gibier3000:“ Walter Godefroot is a stud.Paris-Roubaix 1969: Is he riding on the shoulder
gibier3000: “ Walter Godefroot is a stud.Paris-Roubaix 1969: Is he riding on the shoulder of the road, away from the pave? No, “The Bulldog of Flanders” is riding right down the middle giving them a good spanking. Is he wearing gloves on what is one of the most brutal days of racing? No, he didn’t seem to ever wear gloves. Why should Paris-Roubaix be an exception? Is he off the back? No, quite the opposite. See that group of chasers off in the distance in the upper left? The 5 riders in hot pursuit included three big names: Eddy Merckx, Felice Gimondi and Roger De Vlaeminck. Even those guys could not pull back Godefroot that day. Walter rode everyone into the ground and finished alone at the Roubaix Velodrome 2 minutes 39 seconds ahead of the final chase group of four riders. Merckx ended up 2nd on the day, Gimondi 4th, and RDV 5th.I had read and heard several explanations as to why Godefroot rode without gloves. A few year back I asked Walter about why he chose not to wear gloves, particularly at races like Roubaix. His response was quite simple: he could feel the road surface better without gloves. My next question was to ask if after using that strategy over so many years as a pro, did he have any functioning nerves remaining in either of his hands? He just gave me a smile and chuckled.I am acquainted with Walter only on a very casual basis. Nevertheless, any time he and I are ever in the same area, be it at a race or a social gathering, he will always make the effort to come over and say hello. What a prince of a guy! “ www.hortoncollection.com -- source link