A blast from the past – Team kits from yesteryear!

Winter "Transformers" fashion of 1929 (Nationaal Archief)

As we do our annual review of the pro-team kits for 2012 I can’t help but wonder what the bike nostalgics of future generations will think when looking back to today’s pro cyclist. Corporate billboards, cheap spandex, annual turnover and totally disposable. Call me nostalgic if you want, but… weren’t those classic sports-suits great? Ah, the good old days. You know, those golden times when “sports wear” hadn’t yet become synonymous with a one-piece, silver skinsuit! These “2 in 1″ designs are so simple, they are almost naive. And yet, there’s so much charm and elegance to them. That lady looks ready to jump onto her bike, win the cross town race and then go for a tea and some stroopwafels. Really, imagine how crazy-strong she must be if she’s going to hand you your ass while wearing a pair of convertible breeches!

I came across this picture in the Flickr account for the Nationaal Archief in The Hague. They have an impressive photographic collection of more than 2 million photographies, 500,000 of which have already been digitalized and are available at low resolutions if you contact them through their site.

Apart from glimpses into the fashionistas’ choices of  foregone eras, you can find this small collection of old photos from the Tour de France as part of their Flickr photostream. Some of my favorite shots include this one of the finish line for the very first edition of the Tour, in 1903:

The finish line of the first Tour (Nationaal Archief)

This classic shot of a fellow countryman, Ezquerra (is he really wearing aviator googles?!!?):

Ezquerra in the mountains (National Archief)

And this devastating image of Giusto Cerruti – riders were definitely more stylish back then, but they also had it harder!

No help for Giusto Cerutti (National Archief)

2011 Vuelta a España – Return to the Basque Country

For the first time in 33 years the Vuelta a España will visit the Basque country after an extended absence from the northern region of Spain. Organizers of the Vuelta are planning to announce the route in full in mid-January, but have confirmed that the 2011 route will have finishes in both Bilbao and Vittoria. 1978 was the last year the race entered the highly contested Euskadi, known for having passionate orange-clad cycling fans, but also a long and sometimes bloody conflict born from a strong Basque separatist movement.

In 1978, the world was in a state of turmoil as the effects of the cold war flared around the globe. Somalia and Ethiopia were engaged in the Ogaden War. Vietnam, and the Khmer Rouge were at war with Cambodia. In Spain, King Juan Carlos I had been appointed to the throne on Franco’s orders following the death of the dictator in 1975. Violence and confusion were issues around the globe in the late 70′s and it was no different in Spain. Juan Carlos I abandoned the Franco regime he was ordered to maintain and began a transition to democracy from dictatorship marking a period when political turbulence consumed Spain for years.

1965 Tour de St. Laurent historical footage

1965 Tour de St Laurent, posted with vodpod

Big shout out to Savage for telling me about this. It’s great. It’s footage from the 1965 Tour de St Laurent. It was a 2400km, 13 stage race in Eastern Canada, with riders from 13 countries in attendance. Enjoy.

Giro D’Italia rest day, what to do?

The Schlecks may not be racing in the Giro D’Italia this year, but they are doing a very good job of resting, and mixing in a little training for the Tour de France. Want a sneak peak at their lives in May? Here you go:

The Flying Scotsman

We watched this last night and it was quite good. I have to admit there were a few critical moments in the movie where ‘Graeme Obree’ was hammering away, in pursuit of the hour record, and I caught myself unconsciously tensing and relaxing my legs in that familiar pedaling cadence, helping a brother out.

The film is a biopic, mostly focusing on the events leading up to and following Obree’s attempt at the hour record in Hamar, Norway riding the now infamous “old faithful” in that iconic preying mantis body position. The movie also touches on his difficulties dealing with balancing his ambitions with reality, making a living as an amateur/courier/bike-store-owner and his battles with bipolar disorder.

If you haven’t already done so, I would recommend seeing it. No matter what angle you look at it from, the idea of a amateur cyclist building his own bike out of washing machine bits and cut-up frames and then beating Francesco Moser’s hour record is an amazing story. The rest is pretty good too.