Biking Badger - Cycling

Coppi e Bartali - Stage 4

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 16:30:00 +0000

Vino, need I say more

Team NetApp really showing well in the race

Diego Ulissi attacks on the final climb

Two in a row

The Shark is lurking, with Basso off form Di Luca will make this an interesting Giro

More photo's from Steephill here

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Coppi e Bartali - Stage 3

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 14:00:00 +0000

The jersey leaders with the race director ready to roll out from Fiorano Modenese

Emanuele Sella making faces near the end

Netapp on the front

Diego Ulissi take the stage

Via Steephill, check out more of the images here
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CyclingNews Coverage of E3

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 05:07:00 +0000

Start Line
Matti Breschel

Karsten Kroon

Thor Hushovd

Allan Peiper

Rudie Kemna

Finish Line
Degenkolb

Conference
Tom Boonen

Freire

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Kristof Ramon at the Semi Classics

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 08:04:00 +0000

Mr Ramon is one of the kings in the peloton when it comes to being behind the lens. His photograph's are very high on the artistic side of things as can be seen in his latest set from the Dwars Door Vlaanderen. Enjoy and check out his flikr page for some of his brilliant work

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Coppi e Bartali - Stage 2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 05:44:00 +0000

I wish we could see more of these two stages in a day. Would be great to see this return to one of the Grand Tours. The tactics would be interesting and maybe make those long flat stage days a bit more interesting. The smaller teams seem to be making this race their own with the surprise win yesterday of the break away, another Liquigas error after the Sanremo. With the afternoon leg a TTT you would expect the Pro Tour teams to rock it. But as I mentioned the smaller teams are making this race more interesting than the bigger teams would have expected or probably wanted.

Police in Italy, no wonder the country is in the red

Off they go

Great to see a peloton in movement

The Viviani salute, making up for yesterdays mishap by taking the sprint stage of the day and expecting more from the team later in the TTT.

Palini holds on to the jersey after yesterdays win and the bunch finish

Acqua e Sapone in formation and pipping Liquigas

Not a good day for the Liquigas boys, ending almost half a minute behind the winners

Team Netapp takes an emphatic win

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Coppi e Bartali - Stage 1

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:33:00 +0000

The Shark looking mean

Liquigas looking bit fishy

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Ozi Ozi Ozi

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 06:54:00 +0000

Great racing this year in the Milan San Remo. The weather was apparently fowl in the morning but turned out brilliant. The favorites were all up there, all except for Can who was not having a good day but was fighting to get back on before giving up. His head was shaking and you could see the effort that was going into the chase. Sparticus was in awesome form again and his weight loss is enabling him to climb like a king. Niballi was up there but not impressive, his climbing ability should have put Cancellara and eventual winner Gerrans in his wake but in the end followed the wheels all the way to the end. A worthwhile mention is that Boonen, Hausler and Sagan were all up there so we should have a cracker of a Spring Classics this year.

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Milan Sanremo 1933

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:05:00 +0000

Clippings from the Millan Sanremo of 1933

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Milano - San Remo

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:59:00 +0000

Another year of the great classic and by the early season racing we may have a few contenders. The first hill may already make some selection on the Passo del Turchino, this is after all the very same climb that Coppi broke away on in 1946 in the end putting in 14 minutes into his great rival Bartalli.

Resources:

Photo's from Fabio Di Paola

Pez Cycling

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noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 22:00:00 +0000

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NSW Collection - Setup

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000

A clever little photo that needs some further investigation. seeing as this is a photo from the turn of the century the exposure needed is probably a bit longer than today's. These chaps had to balance on rocks to keep their position's.

Jenolan Caves, April 1903, photographed by Edward J. Cooke

This is another great shot. There is another little tuck hidden away on the top tube. I must say that I am quite taken by the sparseness of all the tree's. I would have imagined that back then there were more tree's that now.

Man on bicycle pillioning boy - Bunaloo, NSW

Fantastic collection of old photo's from the NSW State Library

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NSW Collection - Tandem?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Rather odd looking tandem, a side by side tandem bike. Must have taken some effort to go around corners.

