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

scaler911 says:

Feb 18 2012 at 10:28 am

1992 TdF; The firepower in the group, unreal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqoH6R-99N0&feature=endscreen&NR=1
gravity bob says:

Feb 18 2012 at 11:17 am

@scaler911

1992 TdF; The firepower in the group, unreal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqoH6R-99N0&feature=endscreen&NR=1

Those early '90s Tours were good to watch; if and when you could get coverage. It was given Big Mig would win in his nonchalant style, we would languish with Leman if he was in the Le Grande Boucle that year, and the cast of characters in the races was spectacular.
silkrider says:

Feb 18 2012 at 3:21 pm

@Calmante

I wrote Super Mario a letter once when I was a kid... and he wrote me back. I'll never forget that.

That is cool, I didn't think I could like him more, but now I do.
Bob says:

Feb 18 2012 at 5:49 pm

You guys are all over it... with one exception that you may have overlooked. Check out Youtube clips of Stephen Roche for the supreme example of souplesse.
frank says:

Feb 19 2012 at 10:34 am

@Bob

You guys are all over it... with one exception that you may have overlooked. Check out Youtube clips of Stephen Roche for the supreme example of souplesse.

You mean like this? Never mind that guy in the green...he hasn't won anything big this year. No need to chase.
grumbledook says:

Feb 29 2012 at 7:29 am

But never forget: "Souplesse oblige!"
Barracuda says:

Jun 7 2012 at 9:43 pm

I could care less about the literal meaning of the word souplesse. Just the idea of going forth and trying to obtain something mythical within ones own abilities is reward enough .... I dream of the day of the perfect ride .... just like the perfect wave that glistens in the morning sunlight whilst waiting in the calming ocean for the next set to arrive. You know in yourself when you are close to souplesse. Its "that" feeling. The wheels roll effortlessly and each pedal stroke is not a chore but a mean to an end.

ahhh ...'le paradis sur terre
Calmante says:

Jun 8 2012 at 5:28 am

@Barracuda

You could care less, huh? Do you care a lot? That's a lot of room for caring less.
Flying Crowbar says:

Jun 8 2012 at 5:45 am

@Calmante
For all intensive porpoises, I see your point.
wiscot says:

Jun 8 2012 at 7:18 am

I've never understood the US variation of the phrase "I could care less." It implies that you could indeed, care even less than you do if you wanted. In other works, there still the option of caring even less. In the UK, the phrase is "I couldn't care less" which is closer to what is meant, which is, in effect, "I don;t give a fuck" and there no room for giving less of a fuck.