My friend and trainee Velominata Rachel has a keen cycling eye and an inquisitive mind. While perusing the book Tour de France/Tour de Force she happened upon this image of The Badger, Bernard Hinault, sprinting for a stage win in the 1981 Tour. We know this because the caption says so. And that is pretty much all it says; no other names, no photo credit, nothing.
Of course, I wanted to know who the other protagonists are. Some research into that year’s race, and the Wickes-Splendor team pointed to one of the riders being Eddy Planckaert, who won Stage 12 (*Part B) into Zolder. The other one though? Could it be old bro Walter? (Not likely, he finished way back that day.) Sean Kelly was on the team too, and was always up for a bunch gallop, but of course it looks nothing like the Irish hardman (his legs are uglier than those, says Rachel. And by ugly, I think she means awesome). No, my hunch is it is Guido Van Calster, as he took fourth on the stage that we whittled it down to. *Stage 12 was broken into Part A (Roubaix-Brussels, 107 km) and Part B (Brussels-Zolder, 133 km), both raced on the same day.
While not really interested in who the other riders were, the thing that stood out most to Rachel was the strange lumps on the riders’ backs. Not Camelbaks (because that would violate Rule #32, and they weren’t invented yet), probably not race radio transmitters (not sure if they were around then either). Not bidons (too square), not food (why have food stuffed down your jersey in a sprint?), so what the hell could they be?
Once again, we trust in the Velominatii to decipher the clues, and feast on the pure awesomeness of another great photo.
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The lumps are sponges. I think around that time it was one of the rules that on hot days you put cold sponges on hot days!!
@spangelsaregreat
So you're saying that day was possibly hot enough to be "sponge worthy"
probably, the badger tended to set most of the rules
Yup - sponges soaked with water. All the rage of the '81 Tour and the bane to photographers everywhere.
Eddy Plankaert on the left of course, but then a Velominati should know that.
Nothing more to add other than to comment on the "pure Awesomeness" of that photo and those riders
Sponges! Of course! Nice one Spangels, welcome to the fold...
Yes, that is Van Calster (40):
http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/fr/TDF/1981/partants.html
The official Le Tour website has a very nice bit of historical data for each year, including start lists: http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/index.html
What a cool-ass picture. Down-tube shifters engaged into GO mode, in the drops, the scent of the kill is all over these guys. The look in the Badgers eyes gives me the shivers.
I've known about this picture for, I'm guessing, 25 years now. Which means I've been wondering what the fuck those lumps their jerseys is for, I'm guessing, just on 25 years.
Sponge worthy indeed...but no, I have a different answer for the humps. The photo, in poster size, is in my LBS back on the East coast of the US. I have looked at it over the years and was struck by the humps too but it wasn't until I was really hauling ass once when the light bulb went off.
When really speeding along, Eddy Planckert-racing-that-hostile-French-fuck-Hinault-sprinting-speed*, a turbulent flow behind the head lifts the jersey off the shoulders and it flaps! I believe we are seeing the jerseys flapping and the camera freezes the flap. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
*What a photo! Think how fast these guys are going, faster than I will ever go on flat roads, faster by such a huge margin.
Caption: 'As the sprint came into the finale at Notre Dame, Esmeralda was mightily impressed' ?