“I’m by no means happier than once I’m writing.”
~ Ed Hood, as spoken to Martin Williamson from the passenger seat, driving alongside a stage route on the Tour de France.
Pricey Readers – Our beloved colleague and pal Ed Hood suffered a severe stroke in February. We don’t anticipate Ed will make it again into our bunch, so we’ve began a GoFundMe web page to assist Ed together with his future. Learn the total submit right here – and please contemplate donating.
** Click on this hyperlink to donate to the GoFundMe web page to assist Ed **
We’ll be posting a collection of Ed’s work from the previous 16 years, as a result of nice story-telling by no means will get outdated.
Extra ‘Largest Dangerous Ass’: Ed Hood gave us the highest 13 ‘Dangerous Ass’ riders within the professional peloton lately, since then the listing has grown. Twelve extra of biking’s ‘Dangerous Ass’ riders have made the reduce – Robust as they arrive!
Not many riders beat Eddy Merckx throughout his reign – Walter GodeFroot did
Just a few weeks in the past we ran a chunk that includes, ‘Dangerous Ass’ riders – this was all the time going to be subjective; and positive sufficient not everybody agreed with our decisions and identified notable omissions. What else might we do however run with ‘Dangerous Ass 2?’
Baensch displaying his ‘monitor rash’
Ron Baensch:
Again within the days when monitor sprinting was far more of a contact sport, Australia’s Ron Baensch was probably the most bodily. In these days the self-discipline was dominated by the Italians, as was the UCi. The late Ron was fairly rattling fast – 4 time a Worlds medallist – so the Azzurri had their very own technique of coping with this harmful Aussie. Once I interviewed him a couple of years again he advised me:
“The UCI would repair the draw in order that I’d come in opposition to the Italians’ third string sprinter within the early rounds. They’d inform him to tough me up, take me to the fence and stuff like that, they’d get away with that, however they had been hoping I’d retaliate – which I typically did – they usually might disqualify me.” Sprinting as God supposed; not the mega-gear drag racing of as we speak. . .
One other robust Aussie
Danny Clark:
Sure, one other Aussie – it’s no shock that a number of of our contemporary crop of arduous males come from the Antipodes. Within the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s there have been no low-cost flights, web, Skype, FaceTime or ‘Mondialisation’ – aspiring champions often arrived from ‘Down Below’ on a a method ticket, they’d fear concerning the return fare later. Clark’s worldwide success started as a teen when he took the silver medal within the particular person pursuit on the 1970 Commonwealth Video games in Edinburgh. Demonstrating the flexibility that was his hallmark, he took silver within the kilometre on the 1972 Munich Olympics. As knowledgeable he would go on to win world titles within the keirin and behind the massive motors and end on the rostrum within the factors race. He additionally received a number of European titles throughout omnium, Derny, motor paced and madison disciplines. Nevertheless it’s a six day man that the person from ‘Tassie’ is greatest remembered, he’s a ‘recordman’ of the sixes for a couple of motive:
# Longest profession: together with compatriot Reg Arnold he was one of many easiest ‘squirrels’ for some 26 years.
# Most six day begins: 235 with 221 finishes – 74 wins, 54 second locations and 40 third locations.
# The oldest winner of a six day at 49 years.
# Essentially the most variety of completely different stadiums raced in – 29.
# Together with Bruno Risi he’s the winner of probably the most six days in a single season within the submit warfare period – 9; with two seasons the place he received seven and two the place he received six. ‘Dangerous Ass’ for positive.
Two Roubaix wins and Bordeaux–Paris – Gibus was no softy
Gilbert Duclos Lassalle:
37, the foundations of excellent grammar dictate that one ought to by no means begin a sentence with a quantity; however that was Gilbert Duclos Lassalle’s age when he received his first Paris-Roubaix in 1992. Most mavens have lengthy ridden their final cobbled traditional by that age. As a youthful man Duclos had stood on the Roubaix podium however knew he’d squandered his possibilities of successful by using, ‘like an newbie.’ There have been no errors in ’92, I can nonetheless see him on his solo cost to glory, tackling the twists and turns by way of the villages of Northern France on an enormous gear, not bothering to alter down as he brutalised the bike out of the corners, bumping up and down kerbs, the Rockshox working time beyond regulation. A 12 months later and with Father Time on his coat tails it appeared just like the ‘double’ was unimaginable, his face betraying the hassle of hanging on to rampaging bull, Franco Ballerini. The large Italian ignored group orders from Patrick Lefevere within the automobile that he ought to drop the Frenchman as he could possibly be harmful within the dash, given his monitor expertise as a six day man. However Ballerini had ‘diamonds in his legs’ and was positive that Duclos was executed and the cobble stone could be his to boost over his head. Nevertheless Ballerini had underestimated the temperature of the hearth burning in Lasalle’s chest and historical past information that at 38 years and 230 days the person from Lembeye is the oldest ever winner of the Queen of the Classics.
