Guest Article: Anatomy of a Photo: The Rise and Fall of the Badger
If we were meant to fly, Merckx would have given us wings. But he did give us two wheels and Physics. The first allows us to feel like we’re flying, and the second gives us the propensity to fall over and, as such, crashing – or the fear of crashing – is the constant companion of a cyclist. Our first experiences on a bicycle as a child probably involved a crash; if not on the first ride, then at least on a ride soon thereafter.
But crashes also help forge legends, as was the case in 1977 when a young upstart, Bernard Hinault dropped into a ditch at high speed. I’ve seen this photo before, but I’ve never seen the video (below) and therefor never had an appreciation for how deep and steep the ditch really was. Hinault is indeed lucky to be alive.
Alpin continues his V-Blitzkrieg by treating us to a Frenchman’s view of Le Blaireau and his incredible fall. Enjoy.
Yours in cycling,
Frank
—
The 63th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné has just finished. At this time of the year it’s traditionally the warm-up for the Tour and many top racers came here years after years.
Many of you must already know this picture. It was taken the 4th of June 1977 at 15h22 in the last hour of the 6th stage of the Criterium in the rapid descent of the Col de Porte en Chartreuse to Grenoble. Just under the Col de Vence there is a very treacherous and sinuous part of the road at 11% which faces the valley a half mile below.
Even today after having take this corner time and time again, one cyclist must take extra care on this very spot: the surface of the road is a little better but the danger stays the same.
In France, this picture is entitled to fame for many reasons:
- For a start, well, it’s good photography.
- Secondly, it’s historically the first time the name of Bernard “The Badger” Hinault made the headlines in France and it immediately transformed him into an icon of the sport.
- Thirdly, the event of the incredible fall was live televised, then rerun in loop for days, with one of the first usage of the telephone for a Live interview of Bernard Hinault at the hospital.
- Finally, it’s the epitomization of epic: a combination of danger, tragedy, doubt and heroism…no less. Yes, he’ll get another bike, will finish the descent at insane speed, will get on with the last climb of La Bastille at 18% with some corners over 25%, put his feet off the bike, claiming his exhaustion, re-mounts the bike, forced by his DS, pushed by some locals, gained some energy at last before the summit of this terrible ascension, and by accomplishing that will allow himself to win the stage and his first Dauphiné the day after. Now that’s the V personified for me..
Perhaps some details of this picture interrogate some of us fellow cyclists: no helmet, no glasses, no cycling cap, no visible cuissard, nor cycling shoes or even a bicycle. Only the rear pockets of the jersey and the gloved hand pointed to a spectator could indicate that here’s a cyclist.
Maybe, this other photograph of the event coming straight from the historic live footage could help me to illustrate my point:
There is something missing.
Something that doesn’t put me at ease at all.
Nothing to see there
The two pictures exemplify for me the intimate connection between the cycling racer, the road bike and the road of the race.
Here you can see neither nor bike or road, it’s in the absence of the two that demonstrates the Unheimilichkeit of this event. The sheer tell of speed and danger. Hinault hadn’t hurt himself so badly that he couldn’t take the start the day later but as he said repeatedly and humbly to cameras:
I thought I was dead, I thought it was the time.
You can see the video footage of the Fall and Rise of the Badger here at the Archive for National television ( INA). The title of the film is “La Douleur et la Gloire“.
Or, on Youtube with modern commentary added.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alNJ6pwQrNo&feature=player_embedded#at=110[/youtube]
Merci Alpin
cest formidable, un film classique et une belle histoire
Al
Nail. La classe.
Nicely done. I like a good history lesson on the sport.
Nice!
As I mentioned in a recent post in “the WORKS” I picked up an issue or Rouleur (#19) this weekend. It has an interview with the Badger in it and it has that picture also.
I never much like Hinault because I’m an American and think he tried to hose LeMans during the Tour. But his recent escapades – like throwing idiots off of podiums – have started to endear him to me and he seems fairly humble when not in the heat of battle.
The interviewer related meeting Hinault somewhere that had a Louis XIV tea service on display with a big “DO NOT TOUCH” sign on it. Hinault picked up the lid and replaced it as a concierge freaked out on him – “But madame, the lid was on backwards” was his reply. Little things like that make larger-than-life people more human.
C’est magnifique!
Not too many cyclist would pick themselves up from a spill like that. The badger is tough as nails.
Thanks for the vid.
Agree on both accounts. Never liked him b/c of the Lemans rivalry in ’85 and ’86 but love the account about the tea service set. Pure class. The genius is in the details of life. Beautiful.
Bien trouvé, Alpin. Hinault etait un monstre.
I like Hinault for many reasons, some of which are precisely because of his rivalry with LeMond. The intrigue and mad toing and froing of the ’86 Tour was fascinating to behold. I was/am a big fan of Greg’s too, I should add.
