Awesome Danish Guys: Brian Holm

Rule #82 problem

Or as Bob Roll keeps calling him Bri-ann Holm?! I have three reasons right off the top of my head as to why Bri-ann Holm is a badass.

The first is he offered to cut off Dan Martin’s ears if he didn’t finish in the top ten of this year’s Tour de France. Martin finished 9th, ears intact, just. When I first saw the remark I thought Holm was saying he would cut his own ears off if something or other didn’t happen, which I liked even more. I admire a man ready to take a confident stand. But it was Dan Martin’s ears and Brian wanted him to really perform, obviously. He is an old school directeur sportif at Quick-Step and this relates to reason number two. In a Rouler article he said if one of his young riders crashes he will sometime send him to the front to work, to take his mind off the crash. In passing he said you can only hurt in one place at a time, maybe meaning get to the front and work and it might take your mind of the terrible crash you were just in.

This would normally be the kind of bold statement I would write off as nonsense but it fits my own long held theory exactly. I refer to the “resident evil” that floats around in my body that can only be in one place at a time. Warming up, the evil nestles into my left knee, eventually it floats somewhere else but never two locations at a time. It’s exactly what Bre-ann said.

Lastly, Mr Holm is awesome and an unwitting Velominatus (even though Brett hates him but Brett hates most things) because he gets IT. Please read this interview and discuss.

Gianni

Gianni has left the building.

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Oli says:

Sep 19 2016 at 12:38 am

@Gianni

That's actually Marc Madiot, and Subaru-Montgomery did indeed race in Europe and the US in the 1992 equivalent of Pro Continental - second tier races, I guess.
Rick says:

Sep 19 2016 at 4:14 am

That photo is from the 1993 edition of Milan-San Remo. 18th photo of the slideshow.
Steve Trice says:

Sep 19 2016 at 5:15 am

@Rick

Being a follicularly challenged rider necessitates unique solutions to unique cycling problems. In the summer I sport an Il Pirata bandana under my helmet. This serves the purpose of keeping the sun off of my head and neck. This is preferable to having a helmet vent tan or perspiration delivering sunscreen into my eyes, which burns!

I always wear something for those reasons, either a thin, summer weight skull cap or a thin head band. Trouble with the latter is when you take the helmet off; a headband on bald head looks ultra knobbish, but I hate sweat in my eyes.

@Rick

My preference is for a balaclava to keep the cold wind off of my neck and out of my jersey.The problem that I encountered with this type of garment was that my head got cold as cold air wafted through the vents of my giro.

I only tried a balaclava once and I found that it diverted my hot breath upwards meaning that my Rudies were continually steamed up. The garment was abandoned inside the first 2 kilometres.
Steve Trice says:

Sep 19 2016 at 5:25 am

Brian Holm's career sums up the dichotomy of being a pro in the nineties (or perhaps, more accurately, the trichotomy). He says that he "dabbled" in doping, but with hindsight wished he'd either never doped or had gone the whole hog and doped to the gills. In his in-between world he sort of under achieved without the moral high ground of knowing he was clean.
Rick says:

Sep 19 2016 at 5:38 am

@Steve Trice

@Rick

Being a follicularly challenged rider necessitates unique solutions to unique cycling problems. In the summer I sport an Il Pirata bandana under my helmet. This serves the purpose of keeping the sun off of my head and neck. This is preferable to having a helmet vent tan or perspiration delivering sunscreen into my eyes, which burns!

I always wear something for those reasons, either a thin, summer weight skull cap or a thin head band. Trouble with the latter is when you take the helmet off; a headband on bald head looks ultra knobbish, but I hate sweat in my eyes.

@Rick

My preference is for a balaclava to keep the cold wind off of my neck and out of my jersey.The problem that I encountered with this type of garment was that my head got cold as cold air wafted through the vents of my giro.

I only tried a balaclava once and I found that it diverted my hot breath upwards meaning that my Rudies were continually steamed up. The garment was abandoned inside the first 2 kilometres.

I wear the balaclava below my chin for that reason. It keeps my head warm and the wind out of my jersey. I like the full neck coverage that the garment offers.
KogaLover says:

Sep 19 2016 at 11:35 am

@erikdr

Bit late to the Koga-party but was chuffed to see this icon of Dutch cycling. Then I saw @teocalli's note on the death of a paralympic rider so decided to temper the celebration a bit and lay low with fruits of the grapevine or a malted pilsner. Was in Croatia today trying to find Pinchy but did not see him.

@frank Tulip was a Dutch computer brand and since the Dutch are known to be frugal, I guess that's why it was a bottom dollar sponsor.
Gianni says:

Sep 19 2016 at 3:01 pm

@Steve Trice

Brian Holm’s career sums up the dichotomy of being a pro in the nineties (or perhaps, more accurately, the trichotomy). He says that he “dabbled” in doping, but with hindsight wished he’d either never doped or had gone the whole hog and doped to the gills. In his in-between world he sort of under achieved without the moral high ground of knowing he was clean.

That says it all, yes. It was a fucked time to be a professional. Very few were guided properly and that would result in leaving the sport, a no win situation.
Cary says:

Sep 19 2016 at 3:08 pm

@Steve Trice

Brian Holm’s career sums up the dichotomy of being a pro in the nineties (or perhaps, more accurately, the trichotomy). He says that he “dabbled” in doping, but with hindsight wished he’d either never doped or had gone the whole hog and doped to the gills. In his in-between world he sort of under achieved without the moral high ground of knowing he was clean.

i respect this dilemma, and surely he wasn't the only rider thusly compromised. at least Holm didn't pack it in and whine about it in the press for the next decade.
KogaLover says:

Sep 20 2016 at 7:34 am

@frank

I love the look of those steel frames with the long top tube and long-ass stem.

It's carbon.
KogaLover says:

Sep 20 2016 at 7:49 am

Captions did not come through.

Photo 1: From Koga 1993 brochure: another example of Rule #82 non-adherence.

Photo 2: From Koga 1992 brochure.