What's the worst race loss ever?

[Bob Schwartz]

Jeff Jones <[email protected]> wrote:
> That gives Bauer three votes already! Go Steve.

With respect to the P-R loss, I'm sure it hurts to know he lost such a great race by such a small
margin to one of the early adopters of EPO (not yet illegal).

Steve had class.

Bob Schwartz [email protected]

 

[Heather Halvors]

John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
>
>
> And then there was that road stage of Redlands a few years ago that Nicole Freedman won, after
> Teutenberg of Saturn threw up her hands early, and then crashed with her teammate Bessette while
> trying to get her hands back down.

not a happy day for saturn- http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2001/mar01/redlands/bessette2.shtml

 

[Ronde Champ]

Dude, it should enlighten you. You're the jackass that didn't remeber Wegmulller's name.

Thanks, Ronde Champ

"JTN" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> http://grahamwatson.safeshopper.com/5/13.htm?139
>
> this should enlighten you....

 

[Brian Roth]

"Bruce Johnston" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> While we are at it, I would interested to see a small list of the best races on video. Nobody want
> to spend money on yawners, but if you have a list of the best races on videos, post it if you can.
> Just the creme would be nice. I have mostly TDF, worlds and a few others like Sunday in Hell,
> Beyond the Wall, Hard Road to Glory.
>
>

One of my favorites is the 1995 Tour of Fanders. Cipo is in it with 25 k to go, in support of young
Bartoli, or is it vice versa? Museeuw gives Tchmil the slip with Baldato, and eventully goes on to
win. Phil says that he (Museeuw) asked for a copy of the WCP 1994 race to watch the night before. It
was the first time we had been able to watch it in the year since.

 

[Brian Roth]

[email protected] (Jeff Jones) wrote in message
> >
> That was a very good race, if I remember rightly. I also wonder if that was the one where Johan
> Capiot was in just about every break all day(?) Maybe it was a year or two before that...
>
I think it was. Poor Capiot would just claw his way back, just in time to be confronted by
another berg.

 

[Marlene Blansha]

In article <[email protected]>, Garry Jones <[email protected]> wrote:

One recent one was the World Track champs in September, Arnaud Tournant lost the gold medal in Time
Trial by 1/1000 of a second! That must have hurt. He looked so disappointed! However, he later got
to shave off Sean Eadie's beard. Eadie said if he won the men's sprint, he'd let Tournant shave off
his beard.

 

[Jim Feeley]

Two others worth nominating, if not winning. Let's see if I remember them correctly:

1987 Paris-Roubaix

Thomas Wegmuller is part of a 100-mile breakaway. At the end it's just him and Dirk De Mol.
Wegmuller looks to be favored for a sprint. He's made it through all the pave and everything else.
Under two kilometers to go, Wegmuller gets a plastic bag stuck in his cluster. He can't sprint. De
Mol easily takes the win.

1990 Worlds in Japan Dag-Otto Lauritzen crashes twice, but still gets off the front on the last lap
(or so). He's on fire. He and Dirk de Wolf are pretty far ahead of a few scattered riders, with the
closest being de Wolf's teammate Rudy Dhaenens. On a climb, De Wolf turns to wave to Dhaenens urging
him to bridge up. De Wolf swerves as he does this, and crashes himself and Lauritzen.

The crash breaks Lauritzen's bike and he can't continue. He takes a swing at de Wolf for what
appears to be a bone-head move. Lauritzen misses, but he can't continue. Dhaenens catches up to de
Wolf and they continue without Lauritzen. De Wolf doesn't appear to contest the sprint, perhaps
figuring he's about to get DQ'd for crashing Lauritzen. Or perhaps it's guilt. Or maybe he's just
too tired.

Lots of other great nominations, but I sure remember those two...but did I remember them correctly?

Jim

 

[Carl Sundquist]

"brian roth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> Don't cry for Lance in the Amstal. The riders who really got hosed were Zberg and Missaglia,
> knocked down by a TV motorbike, both of whom would have outsprinted Lance and Boogerd.

Didn't one of those two go on to become CEO of USACycling?

 

[Stewart Fleming]

Bob Schwartz wrote:

> In the 'obviously unhappy to take second' category you would have to include Indurain on the
> podium after that race. He had won the Giro and the Tour and had smoked a lot of guys would not
> have expected him to smoke at the end of a single day event (Musseuw, Ludwig, Fondriest,
> Tchmil, Van der Poel...) and would have claimed a spot in history if not for the unknown rider
> that had slipped

Of course, that unknown rider has gone on to win a few other minor races. I have a photograph here
of Indurain making the break in the last lap in Oslo. See how many of the riders you can identify:
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/stewar13/oslo-lastlap.jpg

(Not the best photo I know, it was kinda difficult conditions )

Notice who is NOT in that break. STF

 

[Ken Papai]

"brian roth" <brian_j_roth@@posting.google.com...

