Cycling Passion

Alfred Achermann crashes on Paris-Roubaix cobbles

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date October 25, 2014
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Alfred Achermann crashes at Paris-Roubaix 1988 — Alfred Achermann from the Spanish KAS team crashes at Paris-Roubaix 1988, in the Arenberg forest.

Today’s historic photo of the day: KAS rider Alfred Achermann crashes heavily and retires from the race on the Paris-Roubaix cobbles, in the Arenberg Forest. 86th edition of the “Queen of the classics”, Sunday, April 10, 1988.

1988 Paris-Roubaix surprisingly won by Belgian Dirk Demol (later, he was the Directeur sportif of the UCI Pro team RadioShack). With 27 km to go, a group of unknown riders broke away. The peloton did nothing to chase them down. It was on a section of cobblestones outside Roubaix that Swiss rider Thomas Wegmuller (KAS) and Dirk Demol (AD Renting) broke away from the lead group to search for the victory.

History and Legends Classics Paris-Roubaix Races

Serse Coppi wins Paris-Roubaix 1949

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date October 20, 2014
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Serse Coppi kisses Fausto Coppi after Paris Roubaix 1949

Today’s historic photo of the day: Serse Coppi kisses his elder brother Fausto Coppi after winning the Paris-Roubaix 1949 edition.

For the first and only time in history, there were two winners in Paris-Roubaix, and Serse was one of them. The other was team Stella-Dunlop’s French rider André Mahé.

1949 Paris-Roubaix, the 47th edition of the race was held on April 18. There was great chaos at the end of the race. The two winners finished separately, they were separated by four other riders and they both even reached the line by two different routes!

Tags Paris-Roubaix

Special Bicycles Bicycles and Equipment

Chesini Florentia MMXIII

In September 2013, UCI Road World Championships have been held in Florence (Firenze), Tuscany, Italy. Chesini wanted to celebrate this event with a limited bike series: Chesini Florentia MMXIII (MMXIII equals 2013 in Roman numerals). The artisanship of Chesini and the creativity of SAK_ART DESIGN, a known brand in industrial and lifestyle design, have come together and with a common passion created these unique bicycles. You can read the whole story in the article titled Sak_art design.

Tags sak_art design

Cycling Books History and Legends Training and Nutrition

The Obree Way

“The Obree Way” is a book written by Graeme Obree aka “The Flying Scotsman”, who broke the world hour record twice, in July 1993 and April 1994, and was the individual pursuit world champion in 1993 and 1995. It explains Graeme Obree’s radical insights into technique, training, psychology and diet, and the logic behind them.

After I got the book, the first thing I noticed was the comment on the back cover, from Sir Chris Hoy (see notes 1), saying:

Tags The Flying Scotsman

History and Legends Classics Paris-Roubaix Races

Fausto Coppi after Paris-Roubaix 1959

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date October 6, 2014
No Comments on Fausto Coppi after Paris-Roubaix 1959

Today’s historic photo of the day: after the Paris-Roubaix 1959 edition, Fausto Coppi, covered with mud. It was the latest Paris-Roubaix of “il campionissimo”, before his premature death in less than nine months.

The final three seasons of Coppi’s life, between 1957 and 1959, saw his inevitable decline. He remained a living legend, but as the champion’s power fade away, he wasn’t winning big races like the Paris-Roubaix anymore.

Tags Noël Foré, Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Roubaix 1959

History and Legends Classics Paris-Roubaix Races

Fausto Coppi wins Paris-Roubaix 1950 [Video]

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date October 2, 2014
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Fausto Coppi riding with Maurice Diot, Paris-Roubaix 1950 (featured)

Today’s historic photo of the day, with a video: Fausto Coppi winning the Paris-Roubaix 1950 edition, with a great solo attack. Coppi’s 1950 Paris-Roubaix winning move is widely regarded as one of the greatest rides in cycling history.

Tags Paris-Roubaix

Hour Record Cycling Records History and Legends

Eddy Merckx’s Hour Record in 1972 [Video]

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date September 22, 2014
2 Comments on Eddy Merckx’s Hour Record in 1972 [Video]

Eddy Merckx hour record, 1972 — In 1972, On 25 October, Eddy Merckx set the Hour Record, after a great season: he started the year winning “la primavera”, Milan-San Remo, the first classic of the cycling season. He then won Liège-Bastogne-Liège, one of the five “monuments”[1], the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France (both general classification and points classification), and another monument, Giro di Lombardia (currently “Il Lombardia”) as well as many other races. Then he attacked the Hour Record.

In 1972, On 25 October, Eddy Merckx set the Hour Record, after a great season: he started the year winning “la primavera”, Milan-San Remo, the first classic of the cycling season. He then won Liège-Bastogne-Liège, one of the five “monuments” (see notes 1), the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France (both general classification and points classification), and another monument, Giro di Lombardia (currently “Il Lombardia“) as well as many other races.

Then he attacked the Hour Record.

Tags Ernesto Colnago, Ronde van Vlaanderen

Cycling and Music, Cinema, Art Cyclists and Teams

Song for Vincenzo Nibali

Famous Turkish Jazz musician and keen cyclist Yahya Dai (a friend of mine) composed a song for the Tour de France 2014 winner Vincenzo Nibali and performed it with his daughter Damla. Enjoy.

Women's cycling Cyclists and Teams

Colombian women’s cycling team not ashamed of their kit (video)

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date September 18, 2014
No Comments on Colombian women’s cycling team not ashamed of their kit (video)

A Colombian women's cycling team 'not ashamed' of their team kit

A Colombian women’s cycling team defend their choice of uniform which has led to criticism from the International Cycling Union president and online commentators and said they would not stop wearing flesh-colored uniforms that earned them criticism from the International Cycling Union president.

Tags UCI

History and Legends Cycling Books Cycling Records Hour Record

And the hour shuts up: Jens Voigt breaks the Hour Record

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date September 18, 2014
No Comments on And the hour shuts up: Jens Voigt breaks the Hour Record

Jens Voigt breaks the Hour Record by 1,410 meters at the Vélodrome Suisse in Grenchen. The recently-retired German, who turned 43 on Wednesday, covered 51.110 kilometers (31.76 miles-205 laps) in one hour on 18 September 2014. The previous record was 49.700 km (30.88 miles) set by Ondřej Sosenka of the Czech Republic in 2005 in Moscow.

Voigt said after the record that: “51 kilometers in an hour, it’s a lot more than I had imagined. I gave it everything in the last 20 minutes. I knew that I still had the energy, that I was ahead of the mark. I felt euphoric – it was the last 20 minutes of my sporting career. I was super-motivated. Now I am on the list of all the famous names, I am so proud to join the likes of Merckx, Indurain. It’s fantastic to finish like this.”

Tags Jens Voigt, Ondřej Sosenka