Favorite quotes from the peloton

[suipedali]

"You have to like the stones, it's the most important thing".....Pete van Petegem

 

[therealdjamolidineabdoujaparov]

Humility was so early 90's

Bjarne Riis after destroying competitors one by one and then riding solo to mountain top victory in le tour.

"When you're the best, it looks easy"

 

[NathanGoss]

"I sometimes used to sit on my bike, weeping with the pain." - Eddy Merckx

 

[swiftybjb]

"You have to have the desire to excel yourself better than the other riders, otherwise you just end up grubbing around in mediocrity"

Jacques Anquetil

 

[Pietro]

From Mercks team mate

"Eddy can win on my bike, I can't win on his."

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

"He has a head, two arms, two legs, just as I."

~Bernard Hinault, on whether he feared Eddy Merckx

 

[mr. tibbs]

"I'm in the front row, I'm in the front row...

...I'm going to get GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOING!"

-Jens, from the Overcoming special features

 

[ak-zaaf]

Togheter with Merckx I won all classics there are, I won Paris-Tours, he won all the others. - Noël Vantyghem

Pffff, Paris is still far away. - Joop Zoetemelk's reply to nearly every question during a Tour de France.

It's horrible, he rides 5km per hour too fast for us. - Frans Verbeeck after losing the 1975 Tour of Flanders to Merckx.

How many laps to go after this? - Oscar Freire to Michael Boogerd in the Brabantse Pijl. There was only about 500 meters to go at that point. Freire won.


'Le Mur?'
'Aaaah.... le Mur.'
'Le Mur... c'est ... le Mur.'
'Il est dur.'
'Le Mur ?'
'...'
'C'est sur.'
Andrei Tchmill talking to Rik Vanwalleghem (journalist)

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

"Pozzato always likes to put on a show for the ladies"

~Heinrich Haussler on which pro gets the most chicks.

 

[yetanothergreenworld]

Togheter with Merckx I won all classics there are, I won Paris-Tours, he won all the others. - Noël Vantyghem

'Le Mur?'
'Aaaah.... le Mur.'
'Le Mur... c'est ... le Mur.'
'Il est dur.'
'Le Mur ?'
'...'
'C'est sur.'
Andrei Tchmill talking to Rik Vanwalleghem (journalist)

Two gems!!

 

[yetanothergreenworld]

"Because I'm not stupid."
-- Bernard Hinault, asked why he didn't work with Davis Phinney in a stage of the 1985 Coors Classic (which he won).

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

....and your arch nemesis Bob Roll won a stage that year.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

.......and your arch nemesis Bob Roll won a stage that year.

 

[Peterg]

I remember first reading this passage and deciding then and there that I have no respect for Bob Roll. He's persuaded a whole generation of American cycling fans that the French hated Lemond like they hate Armstrong.

Sorry to tell you this cos you're obviously an 'Armstrong Hater', but the French did hate Lemond.
Maybe not quite as passionately as they hate Armstrong, but they hated him like they hate all Americans, it's just the way they're built; as far as the French are concerned, if you're an American there's a very good chance you're despisable.

 

[mr. tibbs]

Sorry to tell you this cos you're obviously an 'Armstrong Hater', but the French did hate Lemond.
Maybe not quite as passionately as they hate Armstrong, but they hated him like they hate all Americans, it's just the way they're built; as far as the French are concerned, if you're an American there's a very good chance you're despisable.

The French were all really nice to me while I was there, and I'm from the US.

And I know that Armstrong has written and spoken of the French in the highest esteem (how nice they are to him etc), but it's only the negative stuff that gets trumpetted in the media and on the forums.

I think Armstrong actually has a good relationship with the French people at large, but again, it's only the negativity that gets repeated, and well...

No one wins.

Also, you don't really believe that the French just hate all Americans, do you?

 

[ak-zaaf]

Dutch and Belgian people will remember this one:


Tommeke Tommeke Tommeke, wat doe je nu?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH9BybSAXbE

at 3:13

 

[ukpaul]

Sorry to tell you this cos you're obviously an 'Armstrong Hater', but the French did hate Lemond.
Maybe not quite as passionately as they hate Armstrong, but they hated him like they hate all Americans, it's just the way they're built; as far as the French are concerned, if you're an American there's a very good chance you're despisable.

