greatest bicycle quotes

[alancw3]

i recently replied to another forum thread and got to thinking about the quote i inserted. "there is no vechicle so useful and no means of exercise so enjoyable, so healthful, so thoroughly within reach of all as the bicycle". columbia sales department circa 1901. that just about says it all for me with rescept to cycling. any comments or additional quotes.?

[Jeremy]

"I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it now" : Queen

[Jeremy]

Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.
H. G. Wells

[72gmc]

I slept like a baby the night before, because I knew that I'd win the next day.

Bernard Hinault

[stevep]

a great quote from the original hard man. andre tchmil.
when asked to comment on the upcoming 280 k world championship road race held in france in heavy rain and high wind.

" the parcours is perfect for me. the distance is to my advantage: if it was only 200 k it would be difficult for me. but after 220 k 25% of the bunch is out of the race. after 235k again 25% out. and after 25ok you have a maximum of 20 candidates left. then the race starts. in the last lap you have pain all over your body...the only negative point is that the finish is not on top of a climb..."

tchmil attacked 5 miles from the finish , got a gap on the remainder of the field...was caught with 500 meters to the line. he finished 17th.

[e-RICHIE]

a great quote from the original hard man about his protege...


"a great quote from the original hard man. andre tchmil.
when asked to comment on the upcoming 280 k world championship road race held in france in heavy rain and high wind.

'the parcours is perfect for me. the distance is to my advantage: if it was only 200 k it would be difficult for me. but after 220 k 25% of the bunch is out of the race. after 235k again 25% out. and after 25ok you have a maximum of 20 candidates left. then the race starts. in the last lap you have pain all over your body...the only negative point is that the finish is not on top of a climb...'

tchmil attacked 5 miles from the finish , got a gap on the remainder of the field...was caught with 500 meters to the line. he finished 17th."

[Kevin]

See my signature.

Kevin

[cycleman_21]

My Avitar,
Hey Dad, can we ride our bikes up to the coffee shop? :)
can we get a donut? :banana:

Ron C

[bfd]

"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" - Vito Corleone

Wait, you said greatest BICYCLE quote. How about:

"Ride lots." Eddy Merckx

[saab2000]

Robert Millar once said something like, "climbers don't hurt less, they just go uphill faster".

Also, I once heard a quote attributed to Andy Hampsten regarding the then new Look carbon frames. It went something like, "the only thing scarier than going downhill with one is going uphill without one". That was pretty cool.

And my friend Steve Macgregor from Appleton, when racing in the 1989 Wisconsin state championships against some pretty big dogs (Wisconsin has a history of having produced some good riders) told me to "shut up and race" when I was being nervous and chatty before the start. On the final lap he and 5 others made the final break with about 5 miles to go and I did not. I finished in the second group in about 9th position about 30 seconds back. It sucks to watch the leaders basically ride you off their wheel, going away when you are spun out in the 12.

Anyway, "Shut up and race" was pretty proper and one I remember nicely. All the crap about everything else matters little. He was riding a lugged Benotto (think Francesco Moser) with toe clips and exposed brake cables and none of this meant a thing. It was all about riding.

[cookieguy]

I don't know if it accurate attribution but Lemond is reported to answer the question on how to ride more quickly as "Pedal Faster"

[Elefantino]

See below.

[Ray]

What's the best way to get faster - spin faster or push a bigger gear? "Both", from a guy on a club ride I don't remember. I believe he rode away from us shortly after...

-Ray

[rodenmg]

Watch This!

[jerk]

"ragazzo, you were supposed to be fast".
-no way the jerk is attributing that to its source. let's just say he doesn't even know what the fock a burritto is.

jerk

[BumbleBeeDave]

"If you brake, you lose" . . . Cipollini

"It doesn't hurt less, you just go faster." (or something like that) . . .Greg Lemond on what it was like to be a top pro.

"I wish I knew how to quit you!" . . . Kevan to Sandy just after, well, uh, never mind . . .

BBD

[e-RICHIE]

"If you meet your hero, kill him." (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553278320/104-5592994-8983162?v=glance&n=283155)
Jazzy-issimo

[catulle]

atmo

[Brian Smith]

a great quote from the original hard man. andre tchmil.
when asked to comment on the upcoming 280 k world championship road race held in france in heavy rain and high wind.

" the parcours is perfect for me. the distance is to my advantage: if it was only 200 k it would be difficult for me. but after 220 k 25% of the bunch is out of the race. after 235k again 25% out. and after 25ok you have a maximum of 20 candidates left. then the race starts. in the last lap you have pain all over your body...the only negative point is that the finish is not on top of a climb..."

tchmil attacked 5 miles from the finish , got a gap on the remainder of the field...was caught with 500 meters to the line. he finished 17th.


Great quote and story. Thanks stevep! Tell us - was Tchmil afterward satisfied with the way the race unfolded?

[alancw3]

great quotes and stories! thanks all for sharing. they kind of get the blood stirring. i guess that's because we all have a passion for cycling.

[cycleman_21]

Think of bicycles as rideable art that can just about save the world - Grant Peterson


RC

[stevep]

Great quote and story. Thanks stevep! Tell us - was Tchmil afterward satisfied with the way the race unfolded?

he was not satisfied. he did not win. but he threw down the ammo that he had when it was most likely to bring him home free.


i love that...after 250k the race starts... and by then there are only 20 contenders...hahaha

[Headwinds]

When Eddy Merckx was asked about why he had gained so much weight after retiring from the sport:

"The problem with bike racers is that when they stop bike racing, they continue to eat like bike racers"

R.

[David Kirk]

Too many years ago I had the privledge of building bikes for some pretty fast guys. One was Ron Kiefel. I had him on the phone and was trying to get a feel for exactly how he wanted his new bike to feel and ride. He was very patient with me as I asked him so many questions. I really wanted him to love the bike I was about to build for him. Finally, after a long conversation with many questions he says to me - and this is paraphrased - " Look Dave, if it's 59 x 57 it will be fine. If I have good legs I'll be fast, if I don't, I won't".

That was a real eye opener for me.

Dave

[Sandy]

Too many years ago I had the privledge of building bikes for some pretty fast guys. One was Ron Kiefel. I had him on the phone and was trying to get a feel for exactly how he wanted his new bike to feel and ride. He was very patient with me as I asked him so many questions. I really wanted him to love the bike I was about to build for him. Finally, after a long conversation with many questions he says to me - and this is paraphrased - " Look Dave, if it's 59 x 57 it will be fine. If I have good legs I'll be fast, if I don't, I won't".

That was a real eye opener for me.

Dave

I had a similar convesation with Dave recently. I asked Dave to build me a beautiful, fast, and stable bike. He asked me a bunch of questions, and then I asked him one- "Will it be true that if I have good legs I'll be fast, if I don't I won't?" After laughing very loudly, he said " Serotta Sandy- if you have good legs you will be really slow. If you don't, you will be even slower". I decided to buy a box turtle. :)

That was a real eye closer for me.


Sandy