Photos of the day: Hugo

While we're on the theme from yesterday's post, here's some more old Hugo Koblet photos.
All three photos from the Swiss Biorama Sportpublikation AG, Es waren einmal die beiden K. - Koblet & Kubler, 1991. 













The ordeal is almost over:  The victorious Swiss team smiles on the final stage of the '51 Tour.  From left, Gottfried Weilenmann, Leo Weilenmann, Hugo Koblet, Marcel Huber, Georges Aeschlimann.




Hugo Koblet and Fausto Coppi climbing in the 1951 Tour de France.

Fausto had just lost his brother Serse in the weeks leading up to the Tour, and was literally riding through a nightmare.  He'd lost a ton of time, but later came onto form in the Alps, winning the stage into Briancon.

For Coppi, the fact that he was 'let go' by the peloton because he was about 50 minutes or so behind on GC was a humiliation that would simmer all winter, fueling his 1952 Tour domination.




















Hugo kept his Tour form through to early September, dominating the '51 Grand Prix des Nations Time Trial, 1'42" ahead of Coppi.  

Back then, the Nations was an approximately 140k time trial.  Have you ever time trialed for 100 miles?   Think about that for a minute.

You've got to love what was the highest level professional TT bike and kit 60 years ago.  Do you think those chest pockets on the jersey were catching any wind?  

Hugo didn't need no steenking electronic shifting, carbon aero rims, skinsuit, or aero bars to go wicked fast.  

Or a smooth road for that matter.

Comments

  1. Love your Koblet articles. great pics i have never seen before.
    Thanks Eddy and completley agree with your senriments re speed/equipment. Nowadays everyone seems obsessed with the bike and not the actual cycling. Unlike motorised sports a bike, is bike is bike. A top of line Trek won't go any faster than a middle of the range Specialised ridden by the same rider. All contemporaries have access to whatever is available in their lifetime. We just seem so more fanatical about it these days.

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  2. I posit that Apple is responsible for this need to have the latest-greatest-marginal-performance-enhancing-thing. But then I blame them for everything.

    I know I'll go better if I shed some tonnage, but it is so much easier to deny that responsibility and shave grams from a shiny-new-thing.

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