“I’m by no means happier than after I’m writing.”
~ Ed Hood, as spoken to Martin Williamson from the passenger seat, driving alongside a stage route on the Tour de France.
Expensive Readers – Our beloved colleague and buddy Ed Hood suffered a critical stroke in February. We don’t anticipate Ed will make it again into our bunch, so we’ve began a GoFundMe web page to assist Ed together with his future. Learn the complete put up right here – and please contemplate donating.
** Click on this hyperlink to donate to the GoFundMe web page to assist Ed **
We’ll be posting a collection of Ed’s work from the previous 16 years, as a result of nice story-telling by no means will get previous.
Ed’s Second Alternative of DS: The PEZ digital postbag was stuffed with recommendations of workforce managers/DS’s that Ed Hood missed in his current ‘Prime Ten’ of equipe bosses, so a ‘deuxième partie’ needed to be compiled with eight extra. Has he acquired all of them now?
Julich and Legay
Okay, ‘mea culpa’ – ‘my mistake,’ there have been a number of actual characters/gents/leaders of males who I missed in my current managers/DS piece. ‘Half Two,’ it’s then! However once more, it’s not meant to be, nor can or not it’s, ‘the definitive listing’ – that may take a guide, simply my private ‘take’. Let’s begin ‘BIG’. . .
‘Le Grand Fusil,’ ‘the Huge Gun,’ they known as him, a giant man, a giant voice and a giant presence – Raphaël Géminiani, nonetheless going robust at 96 years-of-age. Géminiani was a great skilled in his personal proper, spending 14 years within the professional peloton; French Nationwide Champion, a podium finisher in le Tour – the place he received seven levels – and Vuelta. In 1955 – the yr of my start – he pulled off the exceptional feat of ending high 10 in all three Grand Excursions – Vuelta, Giro and Tour de France.
Coppi and Geminiani
And as King of the Mountains in le Tour and Giro he knew a factor or two about bike racing.
Geminiani famously survived the malaria which he and Fausto Coppi contracted throughout a racing/searching journey to Africa; ‘Gem’s’ bull-like structure noticed him by means of however his shut buddy, the delicate ‘Campionissimo’ succumbed at simply 40 years-of-age.
‘Gem’ and the well-known Anquetil
The Frenchman moved into administration after his racing profession was at an finish and is most famously related to ‘Maitre Jacques’ Anquetil who he guided to a lot of his biggest victories, together with his now legendary Dauphine/Bordeaux-Paris again to again triumph.
Quick issues on the highway: Geminiani, Anquetil and a Mustang
Géminiani was additionally an innovator, introducing ‘further sportif’ sponsors to the game, not simply the bicycle producers who had, till the 1950’s been the one firms to sponsor biking groups. In addition to Anquetil’s, St-Raphael, Ford and Bic groups he additionally labored with the likes of La Redoute, Fiat and Café de Colombia.
Let’s transfer nearer the present day and an impressive instance of consideration to element by administration. Allan Peiper was a strong, skilled for a decade, driving as a ‘International Legionnaire’ with Peugeot, the mighty Panasonic of Peter Submit and at last alongside Peloton ‘Patron,’ Adrie van der Poel at Tulip.
Peiper – A troublesome rider
The person from Victoria was a effective time trial rider, he received the novice Gran Prix des Nations and the prologues of the Tour de l’Oise and Paris-Good. His DS profession began with Lotto and he was with T-Cell by means of Columbia and HTC incarnations then Garmin, BMC and UAE Emirates the place his consideration to element was instrumental in profitable the 2020 Tour de France for Tadej Pogačar. Once we spoke to him about that well-known time trial the place Pogačar snatched the most important race on the planet from the clutches of his countryman, Primos Roglič on the eleventh hour, the Australian defined to us that weeks earlier than that fateful chrono:
“I rode the course and I realised {that a} shut ratio cassette was important for the climb; however most cassettes have two and even three tooth jumps. Nevertheless, we obtained a cassette meant for junior racing, 14-29 however within the center it was 18 to 25 with only one tooth variations, that was coupled with 36/50 chainrings. On his time trial bike he rode a single 58 ring with an 11 to 29 cassette. Tadej was down with us in July and we did simulation runs on the hill to substantiate the gearing and we agreed the spot for the bike change and practiced it – we acquired it all the way down to seven seconds however assume we might have bettered that on the day.”
And that’s what you name, ‘consideration to element’.
Double Tour profitable UAE Group Emirates
Let’s return to ‘Outdated College,’ and Belgium’s late Alberic “Briek” Schotte, AKA ‘Iron Briek’. An expert from 1940 till 1958, twice World Champion and twice a winner of De Ronde, a race he rode, watch for it – 20 instances. No want to elucidate the nickname then?
