Manhattan in the house
I'm sure you checked Maritzio Fondriest of the famed mid/late 80s - early 90s Italian Del Bongo team on http://www.bigringriding.com/ today. Rocking the World Champion's jersey, he is showing it off in the rain. He's so stylish, it takes a stuidied eye to notice he is no fool. He's hardman enough to ride/race in the rain, but he is wearing a hairnet helmet under his cycling cap. Photo probably pre-dates Giro style helmets. I lived in Santa Cruz when those came out, Giro's hometown, and many in the local peloton rocked them before the pros even had true access. Fairly modern shades and a Quill stem with Campy Record levers and some kind of monster crafted steel beast between his legs, he is uncowed by the weather. Bet old silk racing tires hold up well against glass in the rain. He had to work hard to display the panache, having been handed the world title by two scarred veterans: Canadian Steve Bower and Belgian Claude Criquillion (sp?) who had crashed together while dueling for the finish the previous year, which predates my start as a cycling fan ever so slightly. While Crick raged from the ground and Bower glowered, Fondreist rode through for the win. I assume that was when the morbidly obese lady sang.
posted by Mark @ 5:32 PM
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