ACF94's meeting with his idol

[Eric8-A]

Zabriskie is my favorite rider and I got the chance to see him at the TT in this years AToC. Before the day, I ran through my head the things I would tell him. When I finally did see him, I completely forgot.

Here's the convo:

Me: Dave, do you mind signing something for me?

DZ: Sure

Me: Have you checked the course out? What do you think?

DZ: What he said next sounded like babbling and I just heard something about it not being so easy.

After that, he was called for something. The thing was that it was just me and him, nobody else. Had I remembered the things to talk to him about and had that guy not called him (he was part of the team staff), we could have had a good conversation. I love comics and superheroes alot too, just like he does.

I was also at the team presentation for Rahsaan's team this year. I actually hung out with Floyd for a cool while. I went to get some water, and when I came back, I saw a guy talking with Floyd who was beyond starstruck. He kept running his hands through his hair, it seemed like he had trouble talking and he was telling Floyd how great he was. I wonder what the guy thought of Floyd after his confession.

Also, Floyd hates Levi. I told him what he thought of Levi being his competition at California (at this time, Rahsaan's team probably thought they were gonna get invited). His response "**** LEVI!" and he repeated it several time as well.

 

[pedaling squares]

His response "**** LEVI!" and he repeated it several time as well.

Yeah, but I say that a lot too and I don't even know the guy.

 

[Anonymous]

By the way dim, since this seems the thread for it, youve said many times that you know wigo reads this forum. Do you know Wiggins. Is it that you run the website and have met all the riders or something?

Nope, and ive never said wiggo does, but cath has at times. She certainly read the original Wigans thread and thought it was hilarious.

 

[pmcg76]

In general, I dont really get starry eyed and not really interested in chatting to riders. However a few years ago, I was at the Giro and wanted to meet a rider from my neck of the woods whom I had never met. It was before the Plan de Cornes TT and a few of the team buses were parked together with guys warming up on rollers. The guy I wanted to see hadnt emerged from his bus so I was hanging around watching other guys warming up killing time when a Barloworld mechanic came and handed me a team bidon, I was so embarrased, I thought "**** he thinks I am a groupie looking for freebies" which was far from the case. I had to thank him of course.

When I finally got talking to the rider I wanted to see, he was totally nice even though he was warming up, especially when I told him where I was from. He was shocked to meet a 'local' at the Giro and we talked for about 10-15mins before journos interrupted. He also gave me his team cap. Another freebie.

The following year, the same pro came over to me at the start of a Vuelta stage to chat and gave me passes for the start village which was really cool but unfortunately I didnt have time to go there as I was heading of to get to the main climb of the day. Still a nice gesture.

 

[Vonn Brinkman]

I never met any of my idols in cycling, sadly.
I did get elbowed in the jaw by Stijn Devolder however, during the Ronde van Vlaanderen But I guess that doesn't count.

I agree with Dim, men will remain men. I wouldn't scream or go crazy if I met Cancellara. I would be very impressed and respectful though, but I would never go wild for them.

 

[katkotom]

besides Peter Sagan who lives in my town I was also lucky to meet Cadel in Livigno in August this summer... he really is a cool guy

 

[The Hitch]

besides Peter Sagan who lives in my town I was also lucky to meet Cadel in Livigno in August this summer... he really is a cool guy

Wow. How did that happen?

 

[theyoungest]

besides Peter Sagan who lives in my town I was also lucky to meet Cadel in Livigno in August this summer... he really is a cool guy

For a moment there, I thought that Cadel was wearing an ACF shirt.

 

[katkotom]

well, I was in Livingo for a bike holiday and one morning I saw a small peloton of riders riding on the main road...all were wearing black and red and one of them was wearing the rainbow kit...so i knew exactly who that was...and then I was lucky to eat in a restaurant of a small hotel where the whole BMC team was staying...I turned my head and who do I see...Cadel himself...so I asked him for a photo, he told me to wait cause he was still eating...so I waited and then he came to my table, we had a short chat about where I am from etc...we took some pictures and wished him good luck at the worlds..

 

[insideout leadout]

For a moment there, I thought that Cadel was wearing an ACF shirt.

He did...but he clearly removed the C and gave it to his beloved.

 

[craig1985]

In general, I dont really get starry eyed and not really interested in chatting to riders. However a few years ago, I was at the Giro and wanted to meet a rider from my neck of the woods whom I had never met. It was before the Plan de Cornes TT and a few of the team buses were parked together with guys warming up on rollers. The guy I wanted to see hadnt emerged from his bus so I was hanging around watching other guys warming up killing time when a Barloworld mechanic came and handed me a team bidon, I was so embarrased, I thought "**** he thinks I am a groupie looking for freebies" which was far from the case. I had to thank him of course.