Brilliant story, Alpin.
Good point, Oli. I am eagerly awaiting the book that is to be released this July about the ’86 tour, “Slaying the Badger.” Should be fascinating.
great article Alpain, The Badger is my hero, even having never seen him race (i was born late 80’s). Just from the stories that are told and mainly because he WON ALL YEAR ROUND, nobody seems to do it anymore, he could win Roubaix and the Tour, seemingly at his choosing. I hear so often people who think they know about cycling, at dinner parties and at school when some lad did a presentation declaring Pharmstrong to be the greatest ever, when it’s just not the case.
Now he is a great ambassador for the sport and i will always have time for him.
Dare I say that The Badger is looking Casually Deliberate with his hair looking that good after a crash like that?
Merveilleux! Merci beaucoup.
Thanks you really for your very fine and kind comments about the article!
… et Bonjour aux amis Français réfugiés chez Vélominati : Ca change de l’ambiance de vélo 101, hein? )))
I think that most of you know much better than me the History of the Sport and having never been an ardent “fan” of any rider, i can’t really intervene here … This article was really something “personal and obviously has a bit of “local touch” for me …
Quite on the same note-minus the possibility of death while cycling– Well not really in fact.See related photo)
Well.
These times it’s so very special for me -here and now-with the end of the Dauphiné, all these riders who were in town and on all around the local roads… the publishing of this article who relates an event who happened on a “Routine” road of ours ( Grenoble cyclists) , : the now infamous corner is –seriously- 25 minutes from the city center !!! … it’s intriguing this imbrication of local and global, historical and live, personal and universal…
For instance, today, as 2 friends and I were climbing The Col de la Croix de Fer and the Col du Glandon : at the summit and during the ride : perhaps 1 cyclist for 15-20 was French : German, Dutch, English … all nations but French ! and it’s not even the “cycling” season ( the weather was quite cold, windy and variable i must say ) : These places seem to talk to every serious cycling enthusiast on the planet ! and it’s kind of always refreshing & heartwarming for us, locals!
And i can’t help asking myself how many of you Velominati have already been there climbing the Cols Durs: Alpe d’Huez, Glandon, Galibier, lautaret, mMdeleine, etc …? curious, i am )
Here are some Iphotos and Ivideos from today’s ride :
The Road of Col du Glandon
Glandon ( Road Sign)
Croix de Fer ( Road Sign)
and now adjusting the little wheels
on a more seriously note
video : Bikes at the Croix de Fer
video : Panoramic – Glandon
video : Panoramic – Croix de Fer
Now.
The bikes you can see parked at the summit of la Croix de Fer ( see video ) were as outrageously PRO-like as their owners were outrageously bad at their job of PRO-enthusiasts …
My two friends ( scruffy young sportive fellows, Bike Mechanic & Bike Messenger) and I were looking at them, with respect …and envy perhaps… all in Castelli, Rapha, Assos, dressed “de pied en cap“, all apparel perfectly coordinated to their 8000e bikes : de Rosa, Cervelo(s), BMC(s), Bora(s), Zipp(s), etc…
Incidentally, we saw them clipping on and get going ( with almost as many grace and efficiency as your every day Try-Athlete ))))… 5-7 minutes passed, as we were taking photos, looking at the yellow and purple flowers on the ground , trying to avoid the Hells Angels whose gang has loudly accosted at the local Chalet…
Then, we decided to ride down (at insane speeds, eventually )the 2 Cols… we are incredibly quickly seeing our more-money-than-sense-riders. they were there literally going at the lowest speed conceivable ( their hands obviously will hurt more than their legs when they ‘ll return to their country house ) … And, yes, an obligatory climb who succeeded the pass descent showed that their climbing skills were also more Fishy than Squirelly…
We’re good people, us three geezers, and WE LOVE nice bikes and RESPECT a certain cycling dress code, but when installed cosily at the bar down the Col as we were ordering a bottle of Cotes-du Rhone with steak-frites AFTER having drinked 1 or 2 beers and that’s about the time that you see AT LAST the slow motion of an overweight, overdressed clown on an overexpensive bike trying to maintain his two Boras in line, we couldn’t think of him as anything else of a COTHO.
( Obviously they were Germans. But that’s no excuse.)
Sorry. )
Oh that is gold.
Thanks for the article. The more I come to this site, the more I learn about the sport and the legends and characters of it.
I used to just watch the TdF and call myself a fan. I now know better.
In the words of a famous Jedi “You have much to learn my Padawan”
@Steampunk
I forget that Canadians speak French, though to be fair it is Canadian French, so all you need to do to speak it is know the words for “eh?” and “hoser”.
