On yesterdays finish of the Tour De France stage on the Mount Ventoux many of us thought of Tom Simpson. I reflected on his unique abilities and qualities as witnessed by me in a race on the very difficult and hilly Troway circuit on the 13th April i958. Which I relate in my book;
"Not surprisingly, Tom started as favourite for this race that finished on the cinder track at Staveley. Russ Foster, who was to become noted as a specialist in the Hill Climb races at the end of the season, was up the road in a two-man break with myself. Tom apparently biding his time in the bunch punctured. Tom having regained the bunch, then set about reeling us in; he was soon on his own. After what was said to have been a long hard difficult chase, he duly made contact. It appeared to us that he was in a bit of a state; in fact, he looked terrible, he must have thought we looked fresher than we felt. Rather than take any chances on the track finish, he put in a big successfull attack on the last climb before the stadium. He had found something from out of the depth that only he could do, I have never seen anybody hurt themselves as much as he could. There was nothing we could do"
This ability to reach so far into his reserves and beyond were undoubtedly a factor on that fatefull day on the Mount Ventoux in 1967.
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