Sports Poets Society

https://www.lagiornatatipo.it/david-thompson-cadere-dal-cielo/?fbclid=IwAR21L_UIVs7Dde8B7X6L5uLevErIHMOBYLqzfCQ7_vRqhZQyC5Qvs5k6lFo di FILIPPO ERRICO VERZE La giornata tipo, 14 aprile 2021 Poche ore prima dell’alba del 10 marzo 1984, lo Studio 54 offre riparo dai venti polari di Manhattan a un centinaio di disgraziati. Ogni angolo del locale, dalla pista semivuota ai privé scalcinati, emana un’aura di decadenza. Eppure non erano passati che quattro anni da quando entrare allo Studio 54 voleva dire trascorrere la serata fianco a fianco con le più grandi celebrità del globo. Neanche dieci giorni dopo l’inaugurazione, Bianca Jagger aveva deciso di festeggiarci il compleanno facendo il suo ingresso in sella a un cavallo bianco . 2 maggio 1977: la sobria festa di compleanno di Bianca Jagger allo Studio 54  – foto Christopher Simon Sykes/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Questa istantanea è una delle tante di un luogo in cui, una volta passato il vaglio dei bodyguard, i limiti imposti dal mond...

Former Seattle SuperSonics player Slick Watts stands courtside before an NBA basketball preseason game between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings,  Friday, Oct. 5, 2018, in Seattle. (Ted S. Warren) https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/apr/16/sending-positive-thoughts-to-sonics-great-slick-wa/ April 16, 2021  Updated Fri., April 16, 2021 at 9:19 p.m. By Larry Stone - Seattle Times With all due respect to Jay Buhner and Gary Payton, it might well be the most famous dome in Seattle sports history – beautifully bald, long before it was fashionable. And he owns an instantly recognizable nickname that is sheer perfection in describing both his look and his game. But Donald Earl “Slick” Watts is far more than a catchy moniker and a shiny pate, the latter invariably outfitted with a headband that, as described long ago by a New York Times columnist, “makes him look like the planet Saturn in sneakers.” No, somewhere along the line Slick Watts became a Seattle institut...

di Rino Negri Bicisport n. 5, maggio 1998 Nell'87 l'irlandese Stephen Roche firma un trittico degno di Merckx: Giro, Tour e mondiale. Difende i colori della Carrera e al Giro parte per favorire Visentini, vincitore l'anno precedente e primo nel cronoprologo di Sanremo. Dopo la cronosquadre di Camaiore, vinta dalla Carrera, Roche indossa la maglia rosa. Visentini diventa nervoso e si calma soltanto dopo aver battuto tutti nella crono da Rimini a San Marino. Il bresciano diventa infatti capoclassifica e pretende che i compagni siano al suo servizio. A sconvolgere la situazione è la tappa di Sappada. Van der verde si scatena, Roche risponde bene e torna al comando. Esplodono le polemiche. Senza più morale Visentini tira avanti fino a Pila, dove Roche consolida il primato. Il giorno dopo Stephen trionfa nella crono Aosta-St. Vincent che conclude il Giro, mentre l'avvilito Visentini si ritira. Secondo è Millar a 3'40", terzo Breukink a 4'07". Il Tour parte ...

https://cyclingtips.com/2021/03/where-are-they-now-flanders-and-roubaix-winner-peter-van-petegem/ by José Been - Cyclingtips, March 5, 2021 Peter Van Petegem is a double Tour of Flanders winner, a Paris-Roubaix champion, and a three-time winner of the Omloop Het Volk (now Omloop Het Nieuwsblad). Still, the former Belgian pro remains modest. “I would never walk into a room stating my results list and boast about it,” he tells me. “Not in the past and not now. This is not who I am.” Van Petegem is a softly-spoken and friendly man with a love for cycling that echoes in every word. He still follows many races on TV, men’s and women’s, and he found a job that keeps him in touch with the world of cycling. His own, long career spanned 16 years at the highest level. No fewer than 20 victories make up his palmarès. He is one of 10 riders who has won the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the same year.  “There are many highlights,” he says when asked if 2003, the year he achieved that ...

