Categories: EtiquetteLook ProNostalgiaTradition

Look Pro: Souplesse

Master Jacques, master of souplesse.

Souplesse. Only the French would have such a word; one you can sink your teeth into, chew on. It begs to be spoken over a plate of assorted cheeses and a bottle of vin rouge. Its exact definition is unimportant; such things conjure up an image in our minds that is cheapened by words. Souplesse is the ideal, sought by all and obtained only by The Few.

Souplesse is the perfect storm of Looking Pro; harmony between grace and power, casual and deliberate. It speaks of the entire organism, the perfectly manicured machine together with the perfectly refined position and technique of its rider. It is the combination of Magnificent Stroke, gentle sway of the shoulders and head, the rhythmic breath, and of knees, elbows, and chest converging on the V-Locus.

Jacques Anquetil is man of whom we have spoken surprisingly little in these archives. Perhaps it is because he is a man who inspires us in death as little as he did his fans in life. A calculating man, he pursued Cycling not for the love and passion of it, but for the business of it; for him, the bicycle provided a path from peasantry to aristocracy. That was all.

Be that as it may, he was a gifted cyclist whose fluidity on the bike exemplified Souplesse:

A Magnificent Stroke is more than pushing or pulling on the pedals. The stroke flows from the core and hips, driving the pedals round and belying the effort to do so.
Feet sweep the pedals around in perfect revolutions, one leg cannot be distinguished from the other – they work as one to counter and balance the forces to drive the machine ever faster forward.
The legs can not do their work without the arms, the lungs, the chest, the heart, the mind. Each unit functions independently to do its work, yet feeds seamlessly into the other. In a phrase: Fluidly Harmonic Articulation.
Move to the V-Locus; the body is folded such that legs, arms, and chest overlap but do not intersect. Knees tucked in, shoulders hunched, wrists rolled inwards, elbows angled such that the knees only just slip inside them with each revolution of the cranks.
Face calm, eyes cooly focussed up the road; a grimace is energy that is better spent on turning the pedals.

I give you Master Jacques.

More: Jacques Anquetil Part II & Part III

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

SimonH says:

Feb 17 2012 at 12:47 am

@brett

Cav mustn't be considered a leader at Sky. Black tape.
And black helmet, black shoes, black bibs. Stylin.

He's not the leader, Wiggo is ... (and also a tit)
936adl says:

Feb 17 2012 at 1:01 am

@SimonH

@brett

Cav mustn't be considered a leader at Sky. Black tape.
And black helmet, black shoes, black bibs. Stylin.

He's not the leader, Wiggo is ... (and also a tit)

Sorry but can't agree with your comment about Wiggins.

Sky have got quite a job on their hands supporting them both in the Tour. It will be fascinating to see how it all goes.

In the meantime, bring on Milan-San Remo! Can Cav win it in the stripes.....
936adl says:

Feb 17 2012 at 1:02 am

@scaler911

Big Pimpin;

I'm coming around to Cav, a little, but he's gat a ways to go to be as chill as Mario.

I'm not sure if Cav will ever manage to be as cool as Super Mario! He is a short arse from the Isle of Man after all!
sthilzy says:

Feb 17 2012 at 1:53 am

Found this here.

A style masterclass, courtesy of...Maitre Jacques Anquetil, circa 1957.

Toes down, keeping pressure on and pulling back throughout the full pedal stroke past the 'dead spot', turning a big gear as steadily as a metronome.

Torso solid as a rock, with all the power emanating from the titanic strength of a lower back that never so much as sways.

A horizontal and perfectly aerodynamic back, this despite the fact that the stem is only a 1-2cm lower than the saddle.

Bent relaxed arms, elbows in. Relaxed hands and wrists pushing ever so slightly against the curve of the bars for more leverage and stability.

Eyes fixed on the road 10 meters ahead.

Immense concentration.

