Young riders rise through the ranks with such promise. We all know the story; the rider who borrows a bicycle and enters a local race and wins. He decides he might be good at going batshit fast on a bike. Mom and Dad buy him a klunker for his birthday and he takes out a license. He starts winning most races he enters locally and rises to the regional level, then the national.
He has learned to deal with pain in a way most people could never imagine, and has come to understand that this – not his ability to smoothly turn the pedals – is his true talent in Cycling. To reach the next level, it’s time for sacrifice. He first stops eating cakes, then stops eating most things as he comes to the conclusion that every Cyclist comes to at one point or another: being heavy makes this sport even harder than it already is.
Then it’s off to the international level where he gains the attention of a Pro team and lands a contract. He takes well to Pro life and rises through the demanding ranks quite quickly. At a young age, he learns to look into the cold, deadly eyes of Bernard Hinault and stare back. He learns to hold the wheel of the most ruthless competitors in the world; he learns to drop them. He suffers like he’s never suffered before and thrives on it.
Then, in a flash, he finds himself on the world stage, in the limelight of one of the biggest races in the world. The public adores him for it. Then they predict his future success, and as quickly as it came, his greatness is crushed under the weight of expectation and he disappears first into the bunch and then into retirement.
Such was the case for poor Franco Chioccioli, cursed the moment his adoring fans named him Coppino, Little Coppi, after winning the 1991 Giro d’Italia.
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Here is a photo of me (with the hair) circa 1986...
...If you look at the ground/shadows in between the "doubles" (the two mounds that we are jumping from and to for all you non-BMX types out there) you can see the same "cloning" as in this article's header image so the photo was obviously Photoshopped. Yes it was. In fact, it was I who did it. Why? Well, the original print version of this photo was taped to the peg board of my workbench when I worked at a bike shop bitd and there were all these little white marks on the photo where a crescent wrench that was hanging over the photo had banged around on it. I just wanted to get rid of the marks. Also, if you look really closely to the left of my back wheel you can see where I "shopped" out my ex-wife who happened to be standing in the infield of the track when this photo what taken. So unless we have another version of the article's header photo for comparison we really don't know why the image was shopped and are left with speculation. Just my two cents.
@piwakawaka
Because we want reality to be better than it is?
Only problem that I noticed was that Franco's image had had a bad Photoshop retouching. Shame.
1988 Gavia. Incredible.
@unversio
All I can think of when I see that is how much that poor frame must have been flexing under the weight of Bernard churning that big ring over like that! AWESOME!
first: sorry for falling off the back, its been a while since running with group, so I for one am glad to be able to simply read a little...damn work...
second: great article Frank. It reminds me of a few things. First, as cyclists we are really an optimistic group, and we like it that way, for instance, we all see at various distances in the future (some dare say now) & see a PRO peloton that is racing clean...thats optimisim. We all suffer like our Father, with a glimpse of hope that we too will for just one day, ride flying on the Muur and perhaps, just perhaps do something special one day. That friends is optimism. The neo-PRO, we are optimistic just the same, however, I must interject that there are Rules and exceptions to the Rule. The Rule is: nobody will ride like Merckx ever again nor win 525 times. Many come up the ranks like mentioned, with subtlty and a purity of talent only to be swallowed up by expectations and what I term the 'game'. It is exceptional when one does rise and takes it, with an iron fist, a slam of the beer on the table and the panache of Pantani rising.
How many times indeed we set up the neo-PRO as the exception when really they are the Rule
We are optimistic however, and cannot nor will not change this. I hope.
@unversio
Maybe Stalin and Kim Jong Little Un could learn some lessons off this.
Mind you one of them would have to be not dead to learn the lessons.
@the Engine
I have a great book at home: The Commissar Vanishes. It's basically a survey of all the "photoshopping" Stalin did during his reign of terror. By today's standards it's often crude, but you have to remember most of the images in question were produced in B&W, on cheap paper and to a population to ignorant or scared to bring the issue up. "Hey, whatever happened to Trotsky? Wasn't he standing at the foot of the lectern when Lenin spoke in St. Petersburg?" was not a question that could be asked without repercussions.
Interestingly, in one picture taken in Red Square, not only do a couple of people "disappear" but some trash lying around goes too!
Stalin, Kim Jong Il, Mao and the rest of those scum would have had a field day with photoshop.
1991 Giro d'Italia.
Inspiringly awesome.
@Cyclops +1 for rad BMX stylin, +1 for elegant explanation for 'shopping