Anatomy Of A Photo: Where Do We Go From Here?
A great unknown awaits the young men, bound by a common entity of steel, flesh and passion rolled together. Do they contemplate the future, or are they so encapsulated in the here and now that anything beyond the finish line seems like it could only be for old people? Have they any inkling which path they will take, or be guided towards? Maybe the only thing on their mind is just how badass their eyewear is.
What ambition burns within, do they believe they will be, or even seek to be, a cycling superstar; which of them knows it? Maybe ambition isn’t considered, not part of the equation. The simple act of pedalling a bicycle may remain one of joy, of freedom, or become a mistress so harsh that she is eventually despised, and thrown aside, banished to but a bitter memory of a time better forgotten. Who will be remembered, and who will even want to remember?
When a pastime becomes a job a certain element, that of detachment, is lost forever. Making your passion your profession is fraught with risk, and the balance of work/play becomes ever more critical to cultivating satisfaction within, lest you be eternally damned to harming the very thing once loved more than anything else. Keeping things Casually Deliberate is a failsafe, a safety net below the trapeze on which the real world swings precariously.
Stay passionate. Rock cool shit and ride your bike like it’s your lover. Everything will be alright.
@Buck Rogers
Ha ha! WIN!
@ChrisO
And here’s an athlete never caught doping, displaying grace and style on the bike. *cough*
Both sports have their cheaters, both fail at dealing with them. So?
Back to the difficulty discussion – those guys look like a pretty average bunch of “complete, not compete” folks. Visor on your helmet and Oakley glasses hanging from his neck? Two aero helmets out of 8 folks? A fair comparison would be these guys:
I heard people walk in cyclosportives!
Here is a photo from the other side of the career
Every once in a while at an organized charity ride I’m doing, some tri-chicks (yes, I know I’ll get into trouble for using that kinda language, but it’s way better than some terms that have been bandied about on this site), show up. Man, they scare me. They also ride bikes and gear I could never afford. Mind you, I take solace in the fact that I’m better dressed than they are . . .
@rfreese888
Well, the guy on the right’s palmares are a wee bit scanty, but I get your point.
Speaking of M. Thevenet and M. Merckx, I read that the Tour might be doing Pra Loup next year, eh? It’s been a while since “the showdown” of 75. It would be nice to see something similar in 15.
@wiscot Note the halo around The Prophet and the French ‘blessing’ streaming behind Le Blaireau. Bobet’s face looks towards the past, Coppi’s to the future
@Buck Rogers
I’m not anti-roadie. I’m a proper cyclist on my proper bike, and on my triathlon bike – well, I try to minimize the damage (and train with proper kit). The point I was trying to get across is that a triathlete overblowing the difficulty of his race is not that different from some of the posts and musings on this very site. Masturbating (for lack of a better word) about how hard you suck at three disciplines is the same as the self-congratulatory posts about riding in nasty weather. We all do it, some more and some less, but both are ridiculous when viewed by an outsider, and the length of our sleeves (or lack thereof) won’t make our lycra-clad selves more appealing to the general population.
PS: The biggest percentage of high-end (road and mountain) bike purchases is done by… 40-50 year olds. Midlife crises have many ways to show. I worked for Assos – which is, after all, as snobbish-roadie as it gets. Our most popular sizes were XL and XXL, and most customers had a belly bigger than Robert Forstemann’s quads and less hair than Bjarne Riis.
PS2: Spot on, by the way, about triathletes buying $3000 Zipps to improve by 3 seconds. It’s quite satisfying to think my entire bike cost less than one wheel as I’m wooshing past. On the other hand, Weight Weenies.
Buck – NICE rant! I loved that. It’s amazing how different sports have become in such a short, short time. What I’ve seen is that you’re either an “all in” athlete now and you focus on one sport, go to coaching camps, have a coach, only eat Gatorade-approved foods, etc. Or, you’re chubby, lazy, and can’t jog and chew gum at the same time. No in between. Specialization, just like most other areas. It’s fuckin’ weird to me. I’m not even going to start on the fuckers who mocked and disdained sports for the first 35 years of life, then decided to give them a go, then went all in on gear and other shite, but still are just soft sonofabitches.
