Flashback Friday: Michele Bartoli

by swells on Apr 22, 2011 9:28 AM EDT

In La Fleche Live Thread, Chris asked when is the last time someone got a big lead that early and made it stick all the way in? I threw out Michele Bartoli’s name as a possibility, without actually checking any facts or detailed race results. I don’t know if it was the last time, but Bartoli definitely threw down on the Mur de Huy in 1999. Fast forward to today where I spent a good, solid 4 minutes on the Googler checking out one of my favorite riders from the 90’s.

Bartoli won La Doyenne twice – back-to-back in ‘97 & ’98. I remember the L-B-L race in ’97 where he literally rode Jalabert off his wheel in the last Km. Check him out looking back for JaJa's teammate, Zulle before he puts his nose on the stem. In ’98, he decimated the field to solo home in yet a more dominating fashion. Speaking of fashion & 1998, note the purple & orange colors of his Asics/Carrera kit and the Briko Stingers. (I mention the purple kit because it occasionally comes up for discussion).

Michele Bartoli was the first classics style rider that made me start to pay more than cursory attention to one day racing. Look at his palmares. Dude was a bike racer.

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Thanks for the links

For the Flèche 99 vs Flèche 2011, what’s impressive with Gilbert is that he does it in front of a big field with big names supposedly at the same level of tiredness from the race. And he just blows them away…

And you break my heart with the LBL 1997, it’s my favorite classics and Jaja should have won it at least once :( But Bartoli was nearly untouchable these years…

by FrenchKheldar on Apr 22, 2011 10:31 AM EDT reply actions

Good point re: big names at the front.

PhilGil Looking around: “hmm, let’s see – Contador, check; Vino, check; J-Rod, check; Sanchez – check*; Schleck – check. We all here? Good. Bye.”
Now that I think about it, PhilGil is like the Michele Bartoli of 2010’s.

*Check the replay of this years FW…SamSan is like 10 back when Phil attacks.

I no longer know what my limits are - Philippe Gilbert

by swells on Apr 22, 2011 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions

soooo can’t wait til Sunday

I'm feverished, or the way you want to spell it

by plinytheelder on Apr 22, 2011 12:22 PM EDT reply actions

thanks, enjoyed that

by yeehoo on Apr 22, 2011 12:26 PM EDT reply actions

+1

moo

by Willj on Apr 22, 2011 4:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Your 4 minutes were not wasted

Frustration has a way of releasing itself, rarely in a logical manner. -jsallee00

by VirtKitty on Apr 22, 2011 2:57 PM EDT reply actions

Do we have permissions for that photo?

If not, go ahead and embed one of the youtube viddies. Or I can :)

by Jen See on Apr 22, 2011 3:06 PM EDT reply actions

Gav, prolly not.

I couldn’t figure out how to embed the video…and by “couldn’t figure out”, I mean I didn’t even try.
Yes, please embed the ’97 LBL YouTubery. Thx.

I no longer know what my limits are - Philippe Gilbert

by swells on Apr 22, 2011 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions

right on.

will do :)

the embed thingy wasn’t working earlier. let’s see if it is now.

by Jen See on Apr 22, 2011 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions

I just dig that Asics gear and

this is the pose of him that’s in my memory bank.

I no longer know what my limits are - Philippe Gilbert

by swells on Apr 22, 2011 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions

dig that kit, too! :)

by Jen See on Apr 22, 2011 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions

er, for me to embed the viddy

you have to stop editing ;)

by Jen See on Apr 22, 2011 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions

Yep

I figured that and quit. Will I be able to see how you did that from my edit screen?

I no longer know what my limits are - Philippe Gilbert

by swells on Apr 22, 2011 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions

totally

switch to html mode in the cafe editor – there’s a button in upper right.

you get the embed code from the “share” then “embed” button on youtube under your video, then cut/paste it in. i used the old-school embed code because for whatever reason the iframe version wouldn’t work.

by Jen See on Apr 22, 2011 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Bartoli getting injured in 1999

derailed his career. Like everyone from that time he was almost certainly doped, but he was still a rider of obvious class and panache.

His attack on Sart Tilman climb in the 1998 Liege was particularly memorable..

by Fernando on Apr 22, 2011 3:06 PM EDT reply actions

what memories

i was there in 99 for the Fleche and LBL. Bartoli was the man back then.Fleche 99 was a horrible day, as it snowed and rained (sleet i suppose) the whole day. I rode from Liege to Huy and up the Mur in that, the pros, out all day in it. Not many finished, if i remember rightly?

Not sure on the asics kit, but the Carrera bikes were quite attractive, quite so that i bought one. I still have now the race replica, minus the Mavic Carbon wheels. It has to be one of the best frames that ive ever had.

by pedroy on Apr 22, 2011 3:18 PM EDT reply actions