Walter Godefroot: ‘hewn from a chunk of stable mahogany then hit within the face with a shovel’
Walter Godefroot:
As a teen I keep in mind studying a chunk from a type of old-fashioned 70’s journos who described Merckx’s domestiques as wanting as in the event that they’d been hewn from a chunk of stable mahogany then hit within the face with a shovel. That description equally utilized to Walter, one in every of a only a few males who might bother Merckx the Mighty over the cobbles. His nickname; ‘The Bulldog of Flanders’ says all of it. He received the Ronde twice, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Gent Wevelgem, to not point out 10 Tour de France phases. And if there was any doubt about his toughness he eradicated that together with his two wins in Bordeaux-Paris, that’s over a mere 577 kilometres. There are few footage of Walter wanting ‘cool’ a la Roger De Vlaeminck or Merckx – however there are loads photos of him lined in mud bludgeoning his bike throughout the pave wanting scarily arduous. The person defines the phrase; ‘Flahute’.
We don’t know if Raas was a smoker, however three at a time is ‘dangerous ass’
Jan Raas:
The Dutchman was a product of arguably one of many biggest breeding grounds for newbie bike racing expertise in historical past – The Netherlands through the 1970’s. Raas raced alongside the likes of Fedor Den Hertog, Cees Priem, Hennie Kuiper, Gerrie Knetemann and Johan Van Der Velde as an newbie. He turned professional with the mighty Raleigh group for 1975 however was let go by group boss Peter Publish after two seasons. However a extremely profitable 1977 season with Frisol, which included a win in Milan-Sanremo made Publish rethink and Raas got here again to Raleigh the place he would turn out to be a mainstay of the group’s ‘Complete Biking’ philosophy by way of till 1983 when he left to affix Kwantum. His function of honour is among the many easiest; nationwide titles, a world title, the Primavera, de Ronde, Paris-Roubaix, Het Volk, Kuurne and naturally, the Amstel Gold ‘Raas’ some 5 occasions. Raas was famend for his tactical acumen and Dutch trait of realizing the worth of a guilder; no shrinking violet he did what needed to be executed to win and if that included taking tows from group mates on the climbs and dumping frisky Italian Giovanni Battaglin on the deck within the end straight en route his world title on residence soil, properly. . .
They breed them arduous in Australia – Allan Peiper
Allan Peiper:
It was PEZ reader Kev Dakin who identified to us that earlier than Allan Peiper – sure, one other Aussie – raced with ACBB within the early 80’s, turning professional with Peugeot as the start of a decade lengthy professional profession which noticed him journey for the mighty Panasonic group and Tulip Computer systems, there was a 3 12 months spell when he raced in Belgium as a junior and newbie within the 70’s. Sickness ended that marketing campaign and he returned to Australia earlier than his second profitable sojourn to Europe. However these years in Europe, a lot of it spent with the legendary Planckaert household there was little time for the decorum and etiquette of the skilled world but to come back and cash needed to be made. If he was in a break and sad with the work fee of one in every of his companions, then they might be unceremoniously proven the limitations. Throughout that point he accrued an enormous variety of podium finishes however not so many winner’s bouquets – native heroes pay handsomely for these. . .
Dangerous ass rider and dangerous ass supervisor – Peter Publish
Peter Publish:
‘Classicer’ with the quickest Paris-Roubaix in historical past, stage race winner – the Excursions of Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands all went his method – a number of nationwide and European Champion on the monitor; however as with Dany Clark he’s greatest remembered as rider as, ‘The Kaiser’ of the sixes. Publish received 65 ‘races to nowhere’ together with 11 occasions in his residence Antwerp race. When his profession was shortened by harm he moved seamlessly into six day race path, and – group administration. He dominated his TI Raleigh and Panasonic groups with a fist of iron, his ‘Complete Biking’ philosophy guiding them to wins in each main race on the calendar. However not with out lowering grown males to tears or leaving them to a protracted journey again to the group resort after a race if he didn’t really feel they’d given of their greatest. ‘Tremendous Dangerous’.
‘Rambo,’ aka Niko Eeckhout:
A depressing late June Sunday in Antwerp, 2006. The Belgian Elite Highway Race Championship on a treacherous, diesel slicked ‘crash fest’ city circuit. Twister Tom is within the break and has group mate Kevin Van Impe there too – it’s a formality. Nevertheless, Vik, Dave and I aren’t so positive, that stocky, brick-built outhouse of a person, Eeckhout is there and we all know that that is his form of day – moist, chilly, robust, a warfare of attrition. The chilly and moist will get to Boonen, the younger Phil Gil can do no higher than silver and the person who has invested a lot within the Belgian sunbed trade dons the pink, yellow and black of nationwide champion. Some 20 seasons a professional with 100 plus victories to his title, no surprise they christened him, ‘Rambo’.
