1958

"Bob Schwartz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In 1958 the Tour was still contested as national and regional
teams. What this meant to Charly Gaul was that as a Luxembourger
he entered the race with only two countrymen at his side, as
part of a combined Luxembourg/Holland team. In comparision the
French national team boasted 12 riders including the winners
of the previous 5 editions including the defending champion,
Jacques Anquetil. Of the challengers only the Italians, Belgians,
and Spanish fielded complete teams. The French supplemented their
national team with three full regional teams.

This did not look good for Gaul, but the abundance of mountains
gave hope to riders like him and the Eagle of Toledo, Federico
Bahamontes.

The first time trial took place at the end of the first week and
Gaul chose to attack Anquetil in his strongest event. He won it
by 7 seconds and though he still trailed Anquetil in the GC, he
had taken the first round.

Three hard stages in the Pyrenees followed. Geminiani emerged in
a battle with the Italian Vito Favero for the lead, and with an 8
minute gap to Anquetil. Gaul was a further 1:25 behind Anquetil.

The second time trial ascended Mont Ventoux and on a day like that
which would prove fatal to Tom Simpson years later Gaul claimed a
stage that climber Bahamontes badly wanted. Finishing 31 seconds
ahead of the Spaniard and over four minutes before Anquetil it
was still too early to consider him a favorite.

The following day featured attacks by Geminiani and Anquetil, and
Gaul lost 11 minutes on the day. He lost still more time on the
next day to Briancon, a stage won by Bahamontes. Gaul would need
something special to pull out this Tour.

And something special is exactly what happened on the 21st stage
from Briancon to Aix les Bains, a stage contested in appalling
conditions over five climbs in the Chartreuse. On one of those
epic days that lives forever in Tour history he arrived in Aix
in 'une pluie glaciale', almost 8 minutes before the second placed
rider, 14:25 ahead of Geminiani, and over 23 minutes ahead of
Anquetil.

Gaul, the Angel of the Mountains, took his third time trial and
the yellow jersey in Dijon, the day before the finish. He rode
into Paris in yellow with his countrymen Marcel Ernzer and Jempy
Schmitz.

We remember him on this day, as a great rider, one of the greatest
climbers ever, and later in his life as a great human being.

Some small points: in fact, Gaul entered the race not with two, but with
three Luxemburgers. Because although Aldo Bolzan had an Italian nationality,
he grew up in Luxemburg (he would be naturalized in 1960) and rode for
Gaul's Faema team. Besides, the eight Dutch riders had agreed to help Gaul
(and were paid for it). It's true that the discipline within the team was
not perfect, but that happened but very seldom in the Tour. Anyhow, the team
was much more discipline than the French (with an Anquetil and a Bobet
faction) or the Belgians, divided as always with three riders claiming to
have a right to be team-leader (Brankart, Planckaert, Adriaenssens).
Another point: after the Mont Ventoux-TT Gaul had become favorite number
one. All the headline agreed that Gaul had won the Tour. Of course, it made
what happened from that moment on even more excitngdramatic: After the TT
Gaul was considered unbeatable, but 24 hours later everybody was convinced
he had lost, which was confirmed by the stage to Briançon. But then of
course, the most dramatic come-back and one of the most spectacular
victories in the history of the Tour. Only Pantani's victory forty years
later on Les Deux-Alpes is coming close.

Benjo

benjo maso said:

Another point: after the Mont Ventoux-TT Gaul had become favorite number
one. All the headline agreed that Gaul had won the Tour.

Well, that may have been true. But if Jean-Paul Ollivier was fooled
you'd never know from his writing decades later.

Speaking of French infighting, what role did Geminiani play? He
spent most of the race as the leading French rider. Was he a
third front between Bobet and Anquetil, or was he still in the
Bobet camp?

Bob Schwartz

benjo maso said:

Another point: after the Mont Ventoux-TT Gaul had become favorite number
one. All the headline agreed that Gaul had won the Tour.

Well, that may have been true. But if Jean-Paul Ollivier was fooled
you'd never know from his writing decades later.

Speaking of French infighting, what role did Geminiani play? He
spent most of the race as the leading French rider. Was he a
third front between Bobet and Anquetil, or was he still in the
Bobet camp?

Bob Schwartz

"Bob Schwartz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

benjo maso said:

Another point: after the Mont Ventoux-TT Gaul had become favorite
number one. All the headline agreed that Gaul had won the Tour.

Well, that may have been true. But if Jean-Paul Ollivier was fooled
you'd never know from his writing decades later.

Speaking of French infighting, what role did Geminiani play? He
spent most of the race as the leading French rider. Was he a
third front between Bobet and Anquetil, or was he still in the
Bobet camp?