Man and woman on a Malvern Star abreast tandem bicycle, c. 1930s, by Sam Hood

Fantastic collection of old photo's from the NSW State Library
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NSW Collection - Sydney to Melbourne

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Billie Samuels leaving to ride to Melbourne on a Malvern Star bicycle, 4 July 1934, by Sam Hood

"Miss Billie Samuels started on her attack on the women's record from Sydney to Melbourne, held by Miss Valsa Barbour, at 10 o'clock yesterday morning. She will ride to a schedule which will bring her to the Melbourne G.P.O. at 2 p.m. on Saturday, in total time of 3 days 7 hours. This is about three hours taster than the present record."

Billie Samuels on a Malvern Star cycle leaving for Melbourne from Martin Place, 4 July 1934, by Sam Hood

That is the quote from the photo. Even today the distance between Sydney and Melbourne is 700 odd kilometers. Even by today's standards that's a slog and a half. So to be doing it on turn of the century bikes can only be said to be amazing.

Close-up of Billie Samuels on the Malvern Star bike showing her koala bear mascot before leaving for Melbourne, 4 July 1934, by Sam Hood

Fantastic collection of old photo's from the NSW State Library

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NSW Collection - Penny-farthing

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Man on a penny-farthing bicycle being chased by his sister (Maggie & Bob Spiers) - West Wyalong, NSW, C. 1900

Alfred Lee and penny farthing, Glen Street, North Sydney

Fantastic collection of old photo's from the NSW State Library

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Alone in the Alps

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:35:00 +0000

Not much known about the rider and the picture seems to epitomize the information about Pierre Gallien. He one a stage in the 1939 Tour but otherwise not much comes up on my Google trawl.This photo is beautiful though showing him on his own in the Alps breaking away or even possibly lagging behind on the dirt roads. It amazes me every time I see these images how the early day races really were epic races with little assistance and crazy riding surfaces compared to today's race conditions.

via Nationaal Archief

I was wondering whether he was riding a single speed bike as they did in those days and I then came across want looks like a chain tensioner. I will need to look into this a bit more but I can remember seeing/reading somewhere about these types of bikes. If anyone has any idea let me know.

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1988 Bianchi Specialissima

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 14:32:00 +0000

I have a bit of a soft spot for Bianchi's as my first road bike is a Bianchi and one that I will keep even if it is heavy and an entry level Bianchi. One day I may move up the ladder if I can convince the missus that investing in a light weight steed of bygone era is sound. In the meantime I can only dream.

Reference:

Speed Bicycles - your source for all needed bike porn

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Keep-It-Up-Energy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 13:56:00 +0000

Found this in one of my magazines that I have bought in the last little while. Its from 1961 Sporting Cyclist and is really funny with the guy pulling what can only be described as someone releaved. not sure if he's releaved of finally finding Dextrosol or maybe he wet himself but either way this way the energy of the sixties. complex sugars that would give you the boost over rivals. No fancy isotonic drinks with crazy flavors, this was just pure carbo-sugar energy.

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Life Before TV

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:22:00 +0000

Wim van Est's wife listening to the stage in the 1960 Tour
So why was cycling so popular with the masses. Well after the war there was not a whole lot of morale floating about Europe and the population looked to sport star's as their distraction from daily toil. Hero's were born and the star's of days past were hard men from the social working class. Hard men made that way by hard work with little payment. TV was also non existent and people would listen to the race via radio or wait for the newspaper the next day to read about it. This was the way most of the grand tours and classics started, to build up readership and gain popularity. So you can just imagine how people all over Europe were glued to the radio commentary listening to the daily stage and the amount of comradeship that was made by this.

