The Cogals

Cogals (pronounce it correctly: kog-al) are meetings of like-minded misfits brought together by the promise of beer, preceded by a bike ride. Cogals are free, open to all, organized by our fellow Velominati and are always followed by consumption of post-ride recovery ales and merriment. These are gatherings of unbridled observance of Rule #4.

Cogals differ themselves from other group rides by the meeting the following criteria:

  • First, Cogals are free, organized and supported through Velominati, though not necessarily a Keeper. Anyone is welcome to join a Cogal. Legally speaking, however, we have no involvement, so if you crash or die, it’s your own problem. Please be careful to study the route previously and take precautionary measures to stay safe.
  • Second, a Cogal is a day-long undertaking that focuses 100% on the bike. The rides are categorized (Casually Deliberate,  Rule #5,  Rule #10, for example) but are long. This is what you’re doing today, nothing else; see  Rule #4. Rides can be any length, but a minimum distance of 130km should be expected.
  • Third, Cogals always include a session of Malted Recovery Beverage Consumption after the ride. Whenever possible, it should also include a pre-ride espresso.

Not all the events in The Cogals are actual Cogals. We also post rides and events that are of interest to the community, as well as Keepers Tours, which are Velominati-hosted, paid cycling Tours tailored to the tastes of a velominatus.

Any member of the community is welcomed to organize a Cogal. If interested, either post your interest below or email us with the following information:

  • Date of Cogal
  • Starting Address (ideally somewhere neutral, like a café or park)
  • Route (MapMyRide, Bikely, or Strava)
  • Ride Classification (Casually Deliberate, Rule V, Rule VV, or suggest another)
  • A paragraph describing the Cogal

Upcoming Cogals

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Submit Your Own Cogal:

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View Comments

  • The Cogals »

    @Steampunk
    I had mentioned possibly breaking it into two days here on the site and was PROMPTLY shot down in a blaze of rule violations and spent the next week on hill repeats in penance for my sins!

    But, two groups might really work. My place, where evryone is welcome, although it might get a bit crowded (if we're lucky) is on Lake Champlain about 30 miloes south of Burlington and 40 miles north of Middlebury (jsut guesstimates on my part). But a good place to break off to if one had to.

  • The Cogals »

    @Buck Rogers

    The Cogals »

    @Steampunk

    The Cogals »

    @NateNo. Indubitably not. Having said that, I have a theory that Velominati paterfamiliae are 127% more endowed in The V (note the use of >100%, just to rankle Frank). I'll spare you all the virility angles to this, but:
    1. Our time is invariably limited, so we hammer harder.2. Our windows of opportunity are equally reduced, so Rule #9 become a fact of life.3. We have a built-in morale sucker (typically referred to as the VMH); if you can still stand upright after Mrs. Steampunk's withering tirade, you can eat cobblestones for breakfast.4. We are responsible for raising the next generation of Velominati. There's a Darwinian element to this.
    As a result of all this, Velominati paterfamiliae (love that, by the way) tend to fall more heavily into the Cognoscentus camp. I don't mind breaching Rule #11 from time to time, because to adhere to all rules all the time would tend towards Rule Holism, which isn't the Hardman way.

    Obviously biased here, but I have to COMPLETELY agree with you on this one. More than half of my total effort in riding is getting the time to ride between the VMH and the five kids all giving me crap about "TFB" and my riding time.
    byt he way, Velominati paterfamiliae is brilliant in my opinion and seems very worthy of the lexicon. For those of you without kids or a non-supportive VMH, it's a whole other world of riding out there!

    Yeah, the riding part is the easy part. But you are in a whole other league, brother, with what? Five? Strong work, obviously.

  • The Cogals »

    @Mikel Pearce
    Nice! What kind of route do you have in mind? I'd make a strong pitch for starting at Café Domestique (current home, incidentally, of a certain green & black Cervelo ridden by a certain God of Thunder, during a certain successful TdF green jersey campaign), but that would put us on roads I ride all the time, and I'd be open for a change. Sadly, the Shed in Belfountain is closing its doors in a couple of weeks and won't be around next spring. Count me in"”and maybe we can hook some Canadian lurkers and even tempt some folks from south of the border...

  • The Cogals »

    @Steampunk
    Well, I definitely think that Rattlesnake should be included, and there are 5 other climbs within 10k of the Snake that are almost as hard ... We should certainly do the Forks of the Credit! I'm sure we can come up with a great route. If we wanted to ride to the Beaver Valley we could stay overnight at my chalet (assuming mid to late May) and ride back the next day ...

  • The Cogals »

    @Mikel Pearce
    Wow! I see a series of Ontario Cogals developing here. We could start with a route that climbs the five roads up Rattlesnake Point (starting or finishing with Appleby). That needn't be a long ride, but it would hurt something bad. Another could do Forks of the Credit (new to the area, I went up the Grange Side Rd off McLaughlin"”steep and muddy"”a couple of weeks ago: insane stuff!), but a ride along the Credit would be terrific. Beaver Valley, I don't know: up Flesherton way?

  • The Cogals »

    @Buck Rogers
    Are you following all this? Methinks you're going to need to head west from Vermont for a training ride/Cogal in Ontario in advance of the Vermont ride.@Mikel Pearce's got some beautiful rides in mind here.

  • The Cogals »

    @Steampunk
    God DAMN! You guys are killing me! I'm already in a bit of a dog house with the Austin Cogal and the VT one with a possible rid ein France in early June and now you're tempting me with another BEAUTIFULLY planned ride in the Spring! Get thee behind me, Satan! :)

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