The Rider by Tim Krabbé

Author:Tim Krabbé
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Published: 2009-06-02T10:00:00+00:00

LITTLE ABC OF ROAD RACING

ANQUETIL, JACQUES With him I once trained in the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. That was many years ago now. Anquetil was waiting in the dressing room: you weren't allowed to start training until ten o'clock, and it wasn't ten yet. I said: 'Imagine that you went out onto the track too early. Then tomorrow's paper would say: "Anquetil Ten Seconds Too Early".' My belly shook with laughter at this, and Anquetil also found it highly amusing.

Then it was time. We swept through the curves like madmen. They'd hung a big second hand on the scoreboard, to make it easier to time your laps. After a while I realized that my bicycle had turned into a huge tablespoon. It was uncomfortable to ride, and hard to steer in the curves. But you should have seen it go! I was doing five-second laps.

COPPI, FAUSTO On his wheel I once climbed Mont Ventoux. He sat up the whole way, his long back straight as a ramrod. I had a book with me, and I held it against his back. It fit perfectly. That way I could profit most from Coppi's slipstream. So this was what they meant by 'sitting on a wheel'.

DONNER, HEIN A chess player, originally. Yet also a competent cyclist. Once I was in the same race with him. He rode lead, powerfully, his hands up on the bars. Quiet strokes of the pedal, calm authority. Escaping was out of the question. Donner felt a bit ridiculous in his racing outfit, but he realized there was no way around it. He had resigned himself to it.

KLEBER, STANISLAS French bicycle racer. We once went in search of a treasure on the mountain where he always trained. Two men asked us for directions. I was about to tell them, but Kleber stopped me just in time. But on the mountain itself we ran into the same men, and a terrible fight ensued. We won. Then Kleber found the treasure. It was a tiny, grubby little chest, with some dirt and a few earrings in it. I was very disappointed, but Kleber said: 'It was only a minor treasure anyway.' Then I understood that it was wrong of me to have expected more.

After that we went to the hospital to have ourselves bandaged.

KRABBE, TIM Incredible tour deforce during the 1973 Milan San Remo. This previously unknown rider actually broke the World Hour Record before the start, and then went on to wrest a promising position in the race itself. On the final climb he made a solo attack to lead. During the descent his bicycle turned into a huge pillow, which nonetheless made it possible for him to sail through the curves with even greater ease. Nothing seemed to stand between him and a glorious victory! But alas! shortly before the finish he shot out of a curve, flew straight through two doors and landed in a huge beach-side restaurant, having received quite a blow to the head. Yet not all was lost, for it turned out that one of the restaurant corridors led to the finish as well.

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