tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810458826689114812024-03-18T03:03:32.885+00:00CyclopunkDaily cycling historyjohn_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.comBlogger1559125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-699224181488475652015-02-02T22:22:00.001+00:002016-06-17T22:18:02.824+01:00
I'm getting very lazy, and because of all the other (women's cycling) stuff I do online these days I haven't got the time (trans: I can't be bothered) to update this blog and keep it current. So, do the hard work for me by simply entering today's date - hell, any date, live a little) into the search box up to the top left there to find out loads of fascinating stuff that happened on that day.&john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-32404810525656588012014-09-28T00:00:00.000+01:002014-09-28T00:00:01.020+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 28.09.2014
Léon Devos
Today is the anniversary of the 1919 edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the ninth ever held and the latest calendar date in the 120-year history of the race - as the first in the wake of the First World War, many of the riders who had been on the start lines before racing in Europe was halted by the conflict were no longer around. The parcours was 237km in length and winner john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-75449962588622807482014-09-27T11:29:00.001+01:002014-09-27T11:29:43.201+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 27.09.2014Clara Hughes
Hughes at the Thüringen Rundfahrt, 2012
Born in Winnipeg, Canada on this day in 1972, Clara Hughes - in common with so many other riders - began her career as an athlete in speed skating, which she took up at the age of 16 after seeing Gaétan Boucher win gold at the 1988 Olympic Games. A year later she started cycling; only three years later, in 1992, she became Nationaljohn_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-7549870027071456902014-08-24T00:00:00.000+01:002014-08-24T00:00:00.248+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 24.08.2014Roger de Vlaeminck
Classic de Vlaeminck territory - on the Koppenberg
Some riders specialise in sprints, others in the mountains and others on the long, flat sections that make up the bulk of the total distance of many races. Some excel in time trials; some perform well on two or more types of stage and may win Grand Tours as a result. A few achieve their victories through their ability to john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-20892056553529723372014-08-23T00:00:00.000+01:002014-08-23T00:00:00.773+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 23.08.2014Johan Bruyneel
Bruyneel in 2007
Born in Izegem, Belgium on this day in 1964, Johan Bruyneel has been one of the highest-profile figures in professional cycling for almost a quarter of a century - as a rider and as a manager, and for good reasons and bad.
Bruyneel got his first taste of racing glory when he took third place at the Juniors' Trofee van Vlaanderen Reningelst in 1983. Three john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-42485606202228927962014-08-22T00:00:00.000+01:002014-08-22T00:00:00.358+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 22.08.2014Tatiana Guderzo
Guderzo at the 2012 Olympics
Born in Marostica, Italy on this day in 1984, Tatiana Guderzo came second at the World Junior Independent Time Trial Championhips in 2002, then became famous in the cycling world with overall General Classification victory at the Eko Tour Dookola Polski, a gold medal at the European Under-23 Independent Time Trial Championship and a silver in john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-3960272905530293062014-08-21T00:00:00.000+01:002014-08-21T00:00:02.164+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 21.08.2014
Keetie van Oosten-Hage
Keetie van Oosten-Hage
Born in Sint-Maartensdijk, Netherlands, on this day in 1949, is one of four cycling siblings: her sisters Ciska van Velzen-Hage, Heleen Hage and Bella van de Spiegel-Hage were also successful riders (as, for that matter, is nephew Jan van Helzen) - Keetie, Heleen and Bella all rode for the Beck's Bier team in 1977.
1966 was her first really john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-85841677163706631152014-08-20T00:00:00.000+01:002014-08-20T00:00:01.075+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 20.08.2014On this day in 2013, managers of Euskaltel-Euskadi announced that they had begun the "orderly shut-down" of the team. Euskaltel, though not one of the most successful ProTour teams for much of its existence, had enjoyed enormous popularity since formation in 1994 - at least partially due to the infectious passion of their Basque fans.
Enrico Toti
Enrico Toti, who was posthumously
awarded the&john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-11560554544652210582014-08-19T18:29:00.000+01:002015-08-18T11:57:01.554+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 18.08.2014Ruby Miller
Ruby Miller
(© Joolze Dymond)
(Used here with very kind permission - to see more ofDymond's excellent photos, click here.)
