a photo finish. He never came close to winning Paris-Roubaix again. Each year is a new opportunity for a rider to start with a clean slate, to change their history, to rewrite their fate in the record books. A rider can cement his legacy, or create one, with one historic ride across the stones that connect Compiegne to Roubaix. Paris-Roubaix does not need to rely on poetry to market itself.

It lays dormant all but one day a year, rising up the second Sunday of every April to mock those riders who avoid it, and unleash a storm of brutality on those who dare tread on it. It is often said that to win Paris-Roubaix you need to rely on good luck and pray you don’t suffer from bad luck. But what of the man who is unsatisfied with his legacy? What if he consciously decides it is up to him to change his destiny, luck or not, and redefine his place in history?

After his narrow defeat, how many nights did Franco Ballerini lay in bed staring at the ceiling, wondering if he had what it took to face Roubaix again, and would he ever have another shot at victory. He could hear the demons whispering, asking him what he would do the next time he flats at a crucial moment, or finds himself in the winning break. What if you have to sprint for victory again, Franco?

Is luck, good and bad, just a part of Roubaix, or do the real champions develop a mindful approach and create that winning scenario in their head, turning disaster into victory? How many times can tactics be second guessed, strength analyzed, and weaknesses criticized when missing out on what at the time may seem like your one chance at etching your name into history. Would the sport forever remember Franco Ballerini’s 2nd place photo finish as his almost moment?

In 1995, the Mapei-GB team had an all-star roster at the start of Paris-Roubaix that included Johan Museeuw, fresh off his second win in the Tour of Flanders and the undisputed captain; Andrea Tafi was beginning to show signs of strength that would net him victories in Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders, the Giro di Lombardia and Paris-Tours over the next eight seasons; Gianluca Bortolami was the defending World Cup champion and Wilfried Peeters was the ever faithful lieutenant. Ballerini had woken from his nightmare and managed to finish 3rd in the 1994 Paris-Roubaix, and was again looking for his shot at redemption.

He seized his moment on this day, and rose above the mental blocks and the nightmares of two years earlier. He took control of the race, and his destiny. I remember receiving the first issue of VeloNews following his victory. A glorious photo of Ballerini graced the cover, alone in the dust and on the cobbles, on his way to cementing his legacy in a race he had dreamt of winning since he watched Francesco Moser on TV in 1980.

Perhaps there is some analogy to be taken from this, some higher meaning. Can riding this course that we know as l’Enfer du Nord be considered a redemptive pilgrimage, an annual penance through purgatory? Each sector methodically removes more sin, the suffering across the minefields slowly purifying the rider until reaching the holy waters of the Roubaix velodrome, the vestige of its winners glistening from the stalls where the finishers weep. After this symbolic cleansing, are we not now ready to face any challenge? Perhaps, but I don’t think so. Even the devil has a hard time glorifying hell.

When Ballerini rode his final race in 2001, it was fittingly Paris-Roubaix, and it was for Mapei. He finished 32nd, 8:13 behind winner Servais Knaven. As he crossed the finish line in the Roubaix velodrome, he unzipped his jersey to reveal his undershirt that read “Merci Roubaix”. This was his chance to say goodbye, to thank his supporters, those who never lost faith that he would return and win, to those who felt the heartbreak of those eight centimeters.

He had been to hell and back, had felt the heartbreak of losing, and ultimately seized the chance at rewriting history in the race that would ultimately come to define his career as a rider. His untimely death has taken away the opportunity to say goodbye to him, to thank him and to let him know we never lost faith in him. For me, the legacy is Franco Ballerini, 2-time winner of Paris-Roubaix. And that is forever. Merci, Franco.

Peter Easton heads up VeloClassic Tours, but more than that, he’s a steward of cycling history, a vast deposit of cycling knowledge. With that knowledge comes a unique perspective, a greatly valued perspective. Thanks for the tale, Mr. Easton.

Ballerini at Paris-Roubaix
34th (1989)
19th (1990)
5th (1991)
11th (1992)
2nd (1993)
3rd (1994)
1st (1995)
5th (1996)
24th (1997)
1st (1998)
11th (1999)
8th (2000)
32nd (2001)

Teams
Magniflex (1986 and 1987)
Del Tongo (1988)
Malvor (1989)
Del Tongo (1990 and 1991)
GB-MG-Maglificio (1992 and 1993)
Mapei (1994 1998)
Lampre (1999 and 2000)
Mapei (2001)

From: Italian Cycling Journal, posted by Angelo Senza
Remember Claudio Chiappucchi? This is a short story about him and what he is doing these days.
Born on February 28, 1963, Claudio Chiappucci was an accomplished rider in the Grand Tours who was known for his constant attacks and long breakaways.

Claudio Chiappucci, “Il Diablo”, will be the guest rider during the new “Le Strade di San Francesco” granfondo. Team Bike Ponte is organizing the event that will be held on May 1st. The photos are of Chiappucci riding the course recently with club members and promoting the event.

