Sports Poets Society

by Rupert Guinness, The Foreign Legion (1993) With Anderson and Millar out in the wider and cut-throat territory of professional life, Wiegant and Escalon once more plundered the store of English-speaking talent. And when Irishman Stephen Roche came along, they found a diamond amongst this apparent treasure chest. Lucien Bailly, the French Cycling Federation’s technical director, brought Roche to Wiegant’s attention. To this day, Bailly still regards it as his best deed. Roche went on to win the amateur Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Reims, the Tour du Haut Languedoc, the Grand Prix de France, the Chrono Madelainois and the Tour de l'Ile de France. Having won the 1979 Rás Tailteann stage race in Ireland the year before, Roche left Dublin on February 11, 1980, with two big suitcases and a shoulder bag, bound for Paris. He had the idea, as had Anderson, that ACBB would provide the top-line preparation he needed for th Olympic Games later in the year. There would also be a ful...

Un olandese non aveva mai vinto il Giro, lui ci prova e diventa nella tormenta il re del Gavia. Ma non basta. Sarà secondo di Claudio Gregori, Giro d’Italia – La grande storia Gli olandesi non avevano mai vinto al Giro . Con Jan  Janssen e Joop Zoetemelk , invece, si erano imposti al Tour e alla Vuelta. Erik Breukink sogna di colmare quella lacuna.  Ha 23 anni quando, il 22 maggio 1987, parte nel prologo di Sanremo. Corre per la Panasonic , lo squadrone guidato da Peter Post che ha per punte l’australiano Phil Anderson e lo scozzese Robert Millar . Il sogno di Breukink sembra audace, cisto che nell’ultimo Giro si è piazzato 71° a 1h48’39” dal vincitore Visentini .  Nel prologo, però, è il migliore della sua squadra, dodicesimo a 6” da Visentini .  E il giorno dopo, nella prima semitappa, solo 31 km con la salita del San Romolo , attacca, riprende Pagnin, lo stacca e vince, conquistando la maglia rosa . La Panasonic domina e piazza quattro u...

by  RUPERT GUINNESS,  The Foreign Legion  (1993) The heavy fog fell across Luz Ardiden, the rain continued, the temperature dropping at every minute. Lack of spectators at the Pyreneen summit finish of the 1992 Tour of Spain’s ninth stage said it all – there were obviously better places to be. As Stephen Roche reached the finish line 7:23 behind stage winner, Spaniard Laudelino Cubino, his face was frozen blue, his eyes bloodshot and his teeth chattered like an electric typewriter. He was pushed towards the Carrera team truck and an awaiting soigneur whose forlorn look, when he saw the Irishman, sesembled a doctor’s in a hospital emergency ward. Roche – suffering from an agonising back injury whch would have stopped any lesser mortal long ago – had gone too far this time. Prised off his saddle, he spent a good three minutes trying to straighten his back as he leant against the truck. In between wipes and rub-downs from his soigneur, Roche coughed, spluttere...

https://www.directvelo.com/actualite/63431/les-mythiques-de-la-mavic-l-acbb-l-ena-du-velo Par DOMINIQUE TURGIS  Le 7 janvier 2018, 19:00 De 1978 à 1998, la société MAVIC (Manufacture d’articles vélocipédiques Idoux-Chanel) a patronné la Coupe de France des clubs amateurs lancée par les Amis du Tour de France . Le classement est par équipes. Au début, les clubs marquent des points sur les épreuves nationales et internationales (classiques et courses par étapes) du calendrier. En 1981, 122 épreuves sont prises en compte. Les coureurs sélectionnés en équipe de France rapportent des points à leur club, en compensation du “manque à gagner”. En 1992, le calendrier est réduit à 18 courses, puis 12 l’année suivante. A partir de 1999, la Coupe de France MAVIC laisse place aux Championnat de France DN1, DN2, DN3, puis, de nouveau, à la Coupe de France DN1 et DN1 espoirs à partir de 2003. Imagineriez-vous aujourd'hui, Mavic, Look, Time ou Michelin faire de la pub en util...