Born in Llantwit Major on this day in 1992, Welsh cyclist Ruby Miller began her athletic career as a triathlete at the unusually early age of ten, encouraged by her mother - a coach at Cardiff's Maindy Triathlon Club. She soon found that the bike race was herjohn_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-91483692831937628912014-08-19T00:00:00.000+01:002014-08-19T18:40:13.356+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 19.08.2014
Iban Mayo at the 2007 Giro d'Italia
Iban Mayo
The French, at one time, elevated cycling to the level of a religion, as did the Italians. The Belgians are still obsessed with it, and the British are becoming so with every year (and every Tour victory) that passes. The Dutch adore the sport too - but no other people have cycling in their blood in quite the same way that the Basques do, and john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-6355977841524538422014-08-17T00:00:00.000+01:002014-08-17T00:00:00.709+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 17.08.2014Filippo Simeoni
Filippo Simeoni
Born in Desio on this day in 1971, Filippo Simeoni was taken on as a trainee by Carrera Jeans-Tassoni in 1994 and showed sufficient promise to receive a professional contract the following year, then spent all but twp of the next fourteen series riding for a sucession of Italian teams (in 2005, he raced for Swiss-based Naturino-Sapore di Mare, the team relocatedjohn_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-23753398559000746912014-08-16T00:00:00.000+01:002014-08-16T00:00:00.543+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 16.08.2014
Desgrange was a successful rider in his
own right and won many races - such as
the 1893 National Tricycle Championship
On this day in 1940 Henri Desgrange - Father of the Tour de France, its director from inauguration in 1903 until 1936 and the inventor of modern bicyce stage and Audax racing - died at his Mediterranean villa. He had undergone a prostate operation shortly before the Tour in john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-8009234183472950702014-08-15T08:54:00.000+01:002014-08-15T08:54:08.865+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 15.08.2014Régis Clère
Régis Clère, who was born in Langres, France on this day in 1956, got his first professional contract with Miko-Mercier-Vivagel in 1981 after winning two stages at the Tour de l'Avenir in the previous years; that very same season, he became National Champion in Pursuit and the Points race, won the Prologue and Stage 15 at the Vuelta a Espana and came 51st at the Tour de France - john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-83602683269573642862014-08-07T00:00:00.000+01:002014-08-07T00:00:00.614+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 07.08.2014Steven Rooks
Rooks at the Tour, 1988
Steven Rooks, born in Oterleek, Netherlands on this day in 1960, turned professional with the legendary Ti-Raleigh team in 1982, then switched to Sem-France Loire the following year and won Liège-Bastogne-Liège. In 1985 he was 25th overall at the Tour de France; then ninth in 1986 and second in 1988 after winning Stage 12 on Alpe d'Huez - and he also john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-59230460041068154902014-08-06T00:00:00.000+01:002014-08-06T00:00:00.735+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 06.08.2014Stuart O'Grady
Stuart O'Grady
Like many of the world's top cyclists, Stuart O'Grady - born in Adelaide on this day in 1973 - has cycling in his blood: his father rode for South Australia in both track and road events and an uncle represented the country at the 1964 Olympics. He himself began to compete on track in the 1980s and, in 1992, helped to win the silver medal for the Team Pursuit at john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-46188279819377352042014-08-05T00:00:00.000+01:002014-08-05T11:30:46.051+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 05.08.2014Gilles Delion
Gilles Delion
Born in Saint-Étienne on this day in 1966, Gilles Delion was seen a one of the greatest hopes of French cycling when he won the Giro di Lombardia, a stage at the Critérium International and the Youth category at the Tour de France in 1990, followed by Stage 7 at the Tour one year later; he tended also to perform well at the Giro di Lombardia and won it injohn_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-48792602267964657532014-08-04T17:49:00.000+01:002014-08-04T17:49:00.864+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 04.08.2014Luc Leblanc
When Luc Leblanc was eleven, a drunk driver ploughed into him and his brother Gilles as the two boys rode their bikes near Limoge, where Luc had been born on this day in 1966. Gilles was so badly injured that he died a short while later, Luc spent the next six months in hospital and ended up with a weak leg that was noticeably shorter than the other.
