Categories: La Vie VelominatusMusings from the V-Bunker

Merckxy Christmas and Coppi New Year!

We wish you a Merckxy Christmas and a Coppi New Year!

Another year come and gone, another pile of New Year’s resolutions out the door, done and dusted. It’s a good thing I don’t recall what they were; I have a feeling this period of reflection might loom a bit darker if I was in a position to appreciate just how short I’ve come up on them.

I’m spending more time with young kids these days, and the Holiday Season is an entirely different experience when viewed within their context. To begin with, at my age I hardly notice the passing of the years. This itself is a paradox; as a Cyclist we are perhaps more aware of the passing seasons than anyone else, yet the years themselves manage to slip by without notice; for a kid, one year is a significant portion of their life and each one is remembered in astonishing (if inaccurate) detail.

Personally, it’s been a mixed year for me; the highest highs offset with some low lows, but if we are to experience life’s greatest moments, we have to be willing to walk the valleys between the peaks an for certain its been the singularly greatest year in terms of personal growth. I haven’t spent as much time on Velominati and with you, the community, as I would have liked in 2016; still for 2017 we have many exciting things lurking, all thanks to you who have kept the passion flowing through the community. We laugh, we quarrel, we reconnect. This is the beauty of Cycling and the charm of you, the Velominati community.

So here’s to you, your family’s and loved ones, and to 2017. On behalf of the Keepers, we wish you a Merckxy Christmas and a Coppi New Year!

And yes, it’s time for me to make a fresh batch of Cyclist Gingerbread cookies.

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

Cary says:

Dec 31 2016 at 5:24 pm

@chuckp

@Cary

Very familiar with Hearts of Lions (I have it) as I actually know Peter. And yes, great book.

wow. i have loved that book for 20 years.
chuckp says:

Jan 1 2017 at 6:16 am

@Cary

I haven't been in touch with Peter for about that long. I don't know where he is these days, but he used to be in my general vicinity (metro DC area). Really great guy.
Cary says:

Jan 1 2017 at 4:14 pm

@chuckp

@Cary

I haven’t been in touch with Peter for about that long. I don’t know where he is these days, but he used to be in my general vicinity (metro DC area). Really great guy.

he surely wrote an amazing book. US cycling history remains underappreciated, i feel.
universo says:

Jan 1 2017 at 4:20 pm

My plan is simple this year. Why not aim for my biggest year in cycling – on and off the bike.
teleguy57 says:

Jan 2 2017 at 11:05 am

Haven't been here for a while, but with some new info that came my way thought it was time to contribute.

At our son's wedding in Nov a cousin said 'You knew Grandpa was a bike racer, right?" Had never heard that before -- new info for me which was very intriguing. Fast forward to last week when I was helping my mother sort through boxes after a move. Found a piece of yellowed paper with a telephone number from the mid-60s scrawled on it. When I unfolded it, to my amazement , my hands held a page of letterhead for the West Side Cycling Club in Milwaukee dated in handwriting December 2, 1898.

Two people listed as officers on the letterhead had my surname, and there in pencil, written in that elegant cursive hand of the times, was a list titled "Current List of Members." Fourteen names on the list, with 3 lined through And there, not crossed out, was my grandfather's name! He was 21 at the time; the others with my surname were one of his older brothers and his cousin.

More penciled stuff on the page, this time numbers and a multiplication result written at an angle as though added as a afterthought to the list. It was a calculation of individual and the group's total fee. Looks like they individually paid $6.61 -- That was a chunk of money back then.

Doing my best google-fu, I found the Milwaukee Co. Historical Society web site shows the location of a box/folder with info from or about the club housed in their collection. I'm eager to get there to see if there may be any photos, race results, etc. At least I have this document; I need to check into getting it archivally framed so I can display it.

Time for more research about that time period and cycling. I do know Milwaukee was known as one of the hotbeds for the sport (and that from the cycling activity grew Milwaukee's own Harley-Davidson, so who knows what else I'll learn. But I do know for sure that Grandpa was a bike racer!
KogaLover says:

Jan 3 2017 at 12:58 am

@teleguy57

That's a great motivation to start the new year!
Steve Trice says:

Jan 3 2017 at 12:59 am

Happy New Year all, hope it's a great one.
chuckp says:

Jan 3 2017 at 7:48 am

The PEZ Crew's picks for best moment of 2106.

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/features/the-pez-pick-of-2016/#.WGvHKLGZPdQ

@Randy C - You are now immortalized forever in PEZ annals. :-)

Cheers!
KogaLover says:

Jan 4 2017 at 12:57 am

@frank "And yes, it’s time for me to make a fresh batch of Cyclist Gingerbread cookies."

You've had these at least since Dec 2010, so I do assume they only exist electronically now anymore.
wiscot says:

Jan 4 2017 at 7:18 am

@teleguy57

Haven’t been here for a while, but with some new info that came my way thought it was time to contribute.

At our son’s wedding in Nov a cousin said ‘You knew Grandpa was a bike racer, right?” Had never heard that before — new info for me which was very intriguing. Fast forward to last week when I was helping my mother sort through boxes after a move. Found a piece of yellowed paper with a telephone number from the mid-60s scrawled on it. When I unfolded it, to my amazement , my hands held a page of letterhead for the West Side Cycling Club in Milwaukee dated in handwriting December 2, 1898.

Two people listed as officers on the letterhead had my surname, and there in pencil, written in that elegant cursive hand of the times, was a list titled “Current List of Members.” Fourteen names on the list, with 3 lined through And there, not crossed out, was my grandfather’s name! He was 21 at the time; the others with my surname were one of his older brothers and his cousin.

More penciled stuff on the page, this time numbers and a multiplication result written at an angle as though added as a afterthought to the list. It was a calculation of individual and the group’s total fee. Looks like they individually paid $6.61 — That was a chunk of money back then.

Doing my best google-fu, I found the Milwaukee Co. Historical Society web site shows the location of a box/folder with info from or about the club housed in their collection. I’m eager to get there to see if there may be any photos, race results, etc. At least I have this document; I need to check into getting it archivally framed so I can display it.

Time for more research about that time period and cycling. I do know Milwaukee was known as one of the hotbeds for the sport (and that from the cycling activity grew Milwaukee’s own Harley-Davidson, so who knows what else I’ll learn. But I do know for sure that Grandpa was a bike racer!

Hey there. I know the folks at the MCHS. Good people. There was also a book that came out recently (I have it at home) on cycling in WI. Lots of great stuff about the early days when your grandfather was riding/racing. Here's a link: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whspress/books/book.asp?book_id=418