Merckxy Christmas and a Coppi New Year

Meeeeerckxy Chriiiisstmas!

As 20VVV comes to a close, we’d like to once again thank each and every one of you for your readership and participation in this amazing community. Each of you are what makes Velominati the most exciting (if divisive) community in the Cycling world, and none of it would mean a thing if not for your contributions. From the bottom of our hearts: thank you.

At this time of year, I reflect on the amazing opportunity that you have given me and the other Keepers to take our hobby, passion, talents, and lifestyle and to share in this incredibly diverse group of people, opinions, and views. Over the years since our founding in 2009, you have become something of an extended family, complete with the squabbles, tears, and laughter. But mostly laughter. To those of you whom I have met in person, we have become personal friends. To the rest of you with whom I await the opportunity to meet: I look forward to that day with great eagerness.

Thank you for helping make Velominati what it is today.

We wish you and your families a Merckxy Christmas, and a Coppi New Year.

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

cognition says:

Dec 28 2015 at 2:11 pm

Best to you all. Here's hoping for more miles on the road, more hours on the gravel, and meeting more inmates of this particular little asylum.

Thanks to the astounding graciousness of my parents who have let me store a bike at their house for 20+ years, and insanely warm weather in the northeast this season, I was able to get out for a ride Christmas day. Even with a warn-out saddle, downtube friction shifting, brakes that are mostly a suggestion, and two or three kilos of extra mass compared to the #1, it was still a good ride!

(Apologies for being in the little ring. It is the off-season, after all.)
Teocalli says:

Dec 28 2015 at 2:12 pm

@Jamie

Chapeau et Bon Voyage.
Oli says:

Dec 28 2015 at 3:10 pm

Travel well, @Jamie
Oli says:

Dec 28 2015 at 3:11 pm

@cognition

That's a very cool stash bike!
eightzero says:

Dec 28 2015 at 4:54 pm

@Jamie

Best New Year wishes to the assembled Velominati and a bit of a farewell.

As some of those in the Pacific Northwest may remember, my wife and I have been planning, working, scheming, to get away from ‘conventional’ life, chuck it all, move onto a boat, and see the world.

Well, the house is sold, the boat is purchased, my last day of work is on Thursday, December 31 and the days grow few before this gets real and we cut the lines for good. We’re currently living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, have been working on the boat since August, and should be ready to cast off some time in early February. While the cycling kilometers have been way down from usual and participation on the Velominati site has been nil since we sold the house and moved 16 months ago, I’m not done cycling quite yet. Road bikes have their own space in the starboard fo’c’s’le (the boat’s a catamaran) and we plan to see as much of the world as we can on two wheels and two hulls. We’ll stay in touch. Don’t be surprised if I drop in on a Cogal in the Caribbean, Australia, India, South Africa, Europe, or where ever else you lurk.

If you want to follow along, visit http://gratefuleyesoftheworld.tumblr.com/

Frank, Chrissy, G’rilla, Eightzero, Peakin, and the rest – Thank you all for pushing me to be a mediocre cyclist rather than the truly awful one I would otherwise be!

Bon Voyage, mon frère - all the best to you!
eightzero says:

Dec 28 2015 at 4:59 pm

It is with Great Shame that I close out 2015 with a mere 1000miles. But to hit that, I went out on one of the coldest, nastiest days in Seattle today. My Rule 9 threshold is modest indeed. Perhaps a few more miles in 2016, maybe see you all on a local Cogal.

To all the Keepers and Velominati, a prosperous and happy 2016!
wiscot says:

Dec 28 2015 at 6:10 pm

@Jamie

Good luck, great adventures and safe travels to you both. Give us an update every once in a while, will you?
davidlhill says:

Dec 29 2015 at 1:32 am

@chuckp

Skip the beer. Go straight to making Negronis.

I like this man!

Happiness is going into a pizzeria in Rapallo and asking for a Negroni to possibly the only soul in Italy who doesn't know how to make one.

When I reply it's equal parts gin, red vermouth and Campari he smiles, says 'ah, that's easy to make', and goes away. He brings back a beer glass filled to the rim. I had several.

My wife didn't speak to me for a few days after that.

Anyway, Merry Christmas one an all!

Anyway
Jamie says:

Dec 29 2015 at 4:40 am

Thanks for the good wishes oli, wiscot, Teocalli, eightzero and the rest of y'all.

I'll leave you with a photo of Grateful (ex Papalani) taken before we took delivery in St Martin in July. She is now a US vessel, has radar at the first spreaders, and is about to have a tower for a proper cruiser's solar array installed at her stern, but otherwise, this is our baby, a 2007 Fountain Pajot Lavezzi 40.

s/v Grateful
wiscot says:

Dec 29 2015 at 6:02 am

@Jamie

Thanks for the good wishes oli, wiscot, Teocalli, eightzero and the rest of y’all.

I’ll leave you with a photo of Grateful (ex Papalani) taken before we took delivery in St Martin in July. She is now a US vessel, has radar at the first spreaders, and is about to have a tower for a proper cruiser’s solar array installed at her stern, but otherwise, this is our baby, a 2007 Fountain Pajot Lavezzi 40.

s/v Grateful

Damn, that's a good looking boat! Good to see some V-Orange on there too!