Chiappucci, who was born in Uboldo (Varese), was on the podium three times in the Tour de France general classification – second in 1990, third in 1991 and second again in 1992. He retired from racing in 1998.

These days, Claudio is often seen at the grand fondo events across Italy. He will be the guest rider during the new “Le Strade di San Francesco” grand fondo. Team Bike Ponte is organizing the event that will be held on May 1st. The photos are of Chiappucci riding the course recently with club members and promoting the event.

The grand fondo will begin in Ponte San Giovanni (Perugia, Umbria). The grand fondo will be 139 km long with 1650m of climbing and the medio fondo will be 89 km with 690m of climbing.

http://www.italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/

Nicknamed “il Diabolo”, Chiappucci burst on the scene in the 1990 when he was a member of a select group of breakaway riders in the first road stage of the Tour de France. The group gained ten minutes on the pack. Chiappucci held on to his lead through the Alps then saw it cut to two minutes after the Pyrenees.

Greg Lemond slowly bided his time, assuming that Claudio would crack.

Lemond took overall leadership in the penultimate stage time trial and went on to victory without winning a single stage and having worn the yellow jersey only on the last day of the race.

Chiappucci never won a Grand Tour, but he placed second in the Tour de France to Greg Lemond of the USA in 1990, and placed second to Miguel Indurain of Spain in 1992. Chiappucci placed third in the 1991 Tour de France behind Miguel Indurain and Gianni Bugno of Italy.

Chiappucci also won the Mountains Jersey in the Tour twice, in 1991 and 1992.

In the Giro d’Italia, Chiappucchi placed second in 1991 to Franco Chioccioli of Italy. Chiappucci also placed 2nd to Miguel Indurain in 1992, and placed 3rd in 1993 behind Miguel Indurain and Piotr Ugromov of Latvia.  In addition, Chiappucchi won the Mountains Jersey three times, in 1990, 1992, and 1993. He also won the points jersey in 1991.

In the one-day events, Chiappucchi was second to Luc Leblanc of France in the 1994 World Championship Road Race. Chiappucchi also won the 1991 Milan-San Remo Classic and the 1993 San Sebastian Classic.

By David Cohen

RAYMOND POULIDOR. the famous cyclist best known for coming second instead of winning – but, only at Tour de France!

Even these days, Raymond Poulidor remains very popular

Jacques Anquetil (left) and Raymond Poulidor (right).

In the history of French cycling, four riders occupy a place above and beyond the others: Louison Bobet, Jacques Anquetil, Raymond Poulidor and Bernard Hinault. These four are the true heroes of the sport in France but, in a paradoxical way, one stands out.

Jacques Anquetil (left) and Raymond Poulidor (right).

This is Raymond Poulidor. Unlike the others who all were multiple winners, Poulidor never won the Tour de France; nor did he ever pull on the yellow leaders jersey.

Tour 1968: Raymond Poulidor and Raymond Delisle. 

It wasn’t for lack of trying. Poulidor had a long career.  He raced from the early 60’s until 1976. He was a Tour regular and managed to place second three times and third four times. He also finished in lesser top-10 positions on several occasions.

It was Poulidor’s bad luck to have been born at such a time that his tour career coincided with that of Jacques Anquetil on the front end and with that of Eddy Merckx on the back end.

Raymond Poulidor – a true legend. 

In fact, Poulidor was known as l’eternel second– but more often, and more fondly, as Poupou. Commentators in the 60’s often referred to a phenomenon known as “poupoularite”. Poulidor’s ability to be the most popular French bike racer of his time in spite of never managing to win the Tour. In this respect, Poulidor’s competition with Jacques Anquetil, winner of the Tour five times, was most intriguing. Poulidor and Anquetil were opposites in almost every respect.

Raymond Poulidor – a true legend. 

Anquetil came from the north of France, having been born in Normandy. His hair was blonde and he was on the slight side.  His approach to cycling was scientific and innovative. He was up on the latest advances in training, nutrition and technology. His philosophy of racing was above all strategic; he did only what was necessary to win, nothing more. Winning by a second was just as good as winning by an hour. 

On the bike and in motion, Anquetil was elegance and technique personified.

Raymond Poulidor – a true legend.  

Raymond Poulidor – a true legend.

Poulidor was a man of the Midi, the agricultural midlands of France.  He sprang from the peasantry. He was dark-haired and complexioned. In build, he was huskier and taller than Anquetil. Whereas Anquetil specialized in the technical aspects of racing time-trialling, the tactics of the final sprint. Poulidor was known for his climbing and endurance.
 

Raymond Poulidor: Paris – Nice was his race.
 

Poulidor’s peasant origins were first underlined in 1961 after he won the Milan-San Remo race. He was the subject of a TV interview that took place at his parents home in rural Limousin. It showed Poulidor working in the fields and in the family kitchen. Poulidor confirmed that he was up on sheep breeding.

