Flipping through an old magazine, this quote from Simoni:
“If Basso is training for seven hours a day now (which he was), how on earth will he keep his shape until July? But for me it’s good, it means one less rival at the Tour.”
It appears that history has put that boast to rest…
I enjoyed watching Simoni in the 2003 Giro. However after the Giro it seems that his mouth started writing checks that his body couldn’t cash. At least he learned how to be humble in this years Giro and Tour. Why give your competitor something that he could cut out and past on his mirror?
Why give your competitor something that he could cut out and past on his mirror?
Exactly. I’ve never understood why any athlete at any competitive level trash talks before the game. Why give your rival something to get fired up about? I can think of just one athlete for whom that ever worked: Muhammad Ali. There may be others, but I would think that the vast majority of those who open their mouths like that end up falling flat on their face. Not to wax nostalgic, but my high school football coach used to tell us every week, “do your talking with your pads.”
Why give your competitor something that he could cut out and past on his mirror?
While I tend towards the humble, I have on occasion talked a little trash and let me tell you, there is no greater trill than backing up your own trash talking. Also I find that there is no great motivator than knowing you have to back up your own big mouth once you have opened it.
Vince