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No one could have realised the impact Ernesto Colnago was to have on the design and production of road racing bicycles back when he was a boy on his parent's farm in Cambiago, Northern Italy during the 1940's.
Turning his back on continuing the family's farming traditions he went to work in a local small bicycle factory which he then turned into a shop where he could service the local's bicycles.

Like many young Italian men at that time Ernesto Colnago had dreams of becoming a professional bike racer and enjoyed some success until a particularly bad accident scuppered his dream leaving him with a broken leg. At this point he chose to focus solely on bicycle components and mechanics and joined a racing team as a mechanic. The team enjoyed success and rose to prominence when the famous Eddy Merckx joined - infact it is one of the most iconic teams of its time and one most afficianados of cycle sport have heard of - the mighty Molteni squad.

Ernesto Colnago didn't just service the bikes for Molteni, he started making the frames as well. Originally they were painted in the colours of the team and had the team branding on them but eventually people were clamouring to find out who was making the frames that Eddy Merckx was riding and winning aboard.

With Eddy's compulsive attention to detail and Ernesto's engineering genius an awesome partnership grew - Eddy could tell Ernesto exactly what he needed from a frame in order to be the most successful cyclist that ever raced meaning Ernesto could build it exactly to his specifications and would in turn go on to develop one of the most prestiguous bike brands.

Look out for a future article on the Colnago frames that have been ridden at the very highest levels of the sport

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From: Robert, Seattle, USA
Subject: a few more duffieldisms from yanks in seattle

hello addiscombies -

we get bootlegged eurosport video over here and there's a few of us here who have come to appreciate duffieldisms as much as you. so here are a few more for your list:

"base over apex", -- going over the bars in a crash
"come a cropper" -- having the bike slip out from underneath in a crash
"going like stink" -- yet another way to say traveling at top speed

cheers, and thanks for the laughs

[robert]

Thanks Robert - how do you manage to get bootleged Eurosport over there? I bet a lot of your fellow countrymen would be very jealous if they knew. I suspect DD wants to say "Arse over tit" which is a common British saying that is a bit uncouth for family viewing hence "Base over apex". Interestingly "come a cropper" and "going like stink" are used in conversation occasionally over here but don't make it into common usage in other countries. I guess its even harder to understand DD for you than it is for us! Hopefully the Duffieldisms page can assist in your viewing pleasure.

From: Tim
Subject: duffers

I agree that the man is a living legend, even if his meandering style of broadcast journalism does cause me to curse out loud at times, usually when the pivotal moment of the race is unfolding before our eyes and he is recounting his after dinner anecdotes involving ''a rather nice glass of...''(insert any regional plonk).
Favourite duffisms have to be counting the number of times he refers to that select breed, the 'specialist climbers' whenever there is the faintest whif of an incline along the race profile. Also, after one of his frequent rambles, turning to Sean and asking 'what's your thoughts on that Sean?', the obviuosly bemused Kelly embarrisingly half whispering in reply 'well I dont really know about that, David' in a Ted from the FAST SHOW manner. Duffers, undetered carries on regardless.
great site,chaps
tim, nottingham

Excellent - especially the bit about Sean Kelly! Its interesting you point out how DD carries on regardless as I think that is what makes him so endearing to a large number of us. I know you reckon he is a living legend but I would go so far as to call him a "national treasure" and "prince of mikes". Do you think we could nominate him for an MBE or something similar? It  must be possible if enough people nominate him. Does anyone know how these things work or do you have to be in the establishment? For services to marathon broadcasting in difficult circumstances perhaps?

From: Greg
Subject: Duffieldisms

the one david duffield says often is 'a burst on the banjo' meaning, i assume, a rider is taking his turn in a share of the work. there are loads more, of which i can't think of right now but will send them when i do.
cheers,
greg

Thanks Greg, please keep thinking of them and let us have them as soon as you can.

From: Ellen "Ace"
Subject: Duffieldisms

The one that's been driving me wild this year's TdF is David's pronounciation of a certain Telecom rider. I have no idea how to pronounce Mr. Vinokurov's name, but I'll bet it isn't Voodookroff.

I was so happy to find your site--finally, someone who understands! I spend half my life watching EuroSport, and the other half ranting about EuroSport commentators (and me an American). I'd like to return the favor by pointing you towards a fun piece I wrote a couple of years ago titled "EuroSpoof" (http://www.1stserve.com/spoof.htm ). It's about tennis commentators, not cycling, but I think you might enjoy it. You are definitely my kind of people.