In 1972, French TV polled roadside fans at the Tour about why Poulidor was so popular. An elderly French woman replied, “He’s a provincial. He [speaks with] a Midi accent.

Some analysts of French cycling see Anquetil and Poulidor as representing different aspects of French society during the period roughly from the early 60’s to the mid-70’s. Anquetil tended to represent the modernizing, technologically-oriented changes that transformed France during that period, whereas Poulidor stood for “la France profonde” of rural Limousin.

As such, Poulidor played the role of the underdog, Anquetil the favourite.

In the late 60’s a couple of French journalists sought to puncture “poupoularite” by divulging that Poulidor was less liked in the peloton than Anquetil; that in fact he was regarded as a selfish rider while Anquetil was seen as a fair-minded sportsman by his peers. The program was greeted with strong protests.

Poulidor’s “Poupou” image remained intact and has done so to this day.

Anquetil-Poulidor: the social significance

Anquetil unfailingly beat Raymond Poulidor

 The extent of those divisions is shown in a story, perhaps apocryphal, told by Pierre Chany. He was one of the world’s leading cycling journalists. He covered the Tour de France 49 times and was for a long time the main cycling writer for the daily newspaper, L’Equipe, who was close to Anquetil!!

The Tour de France has the major fault of dividing the country, right down to the smallest hamlet, even families, into two rival camps. I know a man who grabbed his wife and held her on the grill of a heated stove, seated and with her skirts held up, for favouring Jacques Anquetil when he preferred Raymond Poulidor. The following year, the woman became a Poulidor-iste. But it was too late. The husband had switched his allegiance to Gimondi. The last I heard they were digging in their heels and the neighbours were complaining.

Jean-Luc Boeuf and Yves Léonard, in their study, wrote:

Those who recognized themselves in Jacques Anquetil liked his priority of style and elegance in the way he rode. Behind this fluidity and the appearance of ease was the image of France winning and those who took risks identified with him.

Humble people saw themselves in Raymond Poulidor, whose face – lined with effort – represented the life they led on land they worked without rest or respite. His declarations, full of good sense, delighted the crowds: a race, even a difficult one, lasts less time than a day bringing in the harvest. A big part of the public therefore finished by identifying with the one who symbolized bad luck and the eternal position of runner-up, an image that was far from true for Poulidor, whose record was particularly rich.

Even today, the expression of the eternal second and of a Poulidor Complex is associated with a hard life, as an article by Jacques Marseille showed in Le Figaro when it was headlined “This country is suffering from a Poulidor Complex”.

Alllez! Poulidor and the ETAPE 2004

22.5km east of Limoges, start for this year’s Etape du Tour, lies the village of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, birthplace of a Tour legend: Raymond Poulidor. He still lives there. His parents were métayeurs (share-croppers); the family moved from tied house to tied house and lived in extreme poverty. As soon as he was strong enough, Raymond pitched in to help them work on the land.

The route of the Etape, through Corrèze into Cantal, is the land which formed Poulidor, the winding valleys and the Plateau de Millevaches over which he trained and hardened himself for life as a pro bike racer. The Cantal, as ever ill-served by roads, remains one of the poorest, most remote regions in France, hewn out of crystalline schists, granite and recent volcanic rock, it occupies a sparsely populated upland in the north-west corner of the Massif Central. The climate tends to be cold and damp; agriculture is thin; the local inhabitants inclined to be scrawny. The local dialect, one of the purest forms of the ancient Languedoc, turns Saint-Flour, your destination, into ‘Shan Floor’.

Like many peasant boys, Poulidor grew up with the unique romance of the Tour de France, the Grande Boucle that brings the riders of distant fame into the remotest corners of France, through the tiny villages of the rural outback as well as into the grand towns. That romance planted a dream in the Limousin farmboy: to ride in the great race that touched all France. Poulidor was 15 when the Tour first came to Limoges but he was already riding a bike – his only mode of transport – down cart tracks, as well as racing, for a ham, a large cheese…

He started serious training, but, like the recently deceased great Belgian rider Briek Schotte, at night: the only time he could spare after the dawn to dusk hours of work. He later said, as a pro, that no suffering he endured in the saddle ever got close to the bone-deep, gruelling fatigue of that protracted labour in the fields. Think yourselves lucky. But, his training by the light of the moon with only wild boar, deer and rabbits for company, gave him hope of escape from drudgery in the Cantal; he was soon riding criteriums as an amateur and…in 1962, he rode his first Tour and came third to the first man to take five victories: Jacques Anquetil. The dream had come real.

The Tour has visited Limoges many times and Saint-Flour just once, but the race has never covered the ground you will be riding on the Etape. So this stage is reconnecting deeply with the roots of the Tour, global as it has become: one of the world’s biggest sporting phenomena delivering its panache and flourish, the spectacle of its epic endeavour into the rustic backwater of the Cantal.

