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Is this a former pro?

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Cal_Joe

Cal_Joe

Aug 9, 2009
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TeamSkyFans said:
... Youre features do change slightly but the gap between your nose and your top lip does not change, and your eyes dont move further up your head.
Click to expand...

You, Sir, have not been introduced to the right type of Irish.
 
R

redtreviso

May 23, 2010
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The OP said the picture was taken at this year's tour.. but where? The start was in Holland ., therefore the fuss made over that guy might be something the dutch care about more than the french.. I hate threads like this...It will probably fade away without resolve.
 
hrotha

hrotha

Jun 10, 2010
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What are the chances that this is a former pro, no hardcore fan here can identify him and yet some random people (most of them casual fans) at the Tour would know who he is? I don't think he's a former pro.
 
H

hmsgenoa

Aug 15, 2010
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Millar lived in France (lives in France?) rode on French teams, won The King of The Mountains, placed 4th in the Tour and off duty wore specs exactly the same as that - I think the French public would make a fuss if they saw him. I'm not convinced by the scientific biometric arguments, the more I look at it the more I'm convinced it's Millar. It's not a professional photo, and I haven't made computer based measurements of his face so I can understand others aren't certain. But I say again check out the nose carefully, and the point where the specs are 'sitting' on his nose. But I tell you what it is definitely not Martin Earley or Marc Gomez!
 
taiwan

taiwan

Aug 18, 2009
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I don't think it's Millar, because even this old photo you can see wrinkles around his eyes, and he has a stronger jawline.
Millar%20Robert%2095.jpg
 
shouldawouldacoulda

shouldawouldacoulda

Aug 10, 2009
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hrotha said:
What are the chances that this is a former pro, no hardcore fan here can identify him and yet some random people (most of them casual fans) at the Tour would know who he is? I don't think he's a former pro.
Click to expand...

Yes, but he if he is a former pro he likely rode in the late 70's to mid 80's... guessing from what looks to be his age. I don't think hardcore fans here are up on their french pros from that time. He's obviously not one of the 'major' pros from that era.

But you have to remember in even if he had modest success he would/could be pretty famous in his region in France. If he'd won a TDF stage, been a former French Champion... maybe gone into regional politics or whatever.

I agree with other posters. We need to know where the photo is from. Then go back and look at tour results from '79-85 or so and look for French stage winners... That is of why I thought it could be Marc Gomez - he was champion of France both amateur and pro - pro in 1983, and won a tour de F stage, won Milan San Remo....

Here's another pic of him from Cycling Archives... http://www.cyclingarchives.com/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=6665 . Looking at this now, I don't think it is him... his mouth looks pretty different.

Anyhow, we should look for more guys over there.

It will help if we knew where the photo was from? As others have said, he could be dutch, Belgian or even Italian.... I'm just kind of assuming he is French.
 
shouldawouldacoulda

shouldawouldacoulda

Aug 10, 2009
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Yeah it sure looks like it could be Pascal Simon.

He would be very popular too. Comes from a big cycling family. Rode a fantastic tour in '83 I think... where he was wearing the yellow jersey and had a broken collarbone.

He's definitely a big deal in France.
 
H

hmsgenoa

Aug 15, 2010
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Pascal Simon? I think you are barking up the wrong tree, Pascal Simon was a big bloke (see The High Life, he's seen astride his Peugeot signing autographs after a stage in The Tour, he's tall and broad shouldered). The 'mystery' man has small narrow shoulders, small hands, is a small bloke - in other words a climber! You know I just can't understand how none of you can see the wood for the trees! Robert's laughing up his sleeve!
 
M

Mambo95

Jul 2, 2009
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Captain Serious said:
Ok, I just got the full pic from the guy.
I'm pretty sure it was at Chambery for the start of stage 10.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I still can't help you with your mystery man, but the scruffy looking bloke with him in the big picture is Bernard Thibault, a French trade union leader.
 
L'arriviste

L'arriviste

Feb 23, 2010
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Captain Serious said:
Ha! Thanks. :p He does look a bit like Simon in the old pics.
Click to expand...

Now we get the whole picture, I fear that this was really all about that rubbery old rocker Thibault and his CGT. He was protesting that day against the - shock horror - attempts to raise the French retirement age above 60. The CGT staged a mock Tour start in Chambéry.

Like Hallyday or Dutronc, he's aged a bit badly but his hair is still à l'époque and he represents an earthy alternative to the thinking man's lefty, Cohn-Bendit.

Thibault and our man are both wearing VIP badges. Given the emblematic and liberal use of red by the CGT and our man's conspicuously red jacket, I wonder if he's really just a Thibault flunky. :confused:

By the way, here's Pascal Simon in 2005:
tourdefrance16.jpg
 
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