Hi Jan:
I'm sorry that your attempts to gain information from Merckx by phone were frustrated-but I'm not surprised since mine were as well. It's obvious that Merckx' compulsive nature doesn't extend to the historical aspect of the sport.
I suspect that a real interview, under conducive circumstances, might be a better way to get information.
I myself "dropped the ball" when at Cambiago-there were so many bikes to ask about, that I didn't remember all the questions I should have asked. Colnago certainly can contribute to information about the HRB.
It's certainly frustrating that although even mummies can be identified, the real HRB can't-with both the maker and rider still available.
Regards,
George
> Hi George,
>
> When researching the article on the hour record bike, I
> contacted
> Eddy Merckx several times, spent quite some time on the phone
> with
> his pleasant secretary, send my questions via e-mail and fax,
> but
> later was told he was too busy and not really interested in the
> details history. I never received a response.
>
> When Merckx sent the bike to Il Vecchio, he said he was sure
> that it
> was the hour record bike. However, that does not mean that it
> really
> was. The frames could have been mixed up - disassembled for
> shipping,
> then lying around the factory for years, nobody might recall
> which
> frame was the one he actually rode in the event. The information
> on
> the standard Cinelli-equipped bike vs. the Pino-equipped one
> comes
> from contemporary press reports, where you can see the bikes in
> photos. I think there is one of Colnago standing by the track
> with
> the back-up bike on his shoulder. Funnily, the photo is captured
> "Colnago with the hour record bike" when you can tell from the
> time-keepers' poses behind that Eddy actually is on the track
> riding
> the real bike.
>
> There was a very nice Cycle Sport special issue on Merckx a few
> years
> ago, with an interview where he talked in detail about his
> accident
> at Blois on the track, when his motorpacer crashed and died.
> What I
> said in my earlier post was taken from that interview, so I
> doubt
> talking to Merckx again would reveal much new insight.
>
> Desperation may have been too strong a word, but from what
> Merckx
> said, his meticulous attention to detail came after the
> accident, in
> response to the problems he had.
>
> Jan Heine
> Editor
> Bicycle Quarterly
> 140 Lakeside Ave #C
> Seattle WA 98122
> http://www.bikequarterly.com
>
> At 12:05 PM +0000 5/9/08, gholl@optonline.net wrote:
> >Hi Jan:
> >Yours is an interesting point of view, but I doubt that Merckx'
> >meticulous attention to everything he did, both before and
> after
> >his accident, could ever be interpreted as "desperation" in
> the
> >commonly held sense of the word, that is, to lose all hope.
> >In any event, Merckx is still around, has good English, and few
> >would dispute has the best palmares in bike racing history.
> >Certainly he would make an interesting subject for an interview.
> >There hardly seems any reason to speculate about any facts he
> >himself might be able to provide. For example: which bike was
> >actually used in the Hour record ride-the Brussels bike, the
> >Cambiago bike, or yet another bike?
> >This opportunity will not last forever.
> >Regards,
> >George
> >George Hollenberg MD
> >CT, USA
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: Jan Heine
> >Date: Friday, May 9, 2008 12:37 am
> >Subject: Re: [CR]Colnago Shop Drawings
> >To: gholl@optonline.net, Classic Rendezvous
> >
> >> At 11:52 PM +0000 5/8/08, gholl@optonline.net wrote:
> >>
> >> > What is more interesting in these drawings, are the fine
> >> >differences ( too numerous to be repeated here) specified by
> >> Merckx
> >> >for bikes he designated for different races. Such attention to
> >> >detail marked his career-the most brilliant in the history of
> >> bike
> >> >racing.
> >>
> >> I have read many times that after his back injury, Merckx never
> >> again
> >> was totally comfortable on a bike, and thus was changing the
> >> dimensions all the time in the elusive search for the bike that
> >> would
> >> fit perfectly. So this is less a sign of perfectionism than one
> >> of
> >> desperation.
> >>
> >> What is amazing is that most of Merckx' career, and most of his
> >> victories, occurred after that accident... showing you how much
> >> determination the man had!
> >>
> >> Jan Heine
> >> Editor
> >> Bicycle Quarterly
> >> 140 Lakeside Ave #C
> >> Seattle WA 98122
> >> http://www.bikequarterly.com
> >> --
> >>
> >
> >George Hollenberg MD
> >CT, USA
>
>
George Hollenberg MD
CT, USA