MUHLIS
12-03-2007, 12:11 PM
True Stories: Abdu on the Champs-Elysees, July 1991Anthony Pope Thursday, Dec 6, 2007 12.00am
Coca-cola, the KGB and the Terror of Tashkent came together in cycling's most replayed crash (©Anthony Pope)
The 'Tashkent Terror' is a name whispered in hushed tones in far Eastern Europe. Its mere mention by parents is enough to get troublesome children to eat their veg and go straight to bed. As the years go by, however, the person behind this near mythical figure becomes ever more distant. And yet his name still evokes clear enough memories by those unfortunate enough to incur his wrath while racing alongside him.
The year 1991 saw Djamolidine Abdoujaparov at the peak of his unpredictable sprinting powers. From the ex-Soviet state of Uzbekistan, tough and uncompromising, he was renowned as much for his fast-finishing as for his ability to send rivals into the barriers with his erratic and aggressive manoeuvres.
Whilst he was well known within the world of professional cycling, his actions during the final stage into Paris in the 1991 edition of the Tour de France would announce him onto the world stage. Wearing the Green Jersey denoting his lead in the prestigious points competition, Abdu was expected to crown his achievement with a stage victory on the Champs-Elysees - the one every sprinter wants to win.
As the peloton entered the home straight, Abdu exploded down the right hand side. Seemingly heading for another stage win, he suddenly veered right, smashing into one of the giant publicity Coca-Cola cans before being catapulted into the air as he then hit the barriers. Lying prostrate on the Parisian cobbles, the world held its breath until the Tashkent Terror rose like an emerald phoenix to cross the line and claim his prize before being hurried off to hospital.
As the TV station endlessly replayed the crash, not even the most well-respected pundit could come up with an explanation as to how Abdu managed to end up, unaided, spread-eagled across the world's most famous avenue. Abdu himself refused to speak about the incident. He played out the final years of his career, winning the Green Jersey twice more, before retiring following a drugs ban. Recently however, he has been willing to talk about cycling's most famous crash and how it has provided for a very comfortable retirement.
Speaking from his multi-million dollar villa in Tashkent's most luxurious suburb, Abdu was ready to reveal the real story behind what appeared to be a completely random event. "As the only rider from Uzbekistan, I felt quite isolated and didn't really integrate with the other Russian riders. I was befriended by one of the Russian Cycling Federation's management team who I knew also worked for the Government. What I did not know that was that this man, Vladimir Putin, was a low-ranking KGB agent. We often talked about home and how we missed it and it was during one of these late-night conversations that he put forward a proposal that I found difficult to decline. Basically, he had been contacted by the then struggling Coca-Cola Company who were concerned that they were being outsold ten-to-one by their rival cola manufacturers. They needed something to thrust Coca-Cola back into the public eye, especially in Russia where the market for cola-based drinks is worth $50 billion in hard western currency. The plan was simple. They'd pay me a flat fee and I'd ride into a Coca-Cola can, the footage of which would be replayed millions of times. Putin's role was as a go-between. The Russian Government kept tight control on all western companies looking to access the lucrative Russian markets and Putin was the gatekeeper in this instance."
Although well paid to take this deliberate fall, Abdu was professional enough to grapple with his conscience over the proposal. "It gave me sleepless nights. I wanted to win but my wife and children back home needed the money. What would you do?"
His exploits at winning the jersey despite the crash made him a national hero, with Moscow affording him a parade in his honour. Coca-Cola narrowly avoided bankruptcy and were able to expand into Russia where the locals were pleased to finally have a mixer for all that Vodka. The real winner however was Abdu. A keen watcher of modern technology, Abdu was an early adopter of the then primitive internet and was able to foresee its growth from military intelligence applications to stalking ex-girl/boyfriends on popular social networking sites such as MyFace and Placebook.
Abdu spent much of his Coca-Cola fee buying up the TV rights to his crash from the Tour Organisers. Today, every time the footage is viewed either online or on television, Abdu gets paid. Last year alone, the 8 million plus viewings of his crash netted him a cool $950,000 making him the third richest man in Uzbekistan.
If you want to visit the site of this amazing episode in cycling's rich history, the evidence is still there to this today. Take a leisurely walk down the Champs-Elysees and roughly 80 metres from the traditional finish line you will spot the unmistakable outline of the Tashkent Terror on the cobbles. Indeed embedded between them, there are still fragments of those Denim-style shorts subsequently banned by the UCI after legal advice from the Fashion Police.
