At 9:58 PM -0400 5/22/08, Dale Brown wrote:
> As the topic so eloquently indicates, I do not want politics even hinted at
> on this forum. I get enough of that other places.
;-) (Just to indicate that this post is intended to be taken with humor.) ;-)
I humbly propose a strict cut-off date at the end of the CR-timeline for political statements. This allows us to discuss things like the popularity of bicycle racing in post-war Europe, the American bike boom, the merits of craftsman-built vs. factory-built 1970s bicycles, etc., all of which can be construed as political issues.
For example, President Eisenhower's doctor has been credited with sewing the seeds to the 1970s bike boom. Ronald Reagan in his actor-youth days advertised Schwinn ten-speeds (or were they still eight-speeds back then?). A political crisis in Italy often is credited in giving G. Bartali the incentive to win the 1948 Tour de France, to unite his country as they rallied behind his victory. (It worked.) Conversely, in 1949, Bartali and the Italian team abandoned the Tour because of political incidents. (Anti-Italian protesters threw rocks at them.) And the Viet Cong used bicycles to run supplies undetected into Vietnam. However, I doubt they used Campagnolo-equipped lightweights, so this issue may be more appropriate for the iBob list...
However, there should be absolutely no KOF exceptions! If it didn't happen before 1984, it doesn't belong on this list... ;-)
Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
140 Lakeside Ave #C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.bikequarterly.com