Ellen

Hey Ellen thats a great tennis feature (and the rest of your site is pretty good). How about turning your talents to a Duffieldspoof in the same vein as the tennis piece?

Thanks everyone for the emails. Please keep sending any info you might have on the great man and for those of you out there who don't like David's style of commentary then in the words of the man himself:

"If you can't stand the heat of the kitchen then don't come into it!"

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From: Dr Claire
Subject: Duffieldisms

What a great website. A fitting tribute to such a legend. And your glossary is very useful I have no idea what he's on about half of the time.

Anyway, I thought I had to share a few of my favourites with you, but then again there are so many!

Of the most recent would be on stage 14 of the Tour 2001. Some leading riders just coming up to the top of a climb. The Devil has just been out menacing them as usual, when DD spots someone mooning. ' There's a bloke mooning. Well some people really are strange. That's where the trident ought to go!' Classic!

My all time favourite though was the tour either 1999 or 2000. The stage was going though the Charente region, and DD as ever was talking about culinary specialities. 'Did you know that the local dish here is rabbit? Very nice it is too apparently. I used to have a rabbit. It was called Sixpence' A truly inconsequential, even surreal gem!

Thanks again, and keep updating that glossary!

Claire

At last. Academic acceptance of David Duffield! Do you ever wonder  if his brain is wired up differently to the rest of us? In a sort of Bionic Commentator type of way.

From: J
Subject: David Duffield

I think I've got a pretty good idea of the calibre of your club if Duffield is your idol. I can't think of a more unprofessional broadcaster. You may find his waffle, inaccuracies, and offensive comments enjoyable but there are many Eurosport subscribers - like myself - who either mute him or listen to a foreign commentator. Duffield is far past his sell-by date. Don't encourage the poor old sod.

Yes, I also think you have got a pretty good idea of the calibre of our club from our choice of unlikely hero. We enjoy cycling, we enjoy talking about cycling, we enjoy getting dirty off road and most of all we enjoy talking bollocks about cycling down the pub. If that ain't what you're about then that's cool. The Agreeable World's not for everyone and we never pretend it is.

From: Jef
Subject: David Duffield

superb site for a top man, ask yourselves this who else could keep you entertained for 7 hours on a haute cat. all dayer and have you noticed he gets the best and the humorous side out of his co-commentators ?

i'll click on again soon jef

You've summed it up pretty well there Jef. I can't really add anything to that.

From: Mark
Subject: Duffieldisms

What about "the battling Aussie", applied to any Australian rider who's having a dig/suffering a bad day/looks about to take the stage/jersey? (Sorry if someone else has mentioned this - haven't had time to read through all the messages.)

Well done Mark for bringing this to our attention. You are quite right and I don't think he uses this to describe any other nationality. Also its often followed by the words "barbie" and "fizzy brown stuff". Whoa hang on I'm listening to DD right now and just realised that when he says "Biggish hitters" really fast it comes out as something quite different. Enough diversions, I'm starting to lose my thread like him as well.

From: Chris, USA
Subject: David Duffield

I am one of the few Yanks who have had the privilege of hearing David's commentary for a major tour. I lived in Morocco and traveled in Europe in 1998 and watched and listened to the Giro and Tour religiously. As it was my first exposure to him, I marveled at his marathon mouth. Face it: not every televised moment of a tour stage is endowed with inherent excitement. David's ability to fill in the slow times with his gastronomic exploits or a good story from another year kept me rapt. I am sorry that my memory is insufficient to add to your store of Duffieldisms.

Now back in the States, I suffer, as do all my cycling friends, from a lack of live coverage of cycling. This year some of us have Outdoor Life Network, with Phil and Paul. They are fine and quite knowledgeable, but lack the off-balance sense of humor and political incorrectness that makes David so colorful. I wish he were calling the races here. I would happily forgive his occasionally overlooking an important breakaway.

Keep up the good work, David and Addiscombe CC.

Chris , Macon, GA USA

Many, many thanks for sharing that with us Chris. It must have been hard previously for you to get by without any cycling coverage at all accross the pond. At least you have the OLN coverage now which I guess is a spin off of the success Armstrong has had. Interestingly you can listen to Duffield live on Eurosport via the Audio feed.