The unique ‘Flandrien’ – Briek Schotte
He moved into administration after his profession as a rider ended – with Flandria, the place else? He was with the workforce for 20 years and persevering with the place he left off as a ‘renner,’ his riders took 11 podium locations and 5 victories in De Ronde. After the Flandria workforce folded in 1979 he labored with SEM, Skil and Kas. Nevertheless, not everybody rated him because the chief of a workforce, Freddy Maertens in his autobiography, ‘Fall From Grace’, stated;
“I take my hat off to Briek Schotte’s performances as a rider, however I’d query his skills as a directeur sportif. He let everybody do as they wished. The one factor that mattered to him was that our workforce and he may make cash, ours by rights, for [Flandria boss] Paul Claeys.”
I feel that was his job, Freddy?
Briek Schotte, Freddy Maertens and Robbie McEwen
Let’s go south to La Bella Italia; the late Alberto Martini was knowledgeable for 18 years, throughout that point received a stage within the Tour of Switzerland, Italian one-day races Giro dell’Appennino and Giro del Piemonte, and held the Giro d’Italia chief’s jersey for someday within the 1950 Giro, a race he completed third general in behind Swiss Hugo Koblet and Italian Gino Bartali.
Bettini, Cipollini and Martini
As a DS he guided Sweden’s Gosta Pettersson to Giro victory in 1970 however it’s as Italian nationwide workforce, ‘Capo’ he’s finest remembered. He took the Squadra Azzurra to triumphs all around the globe, taking the rainbow jersey with Francesco Moser in Venezuela in 1997, with Giuseppe Saronni in Nice Britain in 1982, with Moreno Argentin within the USA in 1986, with Maurizio Fondriest in Belgium in 1988 and with Gianni Bugno twice, Germany in 1991 and Spain the next yr.
Worlds’02: Martini, Cipollini and Ballerini
Again to La Belle France and DS don’t come way more. ‘Outdated College Gallic’ than this gentleman, often known as, ‘Little Napoleon,’ the late Maurice De Muer was a professional for 9 seasons, all with Peugeot. And while his first tenure within the workforce automotive was with Pelforth then Bic he’s maybe finest identified for his affiliation with the workforce he rode for as a professional, Peugeot.
De Muer the rider
With Bic he guided Jacques Anquetil to his final main win, The Tour of the Basque Nation in 1969 and was once more within the workforce automotive when Luis Ocaña received the 1973 Tour de France. With Peugeot he famously guided Bernard Thevenet to 2 Tour de France victories. And it’s with Peugeot and the ACBB ‘feeder’ workforce he was instrumental at first what the UCi would time period, ‘Mondialisation’ – the opening up of the game to riders from throughout the globe – not simply ‘The Outdated World’ nations.
Peugeot: Jones, Roche, Millar and Simon
Robert Millar, Stephen Roche, Phil Anderson, Sean Yates, Allan Peiper and Jonathan Boyer had been all merchandise of that system. De Muer was a tough job grasp; “Frequently, he would go completely furious for quarter-hour,” Thévenet stated, “however then he would settle down once more for an extended time frame.” While Sean Yates stated; “He commanded respect due to Ocaña and Thévenet. He was fairly intimidating, too, although, very a lot an old-school laborious grasp. I bear in mind him yelling at Phil Anderson at the beginning of the Milan-Sanremo one yr, saying, ‘No, no rain jacket.’ The race was 350 kilometres lengthy, it was tipping with rain, and he didn’t need Phil to have one.”
‘Little Napoleon,’ certainly.
De Muer and Double Tour winner Thevenet
Let’s keep ‘en France’ and a person nonetheless behind the wheel – what else would he do Marc Madiot had a wonderful skilled profession, the hi-lites of which have to be his two wins in Paris-Roubaix and a French Skilled Highway Race Championship.
Double Roubaix winner – Marc Madiot
He’s been within the FDJ workforce automotive since 1997. That uncommon chook, an Italian on a French workforce is probably a great man to ask about Monsieur Madiot, right here’s what Jacopo Guarnieri advised, ‘Rouleur’ journal in 2019; “I remembered that loopy horse who was screaming and cheering for his rider, [Thibaut Pinot] throughout a stage of the [2012] Tour de France. I assumed he was actually mad, however, since I didn’t converse French then, I solely felt the vitality, with out actually understanding the which means of what he was saying. On the first workforce assembly in France, in November 2016, my French was nonetheless newbie’s degree, I didn’t perceive a lot of what he stated. Then, his vitality and tone of voice rose and rose. The previous few minutes he was yelling. YELLING! I bear in mind Ignatas Konovalovas turning to me and saying in English: “I do know he seems indignant, however he’s truly motivating us.”
