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.
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I should add FYI in case anyone thinks I should HTFU that I had already extended the ride by about 10km to get over the 200 mark.
Having been telling my legs to shut up since about 180km they decided to join the Arab Spring by entering into an unholy alliance with my arse, supported by my feet (typical).
I might have dealt with that but then my hands decided to maintain a neutral stance by going numb and my body showed no stomach for a fight by threatening to bonk.
Although still heavily armed I decided to head off further trouble.
@ChrisO
Love the repost. Mate, you're hard enough. Was this in the sand pit or are you home for holidays? Abu Dhabi is flat enough that your arse ought to be pretty sore by 200km. Nothing breaks up the monotony and it's like training on rollers.
I spoke with Stuart O'Grady briefly after a stage of the ToQ in Doha a couple of years ago. He was shattered after being in the break and made some comments that made it clear that even hard pros find flat, sandy, windy hell hard going.
Oh, if you're home, Rule 5.
@Blah
In the sandpit... yeah it's bloody painful. You're right, it is like rollers, I hadn't thought of it like that. I went 80km in one direction (into the wind), turned right for 20km and then came back. It's one of the reasons I am also a violator of the iPod Rule. Any incline where you can get out of the saddle is like an oasis. I think I had about 400m ascent for the whole ride.
Some guys here are planning to do the Raid Pyrennean in July but they've been told by one of the people from the organising company that "You can't really train for the climbs, just do the distances". Half of them are Too Fat To Climb anyway so they have taken this advice to heart.
Maybe arguable if you're in a place where any 100km ride is going to have 1000-1500m of climbing but I don't think he quite accounted for the sort of profiles we have here.
@ChrisO
F'king AWESOME!!! I had orginally thought about doing a double metric yesterday but whimped out after 165 k. A double is in my near future. But man, the wind is just such a morale killer. We need a write up on the effects of the wind. More than anything: temp/sun/rain I hate the wind. It is what I pay most attention to on the forecast.
Great ride, though, ChrisO!
@Blah
Now THAT'S cool! Would have loved to been there and heard Stewie first hand. That guy is a man after my own heart! I do not see too much of a filter on him in many interviews, esp after hard stages.
@Buck Rogers
I am not going to lower myself by publicly spewing forth my training schedual for the 200 on the 100 lets just say I am taking the zen approach to the miles... but dam I am going to be sucking your wheel the whole way if I can!
@frank
Wish I could make it to the big Hill with you and Gianni - I tried to convince him he should do it with you (or at least near you) as training for the Keepers Belgium jaunt but he demured whining something about knees and height. Really, I think it's about "bald" pates and 30,000 m, like you know, it might explode or something??
@ChrisO
That description is rich. Long ago in a different galaxy I saw the edge of the Rub'al Khali and the terrain around Riyadh so there is a slight familiarity with what you are not looking at whilst on your Rule 5 rides - Good on you!
@G'rilla
It was a joke, but I'll be doing some of both - I'm a firm believer in long, low intensity rides - training to do rides longer than the rides you are training for. But that only works one aspect and nothing replaces speed or intensity, so you have to mix it up.
Nice! Don't forget that the same principle applies to climbing.
@ChrisO
Gold! You'll get no such accusations from me. Full-on bonk at about the same distance from home and wasn't sure how I was going to get up the hill to the house, let alone thinking about adding the few k's I needed to close out the double c-note.
@Buck Rogers
Boy, do I ever agree with that!
@Buck Rogers
Now I sound like a name-dropper, because of that name I dropped.
A great thing about cycling (aren't there so many?) is how close you can get to the riders. At ToQ you could have a chat with just about anyone before they got changed and rode back to the hotel. You can do this at the TDU and Bay Crits in Oz, too.
Between those three races over a few years the VMH has a ridiculous collection of autographs, most coming after a bit of a chat. A large number of world champs from Merckx to Boonen and a heap of Aussies from Cadel to Brad McGee. She also has Liggett and Sherwen, a couple of really, really nice guys who don't mind talking (huge surprise there) and are very self-deprecating.
To some extent you can get close at big races like TdF but it's a lot more controlled and the guys are looking to recover and get to the next night's accommodation ASAP. As we saw on here at Tour time (thanks Alpin), you can get close to the bikes, too. That is cool. Nothing beats nine pro bikes in a row. Gleaming but not pristine; clearly used but mechanically perfect.
Geeze I love this sport. So glad the season's starting (for Aussies; I know no one else cares until Het-Whatever-We're-Calling-it-Now).
Start as you mean to go on. 40km into my 50km spin this morning, I head a POW. Looked down to see the rear wheel wobbling violently. Blew a spoke. Rule 9 fully in effect: absolute downpour on the ride. Terrific while riding; not so much while standing still. Got cold (was already wet).
Goals: three Cogals in four months (Wisconsin, Ontario, 200 on 100). Training begins next week.