Thanks, Mike for an informative summary of Gaul's career. I can remember when I
was a teenager,
having picked up a copy of an old, used book called, "My World on Wheels",
written by an Aussie roadie
named Russell Mockridge who rode concurrently with Gaul. On Gaul's notriously
high RPM
climbing style he said that if anybody else tried to pedal like that it would
kill them.

Did I read right what you said about his alleged heart rate of 90 BPM while
riding up a mountain?
I have to admit that that sounds absolutely absurd to me.

It struck me, the difference between winners and their rivals in those days and
now - losing 15 minutes
in a stage. Seesh. If these guys at the top were takling this much time out of
each other I wonder
how much they were taking from the gregarios. Now, when Lance takes a minute
thirty out of Jan it's a
big news.

Karol