Thanks Aldo, what a great photo, and clicking on the image for an expand ed version resulted in more-or-less a psychedelic experience. Quite a lo st world in there! The row of spectators, individuals in all their human ity, sitting and standing on the apparently battle-scarred wall...the "w elcome" painted in multiple languages on the masonry arch...and the comp onents of the bikes, yes, which become so near yet remain so far. The ex pressions on the faces of the competitors. One guy out of six has bar-end shifters, but nary a one has high- or lar ge-flange hubs. I notice that Ockers has a plastic water bottle mounted at the bars, but also has an empty cage on the downtube--and the gentleman behind him ha s only a downtube cage, empty. Maybe consuming a lot of water, and tossi ng the bottle away when empty? To be handed another later? I realize I h ave no idea how you'd take on water under the conditions. Anquetil has a n alloy bottle, and it seems like one would be less inclined to lose one of those. Ted Ernst, others, I know this is minutiae, but how did it wo rk to replenish your water supply in 50s competition? Were empties flyin g around? Just wondering why a couple of these guys have empty bottle ca ges. In blown-up form while gazing at the photo you may feel you can reach ou t an untie Anquetils shoelaces--and yet, as in so many old competition p hotos, so many details remain maddeningly just out of reach. I can never read the downtube transfers, let alone headbadges--and you can't really rely on shape to tell you anything. Can anyone see what bareheaded Brun o Monti is riding? I badly want it to be Frejus, but some others have, I believe a similarly shaped headbadge, and I don't see the usual Frejus panel on the downtube. Maybe someone has additional data from another so urce. It's just curiosity at work. Aldo's "pic of the day" always helps to keep us focused "on topic". I'm relieved when it comes up--and often learn a lot from others' insights i nto what can be seen. Tom Ward New York, NY -- USA
Pervious post:
>Pic of the Day
2 December 2007
1955 Worlds
>Not the best quality, but I'll leave this image large to show the
details.
>Scene from the 1955 World Professional Road Championships in
Rome-Frascati, Italy. Leading is Jacques Anquetil(France) - partially
obscuring Fausto Coppi (Italy), Stan Ockers (Belgium, in Elvé shorts),
Andrès Trobat Garcia (Spain - beside Ockers), and Bruno Monti (Italy -
beneath "Roma" sign).
Three major derailleur manufacturers are represented here - Huret,
Campagnolo (Coppi's Gran Sport), and Simplex (Ockers' Juy 543). Note
the quick release levers installed drive-side on Coppi's and Ockers'
rear wheels (even at this late date), Anquetil's centerpull brakes, and
Ockers' fully-taped brake levers. Note also the way "La Perle" is
written on Anquetil's toptube.
Ockers' would go on to win the rainbow jersey, but sadly died 1 October
1956, 2 days after striking a spectator during at race at Antwerp's
Sportpaleis velodrome.
>From "But et Club - Le Miroir des Sports" No.532, 29 August 1955.
http://www.wooljersey.com/
Aldo Ross
Middletown, Ohio, USA