(whooshing)
- History, music and sport are peppered with names
who made an impact once, only to never quite scale
those dizzy heights again.
So we thought we would celebrate the achievements
of some cyclists who recorded that career defining victory.
This video is a celebration of the opportunistic riders
who didn't win much but won big once.
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As an amateur rider, the Belgian Johan Vansummeren
was very much a winner.
He won the under 23 Hepvog and Liège-Bastogne-Liège
to name just two.
And he also taken a Silver medal
in the Under 23 World Road Race Championships
in Ontario, Canda, in 2003.
In a career that spanned 15 seasons
for teams such Silence-Lotto, Predictor-Lotto,
Davitamon and AG2R, he was a hugely popular and gutsy rider.
And on one magic day, in April of 2011
everything came together for Johan in Paris-Roubaix.
He rode in alone to the velodrome for a famous
and very emotional victory.
Now previous to that, he had won a Stage
and General Classification at the Tour of Poland,
but he's definitely one of those riders
who you'd expect to have far more wins in his career,
than he actually did.
Now as an ex-teammate of Johan's though
I know that he just loved to work for other riders,
he'd be the first to start beasting himself
on the front of the bunch
and he was as reliable as they come.
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Like Vansummeren, Mat Hayman was a solid domestique
who loved the Cobbled Classics.
In his first 12 years as a pro,
he won just three races, not a surprise really,
for someone who spent the majority of his time
working for others.
However, he always believed in his chances
at Paris-Roubaix.
In 2010 on his 10th attempt, he got his first top 10
and the following year he backed that up
with an 8th place at the Velodrome.
Time was running out though,
in 2016, his 16th year as a pro
it looked like he wouldn't even get to take the start,
he broke his arm in a crash
at the first Cobble Classic of the year in February.
Famously, he then rode indoors on-swift
with a ladder upon which to rest his arm,
and somehow he made it onto the start line
at Paris-Roubaix.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Hayman made the early break,
if you can call it that,
it took about 100 kilometers for it to form
once it was caught though, in the latter stage
by the likes of Tom Bonan,
Svet Vanmarken, and Ed Valbousan-Hargen
we thought it was all over.
And to be honest, I reckon he'd have been thinking
exactly the same thing.
But then he managed to do the unthinkable
out-sprinting Tom Bonan and preventing him
from winning a record 5th Paris-Roubaix.
Now I for one, will never ever forget
watching Hayman afterwards, in complete disbelief
and apart from Bonan's fans,
I think everybody was over the moon for Mat Hayman.
That would mark the 4th and final victory
in a career than spanned almost 20 years.
(upbeat music)
The world Road Race Championships
is often a race that can throw up a surprise winner
and that was definitely the case for Latvia's
Romans Vainsteins, he pulled on the Rainbow Jersey
in the year 2000 in Plouay.
Winning that one though, can do strange things to a rider
for some it can spur them on to continue
winning the biggest race in the world.
And for others it can go to their head
and they never win at those heights again.
And that seemed to be the case for Romans.
He had been really making great progress
in his career up to that point,
but went on to have just three more victories
before he finally retired in 2004.
(upbeat techno music)
When you're a big lad, better known for
your flat riding, going on a solo attack
in the Tour De France through the high mountains
would have left many scratching their heads.
However, Eros Poli's day out on the Stage 15
of the 1994 Tour De France is the stuff of legends.
He attacked with 171 kilometers to go
and started Mont Ventoux with still 23 minutes
and 45 seconds in tact.
He ground his way, almost literally, up the Ventoux
and went over the top with still four minutes advantage.
Now at six foot four and 87 kilograms
descending was not something that he had trouble with
and he came into the finish in Carpentras
for one of the most famous Stage Tour wins,
throwing his hat into the crowd as he sat up
for his victory salute.
(upbeat music)
One member of this club, who really personifies
the plucky opportunist, is the Swiss rider Oliver Zaugg.
