An interview with… Per Bausager
From a youth spent pouring over the pages of the foreign cycling press, in his teens the Danish cyclist Per Bausager suddenly found himself with an invitation to Italy, one that promised to make all his childhood dreams come true as he turned professional riding alongside one of his idols.
The following post shows an excerpt, as well as unpublished images, from his eight page interview within the new book ‘Pro Cycling Style’, where Bausager shares his recollections of riding alongside some of the greatest legends of the sport.
Per Bausager’s complete interview within the book ‘Pro Cycling Style’, available here at our online store
Your time in the pro peloton, you were riding with some of the greats, known and admired not just for their athletic achievements, but also for their style. What did these riders have, that the other riders didn’t?
Star quality – you know, if you watched them on their bike, or off the bike for that matter, they were just like movie stars. They projected something, a kind of authority – you can’t look like Roger De Vlaeminck and at the same time be a weak and shy person – he just radiated an aura of confidence. He was bold, he had character, and of course a huge amount of style as well.
Another was Eddy Merckx, almost looking like Elvis Presley (laughter), the hair and his high cheekbones. De Vlaeminck and Moser were also great stylists in the saddle too, the way they rode was simply beautiful. I was often riding in a race to catch their wheel, just so that I could watch them in motion.
Even though I was a professional cyclist, I often spent more time on the course or the track watching them instead of concentrating on my own race, I was awestruck each time I was riding alongside them.
Per holding his jersey for the Belgian Avia team, unimpressed by the quality of the team kit he elected to have his personal jersey custom made in Italy.
All riders were issued with the same standard team kit, but some would like to add their own personal touches; handmade Colombini shoes, personalised gloves and Swiss wrist watches. They were looking to distinguish themselves from their teammates?
To an extent, for some riders certainly. Francesco Moser always had something that was different, he wore a glove brand that I’d seen nowhere else, either commercially or worn by other riders.
Of course the Colombini cycling shoes are legendary, I had one pair, and it took me two years to get them, as you had to go and visit the manufacturer directly – no one could simply place a direct order, not even Eddy Merckx.
The shoemaker was an elderly gentleman, living 5 km outside Lucca in, well, it wasn’t really a home – more of a collection of sprawling wooden farm buildings, with a lot of chickens around the place. Visiting his workshop there I saw all the wooden ‘lasts’ for the shoes he had made for different riders, wooden moulds for the feet of Merckx, Gimondi, Anquetil, and even Fausto Coppi, all lined up on the shelves of his workshop.
Per Bausager holds the jersey from his first professional signing, for the 1977 Selle Royale team.
You know you couldn’t simply start the meeting with him by asking for a pair of shoes, that would be far too direct, vulgar even. You had to just sit there with him, get into a discussion about the chickens, the weather, making small talk for around half an hour or so. Then he would send you on your way, and you’d go back the next month and hopefully make progress, gently steering the conversation towards the idea of getting a pair of shoes made.
You had to approach the subject very delicately, “Do you think that one day, when you have time of course…” that sort of thing. So from the first meeting with him to finally getting the shoes in my hands, took two years! Even Merckx himself, he too would have to sit there and go through the same conversation…
In 1972 Merckx had signed a sponsorship deal with Adidas, and rather than wearing them to race, he simply added the sponsor stripes to his own Colombini shoes, and when Francesco Colombini saw this in the Press, he gave him a two-year penalty! No shoes for two years.
Merckx tested the ban, coming from Belgium to try and make amends and get some more shoes made, but the reception was stony, with Colombini telling him “I have to feed the chickens, you can come back tomorrow.” They were only relatively more expensive than the others on the market, but the craftsmanship was incredible, it was like they were glued on your feet. Colombini was a master, an artist.
His last post in Italy, riding for the Selle Italia-Chinol team of 1982.
The handmade aspect of Italian jerseys, this is what separated them from others manufactured in France and Belgium?
Yes I think so. Everything was different in Italy. It was much more refined, in Italy style was very important. During the Giro d’Italia back then, for each stage you turned up with brand-new white handlebar tape that had been put on that morning, along with a spotless bike, new brake pads, and most days you had brand new tires too. It was on another level, I loved it, and I still do.
I think back then it was still nicer than it is today, because today it is such a big industry, it doesn’t impress me in the same way as it did back then.
His track jersey while riding for the Magniflex team of 1979.
We have discussed these legendary riders with cult followings: Moser, De Vlaeminck etc. Do you think that this generation’s riders will also enjoy such a following? Will their legacy stand the test of time?
I am not sure, although if there is one who will, it will be Sagan, he’s of the same calibre as Moser. Steve Smith of Castelli told me he believed the two riders who were worth whatever they asked, even if they didn’t win, were Peter Sagan and Alberto Contador, and I totally agree.
It is something to do with, if you touch people’s hearts somehow, it is different than just winning. You can see this with Contador, as by watching him ride you could feel his pain, his will to win, the risks he was taking, the panache.
It’s the same with Peter Sagan, because he is so spectacular, and I am not just talking about his wheelies and all that stuff off the bike, it is the way he races – it is exciting.
Per with his personal jerseys accumulated while racing professionally in Italy.
Of all the riders that you first saw as a teenager in the pages of Miroir du Cyclisme, and then got to meet in person, who made the greatest impression?
That’s a very tough question… You know I have three who stand out from the rest, and they are Merckx, De Vlaeminck and Moser.
And I think, if I had to pick one, it would have to be Francesco Moser. He was just incredibly beautiful to watch on the bike. He had a lot of star quality, a real class act.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post – to discover the full interview with Per, it’s waiting for you within the pages of our new book ‘Pro Cycling Style – Woven into History’
This large format coffee table book is packed with over 500 images, showcasing a wealth of original race-worn jerseys, all worn by a host of legendary cyclists. It also features specially commissioned features, as well as a host of interviews with the riders who created this legacy, the world’s leading memorabilia collectors, and the creative teams from Rapha, De Marchi and Santini, who are now creating the breakthrough designs defining the modern era.
This new book is a follow up to our first title ‘The Cycling Jersey – Craftsmanship, Speed and Style‘ which gained the high praise from Rouleur magazine as a title they described as both ‘Beautiful and Enlightening‘.
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