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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Buck Rogers says:

Jan 4 2017 at 11:50 pm

@ChrisO

Agree with the Red Hook guy but I do not want to bring any more publicity to that tosser. I think he is also a model or something. Dude just needs to disappear forever.
Cary says:

Jan 5 2017 at 1:27 am

@davidlhill

Froome anti V? No way – his mad downhill descent, his two man breakaway, and the run? Plenty of V shown.

Actually, for me its the UCI. Good call ChrisO. Qatar and the change to the omnium seals it for me. A far better writer than I wrote that once sport follows the money to the detriment, or compromise, of the actual sport then it’s fundamentally doomed in the long run.

yeah. Froome don't lack for nuts.
KogaLover says:

Jan 5 2017 at 2:12 am

@Cary

Pharmstrong's ingredients all seem to be too healthy and organic. Surely the missing ingredients to the right of the picture will include things that increase production of natural EPO levels.
Teocalli says:

Jan 5 2017 at 2:17 am

@KogaLover

@Cary

Pharmstrong’s ingredients all seem to be too healthy and organic. Surely the missing ingredients to the right of the picture will include things that increase production of natural EPO levels.

Home made Pickles about sums it up?
Cary says:

Jan 5 2017 at 2:24 am

do y'all think Froome is dirty? maybe i'm naive, but i think it's possible he's clean. it's all about power to weight for a GC rider, no? look at the guy.. Froome looks like he was raised in Darfur, not South Africa.
RobSandy says:

Jan 5 2017 at 2:40 am

@Cary

do y’all think Froome is dirty? maybe i’m naive, but i think it’s possible he’s clean. it’s all about power to weight for a GC rider, no? look at the guy.. Froome looks like he was raised in Darfur, not South Africa.

I'm pretty sure as he's clean, and also that he's a physiological freak who trains super hard, and super smart.

Anti-V moment - was the thing with the motor in the CX bike this year?
Steve Trice says:

Jan 5 2017 at 2:41 am

@Cary

do y’all think Froome is dirty? maybe i’m naive, but i think it’s possible he’s clean. it’s all about power to weight for a GC rider, no? look at the guy.. Froome looks like he was raised in Darfur, not South Africa.

I wouldn't bet my house on any of them being clean, but I believe in Froome as much anyone. That said I believed in Wiggins too, and whilst I don't believe he used EPO etc, as far as I'm concerned the medication taken prior to the 2012 Tour WAS cheating, even if it was "legal".
davidlhill says:

Jan 6 2017 at 1:29 am

@RobSandy

Anti-V moment – was the thing with the motor in the CX bike this year?

Of course - we have a winner.
davidlhill says:

Jan 6 2017 at 1:32 am

@Steve Trice

@Cary

do y’all think Froome is dirty? maybe i’m naive, but i think it’s possible he’s clean. it’s all about power to weight for a GC rider, no? look at the guy.. Froome looks like he was raised in Darfur, not South Africa.

I wouldn’t bet my house on any of them being clean, but I believe in Froome as much anyone. That said I believed in Wiggins too, and whilst I don’t believe he used EPO etc, as far as I’m concerned the medication taken prior to the 2012 Tour WAS cheating, even if it was “legal”.

Re Wiggins. Yes - I think another rider put it like this (paraphrasing). "He was 5% down, got the TUEs signed off, ended up 5% up". So Legal, but......

Still, he's a legend as far as I'm concerned, and so happy to have been in Ghent to see him and Cav win the 6 day. What a night that was!
RobSandy says:

Jan 6 2017 at 1:39 am

@davidlhill

@RobSandy

Anti-V moment – was the thing with the motor in the CX bike this year?

Of course – we have a winner.

I think that was a low for cycling in general.

What about V Moment of the year? I'm going to ignore Froome and offer 3 for initial consideration:

1. Sagan riding away from everyone to win the Ronde

2. Steve Cummings TDF Stage Win

3. Sagan retaining the rainbow bands