Every rider who rides the stage will be making Tour history, and making it in the fashion of Desgrange’s vision for the race: to break ground, to push the limits ever wider, to criss-cross the whole country. Whole communities will gather, in force, at the side of the road to cheer you on. Among the knobbly-kneed kids shouting ‘Vas-y Poupou, allez allez allez’ may well be another French hope for the future, another kid with a passionate dream of le Tour.

None of the Etape climbs has ever featured in the Tour. The landscape may lack the assault of grandeur delivered by Alps and Pyrenees – it is more amenable, on a more human scale. But it is just as much part of la belle France…like the man Poulidor himself.

Graeme Fife is author of: Tour de France: the history, the legend, the riders

and: Inside the Peloton, riding, winning and losing the Tour de France

By Zdenko Kahlina

A tribute to one of the greatest cyclists

If… in this bad, beautiful world competitive cycling has any relevance other than being the pursuit of adolescent endeavors, then perhaps the life of the Italian cyclist Fausto Coppi might serve to illustrate at least some of cycling’s sometimes complex involvement with the world at large. 

Saturday marked the 50th anniversary of the death of “Il Campionissimo”, Fausto Coppi. Five-time winner of the Giro d’Italia, twice a victor of the Tour de France and the hour record holder, Coppi succumbed to malaria contracted during a racing/hunting trip to what was then Upper Volta and is now Burkina Faso.

Like many sporting champions, Fausto Coppi started from humble beginnings; worked long hours from the age of 13 and became thoroughly dedicated to his profession by way of training, diet and racing tactics.  As a boy, Coppi would ride the 20k each way to his work in a butcher’s shop in the north-western Italian town of Novi Ligure. The return journey, to his home in the tiny hamlet of Castellania, set high in the beautiful Piedmonte hills, would entail some 12k of often severe climbing out of the Serravalle, the long valley corridor that now allows motorway and railway access from Turin and Milan in the north to the port of Genoa on the Ligurian/Mediterranean coast.  

However, by the time the young Coppi was to turn professional and go on to become one of the youngest winners of the pre-war Giro D’Italia, the war intervened and during the period 1943-45 Coppi was to remain a guest of the British forces, as a prisoner-of-war, in North Africa. The war, and the subsequent occupation of Italy, meant that Coppi would lose some of his best years as an athlete; however, he would still go on to stamp his authority on the European cycling world.

If his share of such misfortune had been similar to that of other champions of this and subsequent eras, it is certain that his Palmarès would have been much more impressive than his actual tally of 138 road and 84 track pursuit victories indicates.

Eventually his list of major successes would include five Giros, two Tour de France, the Hour record and all the single-day cycling classics, including world road champion. Only Eddie Merckx, the mercurial Belgian of a later generation would excel this record.

From 1946 onwards, Fausto was a “marked man” but still he frequently left his rivals standing, apparently “as and when” he wanted. Some respected journalists stated that Fausto’s most magnificent ride was the 254km Cuneo to Pinerolo Stage of the 1949 Giro d’Italia where he was in the lead for 190 km over all six Cols and rode the last four climbs alone to win by a margin of 12 minutes over Bartali, with Cottur, Ricci and Conte much further behind. I rate his 1953 World Road Race Championship win in Lugano as his greatest due to the fact that his rivals must have been well-prepared, had ridden ten of the eighteen laps before Fausto attacked, knew that they would need to work together to keep within striking distance but instead, Fausto kept increasing his lead, to finish 6 minutes ahead of Germain Derijcke (who had been trying to stick to Fausto’s wheel) and more than 7 minutes ahead of Stan Ockers and Michele Gismondi.

Fausto also suffered a humiliating defeat in the 1951 Tour de France. On the Stage from Carcassonne to Montpellier, in stifling heat, he lost 30 minutes to the Stage (and overall) winner, Hugo Koblet. However, it may have been caused by a nervous breakdown or simply loss of morale as his brother, Serse, had died only five days prior to the start of the Tour, due to a fall near the end of Tour of Piedmont (their local race) in which they were both riding. Fausto recovered during the rest day and, with the support of his teammates, continued, and actually won the Stages from Briançon to Aosta and from Colmar to Nancy (Time Trial). 

Coppi’s great rival, a cyclist who was equally adored by the Italian public, was the rather sombre and dour-looking Gino Bartali, whose adoration was perhaps due to the obvious suffering and seriousness he displayed when racing on his bike rather than due to any personal charisma (Bartali died three or four years ago much loved and a doyen of the Italian cycling media).  

One of the major differences between the two cyclists was that Bartali was a devout Roman Catholic and this outlook and belief would separate the two men throughout their careers. 

Around 1953-54 people and media began to notice that at the finish of Coppi’s races was an unknown woman, the wife of one of Coppi’s fans, and a woman who invariably dressed in white. Of course, Post-War Italy, although undergoing many changes in the process of re-building itself, remained a solidly devout Catholic country.

