Anatomy of a Photo: And He Parted The Waters

De Vlaeminck parts the waters in the Trouée d'Arenberg.

No double wraps of bar tape. No arm warmers or bandages for an injured left arm; just some wrappings borrowed from an Egyptian mummy he sent back to the underworld earlier in the morning. Nothing special for Roger on a typical race day in Hell. Just unmeasurably enormous helpings of Rule #5.

The most remarkable thing about this photo? He did that to the water before he rode through it.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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frank says:

Nov 7 2011 at 7:19 pm

@wiscot

@Sam
I hear ya. I have an old pair of Bolle Edges with interchangeable lenses. Grey, brown clear, red and . . . yellow. On a dull day you can't beat the yellow! They are also super stylish!

I had them in Gatorade Green, in honor of Gianni's sweet pair. Wish I still had them. I still have the Briko Shots I got immediately after the Bolle's, but I don't have them anymore.
frank says:

Nov 7 2011 at 7:20 pm

@Gianni

@Oli
@frank
New avatars? Damn, maybe I should man-up and move on, but change is hard...

I'm testing a new one, but I feel weird about it. I think I'll land back on my old one. Go with what feels right; this is your avatar, for Merckxsake!!

@Benj

Damn, you know you're a proper hardman when you're bunnyhopping puddles on the cobbles. FNG here, thought I'd finally make a post after reading for a long time. Despite being nowhere near as badass as Roger this photo kind of shows how I was feeling on the commute home last night in the rain (it's not something we see a lot of this time of year).
Thanks for the inspiration for another evening ride (probably) in the wet. Rule #9 here I come.

Welcome! The bikehandling is amazing, and photos like these are what inspires each of us to get them!
scaler911 says:

Nov 7 2011 at 8:37 pm

@Gianni

@Sam
Sam, we have all learned the hard way; Oli is the Source. Resistance is futile.
@Oli
@frank
New avatars? Damn, maybe I should man-up and move on, but change is hard...

Don't switch dude. Your avatar kicks ass. Makes me smile every time I see it.
DeltaMngo says:

Nov 7 2011 at 9:26 pm

@Frank.
Awesome pic Frank.
Where do you get these oldie photos?
zeljko_v says:

Nov 7 2011 at 11:43 pm

Just to say... That photo is on my desktop for sooo long.
Marko says:

Nov 8 2011 at 4:20 am

@frank
Now THAT is a classy photo, eh? Fuckin' Bugno resplendent in everything cool about pro cycling. Monster shades, check, rainbow, check, black shorts, check, campag, check, celeste green, check. Back before the Italians went a little garish in their style.

And I'll say it again, I loves me a modern bike but old skool geometry is where it's at for style. Fuckin' A.
Oldschooly says:

Nov 8 2011 at 5:20 am

Thanks for the inspiration, Frank. Great photo, a study in hardening the eff up. Will use this as motivation for many a Portland winter training sesh.
Ron says:

Nov 8 2011 at 5:20 am

I don't like all the switching of the lil' pics...I used to be able to immediately identify many of you, now I wonder who the heck everyone is. Go on ya'll, switch 'em back!
Mikel Pearce says:

Nov 8 2011 at 8:34 am

@frank Yes, I understand the theory. We did the same thing on our BMX bikes back in the day, and for the same reason - protect the undercarriage, and use your arms and legs as shock absorbers.
TheBuoy says:

Nov 8 2011 at 10:16 am

His bidon converts water to wine ...