RIP Ferdi Kubler

[bthornt]

Was the oldest living TdF champion

[donevwil]

An icon in Swiss cycling. Ruhe in Frieden Ferdi.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/96/9c/6e/969c6e8666f3d0837d7d7c6a0d91469c.jpg

[redir]

What a long life well lived. 400 wins including TDF and a host of big classics. RIP.

[Jgrooms]

Dude had some freaky looking quads there!


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[soulspinner]

love that pic

[KJMUNC]

Sad to see....great champion and one of the last living links to the 50's golden age of cycling.

[FlashUNC]

Title now passes to Roger Walkowiak, he of the "didn't deserve to win the Tour" infamy.

Someone do a welfare check on him and Federico Bahamontes.

[bikingshearer]

From Owen Mullholland's (RIP) text in "Cycling's Golden Age: The Horton Collection;"

"At times no one knew whether he would attack. At other times everyone knew because Kubler [yes, there should be an umaut over the "u"] would announce his intentions loudly, referring to himself in the third person. 'Ferdi is going to attack! Are you ready?'

"Kubler's last great exploit of this sort backfired. As the 1955 Tour de France approached the infamous Mt. Ventoux, the 'Giant of Provence,' Ferdi made one of his famous "Ferdi is going to attack" pronouncements. Raphael Geminiani tried to caution him, 'Ferdi, take it easy; the Ventoux is not like other mountains.' Undismayed, Ferdi retorted, 'Ferdi is not like other riders!'

"With 10 kilometers to the summit, Kubler launched himself as though the finish line was a mere 100 meters up the road. Out of the saddle with his splendid beak of a nose practically on the front tire, Kubler lashed himself on. He foamed at the mouth, sweating rivulets, and swore out loud; in a kilometer he was on the verge of collapse. He zigzagged and then fell hard. He got up and walked, then rode and fell again. Once over the top, he crashed several times on the descent. The next morning he retired from the race. He rejoined the ranks of humanity when he confessed, 'Ferdi killed himself on the Ventoux.'

"He never rode the Tour de France again. Indeed, he retired from the sport the next year and opened a flower shop in Zurich."

Quite a character. Quite a rider.

[stephenmarklay]

Dude had some freaky looking quads there!


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No joke. Next to zero body fat.

[BdaGhisallo]

No joke. Next to zero body fat.


With the amount of saddle time that generation of riders put in, I don't think it would have been possible to eat enough to maintain a reasonable 5-6% body fat amount. There were no short interval sessions for those guys. Pretty much every training session was long, and the races were a good bit longer than you see today. Even in the TdF in the 1980s, you'd see seven plus hour mountain stages. You don't seem them much anymore.

[stephenmarklay]

With the amount of saddle time that generation of riders put in, I don't think it would have been possible to eat enough to maintain a reasonable 5-6% body fat amount. There were no short interval sessions for those guys. Pretty much every training session was long, and the races were a good bit longer than you see today. Even in the TdF in the 1980s, you'd see seven plus hour mountain stages. You don't seem them much anymore.

You have to wonder how these guys would fair in today’s racing with modern equipment.

Some of that muscle mass has got to be due to pushing bigger gears.

[BdaGhisallo]

You have to wonder how these guys would fair in today’s racing with modern equipment.

Some of that muscle mass has got to be due to pushing bigger gears.

Indeed. Watching old footage of that generation grinding over mountains in a small gear of 42x21 reminds you of the benefits of cycling in the 21st century and not in the last.

[Cicli]

You have to wonder how these guys would fair in today’s racing with modern equipment.

Some of that muscle mass has got to be due to pushing bigger gears.

May not win in a bike race aginst a modern pro but would likely kick their ass in a bar fight. These guys were badass and tough as hell.

Sad to see him pass.

[redir]

From Owen Mullholland's (RIP) text in "Cycling's Golden Age: The Horton Collection;"

"At times no one knew whether he would attack. At other times everyone knew because Kubler [yes, there should be an umaut over the "u"] would announce his intentions loudly, referring to himself in the third person. 'Ferdi is going to attack! Are you ready?'

"Kubler's last great exploit of this sort backfired. As the 1955 Tour de France approached the infamous Mt. Ventoux, the 'Giant of Provence,' Ferdi made one of his famous "Ferdi is going to attack" pronouncements. Raphael Geminiani tried to caution him, 'Ferdi, take it easy; the Ventoux is not like other mountains.' Undismayed, Ferdi retorted, 'Ferdi is not like other riders!'

"With 10 kilometers to the summit, Kubler launched himself as though the finish line was a mere 100 meters up the road. Out of the saddle with his splendid beak of a nose practically on the front tire, Kubler lashed himself on. He foamed at the mouth, sweating rivulets, and swore out loud; in a kilometer he was on the verge of collapse. He zigzagged and then fell hard. He got up and walked, then rode and fell again. Once over the top, he crashed several times on the descent. The next morning he retired from the race. He rejoined the ranks of humanity when he confessed, 'Ferdi killed himself on the Ventoux.'

"He never rode the Tour de France again. Indeed, he retired from the sport the next year and opened a flower shop in Zurich."

Quite a character. Quite a rider.

What a story!