> > Both of Steve Bauer's losses were excruciatingly close. The sheer closeness of the Paris Roubaix
> > race is the winner in my books, but his Olympic loss to Alexi Grewal makes me wince to this day.
> >
> > I don't think anybody's mentioned Lance's loss to Boogerd in the 1999 Amstel Gold. Armstrong led
> > the wheel-sucking Boogerd for over 20K and was outsprinted at the line. Another painfully close
> > loss. On the podium, Armstrong looks like he could **** bullets.
> >
> > Thanks, Ronde Chimp
>
> Don't cry for Lance in the Amstal. The riders who really got hosed were Zberg and Missaglia,
> knocked down by a TV motorbike, both of whom would have outsprinted Lance and Boogerd.

They should have been paying attention a little better. Lance saw the danger and avoided it.

The TV motorbike was clearly wrong but why does Lance see all this stuff so well as compared to
nearly all others?

-Ken

 

[Ken Papai]

"Ewoud Dronkert" <[email protected]...
> Robert Chung wrote:
> > There's a photo in the new "Cent ans du Tour de France" that was taken of the podium, Lemond on
> > the top step with a huge grin on his face, his eyes sparkling, his energy leaping off the page.
> > Fignon's got the unfocused dead-fish thousand-yard stare, replaying the last 24 km over and over
> > (and over) in his mind, eating his liver from the inside out. Ouch. That couldn't taste good.
>
> Here ya go: http://www.xs4all.nl/~ewoud/cycling/fl89.jpg

Funny! But....

Any photo, like that one, is just a split second in time.

I've seen photos from '89 where LeMond looked composed on the podium and Laurent is smiling.

 

[Stewart Fleming]

"Curtis L. Russell" wrote:

> Agree, and for the record, had sent my original comment before reading this. The guy had a lot of
> good to great rides in support of team efforts, but this was his chance to shine.

Dag-Otto got Lance up to the break in Oslo in 1993, then attacked himself. *cough* trade teams
*cough* Norwegian crowd was going crazy. STF

 

[Marlene Blansha]

In article <[email protected]>, "Carl Sundquist" <[email protected]> wrote:

> "Bruce Johnston" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > I have seen a fair number of races over the years but one that really
> comes
> > to mind is when Djamolidine Abdoujaparov crashed into a photographer
> during
> > the final sprint for the line on the last day of the TDF in Paris. He got
> a
> > concussion and laid on the course for quite a while. He was knocked cold
> and
> > the sight of that crash on video is truely horrific. It was a high speed train wreck!
> >
>
> Didn't he crash into a giant plastic Coke bottle?

Wasn't that Laurent Jalabert, in 1994?

It's true, sprinting is not for the nervous!

 

[Bruce Johnston]

"Carl Sundquist" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Bruce Johnston" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > I have seen a fair number of races over the years but one that really
> comes
> > to mind is when Djamolidine Abdoujaparov crashed into a photographer
> during
> > the final sprint for the line on the last day of the TDF in Paris. He
got
> a
> > concussion and laid on the course for quite a while. He was knocked cold
> and
> > the sight of that crash on video is truely horrific. It was a high speed train wreck!
> >
>
> Didn't he crash into a giant plastic Coke bottle?
>
-------------------------------------------
Without looking at the video again, I thought it was a guy leaning too far over the barriers taking
a picture. But maybe the barrier itself comes to mind, I am not sure but the actual crash where his
body and in particular [his head] crashed into the payment with a leather helmet on is very clear in
my mind. That was a wicked crash! As for the coke bottle, I would tend to think that would soften
the crash if that were the case. I would have to get out the old video to find out for sure. It's
timely that I was just looking for that very video the other day and couldn't find it!

B-

 

[Bob Schwartz]

benjo maso <[email protected]> wrote:

> "Bob Schwartz" <[email protected]> schreef in bericht news:[email protected]...
>> "King" Rene Vietto, who had proven such a selfless teammate in the 1934 Tour that he sacrificed
>> his own excellent chances to win in order to preserve those of his team leader, was clearly at
>> the end of his career. He had

> Heartbreaking? Up to a point, but at the other hand the fact that Vietto lost the Tour was sheer
> justice. In the first place it's a pure myth that Vietto sacrified his own excellent chances in
> 1934. The fact is that he had no chance to win. His `selfnishness' in the Pyrenees cost him only
> eight or nine minutes; in Paris he was 50 minutes behind Antonin Magne.

Benjo, if that's true then you are long overdue to start publishing your books in English. This
is typical of what I have on the 1934 Tour. I stole it from the Worldmedia web page a number of
years ago:

Rene Vietto Loses the Tour but Wins Hearts

In the 1934 Tour, France's Rene Vietto won the King of the Mountains title. He could
have taken the Tour, but he was forced to relinquish his advance to help team leader
Antonin Magne. Magne had a number of mechanical problems during the race. Three times,
Vietto gave Magne either his wheel or his entire bicycle. Abandoned by the side of the
road, Vietto broke down into tears. At the finish line in Paris, he was more than one
hour behind Magne. Although he lost the race, his team spirit captured the hearts of his
countrymen.