By 1954 it had become clear to the media and then to the general public – cycle racing, then as now, being, alongside football, one of the two most influential and loved Italian sports – that Signora Giulia Locatelli, La Dama Bianca – the Woman in White – and wife of Dr Locatelli, was taking more than a purely cycling interest in Coppi. In that same year, Dr Locatelli, now an ex-fan of the famous rider, denounced his wife as an adultera and in the following social hysteria she was imprisoned for several days until the moral outrage and the judicial process followed their course. By this time, Coppi had left his own wife Bruna and family, and in 1955 he and Giulia had an illegitimate son, Faustino. The Pope then decided to ex-communicate Coppi and Italy, sporting and social, was ripped apart, some fans and public following the devout Bartali, the others, the rebel and social outcast Coppi – traditionally Il Papa blesses the Giro D’Italia, but not if Fausto Coppi is riding……… 

There was always some kind of melancholic elegance about Coppi, on and off the bike, and, unsurprisingly, towards the end of his career. Even physically he seemed a little unusual as his large rib-cage appeared to be quite disproportionate to the rest of his torso. His younger brother Serse, also a professional cyclist, had been killed racing in 1951. And although increased fame brought increased wealth and he was able to buy a large villa in the valley near Novi Ligure, the community in that area, then as now, was a closed one and Coppi and Giulian found themselves increasingly ostracized. Even today in Novi, the elegant and extensive recently built museum dedicated to cycling and the history of Italy’s most accomplished cyclist, contains no mention of, no photographs about or reference to La Dama Bianca. 

At the end of his career, in 1959, Coppi rode in Africa on a demonstration tour. He returned, with mis-diagnosed malaria, was subsequently wrongly treated in the local hospital and died in Alessandria in 1960 aged 40, not far from his lovely Piedmonte hills – apparently at the time, followers of his funeral cortege and devotees thronged the surrounding countryside for miles around and flowers and wreathes tumbled everywhere. Giulia lived on as a recluse in their house that became known as Villa Coppi. During the mid-nineties she was involved in a car crash which left her in a coma for eighteen months before she died isolated and lonely.

Their son, Faustino, lived, lives, on in their rather grand but increasingly forlorn-looking villa. The villa is situated mid-way between the towns of Novi and Serravalle and sits by the side of the long, straight valley road. The area has now been massively re-developed and there are numerous shopping outlets and services some of which, perhaps a touch ironically given that it is now quite dangerous to ride a bike in these parts due to traffic volumes, sponsor local racing cyclists. At the junction of the Villa and the extremely busy main road is a most convenient stopping place for the locals to pull over and select from the group of prostitutes often to be found hanging about the area, especially at weekends when the clash and glamour of the valley commerce is at its greatest.  

Away to the north, in the hills, where Coppi was born, the tiny hamlet of Castellania now houses the two brothers’ tombs, a museum containing many of Fausto’s trophies and winners jerseys and a chapel dedicated to this most renowned of Italy’s racing cyclists. Here, amid the surrounding glorious mountains it is not difficult to imagine that the man and the cyclist – like the boy before him – has found the peace that was never to be his in the busy valley below. Unwittingly or otherwise, the controversially adored racing cyclist played no small part in the re-ordering of his country’s family structures and the subsequent re-working of its marital laws and values. 

Passo Pordoi: in memory of the great champion Fausto Coppi

Luigi Malabrocca (1920 – 2006)

 It’s all about coming first these days when it comes to the Giro d’Italia, but that wasn’t always so. There was a brief period, 1946 to 1951, in the Giro d’ Italia when the last rider in GC would wear the “maglia nera” (black jersey). Interestingly, the very last rider to wear it, in 1951, was Giovanni Pinarello who went onto launch the famous bicycle brand in his name.

 Luigi Malabrocca is famous in Giro history for being a two times “winner” of the black jersey, and he should have won it as well in 1949 but did not, due to a timing error on the part of the race commissioners. Luigi was last in 1946 – 04:09:34 behind winner that year Gino Bartali. He was again last in 1947 – 05:52:20 behind the Fausto Coppi.

Luigi Malabrocca wasn’t a great champion. A high-spirited personality, Malabrocca was noted for his endurance and notable ability. He was born in 1920 in Tortona, not far from Fausto Coppi, who would later become his sparring partner in junior races, and finally a friend.

In 1945, he’d married his childhood sweetheart, a nurse called Ninfa, and finished the year with at least a dozen race wins from around 30 starts with his Milanese amateur club, Azzini. It was enough to earn him a pro contract with the Welter team and a start in the 1946 Giro d’Italia.

He had won total of 138 cycling races. Only 15 of these as a professional cyclist, yet it was for his ability to loose, not to win, for which he became famous! In 1946 and 1947 Malabrocca managed to ‘win’ last place in the Giro d’Italia by using the tactics of wasting time between tappe, hiding behind hedges at the side of the road, spending as much time as possible in bars along the route, and even puncturing his own tires to slow himself down.

