Anatomy of a Photo: Maximum Awesome

Baller.
Baller.

Freddy effortlessly demonstrates Rules #80 and #82, the Three-Point System, and the Goldilocks Principle while his mechanic calmly swaps a mortal’s wheel for one that can withstand his ferocious sprint. All the while, a young Colonel Sanders looks on with bemused disapproval.

For anyone still wondering whether the 70’s was the coolest decade ever, it was.

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78 Replies to “Anatomy of a Photo: Maximum Awesome”

  1. @Jarvis

    @Rick

    He’s leaning on a Trabant, looking like a Stasi agent disguised as an MI5 agent trying to look like a Stasi agent.

    That’s not a fucking Trabant.

    I was wondering about that. But who cares? It still reeks of le Carré and therefore still proves unequivocally the cool that was the ’70s.

  2. @Ron

    How big were he and Godefroot? Neither seems too large, though both were stout by today’s standards. Still, seem on the small size to have handled cobbles so well. I guess being Belgian doesn’t hurt…

    Unreliable sources put Maertens at 174cm and 71kg, Godefroot at 171/73. Makes me feel downright proportional.

  3. @pistard

    @Ron

    How big were he and Godefroot? Neither seems too large, though both were stout by today’s standards. Still, seem on the small size to have handled cobbles so well. I guess being Belgian doesn’t hurt…

    Unreliable sources put Maertens at 174cm and 71kg, Godefroot at 171/73. Makes me feel downright proportional.

    174cm I can do but 71kg? I guess I could learn to to a lot of stuff with no arms. Draping myself casually lazily across the hoods a la De Vlaeminck above, phantom aero bars or victory celebrations wouldn’t be amongst them though.

  4. @ChrisO

    hanging with Mario right now

    I can pick out Mario, but which one of the others are you? And if you are the gentleman on the left, did you pre-coordinate outfits with Mario?

  5. @frank

    @wiscot

    Moser is still a fucking stud.

    It angers me how some of these men just keep looking more badass as they get older. I, on the other hand, look increasingly like washed-up seaweed.

    Tell me about it. Have you seen Gimondi lately? Still got it.

  6. @wiscot Nope the guy on the left is Pietro Caucchioli, also an ex-pro. I think third in the Giro and a few stage wins. He does Ale which is the clothing brand that Cipo is also involved with – very understated stuff as you can imagine.

    I’m in the middle. Cipo is a big lad – I’m 6’3″ and he’s got one or two inches on me. Still looks pretty fit too, since we’re talking about people who’ve still got it.

    Unfortunately work commitments mean I’ve had to pass up the opportunity for a private ride with him and our race team tomorrow morning.

  7. @ChrisO

    @wiscot Nope the guy on the left is Pietro Caucchioli, also an ex-pro. I think third in the Giro and a few stage wins. He does Ale which is the clothing brand that Cipo is also involved with – very understated stuff as you can imagine.

    I’m in the middle. Cipo is a big lad – I’m 6’3″³ and he’s got one or two inches on me. Still looks pretty fit too, since we’re talking about people who’ve still got it.

    Unfortunately work commitments mean I’ve had to pass up the opportunity for a private ride with him and our race team tomorrow morning.

    Thanks for clarifying! I knew Cipo was big, but not that big. I’m 6″ 1′ so Cipo would tower over me too.

  8. @pistard

    @Ron

    How big were he and Godefroot? Neither seems too large, though both were stout by today’s standards. Still, seem on the small size to have handled cobbles so well. I guess being Belgian doesn’t hurt…

    Unreliable sources put Maertens at 174cm and 71kg, Godefroot at 171/73. Makes me feel downright proportional.

    Wow, if they rode today their DSs would tell them to go on a diet, immediately. I didn’t realize I’m the same size as Walter! Damn, now I can watch the Bulldog ride, then Gerrans, and Tommy “Grimace” Voeckler can be demoted. Nice.

  9. @wiscot

    @ped

    Freddy was DQ’d in Ronde van Vlaanderen in 1977 for a bike change from his brother on the Koppenberg, when he towed de Vlaeminck to the line.

    A cobble in the museum at Oudenaarde declares him the moral victor.

    A bit of research on pro cycling in the 70s is incredible – the wheeling and dealing is mind-blowing. Merckx basically let Gimondi win the world title rather than let Maertens win riding Shimano. Merckx and Gimondi both rode Campagnolo.

          I just read about that on the Flandria website (my goal now is to own one of those bikes) the other day. Funny someone should mention it.

  10. @cyclebrarian

    @wiscot

    @ped

    Freddy was DQ’d in Ronde van Vlaanderen in 1977 for a bike change from his brother on the Koppenberg, when he towed de Vlaeminck to the line.

    A cobble in the museum at Oudenaarde declares him the moral victor.

