Building on the nostalgic theme of last week’s Friday Flick, this week we switch from the Giro to Le Tour.
At a time when we are reading so much about drugs in cycling and sport more generally, I think this video is a great way to pause and reflect on the magnificence and simplicity of the Tour de France in the early 60s.
And yes I know they were probably taking amphetamines or who knows what else, but somehow it all seems so much more innocent and unsophisticated in this video.
No sports scientists, just blokes doing crazy things on heavy bikes and without the real professionalism in modern sport.
Enjoy (note it’s in 2 parts).
And for those that missed the discussion thread following last week’s Friday Flick, make sure you check out the excellent BBC documentary Bradley Wiggins, A Year in Yellow. So refereshing to hear honest candid views in sport.
Chris Sidwells
Guest
Yes, money was crucial to him, so much so that my mum told me years ago that he'd told her in 1966 that if he could win the Tour de France he'd get out of cycling. You can read between the lines and see that he didn't like the things he had to do. Heck of a bike rider though- heck of a person too.
Lee Rodgers
Expert
Your uncle? Wow, there must be an article in there somewhere! I've read a couple of books on him, he was quite the gent from what people say and very well-respected throughout France especially. The role money played in his decision-making was very interesting too, at a time when even the sports top guys didn't make much and had finite careers. Tragic, in the end, but one heck of a bike rider.
Chris Sidwells
Guest
Mixed feeling watching the 1962 Tour clip. The riders rolling around on the floor from the Wiels Groene Leeuw team were part of the 11 who stopped on one flattish stage due to illness. The official explanation was they had ate bad fish, but there was no fish on the menu in the hotels where the riders in question stayed, and one retiree was the 1960 Tour winner Gastone Nencini who was reported to be experimenting with blood transfusions that year. Was it bad blood that caused the retirements? On the other hand Tom Simpson became the first Brit to wear the yellow jersey in that Tour. What do they say about death or glory? (Tom was my uncle by the way.)
Kate Smart
Expert
Awesome! Thank you so much The Duffster for this little gem of nostalgia.
Lee Rodgers
Expert
Fantastic! I've never seen this one, great find!