Anatomy of a Photo: Fausto Coppi

The killer's look

A lot has been made lately of the fact that riders today are lacking a little bit of the V. It’s not so much a criticism of how they conduct themselves during a race (although that has also been called into question lately), but in their general demeanor towards their life as a cyclist.

It doesn’t surprise me much; historically, riders chose a life on the bike as an escape from their other occupational choice which typically involved hard manual labor in a dark pit or on a cold field whereas today’s riders generally come from more privileged backgrounds and find their way into this world from a life of relative luxury.

A life of hardship went beyond their working-class roots, it applied to their life on the bike as well. They scaled the same passes we do today, except they did it over dirt roads aboard heavy, flexy bikes with relaxed geometries, wearing what amounted to little more than leather loafers. Hardness wasn’t something to aspire to; it was simply the way it was.

This is one of my favorite photos of a cyclist, and the bicycle is nowhere to be seen. From the look on his face, Coppi just ate himself a Schlecklette and, based on the gesture he’s making, is preparing to drop trou and shit ‘im right back out.

To put Cipollini’s sentiments above into Coppi’s words:

Age and treachery will overcome youth and skill.

To todays generation of riders, I offer this advice: take no prisoners, fucktards.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

Kiwicyclist says:

Apr 27 2011 at 10:49 pm

If Cadel wins I'll finally take out Oz citizenship.

Or claim him as a kiwi.
Netraam says:

Apr 27 2011 at 10:53 pm

@Oli Brooke-White
In 2006 FrÃ¤nk Schleck beat Cunego up the Alpe d'Huez. Tell me how you beat Cunego in an uphill sprint without tactics, especially if your name is FrÃ¤nk Schleck.
G'phant says:

Apr 27 2011 at 11:00 pm

Netraam :
Tell me how you beat Cunego in an uphill sprint without tactics, especially if your name is FrÃ¤nk Schleck.

EUR 5,000 ?
Marcus says:

Apr 27 2011 at 11:27 pm

Kiwicyclist :
If Cadel wins I'll finally take out Oz citizenship.
Or claim him as a kiwi.

Don't bother - you have already been blackballed.

Netraam :
@Oli Brooke-WhiteIn 2006 FrÃ¤nk Schleck beat Cunego up the Alpe d'Huez. Tell me how you beat Cunego in an uphill sprint without tactics, especially if your name is FrÃ¤nk Schleck.

How do you beat Cunego in an uphill sprint? Easiest thing is to tell Damiano that he is racing in the Tour de France. That usually brings out a shit performance from him. Alternatively you just ride him off your wheel on the Strade Bianchi.
Oli Brooke-White says:

Apr 28 2011 at 12:10 am

G'phant:

Netraam :
Tell me how you beat Cunego in an uphill sprint without tactics, especially if your name is FrÃ¤nk Schleck.

EUR 5,000 ?

Haha! I'm going with this theory! As for Sastre's Alpe win, that was totally Riis's doing - I don't think even Carlos thought he'd be the one winning until he had the gap.
CJ says:

Apr 28 2011 at 12:38 am

G'phant:

Netraam :
Tell me how you beat Cunego in an uphill sprint without tactics, especially if your name is FrÃ¤nk Schleck.

EUR 5,000 ?

That, sir, was funny enough to make me laugh out loud in the library.
Well played.
Nof Landrien says:

Apr 28 2011 at 4:28 am

Oli Brooke-White :
considering his appalling team support

I think the lack of team support was a myth or a crutch for Cuddles. If he felt he wasn't getting enough support (in a Belgian team, i.e., a team that must have had one eye on the classics, even if their returns on the same were pretty miserable while Cuddles was on the team) he should have left. I haven't checked but I think he renewed with Lotto on a number of occasions while not winning the Tour. I am a Cuddles fan, it just helps not to listen to anything he says especially after he loses.

PG Tips was monstrously strong at LBL. When he saw that Schleck A was about to wind it up on the Cote de Saint Nicolas, PG Tips turned it on himself, to the extent that he shelled Schleck B and Schleck A was forced to conclude that having a go wasn't such a great idea. I still think Schlecks A and B should have attacked PG Tips in turns and continuously from the bottom of the St Nick all the way to Ans, at least one of them would still have stood on the podium. But points count and I I think you have to assume that they were both well and truly cooked. Both Schleck B's Amstel win and Schleck A's LBL win came as a result of making a solo break away more than 10km from the finish (I seem to recall - or did Schleck B go over the Keutenberg, which is just inside that distance) which is kind of a less tactically challenging situation to have to deal with than working out what to do when you carry the strongest man in the race to the finish line.
G'phant says:

Apr 28 2011 at 4:41 am

@Nof Landrien
'PG Tips'. Very good. And most apt - he was so strong he could've stopped for a cuppa and still won..
Oli Brooke-White says:

Apr 28 2011 at 4:45 am

Nof Landrien:

Oli Brooke-White :
considering his appalling team support

I think the lack of team support was a myth or a crutch for Cuddles. If he felt he wasn't getting enough support (in a Belgian team, i.e., a team that must have had one eye on the classics, even if their returns on the same were pretty miserable while Cuddles was on the team) he should have left.

I agree he was arguably silly to re-sign with Lotto, but the facts are that he never had team mates around when the crunch really came and he was usually isolated. He was clearly a genuine podium contender who wasn't well backed up - there were plenty of good riders in the team over the years (Aerts, JVS, Lloyd, Popvych, Van Den Broeck, Horner, etc.) but none of them could (or would?) be there when it counted, unlike the teams of the other genuine contenders like the Astanas, CSCs or Discoverys. Not to mention that sometimes his harshest public critic was his own DS! To me this means he didn't have team support, how would you say that is a myth?
RedRanger says:

Apr 28 2011 at 5:12 am

I knew Thor was a little bitch. he always finds an excuse. sorry to go OT but this pissed me off for the dis- service it does to the rainbow jersey.