Anquetil was afraid that Bobet and Geminiani, who were very good friends,
would be in cahoots, se he demanded that Geminiani wouldn't be selected for
the French National Team. Bobet had accepted, and Geminiani considered it
as treason and swore revenge. He became leader of a very strong French
regional team (Centre-Midi) with Dotto, Anglade, Graczyk, Rolland, etc. and
rode - in his own opinion - at 33 the best Tour of his career. He was - and
still is - convinced that he would have won if Bobet (whom he had supported
so many times before) or some other members of the French National Team
should have helped him a little bit. That's why after the Briançon-Aix les
Bains stages, when he lost the yellow jersey, he cried: "They are Judasses,
all of them are Judasses!". A great Tour, one of the best.

Benjo

benjo maso said:

Anquetil was afraid that Bobet and Geminiani, who were very good friends,
would be in cahoots, se he demanded that Geminiani wouldn't be selected for
the French National Team. Bobet had accepted, and Geminiani considered it
as treason and swore revenge. He became leader of a very strong French
regional team (Centre-Midi) with Dotto, Anglade, Graczyk, Rolland, etc. and
rode - in his own opinion - at 33 the best Tour of his career. He was - and
still is - convinced that he would have won if Bobet (whom he had supported
so many times before) or some other members of the French National Team
should have helped him a little bit. That's why after the Briançon-Aix les
Bains stages, when he lost the yellow jersey, he cried: "They are Judasses,
all of them are Judasses!". A great Tour, one of the best.

I downloaded this a number of years ago from the now defunct
World Media web site:

A Jack-Ass Named Marcel

Raphaël Geminiani was a strong veteran rider on
the French National Team. Although he was capable
of winning the Tour, he had spent most of his
career supporting his leader Louison Bobet.
Unfortunately, when Jacques Anquetil joined the
squad, Geminiani's position was eliminated. At the
start of the 1958 race, "Gem" exacted revenge by
giving his ex-team director Marcel Bidot a gift: a
jack-ass named Marcel.

Bob Schwartz

"Bob Schwartz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

benjo maso said:

Anquetil was afraid that Bobet and Geminiani, who were very good friends,
would be in cahoots, se he demanded that Geminiani wouldn't be selected
for the French National Team. Bobet had accepted, and Geminiani
considered it as treason and swore revenge. He became leader of a very
strong French regional team (Centre-Midi) with Dotto, Anglade, Graczyk,
Rolland, etc. and rode - in his own opinion - at 33 the best Tour of his
career. He was - and still is - convinced that he would have won if Bobet
(whom he had supported so many times before) or some other members of the
French National Team should have helped him a little bit. That's why
after the Briançon-Aix les Bains stages, when he lost the yellow jersey,
he cried: "They are Judasses, all of them are Judasses!". A great Tour,
one of the best.

I downloaded this a number of years ago from the now defunct
World Media web site:

A Jack-Ass Named Marcel

Raphaël Geminiani was a strong veteran rider on
the French National Team. Although he was capable
of winning the Tour, he had spent most of his
career supporting his leader Louison Bobet.
Unfortunately, when Jacques Anquetil joined the
squad, Geminiani's position was eliminated. At the
start of the 1958 race, "Gem" exacted revenge by
giving his ex-team director Marcel Bidot a gift: a
jack-ass named Marcel.

Well, it was not exactly a gift, but Geminiani had his picture taken under
the Atomium in Brussels (1958 was the year of the world exhibition in
Brussels), standing next to a jack-ass, sitting on a jack-ass, pretending to
kick a jack-ass, etc,, etc, etc., which, indeed, he called Marcel. The
pictures where published everywherem there was even one on the front page of
the Equipe.

Benjo

Bob Schwartz said:

benjo maso said:

Anquetil was afraid that Bobet and Geminiani, who were very good
friends, would be in cahoots, se he demanded that Geminiani wouldn't
be selected for the French National Team. Bobet had accepted, and
Geminiani considered it as treason and swore revenge. He became
leader of a very strong French regional team (Centre-Midi) with Dotto,
Anglade, Graczyk, Rolland, etc. and rode - in his own opinion - at 33
the best Tour of his career. He was - and still is - convinced that he
would have won if Bobet (whom he had supported so many times before)
or some other members of the French National Team should have helped
him a little bit. That's why after the Briançon-Aix les Bains stages,
when he lost the yellow jersey, he cried: "They are Judasses, all of
them are Judasses!". A great Tour, one of the best.

I downloaded this a number of years ago from the now defunct
World Media web site:

A Jack-Ass Named Marcel

Raphaël Geminiani was a strong veteran rider on
the French National Team. Although he was capable
of winning the Tour, he had spent most of his
career supporting his leader Louison Bobet.
Unfortunately, when Jacques Anquetil joined the
squad, Geminiani's position was eliminated. At the
start of the 1958 race, "Gem" exacted revenge by
giving his ex-team director Marcel Bidot a gift: a
jack-ass named Marcel.

Bob Schwartz

Now THAT'S panache!!

Steve

--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001

Mark & Steven Bornfeld said:

Now THAT'S panache!!

Panache was legal in 1958, they all had it.

Bob Schwartz