Source (http://www.bikeradar.com/blogs/article/true-stories-abdu-on-the-champs-elysees-july-1991-13390)
Watch this famous crash that made our cyclist rich on youtube.
Coca-cola, the KGB and the Terror of Tashkent came together in cycling's most replayed crash (©Anthony Pope)
The 'Tashkent Terror' is a name whispered in hushed tones in far Eastern Europe. Its mere mention by parents is enough to get troublesome children to eat their veg and go straight to bed. As the years go by, however, the person behind this near mythical figure becomes ever more distant. And yet his name still evokes clear enough memories by those unfortunate enough to incur his wrath while racing alongside him.
The year 1991 saw Djamolidine Abdoujaparov at the peak of his unpredictable sprinting powers. From the ex-Soviet state of Uzbekistan, tough and uncompromising, he was renowned as much for his fast-finishing as for his ability to send rivals into the barriers with his erratic and aggressive manoeuvres.
Whilst he was well known within the world of professional cycling, his actions during the final stage into Paris in the 1991 edition of the Tour de France would announce him onto the world stage. Wearing the Green Jersey denoting his lead in the prestigious points competition, Abdu was expected to crown his achievement with a stage victory on the Champs-Elysees - the one every sprinter wants to win.
As the peloton entered the home straight, Abdu exploded down the right hand side. Seemingly heading for another stage win, he suddenly veered right, smashing into one of the giant publicity Coca-Cola cans before being catapulted into the air as he then hit the barriers. Lying prostrate on the Parisian cobbles, the world held its breath until the Tashkent Terror rose like an emerald phoenix to cross the line and claim his prize before being hurried off to hospital.
As the TV station endlessly replayed the crash, not even the most well-respected pundit could come up with an explanation as to how Abdu managed to end up, unaided, spread-eagled across the world's most famous avenue. Abdu himself refused to speak about the incident. He played out the final years of his career, winning the Green Jersey twice more, before retiring following a drugs ban. Recently however, he has been willing to talk about cycling's most famous crash and how it has provided for a very comfortable retirement.
Speaking from his multi-million dollar villa in Tashkent's most luxurious suburb, Abdu was ready to reveal the real story behind what appeared to be a completely random event. "As the only rider from Uzbekistan, I felt quite isolated and didn't really integrate with the other Russian riders. I was befriended by one of the Russian Cycling Federation's management team who I knew also worked for the Government. What I did not know that was that this man, Vladimir Putin, was a low-ranking KGB agent. We often talked about home and how we missed it and it was during one of these late-night conversations that he put forward a proposal that I found difficult to decline. Basically, he had been contacted by the then struggling Coca-Cola Company who were concerned that they were being outsold ten-to-one by their rival cola manufacturers. They needed something to thrust Coca-Cola back into the public eye, especially in Russia where the market for cola-based drinks is worth $50 billion in hard western currency. The plan was simple. They'd pay me a flat fee and I'd ride into a Coca-Cola can, the footage of which would be replayed millions of times. Putin's role was as a go-between. The Russian Government kept tight control on all western companies looking to access the lucrative Russian markets and Putin was the gatekeeper in this instance."
Although well paid to take this deliberate fall, Abdu was professional enough to grapple with his conscience over the proposal. "It gave me sleepless nights. I wanted to win but my wife and children back home needed the money. What would you do?"
His exploits at winning the jersey despite the crash made him a national hero, with Moscow affording him a parade in his honour. Coca-Cola narrowly avoided bankruptcy and were able to expand into Russia where the locals were pleased to finally have a mixer for all that Vodka. The real winner however was Abdu. A keen watcher of modern technology, Abdu was an early adopter of the then primitive internet and was able to foresee its growth from military intelligence applications to stalking ex-girl/boyfriends on popular social networking sites such as MyFace and Placebook.
Abdu spent much of his Coca-Cola fee buying up the TV rights to his crash from the Tour Organisers. Today, every time the footage is viewed either online or on television, Abdu gets paid. Last year alone, the 8 million plus viewings of his crash netted him a cool $950,000 making him the third richest man in Uzbekistan.
If you want to visit the site of this amazing episode in cycling's rich history, the evidence is still there to this today. Take a leisurely walk down the Champs-Elysees and roughly 80 metres from the traditional finish line you will spot the unmistakable outline of the Tashkent Terror on the cobbles. Indeed embedded between them, there are still fragments of those Denim-style shorts subsequently banned by the UCI after legal advice from the Fashion Police.
Source (http://www.bikeradar.com/blogs/article/true-stories-abdu-on-the-champs-elysees-july-1991-13390)
Watch this famous crash that made our cyclist rich on youtube.