Malabrocca was the last man across the line on one stage in the Marche region, yet, instead of jeers, he got applause and a token of one local farmer’s symphaty – a live sheep – which he promptly sold to the chef at his team hotel. Losing could be a lucrative business, and Malobrocca hadn’t taken long to cotton on. Not only did finishing last bring prices, plaudits, and notoriety, it also meant he could ease off in the last hour of stages.

On the final stage to Milan, Malabrocca and his pal Mario Fazio went knocking on the doors to look for shelter from icy conditions. Not only were the pair ushered into one home, but they were told to tuck into polenta that was still warming on the family stove. Their stomachs groaning under the extra weight, they then flagged down a lorry and asked the driver if he wouldn’t mind dropping them off when he reached the outskirts of Milan. “Jump on behind, under the tarpaulin”, came the reply.

An hour or two later, Malabrocca had made it to Milan – last again, 280,000 lire the richer and more famous than ever thanks to a cameo alongside Coppi, Bartali, Ferdi Kubler and Louison Bobet in the film “Toto al Giro”.

In 1949 however, his tactics backfired on him when the timekeepers and judges, annoyed and fed up with waiting for him, went home before he arrived at the finishing post and awarded Malabrocca the same general timing as the main body of cyclists.

That year the ‘notorious’ ‘Maglia Nera’ went instead to his co-competitor Sante Carollo. Drafted in at the last minute by the Wilier Triestina squad, Carollo was Malabrocca’s worst nightmare – a rider who could not only eclipse his tardiness, but could do so without trying, through sheer lack of talent.

Whatever Malabrocca could do, Carollo could do worse. Halfway through the race, Carollo had finally warmed to his task; he was now matching Malabrocca manoeuvre for manoeuvre.

Malabrocca had kept a few aces up his sleeve for the final stage to Monza. All that had kept him from playing them earlier was the fear of disqualification. Now, though, he rolled out his complete repertoire: the puncture, the interminable wheel change, the aperitif at a bar, the detour via one customer’s house to see his fishing equipment. He finally moseyed into Monza two and a quarter hours after Carollo; according to his cousin-cum-policeman-cum-partner in crime’s timings, the maglia near was Malabrocca once more.

There was just one, soul-destroying hitch – the timekeepers had packed up and gone home. The results sheet showed Malabrocca in 59^th place, six places ahead of Carollo, and just five minutes down on the race winner.

Disgusted and demoralized, Malabrocca knew that there was no point protesting. From that time  on Malabrocca abandoned his rather singular corsa all’ultimo posto (race for the last place) and his love affair with the black jersey was over. And so, sure enough, was the Giro’s…

After a happy second career as a professional fisherman, then a restaurant owner, Malabrocca spent the last years of his life in Garlasco, sadly without Ninfa, who died in 1996, almost exactly 10 years before her husband.

Malabrocca died at the age of 86 in 2006: for his ultimo viaggio (last journey) his friends dressed him in the ‘Maglia Rossa’ the famous ‘Pink Shirt’ which he’d probably never even dreamed of wearing. 

In 2008 the concept of having “black jersey” again is coming back with the exception that the last rider will wear a black number on a white background rather than a black jersey. If Luigi Malabrocca was around, naturally all bets would be off…

Malabrocca’s home burns

Last Saturday, January 13, 2007 a fire consumed the home where Luigi Malabrocca lived, in Garlasco, Italy. Burned in the fire were races relics, including trophies, race numbers, paintings, books, newspaper clippings and photos according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Malabrocca, well known for maglia nera of last position in the 1946 and 1947 Giro d’Italia, passed away October 1, 2006 at 86 years of age.

The picture below is the famous bike builder Giovanni Pinarello who won the last black jersey in 1951.

Black is beautiful! Giovanni Pinarello’s big 1951 Giro win.

The bottom picture is 22 year old, Oscar Gatto(Gerosteiner) who won the distinction in last years race. He’s the one that’s holding on to Danilo Di Luca’s saddle. 

The first and the last. Oscar Gatto holding on to Danilo Di Luca’s pink.

Wouldn’t he look better in black?

The black jersey was abolished … because of it’s negative connotations. What negative connotations? How can a very cool black jersey be negative? All 3 riders appear to be smiling! In it’s place a white number on a black backdrop – for the rider’s jersey and bike. What did the young Gatto have to say after he came in last? “To finish the Giro is always better than abandoning.” Classy words! 

Oscar Gatto will be lining up with his Team Gerosteiner mates at Palermo for the team time trial with perhaps a twinkle in his eyes of defending his numero nero.

Forza, Maglia Nera!

