Don’t be distracted by the sweatband or the lame Bolle sunglasses; this man is a stud. He came from a different time, a time when suffering was a more visceral experience than it is these days. It permeated everything a professional rider did. The bike were heavier, the equipment less efficient, the travel to races more grueling, accommodations more humble, and paychecks were smaller.
But Davis Phinney was one of the foreign riders who took it all in stride, going to bed every night after taking a beating in the European pro ranks only to get up the next morning and say, “Thank you sir, may I have another?” Here was a man just as happy slogging it out on the front as a domestique as he was racing for the win, bumping shoulders with the likes of the Badger and Greg LeMan. Here was a man who, should the opportunity present itself, would punch his head through a car window just to add an extra dose of The V to the afternoon. Even his son appears to be a budding young stud.
Indeed, we can say a lot about Davis Phinney and his entire generation of fellow Americans who ventured into territory unknown to race in Europe. One thing we can not say, however, is that they wore cool sunglasses.
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I remember getting my first pair of "cycling" sunglasses. It was 1989, I was in high school and had been racing the bike for about two years at that point and I bought a pair of Rudy Projects that came in a little yellow rubberized bag.
Man, I thought I was ready to move to Europe when I first rode with those bad boys on.
Looking back, man were they dorky, but I felt soooo Euro with them on back then!!!
Are you kidding? Part of what makes him a stud is those badass glasses and the sweatband. He is exuding cool in a universal way that I will never attain. When I blast the short sleeves to show-off the Rule 7 adherence, I only get weird looks from the teeming masses. Whereas if anyone saw Mr. Phinney as pictured above walking down the street, the only adequate response would be: "Fuck, there's a dude right there"
Amen, brother.
I think he's been practising that strut for a while.
I'll echo that sentiment - there is a dude right there!
On another note, I was walking my dog the other week and nearly stepped on a pair of Oakley Radars on the ground. They are enormous and take up most of my face, partly because they are big to begin with, but also because I have a small face. Anyway, I proudly wear them when riding and think to myself, "Fuck yeah, I'm a dude because I found these awesome & huge sunglasses and I don't care if they are too big for me. They still look PRO."
I'm like Kool Moe Dee on a bicycle.
if only there was a touch more mullet
Great photo Frank. Only the Italians would have a cheese van at the start of their national stage race. I bet Davis was holding his red "Huffy" cycle, which I think was made by Serotta.
Phinney was a dude, to be sure. I'm with Collin, despite the sunglasses, with that head band, he had a look, the swagger and the ability to back it up. He certainly kicked everyone's ass in the US so it was great to see him mixing it up with the pros in Europe. What a man.
This photo is from the darker days of cycling.
He sure had some meat on the uppers compared to todays peloton. However, the gent w/the cycling cap in the background does seem to have already gone down the path of RAS-MISSIN.
I keep my Oakley Eyeshades with my Dremel tool. They protect my whole face from flying debris. When I wore them as a teen, I was the coolest.