Categories: Belgian AffirmationsCyclocrossLe Graveur

Anatomy of a Graveur

Photo via F&O Forgotten Nobility

I am a road cyclist, at heart. Even when I’m in a car, I’ll daydream about riding the same road I’m driving. I’ll imagine how the tarmac might feel as my wheels carry me across it, the wind, the smells in the air. I’ll imagine how my lungs are expanding and contracting, cleansing me a little with every exhale. In my mind’s legs, I’ll feel the pressure building as I imagine myself rising out of the saddle to power over a pitch. I know I would feel the pain of such a ride, but I can’t really imagine what it would feel like. I can never really imagine pain.

The paved road is where we are the closest we will ever be to achieving flight. To restrict ourselves to tarmac, however, is to restrict ourselves to those places in this world which are most travelled. The most beautiful places do not lie at the end of such roads; they are hidden away, where those with some element of imagination might venture to look for them. A two-lane dirt track, perhaps, or a forest road that winds off beyond the damp forest and on to places unknown.

On gravel and dirt, we find a completely different sensation from that on the road. Certainly, many of the elements are still there, but the terrain demands a different kind of harmony; we dart along from one side of the road to another, looking for the best bits where the holes are smaller and the gravel is held together more. The dust or mud kicked up by our tires hovers in the air about us and covers our lips, teeth, and tongue. Suddenly, we taste the road as much as feel it.

Being away from traffic and in the wilderness awakens something primal in our spirits. The smell of damp dirt, moss, and bark or the baking scent of dry pine needles flushes the city from your senses and immediately awakens a calmer Self. My soul is at peace when I return home from such a ride.

The road is where my heart lies, but gravel is where I find my soul.

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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View Comments

frank says:

Aug 16 2013 at 4:32 pm

@MNgraveur

Very nicely written. Here in SE MN we have good roads, but great gravel. Rode 2 hours this am, saw zero cars, made friends with a new dog. All was right with the world.

You seriously need to hook up with Marko. I hear Vroomen did the Almanzo on Hushovd's P-R R3. Should be your neck of the woods if I'm picking up what you're laying down.
frank says:

Aug 16 2013 at 4:34 pm

@Moelstrom

It's so true. And thanks for not making this post about "us and them." Fat tires in the woods are great. Skinny tires on smooth pavement in the hills are also great. When you're moving yourself on two wheels across our Earth, you're earning your spot in our community. Bravo for putting it so well.

It's not "us" or "them". We are all part of the same mystery, trying to figure out why two wheels matter so much to us.
Nate says:

Aug 16 2013 at 4:38 pm

I am looking forward to some gravel this fall. I need to get my wheels sorted, however, as I broke a spoke during a recent cogal.
Sauterelle says:

Aug 16 2013 at 5:07 pm

@PeakInTwoYears

@frank

@mcsqueak

"In my mind's legs", ha - brilliant.

You know, you write pretty well for one of them nerdy computer programmers...

Hey, why are the eyes the exclusive domain of the mind? What about those ghost smells you have, or that impulse you fight when Brett is talking and you want to punch something? For those occasions, I submit "In my mind's eye/nose/legs/fingers/punch Brett in the face.

That's your mother's Bene Gesserit training talking, Muad'Dib.

That's funny. The last time I had to ride down an enormous hill I nearly shit myself. I'm not a good descender. I kept thinking..."I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration..."
Jay says:

Aug 16 2013 at 5:35 pm

The road in the photo looks to be worthy of "road reverence". One can only imagin where it leads. I can appreciate less traveled roads, but I still have many paved roads with little or no traffic to explore in my area. Perhaps exploring the unpaved roads is a way to get through the winter months, when the paved roads are sometimes no better than gravel ones.
RedRanger says:

Aug 16 2013 at 5:36 pm

@Sauterelle the worst is the having thoughts of crashing while dropping in a steep rock strewn wash on my MTB. I do it everytime and then always think to myself that that cant be good. luckily I havnt crashed on any sharp rocks yet
PeakInTwoYears says:

Aug 16 2013 at 5:54 pm

@Sauterelle

@PeakInTwoYears

@frank

@mcsqueak

"In my mind's legs", ha - brilliant.

You know, you write pretty well for one of them nerdy computer programmers...

Hey, why are the eyes the exclusive domain of the mind? What about those ghost smells you have, or that impulse you fight when Brett is talking and you want to punch something? For those occasions, I submit "In my mind's eye/nose/legs/fingers/punch Brett in the face.

That's your mother's Bene Gesserit training talking, Muad'Dib.

That's funny. The last time I had to ride down an enormous hill I nearly shit myself. I'm not a good descender. I kept thinking..."I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration..."

I knew someone here would quickly come along and get the reference. (No surprise that it was another Bill Nelson fan.)
RedRanger says:

Aug 16 2013 at 5:59 pm

@PeakInTwoYears its the greatest scifi series ever written IMO. but what the hell do I know
roger says:

Aug 16 2013 at 6:34 pm

it's starting to be cx season up here. my favorite place outside of velominati, is opening doors at 6am and serving waffles and coffee, then kicking off with an insanely wonderful ride hidden in the suburban jungles of boston. there were some gravel sections where i literally felt like i was on a zipline, and all i could smell was apples. un.freaking.real.

outside of gravel, another zen experience would be riding the tractor paths of iowa farm fields. early morning or at sunset and you'll never want to leave. ever.
ChrisO says:

Aug 16 2013 at 9:08 pm

@frank

@Moelstrom

It's so true. And thanks for not making this post about "us and them." Fat tires in the woods are great. Skinny tires on smooth pavement in the hills are also great. When you're moving yourself on two wheels across our Earth, you're earning your spot in our community. Bravo for putting it so well.

It's not "us" or "them". We are all part of the same mystery, trying to figure out why two wheels matter so much to us.

Anything on two wheels... really ?