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From: Norman
Subject: David Duffield

Thank you for your excellent web page, please accept the following for inclusion re Mr Duffield.

"Rough end of a ragman's trumpet" - rag and bone merchants would often blow a trumpet/bugle to warn/advise of their approach - not known for quality or tone!!!

David, when he worked for Halfords, was involved with the poster given away with a pop record (Queen?) that showed the rear views of naked young ladies on bikes - when he explained this at the Chippenham CC dinner I Understood why the saddles had looked of poor quality when examined closely.

I must complain about the choice of cycling route he gave to Cycling Weekly - all main road and very busy!

Thank you for your excellent web site.

I and my family appreciate the abilities of David in that he is able to :- talk/listen to producers/listen to race radio/remember food - drink - people - places/put his size 12 in his mouth and remove it in the same sentence for many hours on end.

I am not quite as old as him (by a month or three) and can remember articles in Cycling Weekly about his tricycling exploits - also wondering why he used three wheels when two were obviously faster.

'The Guardian' did an excellent article on him during the 2000 TDF that says everything - long may he continue!!

Norman

Thanks Norman. You sound like you were actually lucky enough to meet Him in real life. We were thinking about getting Him to come to our annual dinner but we are a bit tight and don't have the money to pay for his transport, hotel, food  and "fizzy brown stuff" so the other year we got pro road racer Gordon McCauley instead as he only lived down the road, had a small appetite and didn't drink much.

From: Lisa
Subject: duffieldisms

One to add to your David Duffield page:

"Just post your questions to ww.eurosport" means "send us an email"

today's permutation of the URL was just as good: "w.eurosport.com.uk"

I love your Duffield page so much I may have to join the club.

Lisa

Thanks Lisa, you're welcome to join our club anytime. Perhaps we should have a special concession for Duffield fans. You want to hear how he read our URL out for the Agreeable World. I'm surprised anyone ever managed to log onto it!

From: Andy
Subject: David Duffield

I recall Duffer saying "he`s like a yard of pump water" which I would say draws a parallel with "a long streak of piss" i.e. tall and skinny

P.S. I think your site is "Top Hole" i.e. ACE!

Thanks Andy. I don't know if we were ready for the uncouth description but I think we get your meaning. While we are *down there* I notice that he pronounces Francois Simon's surname as Semen. Now how many other cycling commentators get to use that word?

From: Gary
Subject: David Duffield

During the Giro d'Italia "I've always been very fond of Milan - ever since I saw the film "The Italian Job" Fact: The film was shot in Turin!!

Also during the G d'I. "And MercatoneUno is a large chain of supermarkets" Fact: They sell furniture!

Fortunately, I am able to see the Tour de France on Italian TV so I don't have to suffer Duffield this time

Regards

Gary

Well thanks for both of those. I was pretty ignorant of both of them and took DDs word for it. What's it like watching the Italian coverage? I know they have Maurizio Fondriest assisting but isn't the main commentator even more off the wall than DD? Imagine that, being able to out-duffield David Duffield. Frightening.

From: Rod
Subject: David Duffield

Brilliant site much enjoyed, keep up the good work.
One off the funniest comments I remember David making was during the Amstel Gold Race a couple of years ago. The roads were slightly damp, (a couple of riders had fallen) and as we know this can create conditions more slippery than those caused by heavy rain. David was trying to explain this and went on to say "Its very slippery out there because there has not been enough rain to wash the roads dry" - What he really meant of course was that the rain had not been heavy enough to wash away all the diesel, etc. As some of your contributors have mentioned, there is no comparison to the 15-20mins of edited commentary of Liggett and Sherwin, to the enormous task of 7 hours live commentary. This has been accomplish at times single handed by the great man, long may he continue - he is irreplaceable.

Indeed Rod, indeed. Well spotted. Interestingly you can listen to Liggett and Sherwin trying their hand at 7 hour live commentaries live on the web at the Outdoor Life Network site or as DD would say "w.outdoorLi.com.uk" or something similar. I tried listening to it but it felt adulterous so I switched back to Eurosport quickly.

From: Phil
Subject: David Duffield

..........of course, as todays stage of the Tour is in the Alps, it's a good day to "bury your Grandmother"

This is the excuse you give your boss when instead of being at work, you're at home watching 7 hours of the tour with David Duffield !!