The man she's listening to in the center: Jaap Kersten , Wim van Est , Martin van den Borgh

References:

National Archief

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Cinelli Leggerissimo

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:33:00 +0000

via Kevin

Me being a sucker for vintage bikes I came across quite by chance two different sources to this bike. One was the brilliant blog over at the Italian Cycling Journal. Angelo regularly comes up with some brilliant posts of the Italian flair and is well worth a read. The other was my trawling's of Flickr where I got in contact with Kevin who has kindly let me use his photo's.

via Kevin

According to Angelo these frames were produced for Brugelmann who was the biggest Cinelli dealership outside of Italy. The colour scheme was especially painted for Brugelmann in red and yellow.

via Kevin

Andrea Cinelli also reveal's a few secret's to Angelo about the bike: "You are correct that the frame is lighter as we drilled the lugs and the BB shell for lightening, and my father, based upon the close friendship with the owner of Columbus (Aldo Luigi Colombo), had had special lighter tubes made. In that period, the two avantgarde Italian factories (Cinelli and Columbus), in the application of avantgarde racing bicycle technology (high resistance steel alloys) had to contrast the myth and image of the English Reynolds tubing."

via Kevin

There are photo's up on other sites so just go take a look by following the references links at the bottom of the post. The Speedbicycles site has a really detailed collection of all the bits and bob's and you will then understand why I like this bike so much. They also have a collection of quite a few other gems that are worth a gander.

via Kevin

I really like the fork crown with it's double plate really makes this bike stand out. I have often thought about building a frame for myself but never had the courage to take the jump. I must say though if one day I do I would definitely come back to this beauty for pure and simple lines.

via Kevin

Bike Info:
Model: Leggerissimo
Year: 1970-76
Frame: Columbus, 55 cm, extra-light tubing, drilled BB
Hubs: Campagnolo NR
Rims: Fiamme
Tires: Clément Pistard
Crankset: Campagnolo NR, 50t
Handlebar: Cinelli
Stem: Cinelli
Pedals: Campagnolo NR
Seat Post: 26.2 mm Campagnolo NR
Saddle: Unicanitor

References:
Kevin on Flickr
Rembetis
Speed Cycles
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The promised post

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 16:45:00 +0000

Seems that I've been posting in batches again and not being able to keep it up. Apologies to all. So I won't bullshit you here with some spin story, I just don't have time with baby on the way and projects at work. I will though dispense with a great little gem some might not be aware of. The Vintage Cycling forum is a really brilliant place to pick the brains of some really knowledgeable guys out there and also the site is heavy with pictures of classic bikes. Do yourself a favour and go trawl around its recesses.

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Boonen ends the disaster

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 08:35:00 +0000

I must say I'm a bit of a Boonen fan and was quite dissapointed by his injuries this year. The way Sparticus just powered away from him was amazing and being over lapsed by Gilbert this year has probably not made this eyar one to remember for the Belgian.

The National Sluitprijs that took place yesterday was his last of the season and he will probably take the chance to recharge his batteries on some far off beach. Just hope he stays away from the white stuff becasue surely a third positive would be the end of this bad boy of the peloton.

Seems like there is another rider to keep an eye on and that was the winner Adam Blythe. Must say I don't know much about the young man but will keep an eye out. The loss of Evans seems to me have been the greatest blessing for the Omega team this year as they have been racking up win after win from a variety of riders. I like their attacking style and the flair of Gilbert is brilliant. Pity he couldn't win the World Champs but looking into the crystal ball I'd be very surprised if he didn't wear the rainbow stripes some time in his career.

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Dictator

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:03:00 +0000

A keen eye is kept on Sylvere Maes as he fixes a puncture on the descent of the Galibier. Desgrange ruled with an iron fist and saw the Tour as a test to the utmost of the human character. The harder the race and the more the riders complained the more difficult he would make the race. A mad man or a genius? You decide.

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Natale Milani

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 14:54:00 +0000

It’s not easy to talk about someone you’ve never even met. But we all do it everyday, and we’re often out of turn. Half of the world’s population discusses the other half, without even knowing them. Today’s world talks about yesterday’s world with utter nonchalance, that’s what history is, be it personal or interpreted and filtered through the accounts of others and their memoires. I would have liked to have met Natale. While I read about his past, I try to imagine what it was like during the war, the time of reconstruction, the anxiety, the shortages, the desires and dreams that were sometimes shattered or came true. I think of Natale and I imagine him in shorts, a bit of an urchin, a watchful rebel, someone who always looked a little further ahead than the others but still kept ranks.