“I had all the time been used to workforce managers who know little about biking: not as a result of they by no means rode a motorcycle or something, however just because they grew to become busier over time, discovering sponsors or preserving the finances in examine. I’ve all the time seen Marc otherwise: as quickly as he can, he jumps into the workforce automotive or spectates at a juniors or cyclo-cross race. I feel he should dwell and breathe biking, the true one, the previous fashion: little ways and pushing laborious. Professional biking has not been like this for a few years, lengthy earlier than I turned professional.”
Chapeau! Messrs, Guarnieri and Madiot.
FDJ Group boss
When you sliced the late Giorgio Albani in two – as one would possibly do with the Italian product he’s most related to, salami – it might learn, ‘Molteni’. A profitable skilled for a decade with wins within the Italian semi-classics, the Coppa Agostoni and Giro dell Appennino, a Giro stage winner and Nationwide Skilled Champion, his final season as a rider, in 1959 was with Molteni.
Albani – Molteni by means of and thru
In 1960 he started his new position within the Philco workforce automotive however inside a yr, it was ‘Molteni’ written on the automotive – he would stay there till 1976 when the workforce folded. Albani was the person within the workforce automotive for all of Eddy Merckx’s successes within the previous gold and blue of Molteni. He was there in Mexico when the Belgian took the hour report and was a chilled, low key presence all by means of these ‘golden years of Merckx,’ the exact opposite of the overwhelming Lomme Driessens who we featured in our first piece as Merckx’s supervisor at Faema. Nevertheless it wasn’t simply Merckx he guided to victory – maybe not a troublesome job given the Belgian’s expertise and insatiable want to win – ‘Bigs’ Rudi Altig, Michel Dancelli, Gianni Motta and Marino Basso additionally handed by means of Albani’s fingers.
The person behind Merckx
Again to France for one more of these Frenchmen born to take a seat in a workforce automotive, Roger Legeay. A strong skilled for a decade together with his final race seasons spent with the workforce he’s perpetually related to, Peugeot. In that decade he took stage wins within the Tour of Limousin and Romandie and Circuit de la Sarthe in addition to someday wins in races just like the GP Fougeres.
Roger Legay within the Tour KOM jersey
Nevertheless it’s a person behind the wheel he’s finest remembered, beginning as assistant workforce supervisor with Peugeot in 1983 rising to supervisor because the workforce grew to become Z Peugeot and THAT jersey. Find it irresistible or hate it, the jersey, promoting Monsieur Roger Zannier’s youngsters’s clothes firm aroused large curiosity on the time and remains to be mentioned – traditional or disaster? I’m with the previous definition.
Legay and Hushovd
When the Z sponsorship ended insurance coverage big GAN stepped in and at last the workforce was sponsored by French financial institution, Credit score Agricole. That sponsorship led to 2008 and Legeay’s tenure within the convoy was at an finish. Since then he’s been on the helm of his MPCC – Mouvement Pour un Cyclisme Credible – organisation with the title talking for itself. His legacy as a workforce supervisor is spectacular with arguably his biggest achievements, Greg Lemond’s Tour de France win in 1990 and Gilbert Duclos Lasalle’s 92/93 Paris-Roubaix wins.
The highest man at MPCC
In our first DS/Supervisor piece we talked about a sure Peter Submit, we actually ought to have talked about the person who was considered one of his riders on the mighty Raleigh formation however who went on to change into his countryman’s bitter rival on the head of his personal groups – Jan Raas. Raas had an excellent profession as knowledgeable, Submit signed him for Raleigh in 1975, he rode two seasons with the workforce then joined rival Dutch squad, Frisol the place his outcomes – together with a Milan-Sanremo victory – satisfied Submit to take him again and he shared in Raleigh’s ‘Golden Period’ from 1978 to 1983 when he took most of his greatest wins – The World Championships, Het Volk, Paris-Roubaix and two Excursions of Flanders.
World champion and Classics winner – Jan Raas
He joined the Kwantum Halen workforce for season 1984 however a nasty crash in Milan-Sanremo that yr was the start of the tip of his professional profession and he stop the next yr shifting straight into the workforce automotive. Raas was famed for his tactical brilliance so it was a pure development. He was with the workforce by means of the incarnations of Superconfex, Buckler, Wordperfect, Novell and at last Rabobank. ‘Insoluble variations’ ended his tenure with the Dutch financial institution in 2003. In 2021 within the Dutch language guide, ‘De Raboploeg’ Raas lastly broke his silence about his departure from the workforce and revealed; “the financial institution’s meddling and the scheming behind the scenes.”
Raas and Rabo
# Now I’ve sit again and watch for the flak on who I’ve nonetheless not included. . . #
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