Sure, there's the God of Thunder, Spartacus and other similarly unused nicknames today, which writers use in print as a way of not having to say "Cancellara" or "Hushovd" over and over again. We also see them in custom paints jobs on frames, but I have yet to hear anyone say "Wow, did you see the God of Thunder win that stage today?"
What's rather strange is that many riders are simply begging for proper nicknames and have yet to get one. Andy Schleck's bird-like looks have yet to inspire anyone in the media to come up with a proper nickname for him. Similarly, Philippe Gilbert's face, which looks like it caught on fire and was subsequently put out with soccer cleats, has yet to garner a single nickname (at least in English).
Things weren't always like this. Moreover, in Colombia, almost every rider continues to have a nickname. These are readily used by fans and the press instead of the rider's proper name. They aren't simply used by sponsors on custom saddles that reveal nicknames none of us really knew existed (Tommy D, I'm looking in your general direction).
So you've heard people talk about the good ol' days of steel frames, as they moan about carbon fiber. You've heard some others complain about the fact that drivetrains ever went past seven, eight, nine, or ten speeds. Well, I'm far worse than any of those people. I'm here to mourn the death of the nickname.
Consider Roberto "Pajarito" Buitrago (pictured above) whose nickname ("Little Bird") came about as a result of his ability to fly away from competitors during climbs. Not only did Buitrago have a nickname, his team truck did as well. It was called La Jaula, The Birdcage. You can see it's name written faintly along the back of the truck. The nickname came about due to Buitrago's nickname, but also because of the truck's cage-like rear deck, where his brothers would ride along, hosing him down, passing him food, and fixing his bikes after crashes.
Pajarito Buitrago todayFor the record, it's also worth mentioning that Buitrago's greatest rival was Rubèn Darìo Gòmez, was known throughout Colombia as "El Tigrillo De Pereira" (The Oncilla or Ocelot of Pereira). But many others had and still have nicknames. As I said earlier, many of these are used instead of someone's proper name. "Cochise", for example (one of the first Colombian professionals, holder of the hour-record, and Giro stage winner), is never referred to by his real name, Martín Emilio Rodríguez. Even cycling fans in Colombia won't know who you are referring to at first. He's simply Cochise.
Here are just a few, which I've tried to translate and/or explain when possible:
Luis "El Jardinerito" Herrera (The Little Gardner, as a result of Herrera working in a farm near his native Fusagasuga)
Edgar "Condorito" Corredor
(Little Condor, based on this popular comic strip)
Antonio "Tomate" Agudelo
(Tomato, as a result of his round head and rather rosy appearance)
Rogelio "El Carnicero" Arango
(The Butcher)
Martín Emilio "Cochise" Rodríguez
(Due to his affinity for Western movies and TV shows. Rogriguez admired Cochise as a figure in native american culture)
Henry "Cebollita" Cardenas(Little Onion, as a result of his....well, rather onion-like head)
Alvaro "Corazon De Fantasia" Lozano
(Heart Full of Fantasy/Wonder, as a result of his diagnosed heart condition)
Hernan "El Cabrito De Barichara" Buenahora
(The Goat from Barichara)
Efrain "Indominable Zipa" Forero
(The Indominable Chief, a reference to a chief among native tribes in pre-conquest Colombia)
Argemiero "El Polaco" Bohorquez(Pole or Polish, due to his unusually European-looking complection and hair color.)
Ruben Dario "El Diablo" Beltran
(The Devil)
Carlos Emiro "La Hormiguita" Gutierrez
(The Little Ant)
Julio Ernesto "El Hermano" Bernal
(Brother, because of the fact that he was a member of a religious order)
Israel "Pinocho" Corredor
(Pinocchio, obviously because of straight and long nose)
Javier Ignacio "La Pantera" Montoya
(The Panther)
Manuel "Jumbo" Cardenas
(Jumbo, like a 747 Jumbo Jet)
Luis "La Bala" Diaz
(The Bullet)
Edgar "El Gato" Arias
(The Cat)
Victor "Chicharra" Niño
(It's literally means cicada, but can also mean someone who talks a lot, makes a lot of noise.)
