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

paolo says:

Feb 15 2012 at 1:26 pm

@Souleur

@ the creativity in my right brain could be measured in picograms like clenbuterol in a spaniards blood sample.

I just snorted my coffee!
itburns says:

Feb 15 2012 at 1:28 pm

I like the extended definition because in my life I have more soupknees than souplesse.
napolinige says:

Feb 15 2012 at 1:33 pm

Nice article and great debate. I don't know much about 'souplesse' but 'sprezzatura' is definitely a word you can sink your teeth into especially if you put a little roll on the 'r' and linger a little over the double 'z'.
Roadslave525 says:

Feb 15 2012 at 1:34 pm

@Frank great article as ever. There are some words that should never be translated from their home language into English... Think Maserati Quattroporte (literally, Maserati "Four door")... it should only ever be said in Italian. I think Souplesse is one of those words.

Nice video too. The subtitles from French to Dutch really helped.
Netraam says:

Feb 15 2012 at 1:43 pm

Souplesse is what makes every cyclist better.

Sometimes when I see someone cycle past I cringe at the power that someone loses just by not practising enough souplesse.
frank says:

Feb 15 2012 at 2:19 pm

@Oli
The point, Oli, is that having a smooth, supple stroke has more to do with than just your legs. It takes your whole being to do it. Like so many things, nothing can be isolated when its all part of an interconnected relationship between body parts.

If all you think about is your legs, you'll never have it. Souplesse comes from everything working together in perfect harmony.

@paolo

It never occured to me that you were being a prick Oil. It's just a difference of opinion that's called conversation.

Absolutely.
Frank says:

Feb 15 2012 at 2:32 pm

@Oli
To put it another way, this article doesn't try to define it. In fact, per the first paragraph, it steers well clear of it.

This article is about what it takes to have it.
gaswepass says:

Feb 15 2012 at 2:37 pm

Now that we have that straightened out, there is another matter needing attention for those who have mastered the principle:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/antidoping-agency-has-a-bunch-of-old-tour-de-franc,27331/
scaler911 says:

Feb 15 2012 at 2:49 pm

@gaswepass

Now that we have that straightened out, there is another matter needing attention for those who have mastered the principle:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/antidoping-agency-has-a-bunch-of-old-tour-de-franc,27331/

The Keepers could swing by and pick 'em up while they're in the neighborhood.
Steampunk says:

Feb 15 2012 at 2:52 pm

@frank
Can we agree that la souplesse is an expression of form (of which suppleness certainly plays a critical role)? Which means this comes at an especially cruel time of year for those of us in the northern hemisphere. Went out for a short ride today. Long on power, short on cardio, and even shorter on form. Was bouncing all over the saddle and feeling wildly uncomfortable. Not smooth.