I've started collecting the memories of those who have been involved in racing and the bicycle industry. Most racers have had the same questions asked of them a thousand times. But since they are printed in a magazine or newspaper, they disappear except for a few archives or attics of enthusiasts. By leaving them here on the web, they have a semi-permanent quality and are accessible to anyone anytime. Some are links to interviews embedded in other documents, others are stand-alone pages. The interviews are in rough chronological order of the subjects' careers.

Les Woodland's book Cycling's 50 Triumphs and Tragedies: The Rise and Fall of Bicycle Racing's Champions is available as an audiobook here. For the print and Kindle eBook versions, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Glossary of riders' nicknames

Cino Cinelli and David Herlihy spent an afternoon in Tuscany in the fall of 1986 talking about Cinelli's racing career and his famous bicycle company.

Ferdy Kubler, winner of the 1950 Tour de France, writes us a note about the race.

Fiorenzo Magni won Flanders and the Giro each 3 times. Also, he famously walked out of the 1950 Tour while wearing Yellow. Signor Magni graciously gave us a revealing interview.

Brian Robinson was the first British rider to both finish the Tour and win a Tour stage. But he was much more than a pioneer, he was a truly fine rider who raced and beat the greats of the 1950s.

Faliero Masi was one of the greatest framebuilders and team mechanics of all time. At the 1991 Milan bike show I sat down with him to talk about his career.

Rik van Looy was the only racer to win all the Classics. Les Woodland visited him in the 1990s.

Jan Janssen won the World Championship, Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France in 1968, the Tour's green points jersey three times and the Vuelta (both GC and points).

Celestino Vercelli rode for some of the most imporant teams of the 1960s and '70s: Sanson, SCIC and Brooklyn. He completed 5 Giri d'Italia and 2 Tours de France. He discusses his career as an in-demand domestique in detail.

Franco Bitossi won 147 pro races including the 1968 Tour de France Points, 3-times Giro d'Italia King of the Mountains and the Giro Sprinters' competition. One of the most complete riders to have ever turned a pedal.

Italo Zilioli was second in the Giro d'Italia three times and third once, wore yellow at the Tour de France and won a slug of important races. He was one of Italy's finest riders in the 1960s and 1970s.
Ziloli intervista in italiano

Felice Gimondi talks at length to Valeria Paoletti about his 1965 Tour win and the Barcelona Worlds

Pietro Piazzalunga was the "Merckx of Wrenches" (I'm sure he would prefer we said the Gimondi of mechanics). We talked to the man who was mechanic to many of the most important teams and riders from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Eric de Vlaeminck was the greatest cyclo-cross racer ever. Les Woodland visited him and wrote this lovely remembrance.

Bill Kund was one of the first Americans to try his hand racing as a pro in Europe. It was tough!

Freddy Maertens was twice World Champion, won the Tour of Spain and the Tour de France green jersey three times. Still he was dogged by controversy and bad luck. He speaks frankly about the ups and downs of his career.

Jac van Meer rode with Sean Kelly and Freddy Maertens. He explains a lot of the nuts and bolts of professional racing.

Andy Hampsten on the 1986 Tour de France. This Tour was tense with the rivalry between teammates Hinault and Lemond.

Greg LeMond not only won the big ones, he changed the face of professional cycling. Here's the first installment of our interview that will cover his entire career.

Gianni Bugno talks to Valeria Paoletti about his career

Frankie Andreu explains the 1992 Tour de France

For 77 years the Mondonico family produced some of the finest racing frames the world ever saw.

John Neugent. When it comes to the business of bicycles, John Neugent has done it all and trully knows more about bicycles than anyone I have ever met. I talked to him at length about his career and how bicycles and the industry that produces them got to where they are today.

Zak Pashak is hand-making bicycles in Detroit. Lots of them, and all kinds, but all made of steel. David L. Stanley talked to the visionary founder of Detroit Bikes.

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