- The following cyclists didn't just walk the walk,
they talked the talk, or maybe it's the other way around.
But anyway, these cyclists were tough, make no mistake.
Here's who, and here's why.
(upbeat rock music)
Now we could not include the Cannibal in our list
of toughest cyclists, could we?
Although, undoubtedly Merckx is one of the finest riders
of all time, that doesn't necessarily mean
he's one of the toughest.
But when you factor in 525 career wins,
including five Giros, five Tours, two Vueltas,
and three World road titles,
it may actually suggest otherwise.
Anyway it was the manner of the way he set about winning
that sets him apart.
Hence the nickname, the Cannibal.
Merckx wanted to win every time he got on his bike.
Driven by an insatiable appetite for success.
And he once said, "The day when I start a race without
"intending to win it, I won't be able to look at myself
"in the mirror."
His style was simple, attack.
And generally, when he did, the results
were catastrophic for his rivals.
As well as immense strength, the grocer's son
exemplified a fiery, single minded determination,
which was illustrated at its best in the
1974 Giro d'Italia, where in a one particularly hard stage
he attacked from the gun in atrocious, awful weather
conditions, while still suffering from a bout of pneumonia
to topple one of his fiercest rivals Jose Fuentes.
And that ride laid the foundation for the win in the
overall of the Giro that year, and also it meant that he
went on to win the holy grail of cycling,
the triple, the Giro, the Tour, and the World championships.
(peaceful upbeat techno)
Known as the badger, or (speaks foreign language),
Bernard Hinault was as equally renowned for his
tempestuous nature as his physical prowess on the bike.
During a career that netted him a quite incredible
five Tour de Frances, three Giro d'Italias,
two Vuelta a Espanias, and a World road title.
The Breton was respected and feared by his rivals,
and was a true patron, or boss of the peloton,
imposing discipline and order, and going so far as to often
dictate when riders could and couldn't attack.
He took pleasure in a style of aggressive attacking racing
that often demoralised his rivals, the 1980 edition of
Liege-Bastogne-Liege being a fine example.
In sub-zero snowbound conditions, Hinault attacked with
80 kilometres to go solo, and ended up winning
by a quite astonishing 10 minutes, and that was despite
suffering from frostbite which has permanently
damaged his fingers to this very day.
But the man's character is probably best summed up
by himself with this quote, "As long as I breathe, I attack
"and I race to win, not to please people."
(dramatic orchestral music)
Italian Gino Bartali wasn't just a prodigiously
talented professional cyclist who won the Tour de France
twice and the Giro d'Italia three times, he was also a
noble, tempestuous, kind-hearted man,
who put his own life at risk for others.
During World War II, he transported counterfeit identity
documents secreted in the tubes of his bicycle frame and
handlebars to the Italian Resistance in order to try to save
the lives of Jews who risked being sent to concentration
camps, as well as hiding a Jewish family in his cellar and
leading Jewish refugees across the Swiss Alps.
Following the war, he overcome mental and physical illness
to win his third Giro in 1946, and his second Tour de France
in 1948 cementing his god-like status
amongst the Italian people.
It wasn't until his death in 2000 that
his heroic exploits during the war became known,
leading to many posthumous honours.
Now Batali was a man who essentially transcended
his own sport, and once said to his son this,
"If you're good at a sport, they attach the medals to your
"shirt and then they shine in some museum.
"That which is earned by doing good deeds is attached
"to the soul and shines elsewhere."
(upbeat rock music)
Sean Kelly is one of the true hard men of professional
cycling, a thoroughbred with a single-minded focus
and the ability to suffer far more than most,
and undoubtedly it was his upbringing that contributed
to his hardy attributes.
He quit school at 13 to work on his father's farm in
rural Ireland, then he was a bricklayer before embarking
on an 18-year career as a professional cyclist,
which reaped a quite incredible 193 victories.
Kelly was a rare breed, a rider who could sprint,
climb, and time trial.
But most importantly, he could endure the harshest
of conditions that cycling often imposed on a rider.
In fact he once said of Paris Roubaix, which he won in
1984 and 1986, "A Paris Roubaix without rain
"is not a true Paris Roubaix.
"Throw in a little snow as well, it's not serious."
Whilst leading the 1987 edition of the Vuelta a Espana,
he had to pull out with only four stages to go,
in tears and in agony, succumbing
to a very nasty saddle sore.
But a year later, he returned to the very same race
and won it overall, his only ever Grand Tour victory.
A stark illustration of his determination,
grit, but most of all toughness.
Now we are gonna do another toughest riders video,
but we want to know who you think should be in it.
So let us know in the comments section down below.
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