I'm digging as we speak.

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From: Simon
Subject: David Duffield

Looking through your duffieldisms I didn't notice one of his favourites: "he parts his hair with a chamois leather" - used to described the hair style of riders such as pantani or lutenburger

cheers Simon

Thanks Simon.. There are quite a few of us in the Agreeable World that also part our hair with a chamois leather. How we yearn for the days when we could grow a mullet like that stylish Mr Brochard!

From: Jonathon
Subject: David Duffield

Another "Duffieldism" for you. As Francois Simon was struggling to stay with the lead group on the way to Alpe d'Huez, he was apparently "playing the accordian", meaning he was going in and out of the bunch.

Long may DD's commentary continue.

Regards, Jon.

Accordians, banjos...perhaps this has something to do with  skiffle? Someone else (Simon I think) pointed out that "O'Grady has gone off the back playing the accordian" as well. Perhaps we can get a band together with a tea chest bass.

From: Brian
Subject: David Duffield

Great page, guys!

My own addition to this tribute concerns poor Dave's debilitating psychiatric disorder whereby he cannot help stressing the 2nd syllable of any foreign word. This is most noticeable with:

Bartoli (we hear ‘bar-TOE-li’ instead of ‘BAR-to-li’)
Fassa Bortolo (we hear ‘bor-TOE-lo’ instead of ‘BOR-to-lo’)
CSC Tiscali (we hear ‘tis-CAR-li’ instead of ‘TIS-ca-li’)

Dave... please please please visit your neighbouring Eurosport Italian commentator and get a crash course in pronunciation.

Brian.

One of the things that I particularly like about Dave is his ability to mangle beautiful foreign languages. Its a skill I try to employ when I go on holiday as it always makes conversing with the locals a bit more fun. Also do you notice how he tells us that Lance Armstrong recovered from "testular cancer". Perhaps he doesn't like mentioning that part of the body on air which seems strange as Semen often gets a mention when the Bonjour riders are on screen.

From: Juliet (Via Agreeable Chris)
Subject: Duffieldballs

Are you collecting these?
One yesterday was:
"It was raining - wet water falling out of the sky"
Juliet

Thanks Juliet, thats up there with "washing the roads dry". You know, I think there's something amazingly attractive about a woman who collects duffieldisms.

From: Nick
Subject: Club Dinners

I went to the Welsh CA BAR lunch a couple of years ago and Duffers was the guest speaker. Typical of the man, it was just like one of his commentaries - a fine start and then slowly deteriorating into over excitement punctuated by lots of Ah's, Er's, Um's etc. He then got really wound up during the Q & A session after (it was just after the "Festina" affair) when his hatred (quite rightly) of any form of doping became evident.

Nice man though - met him in the car park afterwards. He'd left his wife in the car for the best part (sorry thick end) of 3 hours!!

Well worth getting for the club bash though.

Nick

Thanks for the account Nick. Don't suppose you got a picture of him did you? Left his wife in the car!?! So we'd only have to pay for one meal ticket if we could get him to come to our dinner. We will have to look into that.

From: Gary & Geoff
Subject: Duffers

You forgot to mention the following :
"Pursuiters Hooter" Big Nose
"Lashaid" spelt phonetically Off The Back
David Duffield is the Dogs Bo**ocks, good work fella long may you reign.

He is indeed! I think "lashaid" comes from the French verb Lache (sp?) which according to its use on Radio Tour means "to go out the back"

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From: Nathan
Subject: We Love David Duffield

Enjoyed reading your website feature about Duffers.

The best "Duffieldism" I have ever heard was in the finale of this year's Giro in Milan.

A viewer (indentity unknown) sent an e-mail to David describing his occasional over-excited commentary when the hammer goes down in a race.

He said that David sounds like "he's had four pints of lager and pee'd in a lamp socket !". David read this out live on air and apologised to viewers for occasionally getting carried away with his commentary!

All of this was happening in the final couple of KM's in the final stage of the Giro as Cippolini was winding up for a big sprint, but David had the whole situation under control and didn't panic - pure class! You can't help but love the man.

Nathan
Hull Thursday Road Club

Thats right. A lot of folk aren't too keen on DD. I think they have been bought up on the 15 minutes a day that Paul Sherwen and Phil Ligget used to dish out, which by the way I wondered if they did *after* they knew the result.