In 2011 he won Il Lombardia,
the final monument of each season.
Zaugg was riding for Leopard Trek
and was part of a select group that included
Dan Martin, Evan Bassaux and Philippe Gilbert
amongst many other big names.
When Zaugg attacked on the narrow climb,
he instantly opened a gap and once he went over
the top and headed towards the finish line in Lecco,
it became apparent, that that was a lead
he was not going to relinquish.
He wasn't even a big winner, Zaugg as a Junior
or Under 23, and in fact, apart from a couple of wins
in team time trials, this was the only
career win that we could find.
He would retire in 2016, after riding Il Lombardia
one final time.
(upbeat techno music)
Gabriele Colombo won the 1996 Milan-San Remo
at his first attempt.
Getting clear in a breakaway, which he started
with a daring attack and then still clear
over the Poggio.
He then launched a late solo move
and came home for a career defining victory,
such was the strength of his victory
you would have thought he'd go on to be the best
Classic Rides of his generation.
He did go onto Podium at the Liege Bastogne Liege
and had a few wins here and there,
in races such as Sardinia, Pais Vasco and Catalungia
but he never won another Monument
before he retired in 2004.
(soft techno music)
He's probably best known as a brilliant Sports Director
with the likes of Team Katusha-Alpecin
and Trek Sega Fredo,
but Dirk Demol was also a professional rider
who scored one victory.
But what a victory it was,
the 1988 edition of Paris-Roubaix was one that
wouldn't look out of place in the modern era.
Back then it was very much a clear hierarchy of power,
leaders were leaders in the Peneton,
and domestiques were very much domestiques.
On this dry dusty day though, leaders such as
Kelly, Fignion and Vanderpull and Baur
sat watching each other, sure that the breakaway
would be brought back for one of them to try to win.
But it wasn't and Dirk Demol came into Roubaix
with Kelly's KAS teammate Thomas Wegmüller for company.
Now in a cruel twist of fate, Wegmüller got a plastic bag
wrapped around his gears inside the closing kilometers,
Demol, though, didn't profit from it.
He was a true gent and he sat behind whilst
the mechanic freed the bag as best he could,
but then once the sprints started, and we are talking
pre-velodrome finish here,
the Belgian made no mistake at all.
Now winning a Monument, especially Paris-Roubaix
even the once, pretty much makes you a legend
in the sport of cycling, but if you're Belgian,
it pretty much makes you a God.
(uplifting techno music)
And finally, we have a rider
who very much has the opportunity to remove himself
from this club,
EF Education First, Alberto Bettiol.
This year he scored his first professional win
at the Tour of Flanders.
Bettiol was a super talent, in fact,
as a Junior and Under 23.
He was European Junior Time Trial Champion,
but most pros will tell you that
the slate gets wiped clean once you turn pro,
you generally learn your craft all over again.
To date, that remains Bettiol's only pro win.
But at 25, he's still got plenty of time
to become a two or three hit wonder,
maybe even more.
Right then, before you point it out to me,
I do know that these riders second stream results
are better than my best ones,
I could only wish to have been a one hit wonder,
one is better than none, afterall.
Now, if we've left anybody off our list
please let us know, in the comments section down below.
We couldn't quite finish now though,
because we've got to mention Ollie's nomination
of our very own Psy Richardson, who's victory in the 2009
Rås in Ireland, will go down in the history books.
What for?
Not quite sure yet, but he's definitely been dining out
on that one at the local Irish bar in Bath,
or in fact any other Irish bar that he goes to
in the world ever since.
Thank you very much for watching,
if you enjoyed it, please hit the thumbs up button
which is just below.
Next up we've got a vintage GCN video:
Where are they now?
We look at some high profile ex-pros
and what they're getting up to
since they retired from the sport.
Although, that said, it's such an old video
they might have changed vocation again.
Anyway, you can find it, just down here.