where have you been? I loved this flick before I got into biking. besides, with all the talk about doping, what about the Italian dude who jams the kid's tire?

"who ate my french fries?!!!"

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Breaking away.... I still like to run the opening bars of the Barber of Seville through my head every time I start the bike portion of a tri. I first saw the movie when I was living in California and thinking about trying triathlon and starting to bike, after watching the Hawaii race on tv. Shortly there after I moved to the outskirts of Dayton, Ohio and found myself in the same beautiful biking scenery as the movie. The rest was history. Oh yes, one more thing. I finally saw the Barber of Seville in Salt Lake City a few years back. It was a fabulous production, and I never laugh about that Figaro song anymore. Context is such an amazing concept.

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Behold the turtle! He makes progess only when he sticks his neck out. (James Bryant Conant)
GET OFF THE F*%KING WALL!!!!!!! (Doug Stern)
Brevity is the soul of wit. (William Shakespeare)

Lance must like it too, becuase he's sporting the same high white socks the frat boys were wearing.

Here's a great link: http://www.indiana.edu/...apr00/little500.html

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Even more impressive is the fact that during that scene when "Dave Stoller" (Dennis Christopher) was motorpacing behind a semi - he was using the small chainring on his Masi. Of course at the time the movie was made, it was common to see most bikes with a 52/42 chainring combination but motorpacing a semi in the small ring at those speeds would still be pretty difficult!

Trivia time:

1. Who knows how Dave Stoller came to own the 1978 Masi Gran Criterium that he road throughout the movie?

2. In the, Dave was very excited about that fact that he would get to race against the Italian national team when they came to town for a big race. In the movie the Italian's raced on Colnago's but the production staff only had to purchase two because two of the riders that played the part of Italian team members already owned Colnago's. One of these two is the father of a current pro racer riding for a division 1 team and is about to take the start for his 3rd TDF (not consecutive). Anyone know who I am referring to?

3. During the race, the Italians attacked but Dave was able to bridge whereupon the Italians were more than happy to let Dave ride on the front until they started to get concerned about the tempo he was setting! In an attempt to drop him, one of the Italian team members slammed "Dave's" shifter for the rear deraileur all the way forward momentarily putting him into difficulty. After he recovered, the Italian's jammed a frame pump into his front wheel which resulted in Dave going over the bars and the fork on his "Masi" being bent! So did the producers of the movie actually trash a Masi Gran Criterium or did they use a stand in and if so how could we tell the difference?

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i only know the answer to #1 - didn't mooch tell dave that he'd been acting weird "ever since you [dave] won that italian bike"? so, i guess he won the bike for winning a local race.

and, having done some research, only 2 actors are listed as having played italian riders: eddy van guyse, and carlos sintes. neither of those last names are listed as starting the '04 tour. are you sure about #2?

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http://www.theninjadon.blogspot.com

"The bicycle riders drank much wine, and were burned and browned by the sun. They did not take the race seriously except among themselves." -- Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

The movie confirmed that I wanted to be a bike racer. It made sleeper movie of the year and it became a rotten TV show as well. I just got it on DVD and some parts bring a tear to the eye thinking of those youthful days.

REFUND, REFUND!

Something like-I didn't know it would make you that miserable, a little is all I ask.

Hey, what's your major.

Yes, I am sure! As you have already discovered only two of the four Cinzano riders were credited, Carlos Sintes and Eddy Van Guyse. The other two were not actors, but USCF racers and were not credited - one of them was Pete Lazarra and the other was?

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That is one of my all time favorite movies! Right after I saw it I started racing bikes! I live in Bloomington,IN on the weekends so I ride all the roads you saw in the movie. At Bikesmiths' in Bloomington they have an autographed Cinzano jersey and picture. One of the guys on Team Cinzano was the guy who builds Cherry Bicycles. My Advanced English teacher in high school was sorority sister to the girlfriend of the guy who wrote the screenplay. She said she remembers when he came and serenaded her one night at the sorority house just like the movie. Its a classic!

Ahh - John Cherry, I think I raced against him a couple times back in the days of the NBL - America's attempt at adapting track events into more portable venues in which racers were motorpaced up to speed behind a vehicle with a large air dam attached to the back while riding on a short, multi-corner circuit before being unleashed for an insanely intense sprint for fame as well as a little fortune! Hmm - an autographed Cinzano jersey - I assume the signatures are from members of the cast? So is John Cherry's signature on it - I ask because I am pretty sure that he was not the 4th rider on "Team Cinzano" in the movie Breaking Away?

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Actually I think John Cherry was the standin for "Dave" in the actual riding scenes like the semi one etc...

Christian Vande Velde's dad, John. Christian will take the Tour start with Liberty Seguros this year.