Speak of…my VMH’s boss just won a Try in her age group. She told my VMH she wants to ride with me so she can train with someone faster on the bike. I hope this happens, so I can punish her like crazy for being so unkind to my wife daily at work. She’s definitely not athletic, so I wonder exactly how competitive this Try was.
Frank – NICE! I love picking up something new, like shades, that just make you want to get out and ride. It could be anything, even new socks. But you get home, you don’t feel like heading out, maybe, then you say, “Fuck it, I’ve got a classy steel steed and some goddamn Eyeshades. Let’s roll.”
@ChrisO
HA! Nice work, Chris. Nice work.
@wiscot
Man, you are on fire! And winter hasn’t even set in to keep you off the road and busy entertaining us. Strong work.
I don’t own or wear denim, so those pantalones make me extra-queasy.
@antihero
Interesting how our own experience informs our assumptions, isn’t it? Clearly you have neither the skill nor the wherewithal to take photos while climbing.
@unversio
They are not Rotundos; they are ttt old stock somethingorothers that have the Merckx bend, positioned level.
@extra special and bitter
I don’t know about others, but I hate him because he’s such a douchebag. Not for his doping or for loving Tri, though it doesn’t make the case any stronger.
@girl
I agree. Its very tiring.
There are douchebags in all sports. I can’t say there is a greater than average incidence in the Tri world, but maybe I’m biased.
The question as to whether a tri is tougher or easier than a crit is irrelevant – it all depends on how much V the athlete is willing to lay down.
One of the Brownlee brothers collapsed yards from the end of the race a few years ago and could not get over the line. Now either you can say HTFU, or you can say that he totally drained the V bank and merely got the timing wrong!
End of Tri support – back to normal service.
DAvid
@frank
I assumed the douche-baggery came from the tri-background, but I guess they just went hand in hand.
@frank Sorry man, but it’s not my fault. A Try-wad made me do it!
@wiscot
An amusing one of these I experienced last summer was a guy probably half my age in a sportive with TT bars, aero-helmet and polka dot jersey. He must also have been doing the short route as I passed him twice, ironically both times going uphill.
@Buck Rogers
Come on guys (and gals) if it wasn’t for @Bret ranting about the length of posts (and lack of pictures) and @Buck Rogers just ranting this place would be lacking a certain je ne sais pas.
@Teocalli Ha! You know, they’ve offered me meds multiple times but I just keep figuring what a boring place my world would be on them and also how boring it would be for all those poor Bastards that have to share it with me!
@Teocalli
Yeah, there should be some kind of law, not just a rule, but a law, about wearing an aero helmet unless you are actually competing in a race.
Back in my racing days I wore one of the early Cinelli aero helmets when racing, but NEVER when not racing. That would have been too ludicrous to contemplate.
@frank
Just recently learned that Rotundos are considered a shallow round bend. What you are saying is that these are a deep bend — Merckx 158mm drop. Thanx
Ok, its tired but this also doesn’t help the case.
@Teocalli
I refuse to ride/near with someone with tri bars and/or without socks
@Teocalli
Eh what? Did I miss something?
@brett
Je ne sais pas either!
@Teocalli
Don’t forget @Gianni testing the limits of Rules compliance… and posting pics of that saddle of his.
@brett
My point exactly? Damn I nearly added some punctuation there.
@ChrisO
Snap to you! :)
@frank
No, it doesn’t. At least the spectators know it, why do you think they are all standing at transition? Purely to watch the carnage.
@VeloVita
I have never understood USA kit… It’s always hideous.
Ok, I can’t remember what the original article is about but I’m enjoying the @Girl coment – snap back at @ChisO and as usual @Buck you kill me. That little cadidiot should be tied to a link of the old chain that spanned the Hudson and thrown in for a swim!
If I have to comment on RR vs Tri they are both hard but one has a mental side and has tactics that dictate whether or not you kill yourself to stay in the race. Guess which one? Also and then I’ll shut up, it’s not like your bike handling like Cavendish in a Tri. Legal drafting in a Tri race does not change the equation because there is no sprint for the line for places… First through one hundred are just trying to stay in the pack – whoopee! Yes they swim and run and it’s the training that is harder but once in the race, any leg, it’s just a matter of not red lining like the kid mentioned above.