A chap that arranged a thousand sounds and turned them into music; who put a thousand tools in line and created a workshop; who worked with the love and precision of a goldsmith. I think of him in black and white, on dusty roads with horses and carriages. When the first cars were such a rare occurrence they had to sound their horn to gain passage through the pedestrians, who absent-mindedly walked anywhere, sharing the roads with bicycles and horses. Pedestrians stopped in amazement as the new beasts of technology passed by, regardless of the cloud of dust enveloping them.
I imagine Gallarate wasn’t much different to other towns at the time, like those documented by the great directors of post war films. I wasn’t around then and for me it’s all like a movie. His attitude was immediately clear, his creativity was innovative, he had energy to harness like the water of a mountain stream and diligence when doing things. Bicycles were his lifeblood. Whereas his two brothers lent an hand in the family business, Natale spent all of his free time on his bicycle. It was the time of Binda and the era when sport with a capital S was all about cycling and soccer.Natale eventually got the chance to explore his creativity, first at the Ponti Institute – where he studied drawing and design and then at his elder brother’s workshop.
This was MV Agusta, Gilera and Moto Guzzi territory, when the first prototype bicycles were taking form at Milani. In the meantime, they vented their passion in the saddle, riding the hills of the Varese area, conquering fatigue, the cold and the dark: the desire for change. Up early on Sundays to go out on the bike. Ninety kilometres to Domodossola as a warm-up, then one hundred and twenty at top speed, and you didn’t spare yourself, followed by another ninety back home. It’s the most heroic form of cycling. I think that designing bicycles was an important change in Natale’s life. Since he couldn’t follow in the footsteps of the cycling stars, he decided to work for them and try help them become even greater. And so, all his energy, his creativity and his flair came together like a game where the goal was creating new geometrical shapes. Making bicycles was a mission for him. Putting someone in the saddle was not simply a question of sport, it was for life.

A person that communicated with gestures and glances rather than words. A person who certainly wasn’t an easy character, since he was armed with an enigmatic tongue. Like anyone with a strong personality, you either loved or hated Natale. Often it was the first option, and even if the reaction was dislike there was always a great sense of respect nevertheless. His frames are still revered today by those who remain of his generation. Their extraordinary elasticity and geometrical proportion are still praised nowadays, despite the difficult and wary times where it’s often marketing that makes a triangle solid or a frame special. Natale was not just a capable cyclist; he was a skilled craftsman, so much so that during the Second World War he served in the Italian air force as a flight engineer, applying his craft in order to make missing spare parts for planes or applying improvements by modifying existing designs. This combination of craftsmanship and engineering know-how created and consolidated a simple man who was tenacious and rigorous at the same time: “Il Milanin” as he was usually called.

The forge was his precious and irreplaceable ally together with the blowtorch used for oxyacetylene welding: the main figures in a unique and almost impassable space. Observers remained entranced by his dexterity and experience, seen in how he “moved” the frames that went through a last stage when he subjected to them quick burst of the torch. This was his signature. I’ve seen his seventy year old work bench. I’ve seen a small notebook with a pencil sketch of a geometrical design and some numbers. A picture of a saint is pinned next to them, almost as if to protect them. I have found out that his son Celeste still uses those numbers today. I was surrounded by his old workbench, the old brazier, a template and a worn sheet of paper covered with old yet unchanging numbers. In front of me, there was the new Milani collection designed by his son. The only difference I could see was outside, since the road to Milan is now a three lane motorway.

Directly copied from the Milani Website

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Gino the Pious

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 14:19:00 +0000

One of the greatest wins and comebacks in Tour history and quite possibly even stopped a civil war. not many cyclist can claim that in their palmares but desperate times called for desperate measures. He would win a total of seven stages in the 1948 Tour and win it by a commanding margin. Gino the Pious indeed.

"But et Club" No.127, 1 July 1948

Note the tape on the brake levers and on top of the toe clips, internally routed rear brake cable, single water bottle cage, 1-piece thorn catchers, single chainring, Campagnolo shifter and quick releases, and large tubulars.

Info and photo from Wool Jersey

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A Zullo at Work

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 14:13:00 +0000

When you can dance and smile at work then you know that you've found the right job. Tiziano Zullo has that naughty grin like being caught in the act of doing something wrong. The only thing wrong is that he is not more well known and that we have all become so fixated on the mainstream Rouleur-fed crap. These are builders who look at their work as movable pieces of art.

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