The Gorgenzolo Special - Drillium to the extreme!

[Little Al]

Great stuff! I remember a serial in the 'Adventure' about a British team in the Tour de France. This would have been in the late 50's when British riders were starting to become more frequent in the tour. Lots of dirty dealings - water in tyres, dodgy feeding bottles, tacks on the road, unfriendly spectators etc. etc.

Surely nobody actually behaves like that in real life - do they? :shock: :roll:

Well as a Brit living in Belgium & racing in the late 50's early 60's yes it did especially in the local Village/Town kermesse races, the unofficial rules & regs were forcefully brought to any outsiders attention. the pecking order re prize money was known before the race started the minor placings was an every man for himself

 

[Old Ned]

Great stuff! I remember a serial in the 'Adventure' about a British team in the Tour de France. This would have been in the late 50's when British riders were starting to become more frequent in the tour. Lots of dirty dealings - water in tyres, dodgy feeding bottles, tacks on the road, unfriendly spectators etc. etc.

Surely nobody actually behaves like that in real life - do they? :shock: :roll:

Well as a Brit living in Belgium & racing in the late 50's early 60's yes it did especially in the local Village/Town kermesse races, the unofficial rules & regs were forcefully brought to any outsiders attention. the pecking order re prize money was known before the race started the minor placings was an every man for himself

I can well imagine it! I nearly went over mid 60's in the summer holidays. Looking back I reckon I (as a naive teenager riding mainly local time trials) would have been eaten alive by the locals!

However, a mate of mine in the late 80's went over for a couple of weeks and rode several of the kermesses, doing very well. In one event he lapped the field on his own, a feat that had never been done before. They had him all lined up for a contract for the next year but he never returned. In retrospect, probably very sensible!