Prior to the "accident," john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-17510044110424857422014-07-28T00:00:00.000+01:002015-07-28T00:12:50.017+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 28.07.2014Théodore Vienne
Théodore Vienne
Born in Roubaix on this day in 1864, Théodore Vienne was an amateur cyclist himelf, but he is primarily remembered as one of the men who established a race that has become perhaps the most famous in the world after the Tour de France - Paris-Roubaix, the Hell of the North. Having become fabulously wealthy through his textile factories, he became involved john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-13219661689391029862014-07-27T00:00:00.000+01:002014-07-27T00:00:00.747+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 27.07.2014Willy Kanis
Willy Kanis
One of the most successful Dutch track riders of all time, Willy Kanis - who was born in Kampen on this day in 1984 - began her cycling career at the age of six, riding in BMX competitions, and became a World Champion in that discipline in 2005 and 2006. She started track cycling in her teens and won two silver medals at the National Championships of 2003, then took twojohn_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-59201955162520807962014-07-26T00:00:00.000+01:002014-07-26T00:00:00.609+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 26.07.2014
Uwe Raab at Paris-Roubaix
Uwe Raab, born in Wittenberg, East Germany in this day in 1962, won the Points competition at the Vuelta a Espana in 1990 and 1991. He also became World Amateur Road Race Champion in 1983.
Very few riders enjoy a career in competitive cycling as long as that of Geoff Cooke, who was born in Manchester on this day in 1944: his first major victory was the Sprint john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-53689294315205844602014-07-25T00:00:00.000+01:002014-07-25T00:00:01.497+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 25.07.2014Ruslan Pidgornyy, born in Ukraine on this day in 1977, began his professional career with De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa in 2002 and won the Giro del Friuli Venezia Giulia in 2003. He became National Road Race Champion in 2008. In 2004, Pidgornyy and team mate Yuriy Ivanov were sacked by the LPR-Piacenzi Management SRL team after they were accused of assaulting and robbing a woman working john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-40126398673805096212014-07-24T00:00:00.000+01:002015-07-24T21:11:55.291+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 24.07.2014Ferdinand Kübler
Ferdinand Kübler
Born in Marthalen, Switzerland in 1919, Ferdinand Kübler - commonly called Ferdi, though he prefers Ferdy - is the oldest surviving Tour de France winner in the world and the longest lived Tour winner in history. In his best years, Ferdy was like no rider seen before: an uncontrollable, impulsive, unstoppable rider every bit as likely to throw john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-16613072395144545002014-07-23T00:00:00.000+01:002015-07-23T11:29:09.988+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 23.07.2014Judith Arndt
Born in Königs Wusterhausen, Germany on this day in 1976, Judith Arndt became one of the greatest and most popular all-rounders in cycling with numerous excellent results in road racing, time trials and on the track.
Arndt turned professional with the Red Bull team in 1999, at a time when she already had five National titles and one World Championship to her name. As a result john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-24620487789931721282014-07-22T00:00:00.000+01:002014-07-22T00:00:00.948+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 22.07.2014
Wiggins wins
On this day in 2012, Bradley Wiggins became the first British winner in the history of the Tour de France.
Giovanni Battaglin
Born in Marostica on this day in 1951, Giovanni Battaglin became one of the shining lights of Italian cycling at a time when it seemed the Belgians were going to take the sport over completely.
Battaglin first came to note in 1972 when he won the Baby john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581045882668911481.post-83996831761771046512014-07-21T00:00:00.000+01:002014-07-21T00:00:00.559+01:00Daily Cycling Facts 21.07.2014Stefan Schumacher
Stefan Schumacher
Born in Ostfildern-Ruit on this day in 1981, the German rider Stefan Schumacher has achieved many very good results during his ten years as a professional - but has also been connected to doping numerous times. He began with Telekom in 2002 and remained there for two years but didn't perform well, leading the team to drop him; then he moved on to john_orbeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03089909292961158413noreply@blogger.com0