On the topic of how cyclists are the most superstitious athletes in the world:
Not everyone is a believer, of course. During the 2002 Tour de France, Michael Sandstod of Team CSC (led today by the Italian rider Ivan Basso, on whom I'm putting money to win the Tour de France this year) decided to perform a demonstration at the team dinner. First, Sandstod knocked over the salt shaker. Everyone waited for him to perform the usual ritual passing of the shaker; the pitching of salt over the left shoulder. But to his teammates' horror and disbelief, Sandstod didn't pick up the salt -- no, he spilled it again on purpose, letting the grains sprinkle on the tablecloth, on the carpet. He poured out the salt in his hand and threw it around in the smiling, imperturbable manner of a missionary priest in a pagan temple.
"Don't you see?" Sandstod said. "It's just salt!"
The following afternoon brought the second half of Sandstod's demonstration, as he crashed on a steep downhill section, breaking his shoulder, fracturing eight ribs, and puncturing a lung. He nearly died, and spent that evening attached to a respirator in the intensive care unit while the story of his apostasy was repeated in hushed tones around team dinner tables.
- Daniel Coyle, Lance Amstrong: tour de force
2 thoughts:
The first is that this story brings to my mind that zany scene from Robert Zemeckis's Used Cars, where Rudy's (Kurt Russell) zealously superstitious friend, who had put money on a race which he needed to lose so that Rudy could win (they had betted on different horses - and Rudy needed to win because otherwise he would lose the used car junkyard), started going nuts: spilling every salt-shaker he could find in the diner (is that what they are called?), opening strangers' umbrellas and dancing under them, walking under laddars, and at the climax hurling a chair at a mirror (at which point his horse lost, and Rudy's won, so I'm sure there is a moral in there somewhere).
It's strange, isn't it: I used to have lucky pens for exams (did no good, though I managed to scrape through) and in my final year in law school I designated for myself a lucky dress (a dark blue rayon sleeveless sheath with small white flowers - it looks better than it sounds) which I would wear to my exams in my desperate bid to pass them so I might be able to get a vaguely decent degree class (I ended up topping my class that year - I'm sure there is a moral in there somewhere too).
How fate and destiny are bestowed on random objects.
My second thought is alot pithier: the European cycling season kicks off this Sunday with the Paris-Nice! Oh, joy!!! Cycling season is here, which means the road races are here, which means the Tour de France will soon be here, which means there will soon be a very, very nice summer. :-)
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