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.

Next Support Your Local Framebuilder »

Previous « On Rule #3: Role Modelling

View Comments

Buck Rogers says:

Jan 6 2017 at 2:28 am

@RobSandy

@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

Matty Haymen winning P-R and Boonen being such a class act at the awards ceremony?

(all of your suggestions are great as well)
Steve Trice says:

Jan 6 2017 at 2:29 am

@davidlhill

Still, he’s a legend as far as I’m concerned,

Yeah, me too tbh, just with a slight tarnish.
RobSandy says:

Jan 6 2017 at 2:49 am

@Buck Rogers

@davidlhill

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

Matty Haymen winning P-R and Boonen being such a class act at the awards ceremony?

(all of your suggestions are great as well)

Yeah, I loved that - the vid of how amazed and elated Haymen was afterwards was beautiful.

I also liked Stannard's solo stage win in the Tour of Britain. He's my hero, nice to see him take the glory for once.
Buck Rogers says:

Jan 6 2017 at 2:52 am

@Cary

i don’t know where else to share this, it doesn’t fit in any particular topic i’ve come across, but this is the menu from a cafe near my house in the French Quarter.. how cool is this?

@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.

Right! The Lance should just be a steaming pile of shit between two perfect pieces of bread just like he was so "clean" on the outside but just a pile of shit through and through.

And shouldn't Le Blaireau's sandwich be a huge piece of raw meat that you just grab and ravage, kind of like he did to everyone that he raced against whenever he felt the fuck like it?
Buck Rogers says:

Jan 6 2017 at 2:54 am

@RobSandy

@Buck Rogers

@davidlhill

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

Matty Haymen winning P-R and Boonen being such a class act at the awards ceremony?

(all of your suggestions are great as well)

Yeah, I loved that – the vid of how amazed and elated Haymen was afterwards was beautiful.

I also liked Stannard’s solo stage win in the Tour of Britain. He’s my hero, nice to see him take the glory for once.

Right! Just loved that video with his disbelief at the end and his saying, "This doesn't happen?" and his Mate saying, "It does today to you!"

Literally choked me up watching that.

And then seeing Boonen looking up at Haymen on the podium from the lower step and being such a good sport even though you just have to know that it KILLED him not winning his fifth, esp in that final group.
RobSandy says:

Jan 6 2017 at 4:44 am

@Buck Rogers

@RobSandy

@Buck Rogers

@davidlhill

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

Matty Haymen winning P-R and Boonen being such a class act at the awards ceremony?

(all of your suggestions are great as well)

Yeah, I loved that – the vid of how amazed and elated Haymen was afterwards was beautiful.

I also liked Stannard’s solo stage win in the Tour of Britain. He’s my hero, nice to see him take the glory for once.

Right! Just loved that video with his disbelief at the end and his saying, “This doesn’t happen?” and his Mate saying, “It does today to you!”

Literally choked me up watching that.

And then seeing Boonen looking up at Haymen on the podium from the lower step and being such a good sport even though you just have to know that it KILLED him not winning his fifth, esp in that final group.

Yeah, you're right.

I'd vote for that one. Hayman FTW.
Rick says:

Jan 6 2017 at 10:25 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”.

I thought this was a good article on Froome's physiology.
Cary says:

Jan 6 2017 at 10:58 am

@Rick

@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”.

I thought this was a good article on Froome’s physiology.

that's pretty interesting. of all Froome's wild performances of the last few years, the one that really made me take notice was his breakaway with Sagan and Geraint Thomas last year. flatland power is not the same as mountain power. i was very impressed that he went off the front with those animals.
Rick says:

Jan 6 2017 at 11:41 am

@Cary

@Rick

@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”.

I thought this was a good article on Froome’s physiology.

that’s pretty interesting. of all Froome’s wild performances of the last few years, the one that really made me take notice was his breakaway with Sagan and Geraint Thomas last year. flatland power is not the same as mountain power. i was very impressed that he went off the front with those animals.

That was impressive but as I recall that break Thomas buried himself as did Sagan's team mate who was also in the group. When it came time to sprint, Sagan easily distanced Froomey even though the latter got the jump on him.
Teocalli says:

Jan 6 2017 at 11:52 am

@Rick

It would have been pretty well drilled had it been a TTT