Alvaro "El Condor de Cundinamarca" Pachon(The Condor of Cundinamarca, the department where Bogota is located. Pachon's nose is decidedly condor-like, as was his ability to soar over mountain passes)
Miguel "Don Coraje" Samaca
(Mister Courage)
Jose Luis "Mayordomo" Venegas
(Butler/Foreman)
Alvaro "El Cometa" Mejia
(The Comet)
Javier "El Milagroso" Zapata
(The Miraculous)
Hector Ivan "El Mono" Palacio
(In Colombia, the word "mono" means either monkey, or blondie)
Armando "El Tanguero" Moreno
(The Tango Dancer)
Nestor "La Pulga" Bernal
(The Flea)
Carlos Humberto "Orejita" Cabrera
(Tiny Ear, because of his not-so-tiny ears)
Felix "El Gato" Cardenas
(The Cat, as in Felix The Cat)
Humberto "Eriso" Hernandez
(The Hedgehog)
Jose "El Leon de Bucaramanga" Serpa
(The lion of Bucaramanga, his city of birth. Oddly enough, there's actually been reports of a lion sightings in suburban Bucaramanga recently. Perhaps Jose was out training)
Eduardo "El Guerrero Del Camino" Guerrero
(The Warrior of the Road)
Victor Hugo "El Tiburon" Peña
(The Shark, in part because Victor Hugo excelled at swimming and held numerous national records before he started cycling)
Patrocinio "Viejo Patro" Jimenez
(Old Patro, based on his first name)
Omar "El Zorro" Hernandez
(The Fox)
Alberto "El Toro" Camargo
(The Bull)
Jose "Chepe" Gonzalez(Chepe is a shortened version of several names, no real way to translate it. Watch Chepe win a stage at the Tour here)
Nelson "Cacaito" Rodriguez
(Term of endearment derived from the cocoa bean)
Miguel Angel "El Raton" Sanabria
(The mouse)
Roberto "El Sastre de Envigado" Cano
(The tailor from Envigado)
Carlos "El Ladron De Corazones" Orejuela
(He who steals hearts)
Juan Esteban "Pantalla" Montoya
(Movie Screen, due to his large forehead)
Arturo "Peluca" Lopez
(Wig, due to his hair)
If anyone knows of any Colombian nicknames I've missed, feel free to share them. If you have a favorite nickname (for a rider from any country), or you'd like to make one up, share them in the comments section. Let the fun begin.
Too true, there's a terrible decline. "Fast Phil" just doesn't cut it for Gilbert no matter what his bike sponsor thinks, and surely nobody seriously calls Contador "Pistolero"?
ReplyDelete"Purito" Rodriguez is carrying the flame almost alone among Europeans, no matter how many times Phil Liggett calls Menchov "the Silent Assassin".
Il Pirata, naturalmente!
ReplyDelete"Purito" is indeed a good one, particularly because of its source. If anyone is unaware of the nickname's root, read this:
ReplyDeletehttp://inrng.com/2011/04/joaquin-purito-rodriguez/
whats uran's?
ReplyDeleteOther than "Rigo," I don't think I've ever heard anyone refer to him as anything else...
DeleteAbout Bohorquez' nickname "El Polaco", I think I remember once hearing he was actually, in fact, part polish? He raced for Fagor in the 80s.
ReplyDeleteSpaniards used to, and still have, great nicknames. Valverde "La Bala Verde", is one of my all time faves. Indurain "Miguelon", Angel "El Salvaje" Arroyo (The Savage), "El Aguila de Toledo" Bahamontes, "Perico" Delgado (I don't think I even knew his real name as a kid). Probably my favorite Spanish rider of all times Vicente Belda was referred to as "The Midget," by the Colombian press! These where guys who were 5'3" and were calling Belda a "midget!" Well, Belda is just under 5'.
Other good ones, "The Lion of Flanders" Museeuw, The Cricket Bettini, El Diablo Chiapucci, "Tintin" Rebellin. I dunno if it's just cuz it rhymes, but he kinda looks like Tintin, no?
Did the call Phil Anderson, the Kangaroo in English? They did call him "El Canguro" in Spanish. Also, they used to call Hampsten "El Conejo," The Rabbit, did they call him that here?
"Purito" could well be the only nickname (among the current riders) that is actually used instead of or much more often than the rider's real name.
