Fast Eddy's Wielercafé

Photo: Presse Sport, from Cyclisme International No. 15, May 1987 Kelly & Roche.   Yikes..was it really 24 years ago? Somewhere over there back then I picked up a copy of the old French magazine Cyclisme International featuring this great photo in a race report called "Cocktail Irlandais." I rescued it from my basement flood damage back in April. "Sorry honey, any and all cycling memorabilia from '87 has to stay.  No discussion." It was day that would be the  hors d'oeuvre  to a year that was the apex of Celtic cycling. '87 was the year Stephen Roche won Giro, Tour and Worlds.  Sean Kelly took the Nissan Classic back home, and very likely would have won the Vuelta d'Espana if a saddle boil hadn't forced his abandon while in the leaders jersey.  No worries though, he simply came back to win the Vuelta in '88. U2's Joshua Tree was on the top of the charts, and Kelly and Roche were 1 and 2 on the UCI rankings.  It was a part

Ah SKY, with you guys around, I'm always totally entertained. Today cyclingnews.com released an article where Bradley Wiggins has just ordained Edvald Boassen Hagen (cue trumpet fanfare) "the future of cycling™ ." Hmmm....seems the SKY PR team is 'repositioning' their boy's brand for 2011. Now as most of us know, the prior 'unofficial' Boassen Hagen brand positioning was " the next Eddy Merckx ™" (cue trombones).  That positioning, while natural and attractive, is as risky as sailing toward the sirens call, the branding equivalent of swinging for the fence (last baseball metaphor I'll ever use, I promise).   It's failed every time it's been deployed before.  So quite smartly, those Anglo-aussie London-based masters of all things marketing have deftly shifted to 'the future of cycling' . Wiggo said Edvald is..   “a rider who really represents cycling's future...Everything about him: his personality, work ethic,

I've heard they say at AA meetings, the first step toward recovery comes with the admission. So OK, I admit it.  I'm a bit of a pack-rat when it comes to certain old pieces of cycling gear.  Not so much with old bikes, to me they're a thing of beauty for sure, but primarily a tool to beat upon.  But some pieces of gear establish a more personal connection.  Why do we decide to keep the things we do?  Who knows, this is a wielercafe , not a psychologist's office! All I know is that I can't bring myself to get rid of this helmet.  This Rogelli Sport patent-leather hairnet saw a lot of action back in the eighties.   I think I got it in 1982.  Rogelli Sport was the helmet to have at the time, the approved war bonnet of Hinault, Raas, Saronni, Zoetemelk and what seemed like half the pro peloton in the early eighties. Rogelli was the helmet of the 80's stars:  Hinault, Roche, Kelly, Raas, Criquielion. I first noticed one when it adorned a raging Jan

Hoi Flahutes!  Busy day today, culminating with a huge annual family and friends open house Christmas Eve feast tonight at chez Eddy. My wife has as usual ensured they'll be lots to eat, and plenty of sweets to be mostly avoided.   Zwaar karakter test,  is Christmas for cyclists. Pity there won't be a Vlaamse Hutsepot - the preferred dish of Briek Schotte. It's basically a Flemish 'Hodgepodge' a meat stew of ham, bacon, pork, pig tail, eel.  Goes nice with a dark Trappiste ale, or even better yet, a west flanders red sour ale like a Rodenbach.   Brewery Ommegang from New York has a version call ZUUR.   As my good friend Darren likes to say, the best vegetable to have with this dish is...more meat!   Don't worry, there are some turnips, potatoes, leeks and onions.  Check out the recipe here at the Centruum Ronde van Vlaanderen site.  This is true stick to your ribs sustenance guranteed to get you through a 4 hour winter ride. Belgian TV channel CANVAS di