I dont want to single out the French, but, Its not just the French that hate the USA. Its most of Europe, the middle east... erm actually most of the planet lol.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

"Laurent Fignon just got bombed by a baguette!"

"Too many cooks to spoil the broth."

"One day they'll tell him (El Diablo) where to put the fork, and it won't be very pleasant either!"

~David Duffield

 

[ak-zaaf]

I dont want to single out the French, but, Its not just the French that hate the USA. Its most of Europe, the middle east... erm actually most of the planet lol.

That's bullcrap.
Many people really disliked what the former US government was all about and reflected that on the entire US population. Now it's mostly fine again.
Most Europeans do not hate the USA at all.


But can we please stay on topic, I like this thread

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

More from David Duffield.......

"If we had a yo-yo championship of the day, Riis would get the award."

"It's every man for himself- man the lifeboaaaats!"

"Escartin has a pursuiter's hooter. A big nose spread all over his face to suck in lots of oxygen."

 

[ATAC50]

Sorry, but this one trumps you all:

"GGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN--NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN"

(that's Tyler Hamilton grinding down the 11 teeth in the Giro, and however many more in the TDF the next year)

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Ok, ok. I'm on this serious David Duffield kick. Bare with me.


"Josepi Beloki, following in the footsteps of Lance Indurain."

"Pantani was like half a yard of popcorn! (reminiscing over riders' weights)."

"Sean Kelly, the man who used to eat peat for breakfast!"

"Boy I'm the boss! Up you, I'm off!! I'm speechless!! (as Lance leaves Beloki on Ventoux)."

(Virenque comes to the finish) "with polka dots all over him!" (he is not actually wearing the jersey).

"If I say the twilight of his career, no doubt his supporters will start throwing bricks at me."

wheeeeew.....ok, I'm done

 

[ak-zaaf]

Tour de France 1964. Anquetil vs. Poulidor. Stage 20, finish at Puy du Dome. At the beginning of the final climb Anquetil, in yellow, felt he was wrecked, but also knew Poulidor. So he bluffed and stayed in front of him almost the entire climb. With only 800 meters to go Poulidor finally dared to attack and in that short attack took a whoppin 42 seconds back on Anquetil, who was stil in yellow.

After the finish Anquetil was rushed to the backseat of his teamcar where Belgian journalist Robert Janssens managed/had the balls to take place next to him and close the doors.

He quoted Anquetils rant (freely translated):

"That *******. I hate him. Giving paws to people, that's what he does. But making a race...that's too much for him. Ah, he hurt me. Everywhere. He shouldn't come to shake hands. I'll beat the **** out of him. Does he really think he's ever going to win the Tour? .....You *******. Today you might beat me. But in Paris? Never, never, never."


A few minutes later Anquetil was on the podium with a big smile shaking hands with Poulidor.

 

[yetanothergreenworld]

Sorry to tell you this cos you're obviously an 'Armstrong Hater', but the French did hate Lemond.
Maybe not quite as passionately as they hate Armstrong, but they hated him like they hate all Americans, it's just the way they're built; as far as the French are concerned, if you're an American there's a very good chance you're despisable.

First, I don't hate Armstrong. Second, it sounds like you despise the French about as categorically as they supposedly despise you, so I'm not sure where your moral credibility on this issue comes from.

 

[yetanothergreenworld]

Okay, I feel bad about having just made a "mean" post. I just really dislike this whole 2003, pre-Iraq, freedom-fries, France-vs.-America way of reading cycling history, which I feel Bob Roll plays into sometimes. So I'll try to help get the discourse back on track with some favorite Liggettisms:

"Well there you are, never trust a Dutchman!" (as Johan Van der Velde outsprints his breakaway companion on Stage 5 of the 1986 Tour)

"The two arms are all we want to see now, and there they are!" (as Robert Millar wins Stage 11 of the 1984 Tour)

"That'll serve 'em right!" (as Fabian Cancellara plows straight through the sprinters, who are all eyeing each other, and the remnants of the breakaway, who are all eyeing the sprinters, and wins Stage 3 of the 2007 Tour)

"And his legs have almost come to a standstill! This is almost a trackstand finish here! He's about to launch an attack that Fuerte may find hard to take . . ." (as Laurent Fignon prepares to win Stage 21 of the 1987 Tour; note that in 1987 there were 25 stages!)