This
For my money, the best slice of cycling video ever is Francesco Moser, appearing out of the dust, in the 1976 Paris-Roubaix. He blasts by the moto camera on the right, on a mission to get up to the front. Something about him appearing, then almost disappearing down the road. What was that? And there it is, the Moser position. His torso is pulled down low. If you want to go that fast you have to get that low. Back in the day, your frame size was directly correlated to your inseam, period. There were no slammed -17 degree stems or long seatposts. If you wanted to get aero you just had to bend at the hips and elbows, a lot.
Getting low is one thing, generating huge power from that position is something else, something Moser excelled at. Lo Sceriffo was not a man to be underestimated. In this excerpted video from A Sunday in Hell, Moser is powering up towards the winning break of four riders: Roger De Vlaeminck, Marc Demeyer, Walter Godefroot, and Hennie Kuiper (all former or future P-R winners). It is an all star break of Belgian-Dutch hardness and Moser bridges quickly. The winner was going to come from this group but it was not Moser’s year nor was the next edition so he made up for it by winning the next three consecutive Paris-Roubaix.
To see Moser powering up the side of the pavé like that, it’s some sort of poetry that captures just about everything I love about cycling.
The Moser scene plays out around 9:10 into the clip, but as always, it is pure pleasure to watch what leads up to it.
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@Buck Rogers
Welcome back! Plus ca change, c'est plus la meme chose.
@Matt
Here's what I think is the same exact spot of that race from another angle-
Well..okay..maybe not the exact same moment given the different leg position, but definitely the same race
@Ron
I'm taking a guess here, body fat back then maybe ~10%, nowadays 5%?
@Haldy
Front skewer at exactly 90* for Maximum Aero Effect. Rear skewer bisecting the angle created by the chain and seat stays, as God intended. White socks at the perfect height.
Fucking hell. RDV laying down The Rules eons before I was to swing my leg over a top tube. Beautiful.
@Buck Rogers
Fuck and I knew something was missing around here but I just couldn't fekin place it.
All this talk of Roubaix has me thinking... What's the word on the Keepers' Tour this year, @Frank?
This is inspirational as just last Friday I signed up for the 6th edition of the Belgian Waffle Ride here in San Diego County. It's my 2nd attempt and my goal this year is to get to the oasis before the girls leave and to the finish before the beer garden closes.
This post and video brought back memories as it's now almost 40 years since the 1976 P-R race. 1976 was the year I bought my first pro bike - an Alan Super Record / Nuovo Record. Still have it in fact.
I know, it's not quite the same, but: https://vimeo.com/148125421 Training in January has had some hints of Flandrian weather at least as well as some unridable trails due to mud.
Yay, Buck's back, baby!
there's a lot to like in 'a sunday on hell'. 4.00-6.40 aint bad for starters. he who is god arrives... looking as cool as da king cat... then de Vlaeminck's guns (bumps where only one who is rock hard can have them) and taking care of Mr Merckx's set-up... yeah... to the micrometre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxBTVU9JDrA