Flandria Night at De Fietsenmaker in Zedelgem: Marcel Ongenae, Michel Pollentier, Walter Godefroot, Flandria Bikes Adam Longworth, De Fietsenmaker's Bram Misseeuw, Daniël Verplancke, Dirk Ongenae  . (Nico DeVos Photo, Het Nieuwsblad)  Our good friend, fellow cafesupporter, and world's #1 Flandria fan Adam Longworth - the man behind the resurrection of Flandria Bikes - sent us news of last week's relaunch of his sweet 2011 range back in Zedelgem - the former home of the Flandria factory. Check out the article, and photos in Het Nieuwsblad here . The well attended event was held at the Zedelgem Flandria dealer  De Fietsenmaker .  Former Flandria stars Walter Godefroot, Michel Pollentier, Daniel Verplancke and Marcel Ongenae were on hand for this press event to share stories and celebrate all things Flandria, old and new. Photo: Flandria Bikes, Adam Longworth In addition to the new Flandria carbon frames (check em out here ), a few retro rigs were brought out as

Hoi, cafesupporters! Joop training near Chateau Thierry.   Big ring baby. Hope you all are getting back to haardtrainen after your autumn layoff.  Mine ended Thanksgiving weekend.  Total net gain, a mere 4-5 pounds.  Not too bad, considering I emptied a few bottles of Affligem and St. Bernadeus.  OK, OK, maybe more than a few.  Today it was out into the 35 degree cold.  Snow is predicted for Sunday night.   Need to try to get a few rides in before the white stuff, as well as fit in some Christmas shopping, my son's basketball game, and sporza-cyclocross viewing.  Weekends are so programmed these days. As is training.  I've been filling my brain with lots of winter training reading, and have decided to give Josh Horowitz advice a try.  He's a pro coach who writes for Pez, and has posted some pretty sound and logical training articles about myths of winter training ( here ), and on building strength and power on the bike during winter training rides ( here  and here )

The only two Dutchmen to win the Tour de France, Jan Janssen and Joop Zoetemelk, had a few things in common. First, they spend most of their careers in French teams, living in France.  Jan for Pelforth beer and BIC; and Joop for Mercier and Gitane and LeJeune. Both were also Flandria teammates, in 1972.   1968 Tour Winner Janssen (left) was nearing the end of his career.  He was brought into Flandria to help their rising star Joop Zoetemelk (right, 2nd in both the '70 and '71 Tours) eat the cannibal Merckx by putting him into a Dutch tactical sandwich.  It was a big time for Dutch sport, the era of Johan Cryuff and Total Football.  The Flandria folks in Zeldegem must haverubbed their hands envisioning similar, exciting ' totaal wielersport ' from these two Dutch Masters. It was a good plan, but it didn't work out.  Janssen has a serious crash that spring that precipitated the end of his career.  Joop ended up a respectable 5th in that year's Tour, but ha

Today the 'cat' was let out of the bag by Jakob Fuglsang.  The title sponsor for the Luxembourg cycling project?  The Luxembourg Leopards.  Name on the Jersey?  Team Leopard.  Possibly.  Frank Schleck is saying it will be Team Lëtzebuerg.  Team Manager Brian Nygaard is now saying it won't be Leopard as the name on the jersey.  We'll know for sure in January.   Don't laugh.  The Leopard idea might be the future of professional cycling.  Even, dare I say, its salvation. Professional sports franchises on the US team-sports model.   Built upon regional loyalty to a defined city-state, funded by a local business magnate, and...named after an animal. The Boston Bruins.  The Chicago Bears.  The Atlanta Hawks. The Luxembourg Leopards? I think it's a pretty good model.   At least as far as harvesting natural fan loyalty to build long term value and lasting brand equity in pro cycling teams. Pro cycling has suffered a bit over the years by a certain built-in

“We included in all of our riders’ contracts a penalty clause which demands the payment of five times their salary if they’re find guilty of using doping substances. Whoever wants to be part of this team must accept it, and all riders are considered equal: Russians, Italians, Spanish, French and ....Spanish ." - Andrei Tchmil, Team Katusha "Just remember the five D's of dodgeball: Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and... Dodge . " - Patches O'Houlihan, Average Joe's Gym Dodgeball