Before they were famous

[armchairclimber]

I wasn't sure where to post this, then I thought that there might be others out there with old cycling memorabilia with mentions/reports/photos of star riders in their junior days ... or, before they hit the big time. Might be fun ... or it might be a single post thread. Who knows.

Anyway, see who you can spot here

 

[LaFlorecita]

No mention of the winner in text!

 

[armchairclimber]

They were clearly trolling you Flo.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

I was on a holiday in the south west of Ireland most years in late 70s, and we went as a family one day to watch a Tour of Ireland race over the Healy Pass (Cork Kerry border, stage finish in Kenmare). There was a Spain U20 squad who were far better than any other riders in the race, and I have often since wondered what big Spanish names of the 80s I might have unknowingly seen that day.

I had a programme, but lost it long before I started taking real interest in the sport.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re:

I was on a holiday in the south west of Ireland most years in late 70s, and we went as a family one day to watch a Tour of Ireland race over the Healy Pass (Cork Kerry border, stage finish in Kenmare). There was a Spain U20 squad who were far better than any other riders in the race, and I have often since wondered what big Spanish names of the 80s I might have unknowingly seen that day.

I had a programme, but lost it long before I started taking real interest in the sport.

76 or 77?

In 76, 4 spaniards won stages. Every other stage had a spaniard in 2nd, except the final stage. None of them went on to be very good. Francisco Cedena, Antonio Abad, Jose Luis Enfedaque, Juan Jose Moral and Luis Miguel Ortiz.

In 77 nothing like the same team performanceAngel Arroyo won the overall + KOM. He went on to be a big name, finished 2nd in the Tour de France a few years later (and won the Vuelta before you know what happened) until misteriously fading at age 25-26. A few of his domestiques had good stage placings but none of them became a particularly good rider.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re:

I was on a holiday in the south west of Ireland most years in late 70s, and we went as a family one day to watch a Tour of Ireland race over the Healy Pass (Cork Kerry border, stage finish in Kenmare). There was a Spain U20 squad who were far better than any other riders in the race, and I have often since wondered what big Spanish names of the 80s I might have unknowingly seen that day.

I had a programme, but lost it long before I started taking real interest in the sport.

1977 Tour of Ireland included a stage to Kenmare and a stage around Kenmare, Ángel Arroyo won the GC. He was later 2nd in the Tour de France in 1983, and is the guy whose positive test gave Lejarreta the 1982 Vuelta win.

In the 1976 edition, the Kenmare stage was won by Francisco Javier Cedena, who later won a Vuelta stage in 1981. Juan José Moral, who also won a stage that year, won a stage of the Peace Race but never amounted to much as a pro. Other stages were won by other prospects who either fizzled out or only became domestiques like Luís Miguel Ortíz, Luís Enfedaque and António Abad. Miguel Gutiérrez Mayor, who was Arroyo's right hand man in 1977, later did the Tour and became a fairly established domestique for Teka for a few years. Unfortunately can't trace to find out if any of the domestiques may have been any future stars - the era we'd be talking means you'd be looking out for riders like Alberto Fernández, Pedro Muñoz, Marino Lejarreta, Faustino Rupérez - it's a bit too soon for the likes of Pedro Delgado or José Luís Laguía.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

I once had an article about a guy from Belgium. This guy had just turned 18 and beat the most prominent figures of the east german cycling world at Rund um Sebnitz in the year 1963. I hope to find it.

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

Back in 2007 I spotted some young riders relaxing in a café in Cassis, France. All three of them were/are WT riders. One of them would become a multiple monument and GT stage winner.

 

[King Boonen]

I wasn't sure where to post this, then I thought that there might be others out there with old cycling memorabilia with mentions/reports/photos of star riders in their junior days ... or, before they hit the big time. Might be fun ... or it might be a single post thread. Who knows.

Anyway, see who you can spot here

Martin Lonie. Still racing up here

 

[Koronin]

Two pictures of the same rider. First is from when he was around 10 years old. The second he was 19 the year after he aged out of Juniors.

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

No mention of the winner in text!

It's a bit hard to recognise Valverde in this photo.

 

[MartinGT]

I wasn't sure where to post this, then I thought that there might be others out there with old cycling memorabilia with mentions/reports/photos of star riders in their junior days ... or, before they hit the big time. Might be fun ... or it might be a single post thread. Who knows.

Anyway, see who you can spot here

Fonzy Downing
Charly Wegelius
Tom Barras

Tom is training juniors near me and has got a great product in Spatzwear!