When I finally got talking to the rider I wanted to see, he was totally nice even though he was warming up, especially when I told him where I was from. He was shocked to meet a 'local' at the Giro and we talked for about 10-15mins before journos interrupted. He also gave me his team cap. Another freebie.

The following year, the same pro came over to me at the start of a Vuelta stage to chat and gave me passes for the start village which was really cool but unfortunately I didnt have time to go there as I was heading of to get to the main climb of the day. Still a nice gesture.

Philip Deignan?

Being on the Gold Coast, we often get some former and current pros here, whilst training and at races, and nobody has been star struck or anything, maybe asking how they have been, or in my case, asking for sprinting advice. By pure chance I rode to a race this year with Danny Clarke, which he was riding a Teschner (he gets it given to him for free), and I asked what he thought of it, and he said it was ****.

 

[jaylew]

Also, Floyd hates Levi. I told him what he thought of Levi being his competition at California (at this time, Rahsaan's team probably thought they were gonna get invited). His response "**** LEVI!" and he repeated it several time as well.

That's hilarious.

I missed this thread but I've got a pretty good Stefano Garzelli story. I think I told Acf I would tell him this one a long time ago.

I've met Cunego, Simoni, Hamilton, (all even smaller than I expected - Tyler looks like an elf), Backstedt (certainly not the "mountain of a man" the announcers used to claim), been at a party with Hincapie, and of course went to school with Lance, but the Garzelli story is the best.

I was living in Northern California at the time and Garzelli was in town working with Max Testa. I think it was 2001 or 2002, so after his Giro win but before his 2nd place.

I was at Gold's or World's Gym lifting weights, I don't remember which, but I had met the owner/manager who was Italian and he knew that I was a cyclist because I was always riding the spin bikes outside of the class. I believe he also knew Testa and one day he tells me that he's got a cyclist in town from Italy and he should introduce me and maybe we could go for a ride or I could tell him good places to ride.

Now I assume he's either talking about some schmo like me, a good amateur, or at the most some very minor pro. So, then he introduces me to this tiny guy who looks very familiar to me...he says something like "He's a cyclist like you" or something to that effect. Ugh. Obviously this guy was not a big cycling fan.

Understand, at the time I was a triathlete and just starting to think about bike racing myself, though I already followed the races. I also hadn't started to take the sport seriously and was still lifting heavy weights and had a build closer to a MMA guy than a cyclist. I quickly got out of there which was fairly easy as Garzelli didn't seem to speak much, if any English (either that or he was as uncomfortable as I was).

As luck would have it he comes into the locker room to get dressed as I'm doing the same and his locker is right across from mine. Another guy is with him. We exchange nods and he starts talking to the other guy in Italian and they're glancing over at me enough for me to know I'm the subject of discussion. Now, I don't know Italian but from the tone used and the surprised look on the other guy's face I assume they're saying "there's no effing way this guy's a cyclist 'like me'; I'd be surprised if he even rides a bike." To give you a better picture of this scene and the amount of upper body bulk I was carrying at the time, I looked something like this:

Anyway, we're getting dressed and I can't help but steal glances at the guy. Not because he's so small or because he's a stud cyclist, but because of how pretty the guy was. Up close he was actually fairly striking. I've obviously seen tons of pictures of him now and I still think the guy looks like he wears some kind of eyeliner or something. That line from Tombstone comes to mind where Curly Bill says the Billy Zane character is "the prettiest man I ever saw."

Anyway, I realize I'm looking at him too much considering I'm straight and particularly because we're both naked, so I quickly get out of there vow to avoid him like the plague if I see him in the gym again.

It's one of those meetings I really regret because I wished I'd at least been able to ask him a cycling question or two.

 

[L'arriviste]

...Anyway, we're getting dressed and I can't help but steal glances at the guy. Not because he's so small or because he's a stud cyclist, but because of how pretty the guy was. Up close he was actually fairly striking. I've obviously seen tons of pictures of him now and I still think the guy looks like he wears some kind of eyeliner or something...

Great story.

I often think how amazing it can be to see the transformation in pics of some riders in the off-season, when they picked up a couple of pounds (and therefore start to look more 'normal') and happen to be wearing actual clothes instead of lycra. It's like ten years just drops off them.

I'm at the age at the moment where I have to remind myself that at least maybe 70% of the peloton is now actually younger than me. I guess it's because I still look at cycling through my child eyes, even if my head is now much older (not to say wiser ).

 

[rxgqgxnyfz]

You know what? He does look he wear eyeliner and pretty, now in retrospect. I don't even have to find his pictures to remember that.

