Jerry Moos wrote:
"The passing of Harry and connected discussion of his bikes makes me think of the first one I ever saw. It was in Montreal, at the 1974 World Championships. A couple of us drove up and we were staying at a youth hostel at a Unitarian church, most of the young people there were in town for the Championships.
Many guys brought their bikes. I remember a Celeste Bianchi Specialissmo and a black Harry Quinn. The Quinn was notable for its short wheelbase and steep angles by the standards of the day. The course included a steep climb of Mont Royal and an equally steep descent. Many spectators went out on the course the evening before the race to ride it themselves. I remember the guy with the Quinn departing in the early evening to ride the course. Later that night he returned to the hostel with bandages from head to foot. Evidently overcooked it on the descent and crashed. Probably not the only one that evening to do so. Fortunately, the Quinn was not badly damaged."
That course for the '74 WC was used again in slightly modified form for the '76 Olympics road race.
It's a route I ride almost every day and, indeed, those are some ferocious high-speed corners, 60>70 Kph being quite easily attained when heading into three of those downhill turns. The first corner ascending onto the mountain itself after descending boul. Mont-Royal is also a killer -- I've wiped out (with terrible road rash) on the sand that easily accumulates there from rain runoff. In the spring, one of the steep straightaways is washed with torrential runoff from the deep snow melting in the mountain forest. This is in the heart of the city, mind you...
I own a short wheelbase/steep angled crit bike and it ain't the best choice for those corners. One needs a frame with more inherent stability to take those turns at speed.
On any given day except the coldest winter moments that mountain road has dozens of cyclists riding it once or twice. But check out how many times Merckx rode around that circuit in '74 to his victory. I believe fewer than a quarter of the starting competitors actually completed that race. Just brutal!
Emanuel Lowi Montreal, Quebec
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