 

[armchairclimber]

I wasn't sure where to post this, then I thought that there might be others out there with old cycling memorabilia with mentions/reports/photos of star riders in their junior days ... or, before they hit the big time. Might be fun ... or it might be a single post thread. Who knows.

Anyway, see who you can spot here

Fonzy Downing
Charly Wegelius
Tom Barras



Tom is training juniors near me and has got a great product in Spatzwear!

You missed one B. Wiggins

 

[tobydawq]

What about C Evans?

 

[armchairclimber]

Re:

Two pictures of the same rider. First is from when he was around 10 years old. The second he was 19 the year after he aged out of Juniors.

That top photo is a beauty. Hope for chubby kids everywhere.

 

[armchairclimber]

Re:

What about C Evans?

Honorary Yorkshireman

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

Two pictures of the same rider. First is from when he was around 10 years old. The second he was 19 the year after he aged out of Juniors.

Valverde also has a 'just lost the weight' story.

It happened when he was 11 apparently

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

Two pictures of the same rider. First is from when he was around 10 years old. The second he was 19 the year after he aged out of Juniors.

Valverde also has a 'just lost the weight' story.

It happened when he was 11 apparently

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

Two pictures of the same rider. First is from when he was around 10 years old. The second he was 19 the year after he aged out of Juniors.

That top photo is a beauty. Hope for chubby kids everywhere.

True. His friends, who were teammates of his back then, love telling stories about how he was always eating snacks and how their coach would tell him to stop eating so many snacks. They laugh about the fact that not only didn't he listen to the coach, but that to this day he's still eating snacks all the time. The big difference being that he's changed some of the snacks to healthier foods instead of always snacking on pastries or other junk food.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

Two pictures of the same rider. First is from when he was around 10 years old. The second he was 19 the year after he aged out of Juniors.

Valverde also has a 'just lost the weight' story.

It happened when he was 11 apparently

LOL, except he was winning races back then and it was rare that he lost race. Plus it wasn't overnight weight loss, from other pictures I've seen it was gradual as he got older and grew.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re the first post.
Honestly, the first name I spotted was 'D. Smith', and I immediately thought 'Dion Smith'.
Then I spotted 'C. Evans', and realised something was up.
Then I actually noticed the year...

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Re: Re:

I was on a holiday in the south west of Ireland most years in late 70s, and we went as a family one day to watch a Tour of Ireland race over the Healy Pass (Cork Kerry border, stage finish in Kenmare). There was a Spain U20 squad who were far better than any other riders in the race, and I have often since wondered what big Spanish names of the 80s I might have unknowingly seen that day.

I had a programme, but lost it long before I started taking real interest in the sport.

76 or 77?

In 76, 4 spaniards won stages. Every other stage had a spaniard in 2nd, except the final stage. None of them went on to be very good. Francisco Cedena, Antonio Abad, Jose Luis Enfedaque, Juan Jose Moral and Luis Miguel Ortiz.

In 77 nothing like the same team performanceAngel Arroyo won the overall + KOM. He went on to be a big name, finished 2nd in the Tour de France a few years later (and won the Vuelta before you know what happened) until misteriously fading at age 25-26. A few of his domestiques had good stage placings but none of them became a particularly good rider.

1977 Tour of Ireland included a stage to Kenmare and a stage around Kenmare, Ángel Arroyo won the GC. He was later 2nd in the Tour de France in 1983, and is the guy whose positive test gave Lejarreta the 1982 Vuelta win.

In the 1976 edition, the Kenmare stage was won by Francisco Javier Cedena, who later won a Vuelta stage in 1981. Juan José Moral, who also won a stage that year, won a stage of the Peace Race but never amounted to much as a pro. Other stages were won by other prospects who either fizzled out or only became domestiques like Luís Miguel Ortíz, Luís Enfedaque and António Abad. Miguel Gutiérrez Mayor, who was Arroyo's right hand man in 1977, later did the Tour and became a fairly established domestique for Teka for a few years. Unfortunately can't trace to find out if any of the domestiques may have been any future stars - the era we'd be talking means you'd be looking out for riders like Alberto Fernández, Pedro Muñoz, Marino Lejarreta, Faustino Rupérez - it's a bit too soon for the likes of Pedro Delgado or José Luís Laguía.

Thanks guys: amazing ability to lay your hands on obscure race info from more than 40 years ago.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

So now we know that Carlos Betancur is really just trying to emulate his team leader.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re:

So now we know that Carlos Betancur is really just trying to emulate his team leader.

He's just waiting till he grows up, to lose the weight

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Back in 2007 I spotted some young riders relaxing in a café in Cassis, France. All three of them were/are WT riders. One of them would become a multiple monument and GT stage winner.

Martin, Beppu and Gallopin?