https://www.cyclinginflanders.cc/story/on-the-road-with-peter-van-petegem In the Tour of Flanders Centre, our starting point, two cobblestones are evidence of Van Petegem’s Tour victories in 1999 and 2003 . “I’m a cobblestone rider,” Van Petegem smiles. “You must love cobblestones. I grew up on them and the hills in this area, thus this is all part of my nature. I was particularly motivated by those flandriens, like Briek Schotte , who also had to fly over these cobblestones.” His tips on how to handle them? “First and foremost flexibility ! That’s why I often ride with my hands up high. You have to use your back to go with the movement. I see a lot of racers who lack this flexibility. They rely mostly on their hands. They’ll wear two pairs of gloves and tape their hands up. And despite all that they blister .” NOT A SPORTSMAN The cobblestones in the Tour of Flanders are of mythic proportion. ‘Stone bloodsuckers’ the poet Willie Verhegghe christened them in a poem that is displayed at ...

https://www.rouleur.cc/blogs/the-rouleur-journal/la-fleche-wallonne-2021-preview?fbclid=IwAR20xgztPZc77LItFfL-UKKI-EG09zJiOP3Uk7P8qCU0d7mYpYcBWPbIPeM Rouleur preview the 2021 edition of La Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday 21st April, where the winner must conquer the Mur de Huy WORDS: JOE TIMMS Rouleur - April 15, 2021 The heart of the Ardennes Classics takes place this year on 21st April. The strongest puncher wins La Flèche Wallonne, no questions asked. This is due to the searing climb that defines the race — the Mur de Huy. 1.2km with an average gradient of 10.1% and featuring much steeper pitches , it's a real hellhole. It comes as no surprise, then, that a select few riders have dominated the race over the last decade. Alejandro Valverde and Julian Alaphilippe won every edition between 2014 and 2019 . The Spaniard claimed victory four years in a row from 2014 to 2017, before Julian Alaphilppe won in 2018 and 2019. That streak means Valverde holds the record for the most wins with...

https://www.quibicisport.it/2021/01/25/amarcord-16-roche-alla-carrera-cinque-anni-dopo-il-golpe-di-sappada-al-fianco-di-chiappucci-un-orgoglioso-canto-del-cigno/ di Marco Filacchione  - 25 Gennaio 2021 Rieccolo. Nel gennaio 1992 la sintesi di BS fotografava così il grande ritorno di Stephen Roche alla Carrera. Un evento nel quale si mescolavano suggestioni fortissime: cinque anni prima, sotto le insegne del gruppo italiano, il campione irlandese aveva costruito una stagione da marziano, vincendo in sequenza Giro, Tour e mondiale, come solo Merckx era riuscito a fare, nel 1974. Il suo trionfo al Giro, però, era stato una storia a tinte fosche, cominciata con il celebre golpe di Sappada, quando aveva attaccato il compagno in rosa Visentini, leader designato della Carrera. Ne erano seguiti anatemi minacciosi per lui e per il suo “complice” Schepers, e solo la vittoria finale aveva parzialmente spento il fuoco delle polemiche.  A fine stagione, Roche era partito per altri lidi, ma...

https://www.rouleur.cc/blogs/the-rouleur-journal/amstel-gold-race-2021-preview?fbclid=IwAR2-4akY1DG8mkkYTs_4YSflmbPwxGLb3KmzC8_Yi9KehOG41WawBO3Cpl0 Rouleur preview the 2021 edition of the Amstel Gold Race, previously won by Mathieu van der Poel in 2019. WORDS: JOE TIMMS The Amstel Gold Race, taking place on Sunday 18th April , is one of the most prestigious non-monuments amongst the Spring Classics, particularly for Dutch riders. Since the race’s inception in 1966 , Dutch brewer Amstel have been the lead sponsor. It’s considered the opener for the Ardennes Classics , even though it's not raced in the region. It features hilly terrain throughout, just like La Flèche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, which take place in the days after. Jan Raas won the race on five occasions between 1977 and 1982, whilst Philippe Gilbert has won on four separate occasions . No other rider has won more than twice. Related – The men's racing season: The Rouleur guide Now a World Tour race, the 201...