SUPERB photo!!!brentono wrote:
Hugo Koblet the Swiss superstar died young in a car accident. The "pedaleur de charme" (the charming cyclist) was best known as a GC contender in the Grand Tours (won the TDF in 1951 and the Giro in 1950) but was a great track rider. Was twice European madison champion with Armin Von Buren and a brilliant pursuiter, I would have to look it up to see if he won a world pursuit title but I know he was almost always in the final 4. My uncle told me he 'sold' Koblet an easy ride in a world championships once when they were matched up against each other. Koblet did all the 6 day races and was a great 6 day man too. His Swiss buddy Von Buren was a beast sprinter, one of the fastest of all time, so they were a formidable team.
Koblet always carried a comb and a bottle of eau de cologne when he raced, and after a long solo break in the TDF in 1951, "followers were astonished to see him sit up, blow kisses to girls and take out of his pocket a sponge soaked in water. He was barely across the line when he rinsed his face in Perrier, combed his hair, then started his stopwatch ....
He was a superstar glamour boy, a handsome playboy who loved beautiful women and fast cars, and his love of fast cars killed him in the end.
I had had a fall in the sprint the week before in a qualifying race for the Aus road titles and this one compounded the problems. 