@RedRanger
Inddeed…all he needs is a pipe and a smoking jacket!
@all
For all the downs that come with allowing spectators so close to the sport, it sure is cool that the Badger had himself some fans to help him out of that ditch. What a cool sport.
@Alpin
Thanks for the additional note, and I am happy to infer from your story that all the Dutch cyclists were model cyclists, descended/climbed at just the right speeds and had bicycles which matched perfectly their aptitude. My oh my how I love the Dutch. We’re perfect. In every way.
@Xponti
+1
@Oli, @Buck Rogers, @Cyclops
The ’86 Tour had to be one of the best ones ever. The pendulum just kept swinging. So was ’89. So was ’90. LeMond just had a way of making his Tours fucking awesome.
But I hated the Badger for trying to hosebag Lemond, but I’ve come around since. The guy was/is? a total asshole, but the V through and through and a total legend. He’s an easy rider to love from the luxury of 20/20 hindsight, no doubt. And no one can claim his reign was monotonous like they are these days.
@frank
WTF? I forget that Americans speak English, though to be fair it is American English, so all you need to do to speak it is know the words for “Second Amendment” and “high fructose corn syrup” (pronounced: sirp).
Chapeau
And you need to be well-versed in the story of Paul Revere’s ride…
@Steampunk
At least we threw off the shackles and don’t have to speak the queen’s English. So there. Or something.
@Alpin: Nice post, great way to hit the ground running here, with all the photos as well.
Looks like another great opportunity to post one of my favorite cycling photos.
@blaireau
And know that Paul Revere didn’t FUCKING MAKE IT. The other dude did. But we don’t need to be well-versed in his ride, so I’m absolved of needing to know his name.
@Buck Rogers
That dude in the white sweater looks like he has already started to wince in anticipation of the huge fist that is headed his way. Love it.
@mcsqueak
Nah””the Badger’s a cyclist. He probably missed…
Isn’t that such an awesome photo? Nothing shows his bad-assness like this photo in my mind.
Yeah, when I was old enough to know that School House Rock lied to me about that ride, I was also old enough to know that Americans like a good “tale.” Too bad for that other guy who really did the work that night.
And that is a great article on a true sportsman. Nothing like an angry man on a bike. Le Patron!
Alpin – Fantastic story and write-up. Your idiosyncratic English makes it that much better. You sound like you’re certainly living the cycling life. Very cool and thanks for adding so much to our community.
I’ve always envied the no apologies, kick ass and who gives a fuck about names approach the Badger had in racing and still seems to possess. Who said the French are pussies? (as long as we’re getting all ethnic up in here)
@Marko
At the same time I also love the story from Phil Anderson (pretty sure it was him) about when he was new in the Euro-peloton and in a break away with Hinault and he offered Hinault a drink from his bottle and Hinault knocked it away. Talk about exuding assholeness and the V all at the same time!
@Alpin
Quels bons mots, mon ami!
@frank
Random experience of Dutch awesomeness: I was at the supermarket yesterday sporting a T-shirt Rapha put out a couple years ago in honor of Johan Museeuw. It says “de leeuw van vlaanderen” on it. An old Dutch lady came up to me and said she liked my shirt. I started telling her about it. She just said “I know.”
Boy oh boy, Alpin…you’ve gone from a rookie to PRO in a flash!
Awesomeness! And congratulations on the inaugural Awesomeness Jersey!
@Alpin – Great post, thank you!
Like the others, I too had a hard time liking Hinault after the ’86 tour, but there was something you just had to admire about him and his “If I breathe I attack” mentality. I may have wanted to be Greg Lemond when I was a kid, but I wanted to race like Hinault.
He didn’t. He never did.
And Max Klinger is running for the M.A.S.H Chopper.
Great post Alpin and the follow up notes are a nice touch. I had seen the photo before but never really went into the details too much, so thank you for the small history lesson.
Timely as well for me as I have just started reading Laurent Fignon’s autobiography where he is talking about joining Renault and his first encounters with the Badger. A great anecdote is how he is describing Hinault arriving at their first training camps for the season. Overweight and seriously out of condition. The younger lads giving him some stick on the climbs, with him yelling back (& me paraphrasing) “you young dicks, we’ll see who’s in shape in a month’s time!”
Wait! What? already there ?!
preparing the Tour in the Alps
–Basso at the Alpe d’Huez
–Evans at the Galibier
–Contador also at the Galibier today and at Grenoble Thursday for the TDF TT recon…
I’ll try to spy Bertie on the Grenoble TT road and to take his wheel in two days to make some Photo Shots (or #Clenbutador Jokes, i am not decided ) : either way, got to train a little to do so … ))))
Cycling Tips has a very nice “in race” Photo Gallery of the Dauphiné … apparently these guys were on the very same spot as me with the same guys, the last day at la Toussuire, too bad we didn’t bump into each other.