From: Robert
Subject: Duffieldisms

Hello to all at Addiscombe Cycling Club,

I was delighted to read in Cycling Weekly that you had dedicated a bit of your web site to my cycling commentator hero, the mighty David Duffield.

Forget about all the others, you may as well turn the sound off when David and Sean are not on. Cycling looks really really boring (Boardman and studio stuff). Old Chris should have stuck to the odd bit of woodwork, like when he was supposed to be leading Credit Agricole and it was really Stuart O'Grady.

Any way, enough of my pet hates.

One of my favourite Duffieldisms was during this years Paris-Nice when he was describing the new team strips and he arrived at Team Coast. He said that they were the team with the gold body and BLACK ARM PITS. Did they do a shift down the coal mines before the start.

Another great laugh we had was during last years Tour de France. The field were meanering through field after field of lavender crops and David started to talk about the meal he had the night before, saying the sauce was made up of garlic and lavender. Can you imagine anything more horrible.

How about the fact that his mother always made him give up his seat to elderly people coming on the bus.

One of the best was surely the time the imposters dived into the field during the Tour mountain-top finish and David jumped out of his seat and yelled ''For Christ sake, will someone get that idiot off the road.'' Brilliant. Can you hear Chris or anyone else giving us that outspoken commentary. No way.

Again, during Paris-Roubaix, going through one of the World War 1 battlefields, David gave us a rendition of a Browning poem about the sad events that took place during the Great War, saying we were going through very sacred territory. Yes there is only one cycling commentator for me, David Duffield

Thanks for the opportunity to have a look at your site.

Keep up the great work.

Robert

P.S. I've just had a frame made by Roberts Cycles, of Croydon, and it's absolutely brilliant. The mechanics and sales staff at Dales in Glasgow, who used to make the famous Flying Scot bikes, were raving about the quality of it.

When those imposters sprung up I thought he was going to jump out of his commentary box and "give em a thump". The poem was good and I seem to recall he read a story from a rider who rode Paris-Roubaix years ago and he kept mentioning all the "piss and shit" of the road. Most unlike DD but apt considering the conditions of the race at the time. Oh yes - Roberts are the best you can buy if you can afford it. Not the typical sort of thing you would expect to find in Croydon. I think a relative of his (maybe his Dad) used to be in Addiscombe when it first started. We have a story about him here from the early days.

From: Karen
Subject: Duffield Speak

Duff speak
"They'll be celebrating in the old town tonight".

Indeed they will. Drinking some of "the fizzy brown stuff" as well no doubt! How did our intrepid spotters miss this when they were compiling this page? Thanks for pointing it out Karen.

From: Robert
Subject: Duffieldisms

''He's got a dose of the old Spanish two-step.''
Trouble in the toilet department.

''He's built like the proverbial .......''
Has a build like an old outside shithouse.

''Like the proverbial ....... off a shovel.''
Going up the road or off the back at quite a rate of knots.

"The little diddy men"
Small riders built like Betini

How about the Quealey, Hoy and McLean's track events at the Olympics, when David started to reach for his books to get some facts and the race finished before he had time to see the result or find them out.

So the little diddy men are probably the same as the cheeky chappies. I forgot David was at the velodrome in the Olympic. I watched most of it on BBC and Hugh Porter wasn't in the same league as DD. For one he didn't make any cock ups so it wasn't as much fun watching. Also remember how DD wouldn't commentate on Boardman's Athlete Record at Manchester. Instead he went and stood outside in the rain because he disagreed with the UCI so vehemently that he wanted nothing to do with it.

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Some of David's common sayings include:

