Poc helmet UFO style, super aerodynamic Argon bike, socks and futuristic bodysuits and then Ashton Lambie He shows up with a Wild West sheriff's mustache! An aerodynamics expert like Simone Omarini, which we have come to know in recent months thanks to his productions with hardskin, he would shudder.
But you know, Americans are often histrionic. And Lambie is a real one!
In Roubaix he won with a time of 4'05″060 Lambie and Milan congratulated each other after the gold medal match Ashton Lambie (30 years old) from Nebraska in mixed zone after the triumph Lambie, compared to ours who are also road racers, is more "muscular." Here he is warming up before the world record.
In Roubaix he won with a time of 4'05″060 Lambie and Milan congratulated each other after the gold medal match Ashton Lambie (30 years old) from Nebraska in mixed zone after the triumph Lambie, compared to ours who are also road racers, is more "muscular." Here he is warming up before the world record.
Race on man
Let's find out more about the new world pursuit champion who beat our two champions: Jonathan Milan and Filippo Ganna. It's certainly nothing new, it must be said. Lambie is 30 years old and is the world record holder in the 4 kilometers. He was the first man to break the four-minute barrier: his time was 3'59"930.
Marco Villa had given him as the favorite And he was right. He probably knew Pippo wasn't at his best and Jonny wasn't ready for certain events yet, at least not for the gold. Even though the Friulian made him work hard for it.
And in fact, when he got off his bike and came into the mixed zone, the American was truly beaming.
«It's incredible – said Ashton – It will take me several days to realize what I have done. I'm on cloud nine! I saw that Jonathan had a strong start, but I just kept my own pace. And only with a kilometer to go did I realize I could do it. At that moment I realized that I had a 4 tenth advantage. and at that point I insisted on my pace. I brought this title to the States eleven years after Taylor Phinney. Time? It didn't matter. I raced the man."
And this time he wanted the title. A three-time world record holder couldn't help but put the rainbow jersey in his trophy cabinet.
Single track and parquet
Lambie is from Nebraska, central United States. Area of wide prairies, where Western films were often shot… ideal for his moustache! And it was on grass that his first velodrome ride as a kid took place. Perhaps this is also why he loves the gravel world and his moustache is linked to that "culture" of making do, of the wild spirit tied to tradition. We've already seen it with Lachlan Morton.
He tried the velodrome as a kid, true, however. It's not been that long since Ashton has been on the track. Things only got more serious in 2016. Lambie was “called”, after his records such as the Kansas crossing on the road, to the Huub Wattbike team to replace Harry Tanfield, who came to Europe in the ranks of the then Katusha and today in the ranks of Qhubeka.
To give you an idea of what Lambie is like, after his victory in Roubaix, he rode his bike back to the hotel… at night! He loves to ride, that's just how he is.
Even the record, set at altitude in Aguascalientes, Mexico, was achieved almost as a gamble. For goodness sake, nothing can be improvised, but he didn't make a fuss about it. That performance, however, broadened his horizons and gave him greater awareness. So much so that he should try again soon.
In the myth of Ganna
But the other night, after his run, Ashton complimented his opponents, especially Ganna who had beaten him last year in Berlin, and for whom he had nice words.
«I may have the record but Filippo is the strongest "He's a great rider," Lambie said. "Have you seen his track record? He's strong all year round, both on the road and on the track. He's phenomenal, especially the concentration he maintains throughout the season, from the Giro to the Olympics and then back on the track. He's phenomenal."
What struck us about this guy was his serenity. The ease with which he tackled his effort. We observed him closely. He warmed up very gently on the normal bike, the road one, mounted on the moped. He revved less than one might expect. Protruding knees, typical of those with "big thighs." He has a stocky physique., the opposite of our two champions, but really a lot of power.