Like these two guys.
Dammit, Alpin! Stop living my dream life. It’s not fair.
A graet book and a great sportsman
@Jeff in PetroMetro
Sorry mate ! ..being abruptly fair with my “Dream Life” : I’m poor as Hell.
But who needs money&work (utter time wasting Sh***te) when you got “the Smile”, a nice bike, good legs, some Pasta & 1000 Alpine Passes ???
Cheers!
Money is highly overrated. But a good camera, a good bike, razor sharp tan lines, smoove legs, a sharp kit from a local club (or the Sacred Garments), and a decent VO2 max? Now that’s living.
But writing excellent articles, posting excellent photos, and climbing historic mountain passes whenever you want because you live just down the road? Ok, now you’re rubbing it in.
Got a couch I could live on?
@Jeff in PetroMetro
10-15 years ago, I was involved with lots of friends who were skaters, snowboarders, alpinists
and obviously here,skiers,( mostly of the “extreme” kind..) None of them had EVER any money
but day in / day out, they were riding all friggin days and by all legal and illegal means :
These guys would never leave the bests spots, sleeping for days in garages or technical cabins at 6500 feet alt. : i think ameri-canadians got a name for this kind of tribe who feast on the Big Resorts hidden ressources: SKi-BUMS…
So,you too can come here when you want …
living the “Cycling Bum Bohème Life”
It’s great! )
PS : who needs a couch when you got full access to a nice Chalet up the in Vercors Mountains?
Money is definitely overrated!
I’m still in graduate school so don’t have much money, but what I do have goes exclusively to cycling needs. I need new soccer cleats, I can’t remember the last time I bought clothes, but I eat well, have nice cycling gear, and definitely have sharp tan lines.
Whatever makes you happy!
The only thing in life I desire/crave/lust for is a shed or basement to store/work on my bikes. Right now I’m crammed in a small house with my VMH, my cats, my dog, and the five bikes I can fit in here.
Alpin, I think you have things sorted out nicely!
@Jeff in PetroMetro
Yeah, Seriously.
Haters. ;)
We’re good people, us three geezers, and WE LOVE nice bikes and RESPECT a certain cycling dress code, but when installed cosily at the bar down the Col as we were ordering a bottle of Cotes-du Rhone with steak-frites AFTER having drinked 1 or 2 beers and that’s about the time that you see AT LAST the slow motion of an overweight, overdressed clown on an overexpensive bike trying to maintain his two Boras in line, we couldn’t think of him as anything else of a COTHO.
I hear ya, Alpin. I get annoyed by such people as well. I think the main issue is that it bugs me that they can’t/don’t put such a nice tool to use. Using a full on PRO race bike to roll around at low speeds…why bother?
I also enjoy dudes who dump thousands of dollars into track bikes that are used solely for coffee and beer runs. Yeah dude, you definitely need the Dura Ace hubs to ride those three miles to the bar!
Oh well, there are COTHO all over the place. Better to just ignore them and ride.
@Alpin
Beautiful post about Le Blaireau, one has to love him and his overpowering competitiveness. He is the French V. Andy Hampsten, speaking about his joining Hinault’s team, had nothing but praise for him. Hinault was protective and helpful to the young North Americans.
Beautiful sentiment and story. You are a man who loves cycling for the cycling itself. Well played.
@Alpin, crazy post. There is something about Le Blaireau that always fascinated me, especially when he talks about helping Lemans win the ’86 tour. His mouth says one thing his eyes say something else. Nonetheless he is Le Cinq Francais or COTHO depending where you stand
I’ve been to Pau, sacre bleu!, good beer and wild boar sausages made up for all the wasps I swallowed. I concur with @PetroMetro you do live my dream life. You lucky lucky bastaad.
Great Post @Alpin.
I’ve watched that footage a couple of times now and I’m stunned that he survived that. Given the speed he went off the road at and the steepness of the hillside below, the fact that he climbed out at roughly the point he went off and wasn’t a good way downhill can only suggest that he hit one of the trees, most likely the one used by the chap who dropped down to help him out.
A hard man indeed that carries on rather than saying “fuck this for a bike race I need a beer…”
@Alpin
Says the skinny guy in all BMC bike and apparel.
Just teasing you N, that whole $3000 geared guys making fun of $8000 geared guys… I saw an abandonned Peugeot on the street the other day, same one Thevenet won the Tour with in 1977. Might be good enough for most of us then, eh?
Don’t forget it’s a way to get second hand niiice bikes we couldn’t afford otherwise… (plus you know I love my Rapha jersey man!)
Seriously, great article, and I’m glad you did not tell me about that very corner down Col de Vence last time we rode it, I would have been WAAAY slower.