By: Zdenko Kahlina

Tales from the peloton, November 15, 2009

Gösta Pettersson was the first cyclist born north of the Rhine to win the Giro d’Italia when he passed the finish line on the Swedish pine boards of the Vigorello velodrome in Milan on June 10, 1971. It was and is Sweden’s first and only Grand Tour victory. Cyclingnews’ Tomas Nilsson brings Pettersson’s story to the internet age. 

Swedish riders have enjoyed plenty of success in recent years. From Magnus Backstedt’s Paris-Roubaix win to Gustav Eric Larsson’s silver medal in the Beijing Olympics and Thomas Lövkvist’s stint in the Giro’s best young rider jersey. These riders were not even born when Gösta Pettersson took his Giro win and when, the year before, he was the first northerner on the Tour podium when he finished third behind Eddy Merckx and Joop Zoetemelk.

Pettersson’s career did not follow the normal path of a professional cyclist. He waited until the ripe old age of 29 to join the professional ranks.

In the late 60′s Gösta Pettersson was the dominating rider on the amateur level in Europe. Known for his three successive team time trial world championship titles, he was also a formidable stage racer. Among other feats, he managed to lead the British Milk Race from start to finish for 14 days.  

His reasons for remaining an amateur for so long?

“Well, I got my first offers around ’65-’66 but those days there were no doping controls at all. They didn’t come until Tom Simpson died in the Tour of 1967. I didn’t want to be part of that, I had seen enough among the riders from east Europe that we had to deal with. And also I wanted to see how my brothers developed,” Gösta Pettersson explained from his home in his native town of Vårgårda.

Swedish national team: Erik Pettersson, Gösta Pettersson, Sture Pettersson and Tomas Pettersson

Yes, the brothers. In the 1960s Gösta, Sture, Erik and Thomas Pettersson formed the Swedish national team with three world team time trial titles.

” I got my first offers around ’65-’66 but those days there were no doping controls at all … I didn’t want to be part of that.” 

-Gösta Pettersson explains why he stayed an amateur until the age of 29.

Further motivation to remain amateur was the 1968 Olympic Games. The three oldest brothers, Gösta, Sture and Erik had won the bronze in Tokyo in 1964 with Sven Hamrin as fourth man. 

Mexico City 1968: Erik Pettersson, Gösta Pettersson, Sture Pettersson and Tomas Pettersson

In Mexico 1968 they were the favourites, now with youngster Thomas filling up the team. But an untimely puncture and a Dutch squad containing among others Joop Zoetemelk and Fedor den Hertog came in the way. Silver was a loss, at least in the eyes of the Swedish public. Gösta then took the bronze in the Olympic road race. Some weeks later, the brothers won their second world team time trial title.

“We got an offer from the Ferretti team for the 1969 season but turned it down,” Pettersson recalled.

A year and another world title later, the four Ferretti brothers came back and managed to sign the four Pettersson brothers.

“Ferretti was a kitchen equipment manufacturer just like Salvarani and SCIC that also had successful cycling teams. The had launched a four year project from 1969 so we came in in the second year. It was a pretty big team, some 20 riders. Apart from us four brothers they also had the Belgian Albert van Vlierberghe which filled their quota of foreigners. The rest were Italian neo-pros almost all of them.”

The first season was a success for a beginner. Gösta shocked the experienced pros by winning the final stage of the Tour de Romandie, a 43 km time trial, which lifted him from fourth place to the top of the podium.

“All the best Italians were there so I think I surprised them a bit.”

In the following Giro he came in sixth, 9:20 after the winner, Eddy Merckx. 

Then followed the Tour de France. A gruelling 23 stages long plus a prologue, and five of the stages were split days to make 29 races in 24 days. Pettersson hung in there while others cracked. In the end he was third after Merckx and Zoetemelk. A third on the final day’s 54 km individual time trial from Versailles to Paris was his best stage result. His 23-year-old brother Thomas also did well with a second place, beaten only by Merckx, in one of the shorter time trials.

The following year started even better. Gösta Pettersson was second in Paris-Nice behind Merckx, with brother Erik in fifth.

The Giro d’Italia was the main target of the season, especially since a certain Belgian wasn’t riding.

“It was a tough parcours. It started down in the south with a sort of relay if I remember correctly. But the the real competition started immediately. The race followed the Apennines northwards and there were some really tough mountain stages early on. Felice Gimondi cracked on one of these,” Pettersson recalls.

“When we came in to Austria, on the stage to Grossglockner, I was in a good position. Claudio Michelotto led the race but we managed to crack him going up to Franz Jozefs Höhe. But he hung on to a car and finished only one and a half minute down. They gave him a one minute penalty and a fine but it should have been more. Luckily for me there were a couple of more mountains stages so we got rid of him the day after.

“It was hard though. The team was quite inexperienced so I was mostly left alone in the high mountains.”

Pettersson’s tactic was to hang in there and wait for the others to crack. He was not a man of frequent attacks and also seldom had any fancy winner’s gestures. The final stage was a 20 km time trial ending in the Vigorello velodrome in Milan. Even with his first Grand Tour victory just completed, his finish was typical Gösta Pettersson. He just rode over the line, unclipped his pedal and that was it.