Oh ya I remember, I’m so glad I stopped racing before those helmet and the guy to the right is Bill Woodhall (?) I think. He was a fabulous mechanic who wrenched at the Red Zinger races and national team events, home and abroad. He worked out of a loaded station wagon with all campy tool, with the Campy logo and Italian colors covering the whole thing. Steve Tilfords web page has a picture of it and Bill back in the day.
@Rob
Glad it reads like fun as that is the way it is intended.
Racing: same, same, different, same. All racing has a mental side to it. Whatever the race, if you’ve done the training, race day is 90% mental. I’d even go so far as to say there are tactics in tri but I know that will push many of you over the edge. (If that comment alone pushes you over the edge I can’t wait to read the brain explosions posted here after i finish my pedal with the LBS boys.)
@frank:
Easy, cowboy. Looks like I touched a nerve.
On the contrary, I possess mad skillz sufficient to permit the consumption of a four-course meal, with wine pairings, whilst climbing the Tourmalet.
@therealpeel
Shoot me down in flames if you like, but I can’t think of a single US addition to sartorial elegance that passes muster. Baseball cap? – whatever angle of rotation its worn, the wearer looks like a moron . “Hawaii shirts”? Ok when drunk at the beach with little chance of meeting anyone you know/want to impress. Denim jeans? Oh come on, work clothes. Stetson? Member of the Village People.
I now give up. Feel free to add to the list, or try a futile attempt to defend any of these. Just remember I hold the trump card and will *always* win.
@girl
Yes to it reading as fun, @ChrisO’s riposte too! And I post with the true expectation that no one takes my word or thoughts as anything but an opinion and usually a large dose of tongue in cheek.
Having said that, I want to state clearly that Tri is no less a sport but unfortunately its preponderance of twats at the cat 5 end (or whatever the Tri equivalent) gives it a bad name! Also, of course it has tactics as does mountain biking and cyclocross. The point is in those three disciplines the tactics are to RR as checkers is to chess.
End!
@Rob
Cadidiot! Awesome! Fuck, that’s classic!
Also, Brother, Think about a trip to Maine next third week in June. Cogal write-up coming soon, right Gianni?!?!?!
@Rob
Correct and agreed.
@Rob i think you will find a pic of that wagon somewhere in this thread: http://www.velominati.com/nostalgia/anatomy-of-a-photo-campagnolo-candy-van/
@markb I have a Hawaiian “shirt” jersey. Club fit too! Thrift store find, from Performance. I like to wear it on Friday fun rides. Aside from the obvious awesomeness, should I get fat, the Club Fit provides room to grow.
@antihero
Reminded me of this:
“Racing was at its hardest when the stands were full. Riders took it easy when they were empty and circled the track reading newspapers, talking, even writing letters as they pedalled with one foot, the other steering the handlebars” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-day_racing
@Buck Rogers
Whoooeee – I’m IN. Just give me a time and a place!
P.S. http://www.combat.ws/S4/MILTERMS/WP0SLANG.HTM
– so glad we can’t do stupid embarrassed silly faces. Just don’t go overboard with this new knowledge or the plebes are going to think your way not cool…
@Beers it looks like he put on his smoking slippers for a snack, a cigar and a kip? I only have seen one six and that was a modern one ( I’m not that old) – only 4-5 hours a day and of that only a couple of hours of Madison. The rest was entertaining devil take the hindmost, scratch races and the like for points and dosh. It would be great to get to Amsterdam or Rotterdam one of these winters…
@Rob Is your email still the one at fairpoint.net?
@Buck Rogers the same but gmail.com – fairpoint.net is dead to me.
@Rob
Tracking. Just sent you a test email to establish contact.
@wiscot
We have a few Tri dudes in our bunch. They’re cool because they are always in the bunch. They race with us too so know how to ride in a bunch, how to roll a pace line and all that. Then you get the tri-wads who roll onto the back of the bunch while we are doing a kick arse pace line and decide to join in unannounced and uninvited. After getting over being told to get the fuck off the aero-bars in the bunch, they get to the front of the pace line and decide, wow, these guys roll off easy.. I’ll show them and take off hard thinking they are teaching us a lesson. Well, they just get left there which compounds their idea that they are kick arse and use roadies can’t come around. Eventually they tire and the pace line starts again rolling past them. They’re pretty smug off the front but they never seem to be there for the sprint… One day I hope they might learn but they never do.