ReplyDeleteIgor Antón is known as "Fuji". The nickname stems from the make of the bike he had as a junior, but journalists and commentators appear to use it merely to avoid repetition, you would never see it in a news headline, for instance. But it is another genuine nickname, coined and actually used by teammates.
Vincenzo Nibali is called "Lo squalo dello Stretto", "The shark of the (Messina) strait", because of the attacking style the Sicilian rider had as an amateur, but to me this is another example of sports writers inventing a nickname just because riders are supposed to have nickname. That is not to say that such a nickname couldn't gain popularity and become widely used.
It also occurred to me that it is a little bit odd that is that nicknames or "artist names" are not popular in Colombian football. Personalities, yes, but no nicknames (AFAIK, I could be quite wrong here) even though Brazilian and also Spanish players have them.
The nature of how Brazilian soccer/football players get their names and their nicknames is interesting, but largely based on Brazilian customs and the Portuguese naming convention (thus you end up with players that have a single name: Zico, Pele, Ronaldinho)There's a good article about this here, since I admit I don't know a great deal about it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2006/06/why_ronaldinho_has_no_last_name.html
Rigoberto Uran is pretty much always known as "Rigo". When I saw him at the Clasico El Colombiano race, everyone who approached him said "Rigo". Sergio Henao (now with Sky) is referred to as "El Venao" (the deer) because of his last name. Not very inventive, and not as pervasive in its use to be honest.
Hampsten was known as "Le Petit Lapin" (french for little rabbit) due to his climbing ability but also (I think) because of his front teeth, which he eventually got fixed. If I were him, I wouldn't have particularly loved that nickname.
On the subject of sensitive nicknames, Pantani certainly wasn't fond of "Il Elefantino", for obvious reasons. It's worth noting that is what Armstrong chose to call him, surely knowing he hated it. During the end of his downward spiral, he actually got his ears pinned back through surgery.
Lastly, if anyone is wondering just how short Vicente Belda was, look at these pictures:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/156/416582858_0ff7ee1398_o.jpg
http://estaticos.archivo.marca.com/ciclismo/josu_garai/kelme.jpg
and if you want to see him in motion, watch the video below. Keep in mind that the rider with him is Herrera, who was himself pretty short
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2PYXjBRr4Q
Belda was bad ass. In the beginning of that video he's riding with Henry Cardenas and then Herrera gets there. That's on the 1987 Vuelta on the stage to Lagos de Covadonga. That Vuelta was AWESOME!
DeleteI've been calling Gilbert "the Rat" for a couple of seasons now. It might not sound flattering but in Chinese astrology rats rule.
ReplyDeleteI unfortunately don't have any nicknames to add, but I wanted to say that this post and these comments are thoroughly enjoyable and totally awesome. Thanks everyone
ReplyDeleteI think "Brother Frank" should get official nickname status.
ReplyDeleteJohnny Hoogerland -- "The Flying Dutchman"
Best nickname ever: this obscure Belgian guy from the 60s and 70s was called "The Man-eater" or "The Flesh-devourer" -- something like that. I forget exactly, but I think his name was Eddy Money.
Reggie,
ReplyDeleteThat Eddy Money character was amazing, he could ride a bike fast, and also managed to write some amazing songs. Such multi-talented riders are a thing of the past I'm afraid.
For Manuel "Jumbo" Cardenas, how big does a a Colombian have to be to get this nickname 5'6" 140? or was it ironic?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteI think it was for real...but you make a good point. Not only that, how big does a Colombian cyclist have to be to earn that nickname? my estimate:
5'6'
135 pounds
Aside from the Vuelta footage being super awesome,
ReplyDeletepanties!
Humorous side note; spelchek wants to change Vuelta to Velveeta.
Lance "The Cancer" Armstrong? Anyone?...Anyone?....
ReplyDeleteohhhhhhhhhhh snap! Paul Kimmage made that one up, but it never stuck.
ReplyDeleteI do give Kimmage full props. This one is my own: Phil "Pedal-phile" Ligget. That seems mean.
ReplyDeleteNick names are still big in pro cycling. Theres Jonathan "El Gato" Vaughters, Thor "El Gato" Hushovd, Matt "El Gato" Goss... The list goes on.
ReplyDelete