    A bit of research on pro cycling in the 70s is incredible – the wheeling and dealing is mind-blowing. Merckx basically let Gimondi win the world title rather than let Maertens win riding Shimano. Merckx and Gimondi both rode Campagnolo.

    I just read about that on the Flandria website (my goal now is to own one of those bikes) the other day. Funny someone should mention it.

    And what’s funnier is that Freddy always rode Italian frames painted and badged as Flandrias!

  11. @Carel

    Carel. Carel. Sounds a bit like “Karla,” doesn’t it, old chap? Have we crossed paths, in Berlin, perhaps?

  12. @Gianni

    @pistard

    Just read this great interview with Freddy from two years ago. All the dirt and he’s still pissed at de Vlaeminck:

    http://bikeraceinfo.com/oralhistory/freddy-maertens.html

    Holy shiet, that is an interview! 300 km training rides all the time, that will make you or break you. Fantastic. Thanks.

    I wish he had been at the museum the day we were all there for KT2012.

    Not nearly in the same league, not yet anyway, Ritchie Porte on Bikelane, “yeah we do blocks of 1000km weeks for a month, but I don’t mind just going out for a 300km ride” .

  13. @frank

    @kixsand

    @DerHoggz

    @scaler911

    @Haldy

    More 70″²s awesomeness V-Locus style….

     

     

    Love love that photo!

    My puny mortal brain cannot even begin to comprehend his position.

    Yeah…having trouble wrapping my head around that paperclip like turn from back to leg – fuck me freddy.

    That’s pure flexibility of the hammies and lower back; no forward hip rotation going on there.

    I strecth my hammies during the day. I think there’s only two of us in the guys I know that are on the wrong side of 40 that can touch toes/palm plant flat on floor.

    I’d really like to be much more flexible like this dude……

  14. Researching Coppi.

    Silent newsreel footage of Fausto Coppi climbing Passo Sella during the 1953 Giro d’Italia and winning the 164km 19th stage from Auronzo to Bolzano ahead of race leader Hugo Koblet.

  15. @unversio Thanks for sharing that! It’s amazing to see footage from those days. It’s also really cool to recognize the Dolomites in the footage. What an amazing backdrop for a race.

  16. @sthilzy

    @frank

    @kixsand

    @DerHoggz

    @scaler911

    @Haldy

    More 70″²s awesomeness V-Locus style….

     

     

    Love love that photo!

    My puny mortal brain cannot even begin to comprehend his position.

    Yeah…having trouble wrapping my head around that paperclip like turn from back to leg – fuck me freddy.

    That’s pure flexibility of the hammies and lower back; no forward hip rotation going on there.

    I strecth my hammies during the day. I think there’s only two of us in the guys I know that are on the wrong side of 40 that can touch toes/palm plant flat on floor.

    I’d really like to be much more flexible like this dude……

    I’m on the wrong side of forty and my bike fitting physio who’s worked with Sir Chris Hoy says I’m the least flexible person he’s seen for ages. Doesn’t bode well for my chosen discipline of TT.

  17. @Rom

    @sthilzy

    @frank

    @kixsand

    @DerHoggz

    @scaler911

    @Haldy

    More 70″²s awesomeness V-Locus style….

    Love love that photo!

    My puny mortal brain cannot even begin to comprehend his position.

    Yeah…having trouble wrapping my head around that paperclip like turn from back to leg – fuck me freddy.

    That’s pure flexibility of the hammies and lower back; no forward hip rotation going on there.

    I strecth my hammies during the day. I think there’s only two of us in the guys I know that are on the wrong side of 40 that can touch toes/palm plant flat on floor.

    I’d really like to be much more flexible like this dude……

    I’m on the wrong side of forty and my bike fitting physio who’s worked with Sir Chris Hoy says I’m the least flexible person he’s seen for ages. Doesn’t bode well for my chosen discipline of TT.

    Don’t worry about what Sir Hoy’s physio says, watch and learn and get flexi from one of our old favourtite’s round here, Katie Sunshine!

  18. @sthilzy

    @frank

    @kixsand

    @DerHoggz

    @scaler911

    @Haldy

    More 70″²s awesomeness V-Locus style….

    Love love that photo!

    My puny mortal brain cannot even begin to comprehend his position.

    Yeah…having trouble wrapping my head around that paperclip like turn from back to leg – fuck me freddy.

    That’s pure flexibility of the hammies and lower back; no forward hip rotation going on there.

    I strecth my hammies during the day. I think there’s only two of us in the guys I know that are on the wrong side of 40 that can touch toes/palm plant flat on floor.

    I’d really like to be much more flexible like this dude……

    I think the lower pic is Dave Brailsford getting in some practice on his PR skillz for next year’s UK Tour start and relations between Wiggo and Froomie.

  19. @frank

    Few more late photos can do no harm I guess.

    F.M. first bike from 1966 and later one plus Flandria team bike which was repainted Gios

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