Stupid sexy Garzelli.

 

[Angliru]

You know what? He does look he wear eyeliner and pretty, now in retrospect. I don't even have to find his pictures to remember that.

Stupid sexy Garzelli.

Strangely, I too always thought that Garzelli had quite striking features. He is quite handsome and I'm straight too but I couldn't help but notice that. Maybe he should do some modeling when he retires.

Jaylew your story is hilarious!

 

[Jacques Tati]

Het Volk many years ago...I stood between Eddy Merckx and Patrick Sercu in the bog and had a slash...in complete awe I p....d over my shoe's.

 

[boomcie]

Don't really get why you guys find Garzelli so handsome... To me he always looks like Max Schreck playing "Nosferatu".

Anyway, de gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum.

 

[sublimit]

Don't really get why you guys find Garzelli so handsome... To me he always looks like Max Schreck playing "Nosferatu".

Anyway, de gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum.

He looks like David Brailsford on a bad day.

 

[jaylew]

Looks more like this guy:

 

[nvpacchi]

You know what? He does look he wear eyeliner and pretty, now in retrospect. I don't even have to find his pictures to remember that.

Stupid sexy Garzelli.

Homer feels your pain:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL4iVQyp9L4

 

[kcbworth]

ACF94: thanks Cadel, hopefully next time you are in Australia you have a tdf trophy with you.
Cadel: Yeah me too. See you.

Well played

 

[mewmewmew13]

Well played

wouldn't it be nice to fix some way of getting Cadel and ACF together to meet in person...
maybe via twitter or something..

after all, Cadel is just human and he's a pretty nice guy!

 

[daveinzambia]

Never met anyone famous. Cycling or otherwise. My wife meets them continually (due to her job). Can think of premiership footballers, top film stars, cricketers, the wallabies, tennis players, AFL players, even Al Green last year. Do not think she has met any cyclists yet as they are very rarely in Sydney.

She never knows who any of them are and has to ask me afterwards. Starts complaining when the Rev Al Green wants to add her on facebook. Wasted on her.

 

[Boeing]

My tea's gone cold I'm wondering why I..
got out of bed at all
The morning rain clouds up my window..
and I can't see at all
And even if I could it'd all be gray,
but your picture on my wall
It reminds me, that it's not so bad,
it's not so bad..




....

Only very few of you know that last week I met the great man, Cadel evans. I was talking about my meeting with him to the Hitch and he suggested that I should make a thread about it so nobody should think that I am that self-centred or arrogant by making this thread.

Anyway, I walked down to Myer in Melbourne on Lonsdale street which is where the book area was, 45 minutes before the start. I saw the full shelf of cadel's book and picked one up and bought one. I still had 40 mins to kill. So I walked around and did some shopping for christmas. The wait for cadel to arrive felt like the longest 40 minutes of my life!

Finally, when in the CD section, I saw the great man arrive with his beautiful wife chiara. I stood there dumbfounded for about half a minute! i was literally short of breath. Luckily Cadel did not see me as that would have been a bit embarassing if he saw me starring at him in our first ever meeting.

I quickly walked over to the queue and people were running everywhere grabbing there copies of the book "Close to flying" to be signed. I quickly got in line taking as many photos as I could of Cadel. Chiara was waiting by the side watching her man.

As I got closer and closer my heart was pounding more and more. Finally, I step up to the desk.

ACF94: Hey, Cadel
Cadel: Hey, how are you going?
ACF94: Not bad, yourself?
Cadel: Not too bad
ACF94: (While Cadel is signing) Heard you had a fire at your place last night? (power pole was on fire)
Cadel: (Laughs) yeah, but everything is alright now. (Cadel hands back the book)
ACF94: thanks Cadel, hopefully next time you are in Australia you have a tdf trophy with you.
Cadel: Yeah me too. See you.

After I left the desk, I walked straight out of myer and off to Melbourne Central Station to catch the train home. Unfortunately I lost my train ticket so I had to buy a new one. But i was still very happy with what had occured.

Anyway, if you have any stories about riders who you have idolised and have finally got to meet or you would like to comment about my story then please post away. If not, then I hoped my story made you laugh (i am being for real about all this).

P.S. Here is an example of how i reacted after I met cadel, only joking
(it is still worth the watch for a good laugh) http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/8181907/hysterical-oprah-fan-still-lost-for-words

"only a very few of you know"

so you had to tell us right? what like the secret is out or something? is this anything like The fan boy of not being a fan boy?

 

[auscyclefan94]

"only a very few of you know"

so you had to tell us right? what like the secret is out or something?

the hitch encouraged me to tell the forum about it by making a thread. a few posters new about it but most didn't.