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Baller.
Only one way to ride: At the front & full tilt. Handing out beat-downs like party favors. Welcome to my world. My world is pain. Let’s see how long you punks can stay on my wheel. And, yes, he won this race, the 1993 Paris-Tours.
Source: www.grahamwatson.com.
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Jonny – isn’t that your boy Fondriest 3rd wheel??
I believe the other two men in that photo are Lars Michaelsen and Maurizio Fondriest. But, I think Michaelsen went pro in 1994, not 1993. This photo could be from the 1994 edition of the race, which would explain the presence of Michaelsen. I’m not sure, really, but I defer to Mr. Watson’s judgment in such matters (it is, after all, his image). Also, assuming this was 1993, Fondriest wrested that UCI World Cup jersey from Museeuw at some point in the season.
He was also the biggest doper in the peloton. Make up your mind law book, you have a Team Ride Clean on one day, Museeuw on the next?
+1 what Bill said. f’ing amazing to watch, juiced to the gills.
I don’t see a logical disconnect between celebrating the greats of cycling and wanting to see a better sport moving forward.
Museeuw and Michaelsen look like they’re deep in the pain cave…and Fondriest is practically smiling for the camera. Great shot!
…i agree with gianni…wanna & love to see it cleaned up but, goddamn, baller guys like museeuw always made it exciting ‘cuz of the heart they rode with…
…i think fondriest is like horner…his grimace just looks like a smile…
Here’s your logical disconnect BJ: hypocrisy. You posted the best thing on doping I ever read a year or so ago (by Snake?) about who really gets hurt by the doping; the Tim Johnsons who, because of their values, know that they will never experience the view from a world class podium, yet continue to race the minors leagues. Talk about heart, talk about champions. You should repost that essay regularly. Quit idolizing the convicted dopers; quit turning the dead ones into martyrs. Fucking VDB, fucking Pantani, are you kidding me? The only thing Museeuw did with heart is jab a needle in his arm so he could steal a shitton of money and glory from those who honored the sport, and ultimately turned it into the goatfuck it is today. For every Tyler Farrar, there’s four Lance Armstrongs and Ricardo Riccos, and you with your sports fan “baller blogs”, you’re only adding your turd to the shitpile.
Museeuw came back from a horrific injury where he almost lost a leg to win paris-roubaix. He did more than dope with heart.
…it would take a strong, lengthy & perhaps absurd dissertation to deny your charge of ‘hypocrisy’ in one sense, senor trossen & i shan’t ‘defend’ dopers but then again to appreciate the past history of cycling is maybe like throwing the baby out with the bathwater…
…times & methods were different…while i personally appreciate the young men & women who are now striving to make cycling a better sport through their healthy efforts, your argument, respectfully, at least to me, is like saying that now that we have the toyota prius, i’m a hypocrite for still appreciating big block can/am racing cars or pontiac gto’s from the ’70’s…
…while i see the need for change, i can understand the ‘technology’ of both that time & the present…
…besides, an argument i’ll stick by is this – ” you cannot turn a plow horse into a thoroughbred with drugs”…no way…no matter what guys like museeuw ‘stuck in their arms’, they still would never have achieved the winning results they did without an innate ability & a lotta heart…
…just my take…
…apologies…
…the above line should read “…but then again to NOT appreciate the past history of cycling is maybe like throwing the baby out with the bathwater”…
hairnets….i miss hairnets.
Liable to miss more than that if you ever crash in one.
i have….it hurt but that’s what i wore at the time..
I’ll add my turd to the shitpile…you don’t like the “baller blog”..don’t come here to read.
Huh? (scratches foam-encased coconut)
…hairnets ???…you guys used to work in the fast food industry ???…
@17: *snerk*
…interesting dichotomy for a guy who back in the early ’70’s used to get his bicycle racing coverage from ‘international cycle sport’ literally months after the races were over whereas today on this rainy sunday, my conflict is deciding whether to watch the finale of ‘paris – nice’ on versus or today’s stage of ‘tirreno – adriatico’ on universal sports tv…
…not too shabby…
…voeckler takes another stage win, on a cold wet day, leaving him blue lipped & trembling with chill but nonetheless happy…htc’s tony martin takes the overall win in france…
…phillipe gilbert pips the break leaders at the line for the stage & cadel evans now leads basso & cunego after a damp day in italy…
…not too shabby at all…
Oh this debate on dope…the riders are blamed for living in the glass house the UCI built. Ya know why some are nabbed and some are not? Politics. Cross the wrong guy and you are put to the stake, ousted as a cheat and take the heat. All the while the UCI plays stupid. You now why a guy can win 7 times while everybody else on the podium gets nailed? Because he has the keys to the glass house. Know why everyone who has left Mr.7’s team has been nailed? Because they went out on their own and wanted to beat him or help beat him with another team.
I have followed the men fast as motorcycles in many US NRC races ON MY BIKE. Have you?
I can call some close friends. I know guys who have been nailed. I don’t hold it against them.
While I don’t admire the doping, I do admire the shit they take for trying to make a living doing what they love. I do admire the commitment they make to our sport.
Museeuw…a tip of my hat to you.
Whiny , bitch-ass know-it-all armchair athlete numb-nuts who rides the local group ride and, awww, isn’t fast enough to keep up…piss off, wank.
You have no idea.
Open your eyes!
Great post.
onektogo….perfect retort.
@ #20 “While I don’t admire the doping, I do admire the shit they take for trying to make a living doing what they love. I do admire the commitment they make to our sport” – Amen Bruddah.. Amen.
I reckon it wouldnt matter how much heart one puts into stabbing oneself with a needle if one didnt have their heart into their bike.. and I reckon it wouldnt matter how much heart one put into their bike if they didnt come into this world with a little something special.
Hows-a-bouts we all drink our beer, ride our bikes, and enjoy our sport, whether that means watching, racing, or just fuckin riding.
Oh yea, March Madness starts on St. Patricks day.. Cheers.
Okay, your point is taken and of course valid, the doped champions had/have plenty of talent and heart, but hopefully, when (if?) the smoke clears, they’ll all have asterisks all over their palmares. The meaning of that little mark, to use bikesgonewild’s analogy, is that all the thoroughbreds of the age were not present at these competitions, some chose to honor their bodies and the palmares of the great champions before them and raced their hearts out in the minor leagues. They was robbed, end of story hypocrites!