Duffer's speak	English
"Hanging on for grim death"	A rider is struggling to maintain the pace of the other riders
"Put the cat amongst the pigeons"	An attack has happened that will illicit a strong response
"Go absolutely bananas"	Get very excited
"Lying a bit doggo"	A rider is very tired in the peloton or break. From "dog tired".
"A gnat's whisker away"	Very close. Often in a sprint when a photo finish is required.
"Its about as useful as a chocolate chainring"	Its not very useful at all.
"It's a bit dark over Bill's mother's"	The weather over there looks a bit ominous
"He's gone all around the Wrekin"	He's taken the long way around [the roundabout.
"It might blow the valves in your television set!"	Turn the volume on your TV down as the commentary is going to be very loud and excited
"He had the toilet two steps in no uncertain terms"	He has been suffering from gastroenteritis. In this instance referring to Francesco Casagrande in the TdF2001
"It must feel like he's been hit with a shovel"	The rider out in front on the climb has been overtaken rather quickly by the chasers
"He's at the bottom of the barrel"	The rider is now very fatigued
"He's like a fisherman reeling in his salmon"	The rider is passing other riders who were ahead and catching them one at a time. (Whilst they are probably being hit with a shovel. And at the bottom of the barrel.)
"There are 21 stages in the race and 21 teams. Each team will win a stage except some which will win more"	There are a lot of teams and a lot of stages which will be hotly contested.
"Come down the finishing straight like a dose of salts"	Traveling at high speed approaching the final sprint.
"Its not all beer and skittles by any means"	The racing at the moment is so hard it can't be enjoyable for the riders.
"They're a chirpy little lot, like Kelme used to be"	The team are well suited to climbing in the high mountains and instigate a large number of attacks.
"Mike Smith in Paris, I need to see a man about a dog!"	Mike Smith, please can you cover for me on this long stage as I need to pop to the toilet!
"He's come out of there like a cork from a bottle"	A rider has launched a devastating attack and left the peloton behind.
"He's shot his bolt and gone out the back"	The rider has pushed himself too soon and is now getting left behind
"Sackcloth and ashes"	I apologise for an earlier mistake I may have made
"Time for a quick sherbert"	Time for a quick drink

f you have got any more info on David we would love to add it to this list. Likewise we would like you to send us any Duffield speak that you hear on Eurosport.

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Some of David's common sayings include:

Duffer's speak	English
"Tail end Charlies"	Riders struggling at the back of the peloton
" He will be licking his lips"	Looking forward in anticipation (to the climbs/sprint /TT etc)
"Turn your granny to the wall"	The riders will be descending a treacherous Alpine road at over 80 kph. It will be too scary for your grandmother to watch.
"He goes round corners like a fifty pence piece"	Description of Jan Ulrich's ragged cornering style
"Raining cats and dogs"	Above average rainfall for this time of year
"Going full bore out"	Traveling at top Speed
"Cheeky little chappie"	Rider of restricted height who keeps  trying to get away from the peloton. Often Spanish or Italian.
"Come a box of tricks"	Have an accident and end up on the floor. Often while descending or sprinting.
"Er..."	Frequently uttered timefiller on long flat stages.
"Riding himself to a standstill"	Riding so hard he will not be able to sustain it.
"Face as long as a fiddle"	Unhappy looking rider. Often the day after he has "Come a box of tricks"
"On the rivet"	Sitting right over the front of the saddle whilst riding as fast as is possible.
"After doing the thick end of ...(fifty)..miles"	After riding ...(fifty).. miles
"The man with the hammer has got him"	The rider is so fatigued he can barely continue.
"The hammer's gone down"	There has been an increase in speed
"Riding himself into a frazzle"	Riding very hard
"Hang on to your hats"	Watch carefully.
"Rough end of a ragman's trumpet"	No translation available. Suggestions please.
"Its all over bar the shouting"	The race is already decided
"Its not over till the fat lady sings"	The race could be won by anyone. Often uttered five minutes after "Its all over bar the shouting"
"Ripped this thing to pieces"	A rider is making life very difficult for other riders in the peloton

f you have got any more info on David we would love to add it to this list. Likewise we would like you to send us any Duffield speak that you hear on Eurosport.

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Here are some more things we have learnt about David Duffield

He loves his chips to be covered in mayonnaise. When in Belgium do as the Belgians do...

He likes it when the Tour goes to Bordeaux. Not because of the exciting sprints that Bordeaux lends itself to but because of the mussels!

He has previously worked in advertising, worked for the British Cycle Corporation, Alex Moulton, Raleigh, Halfords, Falcon-Claud Butler, Pashley, Muddy Fox and also commentated at the finish of events such as the Milk Race.

David helped launch BMX in this country and had something to do with the introducing the Raleigh Chopper.

David is against cyclists using performance enhancing drugs. On EPO he says that "it thickens your blood like strawberry jam...which can stop your heart beating when you are asleep...and if you are not careful in the morning you could wake up dead."

