Categories: Anatomy of a Photo

Anatomy of a Photo: Depletion

One eye open and dreaming; were the building on fire, I suspect this shell of a man could hardly be bothered to move from his bench.

As a Cyclist, the enormous weight of the total exhaustion felt by LeMond at this moment fills my spirit with equal measures of dread and envy.

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:

Feb 17 2012 at 7:31 pm

@Xyverz

I got to meet this guy last September at the Palo Alto Echelon Gran Fondo. He may be a bit chubbier than he used to be, but he's one hell of a nice guy and still knows how to ride.
Great photo.

Back in the early 90's, he was really into Nordic Skiing when he came home to Minnesota. Nordic was an even smaller world then than it is now, and Minnesota was a microcosm for it. Anyway, my pops and I had a reputation for always having super fast skis (we drove around with a mobile waxing station and had it down to an art), so he sought us out to help him learn to wax - he's always been so into the tech and getting geeky about that kind of shit. We did our best, and it wasn't long before he'd call us up with stories about "smokin' fast" skis.

Anyway, he was so incredibly cool and nice. We were always modest Europeans not wanting to make a stink, so we'd spot him at ski events and there would be a load of people around so we'd just go about our business until we'd hear that unmistakable, friendly voice of his yell in Flemish, "Godverdomme!" (Goddamnit!) It always made my mom spin on her heel! We'd look up and there he'd be, starting at us with that huge smile of his from across the room.

What a guy. And that started when he was the 1989 TDF and World Champ. Even then, he was that humble.

CLASS FUCKING ACT.

Its too bad he's gotten to where he is now, as far as his reputation. I think his intentions are good, but the way he's come across makes him seem so whiny. Its too bad, especially knowing what a stud he is.
frank says:

Feb 17 2012 at 7:34 pm

@Gianni

@Nate

Merckx bless LeMond and his ilk, like the Badger, for being GC men who'd still go out and shatter themselves at Paris-Roubaix in April.

yeah, my thought's exactly when I saw this photo. Lemond was ready to waste himself in April and on through the summer. He was trying to catch Kelly all year long. Who is the modern day version of GC Hardman? Thor, but he is really not for the GC. Maybe none, too specialized now.

I can't think of anyone. Not one. Roubaix and the Tour and the Worlds? Pick two. Liege and the Tour and the Worlds? Pick two.

Admittedly, the UCI fucked with that model by pushing the worlds so late in the year - the guys who are doing the Tour are cooked by October. When it was in August - it wasn't ideal, maybe terrible even, given peaks, but you could carry form over and still be competitive. And October peak after the Tour would be almost impossible.

@brett
Gold! You had me, and then you lost me...
Rob says:

Feb 17 2012 at 7:38 pm

The 3 clean places, hair line, wrists and if we could see ankles cause the white socks were black...

Why is it that Roubaix is the fantasy of so many riders? The weather, the length, the cobbles and the showers... the velodrome finish, the history? All of that plays a part but the real reason is that it is the Queen of Hardness and she will beat you even if you win and is that not the reason we ride - to face the unbeatable and perhaps with luck survive to the degree that Lemond did that day?
Rob says:

Feb 17 2012 at 7:43 pm

@frank

@napolinige

Wow! What a photo.
I suggest a photo contest for those of you going on the Keepers' Tour. Best attempt to emulate this photo.. you may swap out the Coca-cola for beer.

We've already discussed doing a Quickstep photo, except with Cobblestones.

Oh and this image should be banned from ever being shown again it is wrong, wrong, wrong! and no I am not homophobic I have even spent a night in a hotel with a stranger I met on the interweb...
Oli says:

Feb 17 2012 at 7:47 pm

@Rob
Wow, that's a weird and unnecessary admission!
frank says:

Feb 17 2012 at 7:48 pm

@Rob

is that not the reason we ride - to face the unbeatable and perhaps with luck survive to the degree that Lemond did that day?

Perfection.

@Rob
We'll soon replace it.
Nate says:

Feb 17 2012 at 7:54 pm

@frank

@Gianni

@Nate

Merckx bless LeMond and his ilk, like the Badger, for being GC men who'd still go out and shatter themselves at Paris-Roubaix in April.

yeah, my thought's exactly when I saw this photo. Lemond was ready to waste himself in April and on through the summer. He was trying to catch Kelly all year long. Who is the modern day version of GC Hardman? Thor, but he is really not for the GC. Maybe none, too specialized now.

I can't think of anyone. Not one. Roubaix and the Tour and the Worlds? Pick two. Liege and the Tour and the Worlds? Pick two.
Admittedly, the UCI fucked with that model by pushing the worlds so late in the year - the guys who are doing the Tour are cooked by October. When it was in August - it wasn't ideal, maybe terrible even, given peaks, but you could carry form over and still be competitive. And October peak after the Tour would be almost impossible.

Cadel has the Tour and Worlds and could win Liege in the right circumstances. Actually, from a team perspective he'd be well set up this year to play the wildcard there to Gilbert's ace. I wouldn't put a good showing at Roubaix past him either. It would be rad to seem him go for it in awful weather. But he'd be less likely to win that race.
Rob says:

Feb 17 2012 at 7:58 pm

@Oli
Oh, I thought it was pretty normal for these times?

@frank
Praise Merckx and thanks!
scaler911 says:

Feb 17 2012 at 8:14 pm

@Nate

@frank

@Gianni

@Nate

Merckx bless LeMond and his ilk, like the Badger, for being GC men who'd still go out and shatter themselves at Paris-Roubaix in April.

yeah, my thought's exactly when I saw this photo. Lemond was ready to waste himself in April and on through the summer. He was trying to catch Kelly all year long. Who is the modern day version of GC Hardman? Thor, but he is really not for the GC. Maybe none, too specialized now.

I can't think of anyone. Not one. Roubaix and the Tour and the Worlds? Pick two. Liege and the Tour and the Worlds? Pick two.
Admittedly, the UCI fucked with that model by pushing the worlds so late in the year - the guys who are doing the Tour are cooked by October. When it was in August - it wasn't ideal, maybe terrible even, given peaks, but you could carry form over and still be competitive. And October peak after the Tour would be almost impossible.

Cadel has the Tour and Worlds and could win Liege in the right circumstances. Actually, from a team perspective he'd be well set up this year to play the wildcard there to Gilbert's ace. I wouldn't put a good showing at Roubaix past him either. It would be rad to seem him go for it in awful weather. But he'd be less likely to win that race.

I gotta side with FrÃ¤nk on this one. Say Clenbutador was clean(ish). Great GC rider (and douche-nozzel) yes. But the cobbles would crush him like a pop can. The closest guy IMHO would be Jens if (and really it's a big if) he would have had not been so unselfish and stepped up to lead himself. The guys a monster and might have pulled to off a few years back in different circumstances. But he didn't, so no one. And that's a result of specialization, which kinda sucks.
The sport has gone from following exceptional riders, to exceptional teams. Probably from American money being injected into the sport using football as a model. Just a guess.
Nate says:

Feb 17 2012 at 8:15 pm

@frank
Also noting LeMond was second in MSR to Sean Kelly once upon a time. Class.