There it is.
Coppista? You will say that "it is clearly Coppi handing off his bottle". You will say"Look at the form of the man, he is not looking back to grab a bidon; he is looking forward to the race." You will admire the intensity of his gaze . You will point out the downward glance and evident fatigue of Bartali. You will deny the possibility of a Bartali handup, saying "But his cages are full! He only has the one barmount, and the one downtube. Where would he have gotten that 3rd bottle if not for the munificence of Il Campionissimo in giving a drink to his greatest rival?!" Perhaps you will bare your teeth and growl.
Bartalista? You might sigh, and ask "why is it that Copppi holds his other bottle in his hand if not for the fact that he is engaged in replacing both, and aren't they both empty? Isn't Coppi receiving a full bottle from "Pious Gino", who in fact is sufferring humbly while Coppi grimaces through his dehydration?" You could question "whether anything at all can truly be told by the location of bottles in this picture. It may be that more is to be gained from the expressions; in which case isn't it the aging master calmly sacrificing his water for his greatest rival?!" Maybe your eyes will slowly close as brows go up and palms rise.
Here is the answer: It just doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter if the challenger is paying homage to the champion, or if the aging master is denying himself for the sake of his ascendant protege.
It's all love.
3 comments:
And ain't THAT what the world needs now.
The dualism we crave implodes under its own weight to reveal the singularity. The moment. The immanent, ambiguous, hidden truth: what bottle? Who cares? Where is the water? It runs through us all, my lambs. I like mine with a little lemon, especially if you have to fill up at gas stations.
Brenda calls BS though.
After the photo appeared, both men claimed to be passing on the bottle. Either way he was a hell of a domestique. I like to think it was Bartali passing on the torch to the new star. For what it's worth, NOBODY wears a Gino Bartali shirt. I have a couple variations of Fausto Coppi T-shirts myself. Long live Il Campionissimo!
Brenda, Brenda, Brenda. I am sorry to disappoint, but until you send me your $30 cash, this whole thing will SEEM like nothing but a scam. When i receive your generous tithe, all will be made clear. For true.
Gunnar- After all this, esp. with the heretofore hidden knowledge (revelation my Good People) that Bartali helped the Italian resistance? I may have some shirts made up my ownself.
Post a Comment