Rikho Suun – A star behind the ‘Iron Curtain’
Rikho Suun:
If ever a race was misnamed it was the, ‘Peace Race’. In addition to being seen within the East as an ideological battle in opposition to the decadent West there was the truth that the race was one in every of a only a few arenas the place nations beneath the Soviet yoke might specific themselves. Poland and Czechoslovakia specifically had been something however content material to be a part of the Soviet Bloc and the Peace Race gave them a possibility to chew again. Paradoxically, one of many males who was within the thick of the Peace Race battles as a ‘Soviet’ was truly from Tartu in Estonia. Rikho Suun rode the race on three events, successful 5 phases alongside the way in which regardless of, as a feared large finisher, attracted the attentions of his Polish and Czech dash rivals. Getting ridden off the highway and crashing was all a part of the sport with no bleating to commissars; decide your self up, verify the bike and ‘get on with it’, regardless of extra highway rash in your highway rash. However Suun in addition to being case hardened was no, ‘one race pony’, he received the nationwide championships of Estonia and the Soviet Union, to not point out successful phases within the Tour de l’Avenir, Tour of Luxembourg – in opposition to the professionals, Tour of Slovakia, Tour of Yugoslavia, GP Inform, Tour of Sweden – additionally in opposition to the professionals and Tour of Poland. Bizarrely, he selected to show professional in Spain for Kelme as soon as ‘the wall got here down’.
‘By no means belief a Dutchman’ – Adrie van der Poel
Adrie van der Poel:
VdP in addition to being a Traditional winner, world cyclo-cross champion and father of the phenomenon that’s Mathieu was additionally the ‘Capo’, of the peloton. If a favour was required then Adrie was the person to ask. However ‘flick’ him at your peril. The story goes of a younger rider who was main his personal nationwide tour, he reduce a cope with VdP for assist through the the rest of the race, duly received the GC however didn’t preserve his a part of the discount and didn’t cough the guilders to the Dutchman. The person in query discovered life within the continental peloton very tough thereafter, nobody suggested of hazards or would work with him in a breakaway. Finest to not ‘flick’ Adrie. . .
Frans Verbeeck – Laborious is an understatement
Frans Verbeeck:
The story goes that milkman turned professional bike rider turned again to milkman went to see a kermis together with his dad. Unimpressed by what he witnessed he bleated on about it within the automobile on the way in which residence; Verbeeck senior retorted that if he thought he might do higher, then he ought to get again on his bike once more. Frans did that very factor and have become the archetypal disciple of the, ‘Classics are received within the winter’ philosophy. There have been hours, extra hours and interval coaching within the sand dunes. His drawback was that his group mates didn’t share his bull rhino structure and he wanted an enormous pool of group mates as most had been burned up by the top of April. He by no means landed a ‘Monument’ however was a prolific winner, taking the Belgian Nationwide Championship, Het Volk twice, the Flèche Wallonne, Amstel Gold, Scheldeprijs, Brabantse Pijl and GP E3 as a part of an excellent palmarès.
Gary Wiggins – Not a person to get the unsuitable aspect of
Wiggins G:
No, no the shaved headed, bearded, tattoo-ed ex-Olympic and Tour de France champion turned EuroSport pundit, relatively his father, Gary. One more Aussie who purchased that a method ticket again within the early 70’s, initially to race for the London primarily based Archer Highway Membership want was sponsored by Cutty Sark whisky. The membership’s supremo, Stuart Benstead often welcomed Aussies in to the fold they usually repaid his religion with loads of wins, elevating the membership’s profile and conserving the sponsor comfortable. However the Cutty Sark was however a stepping stone for Wiggins, he turned professional within the UK with Falcon in 1976 earlier than crossing the Channel to Belgium the place he embarked upon his quest to interrupt into the world of the six days. Season 80/81 noticed Wiggins rated forty ninth on the Six Day circuit, off three begins. By 83/84 he was seventh off 13 begins; for those who observe that Hans Henrik Oersted was eighth, Tony Doyle ninth and Urs Freuler tenth – world champions all, then you definitely realise the extent the person was at. In 84/85 he was eighth within the rankings, once more off 13 finishes. Season 85/86 noticed him eleventh off 10 begins; nevertheless in 86/87 he was a distant 53rd off seven begins and the top was nigh. However to come back from the opposite aspect of the world and battle his method in to the best ranges of that milieu advised you all you wanted to learn about Gary Wiggins. ‘Laborious’ doesn’t do him justice.
Peter Publish wasn’t shy of an argument with the UCI commissar
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