Perfection.
Dr C says:

Feb 17 2012 at 1:56 am

@SimonH
He's not the leader, Wiggo is ... (and also a tit)

Oi, less of that!!
Dr C says:

Feb 17 2012 at 1:59 am

@936adl

@SimonH

@brett

Cav mustn't be considered a leader at Sky. Black tape.And black helmet, black shoes, black bibs. Stylin.

He's not the leader, Wiggo is ... (and also a tit)

Sorry but can't agree with your comment about Wiggins.
Sky have got quite a job on their hands supporting them both in the Tour. It will be fascinating to see how it all goes.
In the meantime, bring on Milan-San Remo! Can Cav win it in the stripes.....

Good man, glad to see someone else, like myself, is happy to get no points in the VSP TdF this summer, whilst supporting Twiggy

Actually, I reckon Cav doesn't need a lead out train, just a couple of guys to stop him getting knocked of his bike, so he should be okay with JAF and Bernie doing that - so far, if he is in the bunch at the end, he has won, correct me if I am wrong
Joe says:

Feb 17 2012 at 2:44 am

@scaler911

You're relaxed, smooth, fast, effortless.I get this cycling and I think it's a stretch to say any of us, Pro or otherwise, are always "Souplesse", rather it's a state that's achieved when everything is in perfect balance. Some have it more often than others, and some may never think they have it, but do.

Spot on. I had a fantastic ride yesterday evening, first half 60k of pedalling squares, second half 60k absolutely smashing along, much faster with metronomic smoothness. Whenever I finish a ride like that, my arse and bits of my body not normally thought of as being bike relevant, ache like a sausage dog's bollocks. They don't call it the cottage of wattage for nothing.

On the flipside to all this magnificence, I am fucking useless at work today.
minion says:

Feb 17 2012 at 2:45 am

@ChrisO

@Marcus

@ChrisO

Personally as one who winces at the commonplace misuse of words like enormity, I have some sympathy, but I suggest you are pointing the finger in the wrong direction.

Do you have a few examples of "words like enormity"? Bigness maybe? Or maybe you should have written "...words such as enormity...".
Gee, pedantry is fun after all.

Actually enormity doesn't have anything to do with size - that's the mistake. Maybe you should have checked that before trying to be a jackass. Better luck next time you try to have a pop at me, as you undoubtedly will.
And may I also point out that my pedantry is usually directed at articles and I rarely if ever correct spelling or grammar in posts. That's just trying to be a twat.
Still, batting 500 is not bad.

Pedantry's that way ====>.

Boring pedantry's the next door after that.
936adl says:

Feb 17 2012 at 2:46 am

@Dr C

@936adl

@SimonH

@brett

Cav mustn't be considered a leader at Sky. Black tape.And black helmet, black shoes, black bibs. Stylin.

He's not the leader, Wiggo is ... (and also a tit)

Sorry but can't agree with your comment about Wiggins.
Sky have got quite a job on their hands supporting them both in the Tour. It will be fascinating to see how it all goes.
In the meantime, bring on Milan-San Remo! Can Cav win it in the stripes.....

Good man, glad to see someone else, like myself, is happy to get no points in the VSP TdF this summer, whilst supporting Twiggy
Actually, I reckon Cav doesn't need a lead out train, just a couple of guys to stop him getting knocked of his bike, so he should be okay with JAF and Bernie doing that - so far, if he is in the bunch at the end, he has won, correct me if I am wrong

Absolutely agree about Cav and the train. As long as he's got Eisel to look after him, he should be fine. He's shown that he's got an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time and jump off others.
sthilzy says:

Feb 17 2012 at 2:50 am

@Bianchi Denti

@sthilzy

@scaler911.. damn! Beat me to it! I was going to mention the bar tape!Howz-a-bout, note the orietation of the Cinelli finishing tape!Love the Avocet wire and what Rule #74 is all about! Don't know about the HRM?

HRM tells when he's stressed enough to need another cig.

Ran out of cigs and was bumming around the peleton for one, and found some crack...