The character of fandom has lengthy fascinated me, or extra particularly, the way it manifests itself. From excitable Colombians and Basques, to those that really feel compelled to run alongside the highway, feckless signal holders (keep in mind ‘Allez Opi-Omi!’?) and selfie takers, biking followers are available in many guises. The title of Dan Martin’s autobiography, Chased by Pandas, encapsulates the mysterious impulse to don a dressing up and go bananas within the countryside.
One of many strangest issues I’ve ever seen throughout a Grand Tour was that of an in any other case usually dapper, aged Italian chap spectating on a mountain stage of the Giro d’Italia. Sporting a crash helmet, sun shades, pressed shirt and standing by his scooter, he had, nevertheless, eliminated his trousers.
Whereas one can solely be filled with admiration for such a singular means of spurring on youthful males as they make their agonised means up a steep incline, there’s certainly one other type of fandom altogether –the superfan.
I first encountered this phenomenon in 2018. It was the morning of the World Cyclocross Championships in Valkenburg and I used to be in an in any other case unremarkable resort having breakfast, when a chap approached me. Not talking a phrase of Dutch, I responded – in usually British style – with “sorry? I urge your pardon?”. My new pal laughed, and turned to his chuckling get together. “All of us thought you had been Lars Van der Haar’s dad,” he mentioned, including “we’re the Mathieu van der Poel fan membership.” A stout bloke got here into view sporting an MVDP polo shirt, fleece, jacket, baseball cap and carrying an MVDP flag. I used to be impressed. This was a love supreme. He was principally a biking extremely.
The Dutch gentleman and his associates had been all from the identical place because the van der Poel household, and he had ridden with Mathieu’s father, Adri, once they had been children. When MVDP had begun to point out promise as a teenager, they began the fan membership.
They weren’t alone. On the race venue itself, the course was lined with followers of assorted riders, a lot of whom additionally had large flags with their hero’s correspondingly large face on it and the clothes to go along with it.
Adam’s official supporter’s gear
(Picture credit score: Adam Jones)
My curiosity piqued, I needed to expertise this for myself. I’ve at all times been a fan of Greg Van Avermaet, so – filled with hope – I joined the fan membership (for €5.00 pp). The expertise was fairly charming. Everybody was very welcoming, despite the fact that I used to be an outsider. Nevertheless, it quickly grew to become evident that localness was the important thing to essentially benefiting from the entire expertise. Regardless of the t-shirt proclaiming that I used to be an ‘official supporter’, the automobile sticker and key rings full with a beaming ‘Gouden Greg’ on both aspect, I couldn’t take up the sort affords to hitch the backyard events and barbecues held in his residence village on the day the Ronde van Vlaanderen handed by, the sportives or finish of season dinners with our hero current.
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Like Van Avermaet’s, most European fan golf equipment are usually rooted within the rider’s native land or residence. In Belgium, this typically extends to bars turning into nominal HQs for the golf equipment, with the rider additionally placing their identify to ‘out of competitors’ sportives and private appearances. It’s natural, native and typically, deeply familial and private.
This was additional pushed residence when, regardless of considering I’d stand a greater probability with the Pippo Ganna fan membership attributable to my rudimentary grasp of Italian, the identical ‘issues’ occurred. The Italians had been equally charming, filled with enjoyable and really welcoming. They even had their very own Castelli equipment, full with Ganna’s signature wild boar cartoon emblazoned on the again. Whether or not it was a sub-conscious frustration with the truth that they by no means prompt cheering on the ‘Goofball’ senza pantaloni, I don’t know however I allowed my membership to lapse.
“Fanboy fever will quickly grip me”
With the Giro simply days away, I sense renewed fanboy fever will quickly grip me. However who to help? What ought to be the qualifying standards? What qualities – past profitable, or certainly dropping – ought to make followers select a selected particular person? Pretty hair? A data of viticulture? Or that they will quote Cartesian concept? What can we undertaking onto them or certainly, see of them in ourselves?
I’m already one thing of a Tadej Pogačar fan; as a lot for who he appears to be off the bike, as what he does on it. Plus, he rides a Colnago. Nevertheless, that feels slightly too apparent.
Given my previous travails as a wannabe superfan, perhaps I ought to do what the MVDP crew did and choose an area expertise, having fun with the journey as they (hopefully) progress up the ladder. It may be a helpful means of serving to a teenager develop, by creating enjoyable, social occasions to generate funds, give ethical help by the roadside and expertise all of the inherent feelings that solely sport can deliver. As long as everybody stays absolutely clothed.
