2020年经济学人 骑自行车的人雷蒙·布里多(3)

骑自行车的人雷蒙·布里多(3)

With his lined, wind-burned face and slow Limousin drawl, he reminded his followers¹ of the old ways, la France profonde and all kinds of comforting verities² that had been pushed aside by modern life. He kept a peasant's innocence³, and in 1966 got into deep merde with his colleagues for agreeing to a newfangled drugs test which they were all refusing. But he also kept a shrewd business head on his shoulders. He knew the value of a franc, ever since he and his brothers had broken their bedroom window and been told, by their father, that there would be no money to mend it until the spring.

他那布满皱纹、久经风吹日晒的脸，加上利穆赞地区慢吞吞的语调，使他的追随者想起了古老的生活方式，那种偏远地区的有着各种令人欣慰的准则的生活方式，它已经被现代人抛在一边了。他保持着农民的单纯，1966年，他同意了一项新奇的药物测试，遭到了同事们的拒绝后和他们进行了深入的讨论。但他同时也保持着精明的商业头脑。他知道一个法郎的价值，每当他和兄弟们打破卧室的窗户后，他们的父亲就告诉他们，到春天之前都没有修补的钱。

It was therefore oddly satisfying that his great rival, Jacques Anquetil, was everything he was not: a well-off, pale-faced, blond-quiffed, almost ghostly Norman, withdrawn⁴ and unflamboyant. Anquetil won the Tour five times, yet to his fury the French still loved Poupou more. The depth of their duelling was witnessed by half a million spectators when, in 1964, they battled up the Puy de D?me in Auvergne side by side, Anquetil on the mountain side and Poupou on the precipice⁵ edge, so close that their elbows knocked and Poupou could feel the hot breath of “Ma?tre Jacques” on his arms.

因此，奇怪的是，他的劲敌雅克·安克蒂尔却完全是他的反面，这使他感到很满意。一个富裕的、脸色苍白、头发金黄、几乎像幽灵一样的诺曼人，沉默寡言，不张扬。安克蒂尔赢过五次环法冠军，但是令他愤怒的是，法国人还是爱普普更多一点。1964年，他们在奥弗涅区多姆山近距离的精彩决斗由50万人目睹，安克蒂尔在靠近山那一边，普普则在峭壁边缘。他们靠得很近，胳膊肘都碰在一起，普普能感觉到雅克先生的热气喷在他的胳膊上。

He gained 42 seconds over him; it was not enough to win the Tour. But he did not mind too much, as he never did. One reason to be relaxed was that he was making a lot of money—more even than Anquetil, some said. From the start he had been astonished at what cyclists earned. His first prize, 80,000 old francs for coming second, would have taken him six years to get by farming (or substantially less time at the poker⁶ table, where he was a skilled bluffer).

普普比他快了42秒，这并不足以使他赢得比赛。但是他并不是很在意，因为他永远都没有在意过。一些人说，他感到放松的一个原因是他赚了很多钱，甚至比安克蒂尔还多。从一开始他就为自行车手的收入感到惊讶。他第一次拿奖时，成绩第二，得到了80000法郎，当农民的话得需要六年时间。（或者玩扑克的时间大大减少，他在扑克桌上是一个熟练的吹牛者）。

1 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

2 verities   

n.真实( verity的名词复数 )；事实；真理；真实的陈述

参考例句：

• the eternal verities of life 生命永恒的真理

3 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

4 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

5 precipice   

n.悬崖，危急的处境

参考例句：

• The hut hung half over the edge of the precipice.那间小屋有一半悬在峭壁边上。
• A slight carelessness on this precipice could cost a man his life.在这悬崖上稍一疏忽就会使人丧生。

6 poker   

n.扑克；vt.烙制

参考例句：

• He was cleared out in the poker game.他打扑克牌，把钱都输光了。
• I'm old enough to play poker and do something with it.我打扑克是老手了，可以玩些花样。