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.
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So what did y'all get for Christmas? Some of what I got:
ProViz 360+ cycling vest (absolutely brilliant ... almost literally ... piece of kit for night riding)
Yellow Jersey Racer
Shoulder to Shoulder: Racing in the Age of Anquetil
Road to Valor: A True Story of WWII Italy, the Nazis, and a Cyclist Who Inspired a Nation
@chuckp
Santa was good to you! I have Shoulder to Shoulder and Road to Valor. Both excellent. Hero is a much overused word, but it applies to Bartali 100%.
Yellow Jersey Racer is on my list.
@chuckp
Since you asked... had to play my own Santa, the wife has no clue what kind of bike kit I need (want).
Something I never thought I'd go for - carbon wheels. Campagnolo Bora tubulars. I have a set of Record/Ambrosio box section tubs I occasionally ride and tubs on my CX bike, but for some reason I agonized over the clincher/tub decision this time. Last night all I dreamed about was getting flats and not being able to fix them.
Book - Lantern Rouge: The Last Man in the Tour de France.
@wiscot
I just started reading Road to Valor. Had to finish The Boys in the Boat first. Great book about the 1936 crew team from University of Washington who won the gold medal at the Berlin Olympics. Many similarities between crew and cycling in terms of how both work as a team. Had to read the book after seeing PBS documentary (will have to get the DVD). And speaking of documentary, I understand there's one for Road to Valor. My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes. I'll have to get that too.
https://www.amazon.com/My-Italian-Secret-Forgotten-Heroes/
Rollers
The Racer - David Millar
Cycling Climbs of South East England
Cycling's Strangest Tales
Some interesting anecdotes to be found in the last book.
@MangoDave
I need to get and read Lanterne Rouge. It's the name of a club/team that I helped a friend start (it's now, sadly, defunct) after I quit the club/team I built, Unione Sportiva Coppi's which became Squadra Coppi. I still have kit for all the different clubs/teams I rode for, including Lanterne Rouge (and I can still fit into all of it!)
@chuckp
Boys in the Boat is fantastic! The PBS documentary is good, but the book offers so much more depth about the characters (and character of the characters) and their highly improbable story and success. I hear a movie is being made. Hard to believe such an incredible tale was ignored for so long. The whole thing has a "yeah, sure that's what happened" quality to it. I mean, you have the Depression, kids from the wrong side of the tracks going against Ivy League boys, Olympics, Hitler, the Nazis, cheating by the officials, a photogenic sport. t's incredible!
I have the book of Riefenstahl's Olympia and there are a couple of shots of "The Boys" in there.
Sometimes truth is better than fiction!
@MangoDave
picked up lanterne rouge myself a while ago. Very much looking forward to reading it as soon as I finish my current book which is proving to be a bit of a slog.
Last year our Sam Bennett finished tdf as lanterne rouge in heroic fashion after a nasty crash in stage one. Chapeau Sam, here's to better luck in 2017.
@wiscot
I loved reading the book. Definitely had a "can't put it down" quality. I saw The Boys of '36 on PBS back to back with The Nazi Games-Berlin 1936. It's amazing that the pomp and spectacle of the modern Olympic Games has its roots in Hitler and Nazi Germany. And the corruption too.
Sorry for a "downer" post on a holiday thread, but a reminder that life is fragile and that our sport/passion is not without danger.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/canadian-neo-pro-ellen-watters-dies-from-crash-injuries/
Especially during the winter months where days are shorter and visibility may not be as good, be safe and smart out there. Even if it means violating the rules and resorting to the YJA or YVA if that helps you to be seen and reduces your risk.