In his second season, Gösta Pettersson reached the peak of his career with his Tour de France podium finish. Or had he?

“No, actually I think I did better in the Tour de Suisse in 1974. I was second to Merckx again, but this time he only beat me in the time trials, he didn’t manage to get rid of me in the mountains. And for us that raced in those days being second to Merckx was like winning at any other time. We were up against the best rider ever, that’s for sure.”

Nevertheless, the 1974 season was Gösta’s final year as a pro. The Ferretti project ended according to plan in 1973. Erik Pettersson had returned to Sweden in 1972, Sture went home after the 1973 season while Gösta and Thomas signed for SCIC where Gösta was one of three leaders. Due to illnesses his results never came up to the standard of 1971. In 1974 he did better with Magniflex than with SCIC but still decided to quit.

“It was time to think about the future. I got an offer from my bike sponsor Monark to take over their bike shop. And the kids were about to start school so I moved back to Sweden. It was a decision that I regretted already after a year. I could have done another five good years.”

What was done was done, however, and Gösta went back to being an amateur and did some minor races in Sweden, but just time trials. 

“We were really treated badly by the federation when we came home. We were not allowed to start in any major races and there was a five year quarantine for the national championships. We could have done Swedish cycling some favors. If nothing else, [we could have] made the national races harder. But the federation had a president with international ambitions. To keep the amateurism clean was the most important task for the Olympic movement those days. So we were treated harder than any other athletes and the federation president got his seat in the International Olympic Committee.”

So how was racing those days compared to what the riders experience today?

“Well, the races were pretty much the same. An early breakaway and then some hard work to bring it down. But all races were longer. Almost all were way more than 200 kilometres long. There weren’t that many crashes either. I only crashed once so badly that I had to abandon.”

“One big difference though is that riders nowadays split their seasons and have rest or training periods. We had our training in the winter and then in February the racing season started and went on until October. I really didn’t do any proper training during the season. I just raced. Most riders get worn by the long stage races but then some, and I was lucky to be one of them, gets stronger from hard racing.

“We did most of our racing in Italy since that was where our sponsor had its market. I did Roubaix and Flanders one year, but mostly we raced in Italy plus the Tour and Paris-Nice.”

So what does the all-time greatest team time trialist think about team time trials that seem to be the fashion in the stage races today?

“These are no real team time trials. Team time trial is a four man sport. With those nine men teams you cannot get the right rhythm especially since the teams have riders of all sorts, sprinters, climbers and time triallists. It’s pretty odd that they started with team time trials among the pros after they took it away from the World’s programme. Team time trialling is really the essence of cycling since the drafting is the most important factor and something you don’t have in other sports.”

Photography from: cyclingwebsite.com

Gösta Pettersson

Name:                                Gösta

Family name:                      Pettersson (Fåglum)

Nationality:                         Sweden

Gender:                              Male

Age:                                  68 years

Date of birth:                      November 23, 1940

Place of birth:                      Alingsås, Västra Götaland, Sweden

Professional:                       1970-1974

Gender:                                   Male 

Height:                                    6’2″ (189 cm)

Weight:                                   165 lbs (75 kg)

Affiliations:

Gösta Pettersson (born November 23, 1940 in Alingsås Municipality) is a Swedish former professional road racing cyclist and three-time Olympic medalist. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1971 Giro d’Italia. He was also third in the 1970 Tour de France which was in his first year as a professional, at age 30.

In 1967, The Fåglum brothers (Erik Pettersson, Gösta Pettersson, Sture Pettersson and Tomas Pettersson) were awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal. The brothers won the World Amateur Cycling Championships between 1967-1969 along with a silver medal in the 1968 Summer Olympics.

1964 (amateur)

3rd (Bronze) – 1964 Summer Olympics – 100 km Team Time Trial

3rd (Bronze) – World Amateur Cycling Championships – 185 km Men’s Road Race

1967 (amateur)

1st (Gold) – World Amateur Cycling Championships – 100 km Team Time Trial

1968 (amateur)

1st (Gold) – World Amateur Cycling Championships – 100 km Team Time Trial

2nd (Silver) – 1968 Summer Olympics – 100 km Team Time Trial

3rd (Bronze) – 1968 Summer Olympics – Men’s Road Race

1st overall – Tour of Britain

1969 (amateur)

1st (Gold) – World Amateur Cycling Championships – 100 km Team Time Trial

1970 – Ferretti

1st Overall – Tour de Romandie

1st – Coppa Sabatini

3rd Overall – Tour de France

1971 – Ferretti

1st Overall – Giro d’Italia

1st Overall – Giro dell’Appennino

1st Overall – Giro delle Marche

1973 – Scic

7th Overall – Tour de Suisse

Winner stage 8b

1974 – Magniflex

2nd Overall – Tour de Suisse