That is similar to the stories I have from other sources including Ollivier's "Giants of Cycling".

Quality English language works on the history of cycling are in short supply, no doubt about that.

Bob Schwartz [email protected]

 

[Tom Kunich]

I can't believe my eyes. Jeff Jones got it wrong? Impossible!!!

Bauer moved over on Claude who was all over the bike in his sprint. As he came up on Bauer's left
side he either tapped Steve or hit a bump or something and fell into Bauer. Steve felt Criquelion
hit him in th eback and pushed him off with his elbow. It happened so quick that even Bauer thought
that he had elbowed Claude out of the blue and so Steve slowed up and lost a definite win to
Fondriest.

The whole thing dragged on forever as Criquelion showed himself to be an absolutely terrible loser.
It just so happened that someone was taking movie film at the time and caught it all on film. It was
a little hard to make out but Claude definitely fell into Steve before Steve elbowed him off.

Steve didn't fall and lost the biggest race of his life because he thought that he'd caused
Claude to fall.

"Jeff Jones" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> heather halvorson <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > Tony wrote:
> > >
> > > 1994 Ronde van Vlaanderen No one has won the Tour of Flanders four times. Johan Museeuw would
> > > have become the first in 1998, but for a tire width four years earlier. Coming back from
> > > multiple crashes and flats, Museeuw scrabbles his way back to the front of the race to the
> > > screaming encouragement of his countrymen, but Italian Gianni Bugno is just too far ahead. Or
> > > is he? Museeuw puts his head down and motors to the line while Bugno is starting his victory
> > > celebration. Johan throws his bike at the line as Bugno, with arms up, looks over in shock. It
> > > was as close as it could get but it was not to be for the Leeuw van Vlaanderen that day. Bugno
> > > wins by an inch. Bet he always looked behind him after that one!
> > >
> >
> > you sold me on that one- i just ordered the video, even with the overpriced shipping charge.
> >
> That was a very good race, if I remember rightly. I also wonder if that was the one where Johan
> Capiot was in just about every break all day(?) Maybe it was a year or two before that...
>
> Back to the subject at hand, I vote for Bauer in the 1988 World's in Ronse. OK so maybe he
> wouldn't have won against Criquielion, but crashing in the sprint and taking out Criq didn't help
> his chances. Fondriest won, and couldn't believe his luck.
>
> That gives Bauer three votes already! Go Steve.
>
> cheers, Jeff

 

[Boyd Speerschne]

If you read the rest of the thread above it was something to the effect of "Congratulations on your
fine second place finish."

Ouch... talk about eating your words.

- Boyd S.

"BBC3" <[email protected]> wrote in news:wEFT9.635117$WL3.196891 @rwcrnsc54:

> "Robert Chung" wrote:
>> On the other hand, 8 seconds over the course of three weeks and 3300 km
> must
>> sting, especially after trash-talking the previous day.
>
> What did Fignon say the day before he lost? Anyone have a quote?
>
> --
> Bill

 

[Ewoud Dronkert]

Boyd Speerschneider wrote:
> I can fully understand why Armstrong would be ****** about this. But, shouldn't he be just as mad
> at himself for not making Boogerd pull through at least once? [...] As its been explained to me
> when I asked: "Hey... that's bike racing."

That's just what Armstrong said to the Dutch press when asked if there would now be some animosity
between him and Boogerd. I think he felt he didn't have a chance if others would come back, and a
slight chance with only Boogerd in his wheel. Hey you never know with two strijkijzers sprinting.

 

[Carl Sundquist]

"Boyd Speerschneider" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Whatever punishment the road enacted on that guy, it wasn't enough. He deserved whatever he got,
> and then some. He was truely the most dangerous sprinter I've ever witnessed. Sprinting with his
> head down and knocking riders off of other's wheels
like
> it was going out of style... often crossing the entire road to do so. How he wasn't relegated all
> the time is beyond me. He would make Robbie McEwen look a tame, classy sprinter.
>

He used to "swim" through the field at the finish as an amateur, too.

 

[Brian Roth]

Boyd Speerschneider <[email protected]> wrote in message

> I can fully understand why Armstrong would be ****** about this. But, shouldn't he be just as mad
> at himself for not making Boogerd pull through at least once? Or was the peleton bearing down and
> them and he had no choice but to *GO*? If that's not the case then someone with Lance's experience
> has no excuse in making such an amateur mistake. Sure its un-gentlemanly to sprint someone who has
> towed you for the past
> 20k. But, if he (Lance in this case) are dumb enough to do so without making you help, he
> deserves what he gets (2nd). I'd bet he wouldn't be so foolish again. As its been explained
> to me when I asked: "Hey... that's bike racing."
>
> Just my $0.02.
>
> - Boyd S.

Armstrong was put in a no-win situation. If he sat up to try to force Boogerd thru, that would allow
Zberg (Rabobank) to catch back on, witch Boogerd wanted in the first place. Nothing he can do but
tow Boogerd to the finish...