The simple art of riding a bicycle can be undertaken in many ways. Watching the stylish commuters of Amsterdam going about their business in the most Casually Deliberate way makes you wonder if indeed anyone is actually going about any business at all. I don’t know how anything ever gets done in that city; everyone seems to be on their way to the coffee shop or on the way somewhere else from the coffee shop or just generally moving about with no actual destination or modus operandi to speak of. Sometimes the only indication that these aren’t Dutch zombies riding around the city is their abilty to smoke and text while riding, something I’ve never seen a zombie do successfully.
The French are also renown for the laidbackness, and while the volume of Gallic bicycle commuters is nowhere near the levels of the Dutch, they still can lay down some serious Cas Del around the rues. And god knows what those women are talking about on their phones while cruising along, but it still sounds sexy as hell to me. A good reason not to learn the language, as they could be just ordering a pizza, and to hear that accent reeling off a list of meaty toppings would spoil the fantasy, I’m afraid.
Which makes me wonder if Damien Gaudin is in fact French. I’m sure he’s got a voice like honey over velvet, skin as smooth as polished alabaster and eyes you could swim in, but boy, he sure does make a meal of riding his bike. Oh, he can ride it fast for a long time, for sure, but he looks like he’s trying to rip the headtube from the frame with his own bare hands kilometre after kilometre. Bottom brackets must cringe when they see the 189cm, 79kg figure approaching, and his time trial bike is thankful it only has to endure the punishment over a short distance.
With shoulders more often seen on a footballer than the snake-like ones of most cyclists, and knees and feet more at home caving in someone’s skull in a bar brawl, Gaudin is a picture of raw power on the bike the likes the French haven’t produced since The Badger ruled the peloton. While Msr Gaudin exudes none of the supple stroke or total Rule #5 class that Le Blaireau oozed, he may well have a post-racing career pushing people off podiums just like his country’s national icon.
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That whole side to side head movement thing is very reminiscent of US chat show contestants coming out the endlessly boring "You talkin' to me girfriend!" phrase.
That boy has attitude...not sure about his aero qualities though....Great Article!
Bit of a coincidence, but I finally got round to watching Paris Roubaix last night (I'd seen the last 30km or so a couple of times but no more). Mrs Chirs is in India and rather than setting up the rollers, my weak moral compass had me uncorking a bottle of Chateau Laffite Teston 2009 and piling soft french goats cheese onto pasta to fuel the cobblefest.
Damain Gaudin's bridge to the lead group was a brave if not futile ride but his style is indeed ungainly. Filmed mainly from behind, I couldn't help think that if we got a close up from the front he would look something like this:
I also couldn't help thinking that I probably look equally ungainly on a bike.
I am glad this subject came up because after watching Paris-Roubaix I have to say this man has one of the worst riding styles ever. I'm pretty sure he does not know the meaning of supple.
Nice piece, Brett. Don't look now, but there's a lot to like in this generation of French cycling. Bouet, Rolland, Coppel, Gaudin, Offredo, Vichot, Jeannesson, Chainel, nevermind the kids rapidly rising through the ranks behind them: Bouhanni, Démare, Pinot. That's a pretty good list...
He has one of those confusing styles. Its like the guy who races in my masters races with tube socks and hairy legs and atb shoes, I always wonder how he can ride that fast? Mr Gaudin however rode the race to win without any fear. It was a great race to watch. Mr tubesocks has no such panache.
@Chris you're riding style is indeed unique, but then if he had consumed the amount of fine Rouge that you have over the years, he might ride likewise
I did have to cop a double take when he broke through chasing the lead break, as apart from the Europcar kit, I was sure he had taken a wrong turn from one of the local CycloX races (but then, who would be racing locally with that gladiatorial demo going on on the cobbles) - but so refreshing to see someone so openly trying to knock all the pave back into a straight line
He's a bit of a Lamborghini
....maybe one of their orginal Tractor designs
@Dr C I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment...
I can't imagine he spends much time on the rollers, he'd spend more time in the saucepan cupboard than I do!
No doubt we all like to imagine we have Magnificent Strokes applied with souplesse - Gaudin probably thinks he is the new Coppi.
I have to confess I have had suspicions for some time that my own style was not fluid dynamics in human form. Being compared to Ludo Dierckxsens (there's one more 's' in that name than I always think there should be) was a strong hint.
Only recently I was on a long ride with just two other people, one of whom was sitting in anyway (by arrangement) so me and the other chap were spending long spells behind each other. As we had a water stop he said, casual-like, "Do you have lower back problems ?"
Treating this as some sort of deduction worthy of Sherlock Homes I said "Actually yes, how could you tell ?".
"Well your left knee comes in at the top and your left ankle twists at the bottom. Your right leg goes out, your upper body is skewed over and you sit to one side on your saddle."
I spent the rest of the ride wondering if Quasimodo ever rode a bike, and whether people would compare him favourably to me.
@ChrisO
After a crappy morning on work related matters, that made me snort my tea out of my nose! I will never quite visualise @ChrisO (having never met you) again without some kind of comical quasimodo sur le plaque image in my mind.
Cheered me up hugely even if it does not help your back....Cheers!
Gaudin was quality in Paris-Roubaix. To relieve the drudgery of a long ride on Beach Rd here in Melbourne my training partner and I will sometimes pass each other faux rogering an invisible lass on our bikes. Gaudin looks likes he's both fucking and being fucked simultaneously whilst he's riding.