As surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, if you ride a bicycle you can bet your ass against an apple that you are going to get a flat. Not if, but when. Death and taxes, and all that.
This could be Pierre or Antonio or Jean-Michel, most likely a name that rolls off the tongue with the same ease he rolled his dead tubular from the rim. The strokes of the pump as powerful and smooth as the strokes of his guns, as precise and clean as his socks, skin tanned and polished like the shoes on his feet, tough like the gloves on his hands.
This is an ambassador of Looking Fantastic; he would never contemplate turning his steed upside down, and surely this moment was an instigator of Rule #49. And you know that the shredded tub laying there will soon be wrapped around the shoulders in full Rule #77 compliance prior to resuming to Lay Down The V.
Pierre, Antonio, whatever be your name, we salute you for pioneering the Art of Awesome and being Compliant as Fuck in those tough days of yore.
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@Buck Rogers I carry both CO2 and a minipump. I flatted on Saturday (going downhill at 45kph--thank godness it wasn't in a turn) and if I didn't have the CO2, I'd probably still be on the side of the road pumping up my tire. The minipump is a back-up to the CO2 (which is a finite resource).
Also note chain is in the big dog at the top of a bit of a hill. Hardman.
@Buck Rogers I guess you're right, at least it could be; here's Hugo in 1950 displaying the same awesome compliance
http://www.tageswoche.ch/images/cms-image-000677023.jpg
As for cartridges, keep away from the cheap ones. Lately, one of these exploded in my hand, and the cartridge went off line a rocket, missing a friend's eye by about 40 cm.
it is :
Walter Diggelmann repairs a tyre during the Tour de Suisse, 1950. © Swiss National Museum
via: http://www.musee-suisse.ch/e/zuerich/presse/medienmitteilungen.php?we_objectID=7377
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Diggelmann
@CanuckChuck
Oh come on now. It's not that hard to pump them up with a mini pump.
I flat a few times every year and always only have my mini pump with me.
Time to HTFU!
But please do not go out of your way to make me flat on the Cogal in October as I really do not want to have to prove my point! Those tubs aren't cheap!
Just finished an early morning ride in the mountains, between the ride and seeing that photo it has set me up for an awesome day... funny how things work
@cw
Just awesome! Too cool. THAT is what I love about this site.
Here's a link with a little more info on Walter:
http://www.cyclingarchives.com/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=8253
Hell, at least I got the Swiss nationality right!
@cw AWESOME THANKS!! My new desktop
In the big ring of course.....
@unversio
That I still run on both my road bikes...