The Keepers

Cycling is a mighty sport with a rich and complex history. Every company, racer, piece of kit, and component has a legend, a story behind it; in many cases it also has a personal and nostalgic connection to our lives.  While this particular sport is steeped in tradition, it is also fiercely modern, a fact that serves only to deepen its complexity.

All these factors combine to provide an unique atmosphere and breeds devoted and loyal disciples of our great sport. We are of a peculiar nature; we seek out the highest mountains and the roughest roads on which to worship at the altar of the Man with the Hammer. Our legs are what propel us; our minds are what drive us. We refer to our shaved legs in the third person – the legs – and speak of distance in kilometres and measure sizes in centimetres regardless of what country we are in.  We adhere strictly to the Canon of Cycling’s Etiquette: The Rules.

A Velominatus is a disciple of the highest order. We spend our days poring over the very essence of what makes ours such a special sport and how that essence fits into Cycling’s colorful fabric.  This is the Velominati’s raison d’être. This is where the Velominati can be ourselves. This is our agony – our badge of honor – our sin.

I have a unique way of looking at bicycles. A good bicycle and it’s components are beautiful things to me. I’m not just talking about appearance, but also how the frame and components show the dreams of those who made them.

– Gianni Bugno, Hardman and Italian cycling legend

Perhaps we are too wrapped up in the past, but the Velominati don’t believe that to be the case.  After all, the greatest lessons can be learned from the past and those lessons can then be applied to the present and may then allow us to more fully experience the future.

The Keepers:

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The Community:

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Level 4 Velominatus: The casual observer and occasional poster.

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Conduct:

We strive to foster an open, fun, critical, and censure-free environment. Any criticism of our writing, spelling, grammar, or intelligence is welcome and nothing said will ever get you suspended from the site. That said, the code of conduct is governed by Rule #43 and the Piti Principle. Members consistently exhibiting behavior that falls outside these parameters will be warned to check themselves; should warnings go unheeded, we may elect to issue a suspension. The first offense will result in a one-week suspension, the second in a two week suspension, and the third in a three week suspension. A fourth offense will result in a lifetime ban.

Velominati reserves the right to edit posts with the express interest to preserve the spirit of the conversation and the community. Regarding posts that address a grammatical or typographical error, Velominati may elect to take their input, correct the error in the articles where appropriate, and editing posts that point them out. This editorial action is not to serve as a censure entity, but to preserve the spirit of the conversation. That said, we endeavor to only edit those posts that point out a minor issue and only in the event that we make the edit before the post has yielded further discussion. Furthermore, when possible, we will strive to acknowledge said poster for their correction.

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View Comments

  • @eightzero
    Yeah, it did the same to me. It manages to capture many of the elements of what we talk about on here. Beautifully shot with and awesome soundtrack too.

  • Yeah, Rapha has some cool videos and rides reports. They did a ride here to benefit the Japanese earthquake victims, and I didn't participate that day because I was still about Eight Months from Peaking and the route was hilly as fuck, but now that I'm a mere Two-and-a-Half Months from Peaking seeing their site reminded me to look up the cue sheet and check it out.

  • @Oli
    Wonderful Oli!

    I was in a trance watching it, and all of a sudden I can see where the romance you guys enjoy with the pre-helmet years emanates from

    It is amazing how much the helmets have sterilised the intimacy of bike racing - and the organisation seems to have diluted somewhat, the human aspect of it all (though it is still the best TV sport by a mile) - seeing the faces more clearly makes it so much more of a human endeavour

    The bikes are truly beautiful, in a way I have not noticed before (I'm a bit of a CF junkie - maybe it was the superb film quality?) - really part of the rider, and with their straight tubes and almost fragile looking structure, share the vulnerability the riders exhibit

    Maybe why this film works so well is it shows all the bits the TV doesn't show - the riders chasing into the bar to get their lunch and a few gargles, the pissed bike riders with no helmets, the spectators pushing the riders up the hill with their spare tubes, the piss stops, and pissing on the run, the heat exhaution and poor nutrition, the squeaky brakes on the descent and poor old number 20 - I hope he survived

    I think the penny may have finally dropped for me now!

    Thanks!!

    +1 @Oli

  • Yeah, thanks Oli. Really enjoyed that. (Laid up with the lurg this weekend, not riding, so this film was very welcome.)

  • Some pictures I took yesterday that would fit nicely into the new "The Rides" section:



  • @grumbledook
    Very very nice! Is that you on the Cervelo? Those red Chris King's are super nice looking. Only thing is that the European man satchel is blocking half the view.

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