Categories: Belgian AffirmationsLa Vie VelominatusLook ProMusings from the V-Bunker

Body Language

As a matter of fact, no, I hadn't forgotten how awesome I am.

A true leader rarely asks someone to do something for them; the best leaders inspire through their own example those around them to follow suit and join them in their cause. The leader is fueled by something that is not externally driven, it is born from within and appears in this world as passion and conviction. These qualities, in their genuine state, are irresistible.

Style is a special kind of art, it is not the kind of art that is hung on the wall and gazed upon by passers by; like leadership, it is not externally focussed but instead is something one uses to shape how we feel. We become a piece of living, breathing art. And then, hypothetically, after you spill some mustard down the front of your lovely, crisp shirt, the art might also take on an olfactory quality as well.

A foundational principle of La Vie Velominatus is the power of Looking Fantastic: of dressing up in impeccable, matching kit and climbing aboard a perfectly curated, cleaned, and tuned machine before setting out onto the road brimming with confidence and oozing morale. As Paul Fournel said, “To look good is already to go fast.”

There might actually be some science behind it, which I’ve never needed but always assumed there would be.

Research suggests that our own body language can alter our hormonal levels to the effect that they significantly change the way we perceive ourselves. (If you haven’t watched Amy Cuddy‘s TED Talk on Body Language, you should.) In her studies, she found that something as simple as adopting a high power stance for two minutes can increase testosterone levels by 80% (making one more confident and assertive) and reduce cortisol levels by 25% (making one less reactive to stress).

Both of these sound a lot like how kitting up for a cold, rainy ride in my Flandrian Best makes me feel; I will set out into the deluge brimming with confidence and ready to face the cold and risks that come as a part of not only riding a bike, but riding one in wet, poor-visibility conditions. At high speed. If standing in a bathroom with your arms in the air for two minutes can measurably change your hormone levels for the better, then I have every reason to believe that knowing that you Look Fantastic at All Times would have the same, if not stronger, effect.

Vive la Vie Velominatus.

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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frank says:

Feb 4 2016 at 3:00 pm

@chris

@frank It’s a fine theory and one that I try to adhere to but the tricky bit is to maintain those high levels of self confidence/dutch delusion when you hit the first hill or turn into a headwind.

In reality the benefits of Looking Fantastic are ephemeral without serious application of the V and Training Properly.

A symbiotic circle, my friend. Dressing well will only give you the confidence to be able to train hard and well, it won't actually make you strong in and of itself. Do your time in the saddle, and Look Fantastic at all times.
frank says:

Feb 4 2016 at 3:03 pm

@PeakInTwoYears

I’ve listened to that TED Talk more than once and loved it. Can’t believe I didn’t consciously connect it to Fournel’s Theorem.

Did you watch the one I linked to the other week on The Golden Circle? Brand Management is near and dear to my heart for the obvious reasons, and the simplicity of that message, not to mention the biological connection to the style of communication is just brilliant.

https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en
frank says:

Feb 4 2016 at 3:10 pm

@Vince

When I put in the effort to pick out what looks fantastic, I therefore feel fantastic and therefore perform fantastic. When I don’t put this effort in, like when I just pull something out of the drawer because I’m in a rush or don’t really care, right off the bat I’ve made an unconscious decision to not perform my best. This is especially true on the bicycle, but looking fantastic also transcends other aspects of my life. My other passion, golf, is just as much of a mental grind as is riding a bicycle up a long false flat into a headwind. If any part of my mind has any doubts, I might as well not play. Wearing the right golf attire takes about 5 strokes off my game before I even arrive at the golf course. Same is true at work, in the gym, or when going out in public.

Looking fantastic and the benefits one derives from doing so therefore all boil down to one thing: confidence.

This.

@Sebastian Bustos

Welcome! Beautiful photo! And don't listen to these savages about your bar tape. I know what tape it is, and good on ya, mate.
frank says:

Feb 4 2016 at 3:19 pm

@hudson

Both of these sound a lot like how kitting up for a cold, rainy ride in my Flandrian Best makes me feel; I will set out into the deluge brimming with confidence and ready to face the cold and risks that come as a part of not only riding a bike, but riding one in wet, poor-visibility conditions.

This! This is what its about. As much as i adore tanned guns and the quiet hum of the tires on the road on a June afternoon, out sprinting my ghost adversaries…i even more so have fallen lustfully over the V that it takes to kit up at 5 am knowing full well the pain of the frigid air awaiting me and the slush that has been deposited on the road while i slumber, taping over the cleats just so i can make it through the snow in the drive to get to the road. To me this is cycling at its finest. Early morning hours or not, i will look fantastic even if no one sees me.

Yes! We Look Fantastic first and foremost for ourselves, the fact that other people see us and bask in our Awesome is just icing on the cake.

And you're riding in slush? On what kind of tires? The only time I reach for the trainer in lieu of a road ride is when it's black-ice territory. Which isn't to say I don't ride the trainer otherwise - I do because it is good training and makes the stroke more magnificent, but the only weather that keeps me indoors irrespective is ice...
frank says:

Feb 4 2016 at 3:22 pm

@Buck Rogers

Brilliant TED talk. I had never seen that. I think she says around minute 11:00 that it is a 20% increase after two minutes, not 80%, in testosterone but even with that logic, I wonder how much increase I can get if I walk around ALL DAY and even sleep in a POWER posture, Baby!

I'll have to listen to it again, I watched it twice, but English isn't my first language so I might have gotten it wrong.
Buck Rogers says:

Feb 4 2016 at 3:24 pm

@frank

@Buck Rogers

Brilliant TED talk. I had never seen that. I think she says around minute 11:00 that it is a 20% increase after two minutes, not 80%, in testosterone but even with that logic, I wonder how much increase I can get if I walk around ALL DAY and even sleep in a POWER posture, Baby!

But this really hits home for me as on two of my deployments to Iraq my Unit had a full company of Navy SEALs attached to us and it was a standing joke amongst my guys that you could not graduate SEAL School until you learned to permanently stand in a “Tough Guy” stance. Seriously, those dudes ALWAYS stood with their chests flared and their thumbs in the tops of their pants, even right before going on target. Guess it makes sense as they all had a ton of testosterone, both endogenous AND exogenous!

Are those guys doping? I suppose in war it doesn’t matter, I’m just a little surprised to hear that. Fuch, though, anything to win a war! That actually IS life and death!

When you come out here in May, you’ll have to come prepared with a doping schedule for me for l’Huere!

Let's just say that I would check a bunch of guys liver function tests and kidney function levels a few times a year to make sure that no one was destroying their organs JUST IN CASE they were on steroids,HGH, etc.

But, yes, they took PEDs in order to better kill people that needed killing, not win a sporting competition. Different arena for sure.
Teocalli says:

Feb 4 2016 at 3:30 pm

@Frank two things.

Great that you started "A true leader rarely asks someone to do something for them" in so far as a true leader does not have to "tell".

But I can't quite get my head around "standing in a bathroom with your arms in the air for two minutes" beyond trying to fix the lightbulb.
frank says:

Feb 4 2016 at 3:44 pm

@Teocalli

Don't knock it till you trot it, motherfucker.
Teocalli says:

Feb 4 2016 at 3:45 pm

@frank

@Teocalli

Don’t knock it till you trot it, motherfucker.

Ha Ha. That would be those leadership skills bursting out again?
wilburrox says:

Feb 4 2016 at 4:18 pm

@Sebastian Bustos

Mountain biking?? You call those mountains??? Just jokes. Very cool scenery. Cheers indeed.