It has been a busy couple of weeks in the Velominati Boardroom as we’ve been scrambling to finalize a few partnerships and get all the products for the Keepers Tour customers designed and produced. Suffice to say, fists and beers were slammed in tandem as we feverishly worked out the final designs.
Producing V-Pints, V-Shirts, and V-Musettes seems a simple enough task; and we also needed a flag and banner to fly at the roadside of the various races we are due to watch from the roadside, including de Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix. There was also a the small matter of getting our hands on musette bags, which aren’t commonly found on the market, as far as we could tell. Fair heart, never worry; Gianni and his VMH took matters into their own hands and made them up from scratch. If their other business ventures fail, musette-sewing may be a good fallback, they Look Fantastic.
The most significant effort due was for the Keepers Tour Cobbled Classics 2012 design; enter our graphic-design mastermind, KRX-10. We tossed a few emails across the net and settled quickly on the notion of using a variation of the Lion of Flanders. “Now we need a public-domain vector graphic. Race you to it”, was the last word from KRX10 on the matter before the design was finalized. Then it was on to deciding on a tag line, with the result being perhaps the best example of what happens when the Keepers argue long enough on such matters.
With that, we proudly present the official artwork for Keepers Tour: Cobbled Classics 2012:
The last two weeks I’ve felt like a kid waiting for Christmas as orders were placed and we entered into the torturous period of time while we waited to lay our hands on the final products and see the fruits of our labor. And I have to say, this round may have produced our finest products yet; the V-Lion and tagline turned out magnificently, as did all the other items. The flag and banner are actually breathtaking – waving in the wind. We hope you like it as much as we do.
A few items of note: Attendees of Keepers Tour will receive a musette packed with their V-Shirt and V-Pint along with a few lovies from our sponsors, and will also have the honor of commenting for the next year with the V-Lion badge. Also of note is the matter that these products are not available for sale and will never be; the only way to get Keepers Tour products is to attend a Keepers Tour, so bear that in mind next time around. Finally, if you’re looking for a real photo of the V-Pint, you’ll have to wait until we arrive in Belgium, as they were shipped ahead while I was away on business and as such they have not yet been seen by anyone, even me.
Please also get yourself acquainted with our Twitter and Tumblr sites if you’ve not done so already – we’ll be reserving the site for major updates, and will be posting minor updates in those to locations throughout our trip, with Twitter being used for small updates, and Tumblr for the ones that are too much for a tweet and too little for the V.
VLVV.
[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/frank@velominati.com/Keepers Tour CC2012/”/]
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yehhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa - BRING IT ON!!
Beware anyone who tries to sit on my wheel on Saturday, it might be a slippy with all the nasal toothpaste I am currently exuding
I see the forecast is for sun all week, to produce a nice cake of dust before the rain is forecast to arrive on Saturday - nice timing lads!
Can I put my name down for next Keeper's Tour please before it books up?
That is about V kinds of awesome. Have a fantastic trip, guys. I am so jealous.
One request, though: No photos of Belgian toothpaste.
Thank you in advance.
This trip is one for the ages. I am so impressed with the details. It's been fun to follow: in-house development of the technologically cutting-ege, flawless musette bags; the acquisition of Golden Tickets; the venues; the sponsorships (thanks fizik!); the pints; the arguments and the encouragements.
Frank, your obsessive-compulsive disorder has been an absolute blessing. Mental illness has its benefits.
Fuck, I'm sooooo envious. I'd have given my left cojone to be with y'all on this trip.
Best of luck, Merckxspeed, chapeau, and all that is good and beautiful in cycling.
@Dannel
Strange you should mention that, I think I've just had one, and we ain't even got there yet...
Some may remember my tale of a hardman patient of mine, whom I occasionally ride with, who punctured his lung riding Geneve to Nice last year - hit a car 80km from Nice, cycled the rest of the way, and only four days later when he flew back to Belfast, did he get a chest Xray to demonstrate that he has in fact cracked three ribs and had a pneumothorax
- well, anyway, just off the phone to him - he was doing 45kmh on friday, couldn't get in the big ring, so as he gazed quizzically at his FD, he driffted off the tarmac and hit a garden wall - fractured clavicle (very Pro) and multiple pelvic fractures
The standard is set, the bar his high....
By the way, he still hopes to do the 3-day Etape in France just before the TdF kicks off - he'll be 62 then.....daft fucker
@Dr C
I've got a little of the same sputum oozing from my head as well. Remember - snot rocket low and to the outside of the double pace line. I'm hoping though to be in fine order by Saturday.
@Dr C
Speaking of smashed up bones and punctured organs, has your glittering medical career included a stint in A&E? You may have to wear a special medic's gillet over your v-kit (although from some of the earlier posts your skills will most likely be required by @Brett round the clock)
May I suggest everyone plays this at an appropriate time this week.
Gah, where did the video get to... I even previewed to check it was embedded.
Well here's a link instead:
http://youtu.be/lQeo3OfuEDM
I appear to have every V-related bit of kit I own and two of everything else in a nearly overweight suitcase. Castelli should be paying me something as I am now a rolling billboard for them, not a bad billboard to be. Sun would be nice as rain and cold might be my thin-blooded undoing.
I'm just hanging on to Frank's cape of awesomeness, he is a Stud. A rendezvous with Brett and Rigid in Amsterdam then Frank and Marko and if we don't get kicked off the train into Belgium we will be OK.
Each ride I will draw some strength from my fellow Velominati who couldn't make the trip and I will need their strength again as the Belgian ale unzips my skull my brain flops out on the floor like a freshly landed Orange Roughie!
Let the fun begin. If I can figure out how Tumblr works I'll put up some Amsterdam photos when I get in. Cheers all!