Categories: Anatomy of a PhotoAwesome Belgian Guys

Anatomy of a Photo: Maximum Awesome

Baller.

Freddy effortlessly demonstrates Rules #80 and #82, the Three-Point System, and the Goldilocks Principle while his mechanic calmly swaps a mortal’s wheel for one that can withstand his ferocious sprint. All the while, a young Colonel Sanders looks on with bemused disapproval.

For anyone still wondering whether the 70’s was the coolest decade ever, it was.

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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wiscot says:

Nov 20 2013 at 7:49 am

@pistard

Just read this great interview with Freddy from two years ago. All the dirt and he's still pissed at de Vlaeminck:

http://bikeraceinfo.com/oralhistory/freddy-maertens.html

Great read! Thanks for posting. What a crazy world Freddy lived in.
wiscot says:

Nov 20 2013 at 7:51 am

@ChrisO

@wiscot Nope the guy on the left is Pietro Caucchioli, also an ex-pro. I think third in the Giro and a few stage wins. He does Ale which is the clothing brand that Cipo is also involved with - very understated stuff as you can imagine.

I'm in the middle. Cipo is a big lad - I'm 6'3"³ and he's got one or two inches on me. Still looks pretty fit too, since we're talking about people who've still got it.

Unfortunately work commitments mean I've had to pass up the opportunity for a private ride with him and our race team tomorrow morning.

Thanks for clarifying! I knew Cipo was big, but not that big. I'm 6" 1' so Cipo would tower over me too.
Ron says:

Nov 20 2013 at 9:36 am

@pistard

@Ron

How big were he and Godefroot? Neither seems too large, though both were stout by today's standards. Still, seem on the small size to have handled cobbles so well. I guess being Belgian doesn't hurt...

Unreliable sources put Maertens at 174cm and 71kg, Godefroot at 171/73. Makes me feel downright proportional.

Wow, if they rode today their DSs would tell them to go on a diet, immediately. I didn't realize I'm the same size as Walter! Damn, now I can watch the Bulldog ride, then Gerrans, and Tommy "Grimace" Voeckler can be demoted. Nice.
cyclebrarian says:

Nov 20 2013 at 10:38 am

@wiscot

@ped

Freddy was DQ'd in Ronde van Vlaanderen in 1977 for a bike change from his brother on the Koppenberg, when he towed de Vlaeminck to the line.

A cobble in the museum at Oudenaarde declares him the moral victor.

A bit of research on pro cycling in the 70s is incredible - the wheeling and dealing is mind-blowing. Merckx basically let Gimondi win the world title rather than let Maertens win riding Shimano. Merckx and Gimondi both rode Campagnolo.

I just read about that on the Flandria website (my goal now is to own one of those bikes) the other day. Funny someone should mention it.
Carel says:

Nov 20 2013 at 12:00 pm

@PeakInTwoYears he's leaning on a Peugeot 404!
wiscot says:

Nov 20 2013 at 12:37 pm

@cyclebrarian

@wiscot

@ped

Freddy was DQ'd in Ronde van Vlaanderen in 1977 for a bike change from his brother on the Koppenberg, when he towed de Vlaeminck to the line.

A cobble in the museum at Oudenaarde declares him the moral victor.

A bit of research on pro cycling in the 70s is incredible - the wheeling and dealing is mind-blowing. Merckx basically let Gimondi win the world title rather than let Maertens win riding Shimano. Merckx and Gimondi both rode Campagnolo.

I just read about that on the Flandria website (my goal now is to own one of those bikes) the other day. Funny someone should mention it.

And what's funnier is that Freddy always rode Italian frames painted and badged as Flandrias!
PeakInTwoYears says:

Nov 20 2013 at 1:01 pm

@Carel

Carel. Carel. Sounds a bit like "Karla," doesn't it, old chap? Have we crossed paths, in Berlin, perhaps?
Gianni says:

Nov 20 2013 at 3:09 pm

@pistard

Just read this great interview with Freddy from two years ago. All the dirt and he's still pissed at de Vlaeminck:

http://bikeraceinfo.com/oralhistory/freddy-maertens.html

Holy shiet, that is an interview! 300 km training rides all the time, that will make you or break you. Fantastic. Thanks.

I wish he had been at the museum the day we were all there for KT2012.
piwakawaka says:

Nov 20 2013 at 4:19 pm

@Gianni

@pistard

Just read this great interview with Freddy from two years ago. All the dirt and he's still pissed at de Vlaeminck:

http://bikeraceinfo.com/oralhistory/freddy-maertens.html

Holy shiet, that is an interview! 300 km training rides all the time, that will make you or break you. Fantastic. Thanks.

I wish he had been at the museum the day we were all there for KT2012.

Not nearly in the same league, not yet anyway, Ritchie Porte on Bikelane, "yeah we do blocks of 1000km weeks for a month, but I don't mind just going out for a 300km ride" .
sthilzy says:

Nov 20 2013 at 9:16 pm

@frank

@kixsand

@DerHoggz

@scaler911

@Haldy

More 70"²s awesomeness V-Locus style....

Love love that photo!

My puny mortal brain cannot even begin to comprehend his position.

Yeah...having trouble wrapping my head around that paperclip like turn from back to leg - fuck me freddy.

That's pure flexibility of the hammies and lower back; no forward hip rotation going on there.

I strecth my hammies during the day. I think there's only two of us in the guys I know that are on the wrong side of 40 that can touch toes/palm plant flat on floor.

I'd really like to be much more flexible like this dude......