There is nothing more disappointing than discovering the truth behind a myth or spotting the mortal behind a legend. This is why I make a point never to do any research or in any other way attempt to validate my assumptions when evaluating a situation; mystery that feels like a fact and sounds like a fact is better than an actual fact. Truth, like sex, is something that should be kept private between willing participants, not spread around for everyone to see.
Lucky for me, I’m Dutch, which means my assumptions are usually correct and by extension means I’ve mastered almost every challenge I’ve taken on in life; sometimes it pays to descend from pale Northern European stock that subsists equally on root vegetables and wild guesses (external participants’ experience may vary).
I’ve always been obsessed with history and mythology; the Iliad and The Odyssey occupied my mind like little else did if you can ignore Luke Skywalker or exactly what I might accomplish in life if I had access to a lightsaber and/or the use of The Force. When I became interested in Cycling due in part to Greg LeMond’s influence on the sport in the early 80’s, I was immediately confronted by this crazy character he was embroiled with nicknamed Le Blaireau who was a tireless competitor spitting out quips like, “If I breathe, I attack.” I pulled on the yarn and discovered similar or greater legends and stories hand over fist. This was a sport that seemed to combine everything I love in life: history, legend, myth, aerobic sport, discipline, technique, and not a small amount of OCD within its practitioners.
The most amazing thing about Cycling is that it has a unique kind of mythology. Mythology is normally something that lays in the distant past, far from the reach of our personal experiences. But in Cycling, our mythology and legend lays within the span of our influence, it is something tangible we feel when we watch it unfold before us at the roadside or even on television. This is also why our fallen heros continue to be lionized; when the observer is genuinely unaware of the false forces behind the performance, the emotions felt at the time leave an indelible mark that are unsullied of thoughts of cheating or malfeasance. Discovering the truth years later may well tarnish the reasonable portion of our minds, but the imprint of those original emotions can never be removed and continue to influence us at a level that lives somewhere below the conscious and the rational. This explains why those of us who watched a rider like Pantani dance away from the bunch in the late 90’s continue to love him, while those who came to the sport later view his performances as obviously false and wonder how we could rationally continue to ignore the elephant behind his legend. The point is, rational has nothing to do with it.
They say truth can be stranger than fiction, but I have rarely seen anything more interesting than myth; we are lucky to be a part of a sport whose mythology is still developing and rather than frown upon the truth behind some of its details, I cherish the opportunity to be a part of it.
VLVV.
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@Buck Rogers
Buck, Buck... Lost to climbing? Come now. But regarding Harrer and Herzog certainly mythology there. Both of these men have had their myths challenged. Not whether they climbed the mountain, but the why (in Harrer's case) and the how (in Herzog's case). Personally I have more tolerance for the challenges to Harrer's motivations for climbing the Eiger Nordwand, whereas I detest how Herzog's ego and control of the Annapurna narrative relegated the true heroes Lachanel and Rebuffat. If you haven't, you should read David Roberts' "True Summit" (http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/06/04/reviews/000604.04barc.html).
What happened to Lachanel is just tragic.
Sorry for the thread drift.
@DeKerr
That was absolutely fantastic!
I would add that the legends of competitive sailing (Paul Elvstrom, Peter Blake) offer much to the mythology of the sport. Watching the Volvo Ocean Race that's going on now shows true rule 5, 9, 10 compliance.
I think Hinault stands pretty tall when comparing his real persona and the myth built around him. He was very much in the Eddy (and Lance) mold in that he was going to win every race he entered. What could be the point of doing anything else. His drug was the force of his Breton will.
Slaying the Badger was fun to watch but it didn't really change my feelings toward him. He was a driven, viciously competitive bastard, that's what it takes to get to the top sometime. It was his nature.
@TheVid
Indeed. How about a badge for this?
Perhaps not exactly what was being referred to by this particular article, but something I've always found interesting about cycling myth and lore is how it can be entirely inaccurate but still those inaccuracies live on and in a sense become more 'true' than the truth. For example, I've long heard and read accounts of Hinault's famous quote about how P-R was absolute shit and how he then went on to win the race in '81, but never ride it again after that. What a great story! (except for the fact that it isn't true - he rode P-R again several times).
Or Tim Krabbe's accounts of the stories of Anquetil always removing the bidon from his bike and placing it in his jersey pocket on climbs in order to make the bike as light as it could be....only then to find photograph after photograph of the bidon still placed in its cage as Anquetil pedaled up each slope. Krabbe insists that the story told about Anquetil speaks more to the nature of the rider and therefore is indeed MORE true. I like that.
Watching a TV programme at the weekend in the UK Guy Martin - Speed on C4. Worth a watch in C4 Player if you missed it in the UK. Anyway he came up with a name G P Mills and here which is worth looking up. Not sure anyone would get away with his solution for nuisance chasing dogs though these days.
Also a little anecdote that the term Break Neck Speed originated from racing Penny Farthings - for obvious, if unfortunate, reasons.
@Teocalli
Yep, also some pretty good insights into spending the best part of 24 hours sitting in a recumbent gently pickling in your and your companions piss.
@BatDan
Yeah it did cross my mind that the simple expedient of some holes in the seat and the padding would have made quite a difference.
I really do wonder sometimes @frank what prompts you to a certain topic to which you turn your pen. This here, could it be Gunderson and the ill fated Fondo return? Or perhaps the team of sky blue coated climb rockets? It matters not I suppose, more that it is written.
@DeKerr
Brilliant, just brilliant.
Mythology - the tales of helping your fellow man, of caring for them while both suffering, the patron and these other more human elements are what I enjoy most about history. When professionalism, sponsorship come into effect, they lead to more controversy and less of a regard for others or the legends of before. It happens with most sports really, cycling, cricket, golf to name a few that have had a 'gentlemanly' element previously, but are now as cut throat as any other at the top level.
Still, below that level, these type of tales, such as helping your mate change his third puncture during a shared century, passing food or water around in a time of need while pedalling through some unbeknown locale, we write our own myths.