On the Tour de France David once put petrol into his diesel car and as a result couldn't make it to the commentary box when the engine seized up. To get out of this pickle he  had to commentate over the phone from his hotel room whilst watching the race on  TV.

Surprisingly David has only ever fallen off his chair once while commentating. In the 1989 TdF the final stage in Paris was a time trial. Greg Lemond beat the French favourite Laurent Fignon by just 8 seconds to snatch the yellow jersey and ulimate victory. When the times were announced as Fignon crossed the line DD fell off the back of his chair and the commentary went quiet for a bit before he composed himself and came back on air.

David likes cheese. Infact he likes it so much he will try just about any type of cheese despite how bad it initially smells. He once bought some cheese that the cheesemonger in Bath recommended to him that smelt incredibly bad. At the time David drove a mini (somehow due to his link with Moulton, but that's another story) and the smell of the cheese was so strong that he couldn't carry the cheese in the car lest it stunk it out. Instead he managed to tie the cheese to the mini's roofrack and drive home with the cheese on the roof.

Tour of Romandy Update

During the 2001 Tour of Romandy David started the programme by talking about all the things that got sent to him recently and mentioned this website! Fame at last for Addiscombe we thought as he spoke about our club and our erstwhile man behind the scenes, friend of Duffield and RRA boss - Eddie Munday! But there was more as David then gave out the web address of the Agreeable World and in true Duffield style got it a bit jumbled up. It was only fitting really. He then went on to mention our list of things about him and then he specifically mentioned about his female fans sending him pictures of their pussies and how he likes to look at them while he is working. All around Europe there must have been avid Duffield fans trying to get the gist of exactly what he was talking about. We will have an audio sample here soon of that bit of the commentary as soon as we work out how to connect the video to the 33k modem but we can assure you it was vintage Duffield at his best. "Chapeau David" as you would say!

Giro 2001 Update - How Dave got into cycling

Back in 1951 on the 3rd June whilst serving in the army with his pal Mike David Duffield watched his first ever Giro stage finish at Trieste. 50 years later whilst commentating at the Giro in 2001 DD recounted on TV how he and his pal were furnished with a pair of Bianchi bikes while they were serving and had plenty of time to ride when they were not guarding "the fractous border".
Dave recounted how it was his friend Mike who was in the Evesham Wheelers got him into cycling and if it wasn't for him DD wouldn't be where he is now. Dave's voice then began to waiver a bit as he said how Mike was taken by Cancer and is no longer with us and then he dedicated the days programme to his pal before breaking off from the commentary for an unusually long time. A touching moment really as you think of all the great things DD has done in the past 50 years and all down to his old pal Mike. In true professional commentary Dave had cleared his throat and was back informing us of the race coverage in no time. What a star and a sweetie!

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Here are some things we have learnt about David over the years.

He was born 20th May 1931. (Send him a birthday card via www.eurosport.com!)

He rode a trike very fast. He even held a lot of British Records for trike racing.

He enjoys food more than the average person! Every region he goes to he has to try the local delicacies. At the TDF 2000 one of dishes he tucked into was Prunes, much to Russell's disappointment in the car the next day!

His idol was Fausto Coppi.

He is a big fan of 007.

He has received the FT Bidlake trophy which is normally awarded to outstanding cycling athletes but was awarded to David Duffield  "in recognition of his unique ability in the promotion of cycle sport through his television commentaries of international cycle racing".

His first cycling club was the Beacon RCC. He was even in a skiffle group with some of the other members. (Does your club have a skiffle group? Email us about it!)

David played guitar but the group also had a "tea chest bass".

He has size 12 feet. As he often reminds us...

His favourite song is Candle in the Wind.

He doesn't have time for holidays but does get to go all around the world with Eurosport starting with Australia at the Tour Down Under at the beginning of the year via all the classics and major tours in Europe through to the World Championships.

He still goes out training on the bike when he gets the chance and manages a bit of running.

He went on the Critical Mass bike ride in Sydney when he was there for the Olympics and thought it was good.

His favourite drink is Whiskey and Perrier but he seems to like wine as he gets to tell us what wine region he is in wherever he is on the tour.

His favourite race is Paris - Roubaix.

He likes cats so much that his female fans often send him pictures of their pussies when ever they write to him.

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