Categories: Belgian AffirmationsFolkloreKeepers TourNostalgiaThe Hardmen

Belgian Affirmations: Andrei Tchmil

Andrei Tchmil got so tired of the palpable disappointment of not being Belgian that he decided to become one. Envision the world the way you want it to be, then make it so.

People are cynical when I talk about Belgium. They think I’m only Belgian on paper. That is not true. Yes, I was a Russian, even a proud one…. Now I am proud to be Belgian.

A-Merckx; I totally understand the Awesome you’re on about.

Incidentally, I’m so inappropriately excited about Keepers Tour: Cobbled Classics 2012 that I can’t promise next week won’t be another week of unabashed, full-frontal Belgian Toothpaste Porn.

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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Steampunk says:

Nov 12 2011 at 12:59 pm

Hoping for rain overnight and will be looking for dirt roads in the morning. An ode to mud.

Kuiper:

Willem:

Cadiou:
Bondue finishing third (1984) on cracked fork:

In all, these are terrible things to inflict upon a bike. Body be damned.
Oli says:

Nov 12 2011 at 1:02 pm

@frank
He's not Ariostea - the team finished up in '93 and Le Groupement only existed in '95 - it's an AKI-Gipiemme rider...
Oli says:

Nov 12 2011 at 1:09 pm

Eddy.
Oli says:

Nov 12 2011 at 1:14 pm

Francesco.
Oli says:

Nov 12 2011 at 1:16 pm

Roger.
wiscot says:

Nov 12 2011 at 1:38 pm

@frank
Don't know what race Freddy's in here. Sure ain't P-R. It's a TT - jersey tucked in and no bottle cage. Totally rule compliant. Not going to use it? Take it off! Have to say though, the brim up at the back is a tad less aero than having it down.
wiscot says:

Nov 12 2011 at 1:42 pm

@Oli
That's crazy pic! It shows what experience can do, To ride through such a deep puddle surely means RdV did his homework on the course and knew where to good 'off-cobble" bits were. Only a madman would go into a puddle like that without knowing what lurked underneath.
scaler911 says:

Nov 12 2011 at 2:18 pm

@frank

@scaler911

@frank
You gotta look in the story submission q. I resisted posting those exact photos since I have a story in there. GDL is my avatar.

Woah, totally missed that. Gianni is kindly handling all the guest articles, so my bad on not seeing that. Your avatar, though, is Fanco Ballerini. Unless you're talking about some other site. Which seems impossible. There are no other sites, right?

Yep. Now I feel like I don't know shit about shit. Ha!
To clear one thing up though, the photo of GDL and Johan Museeuw: Neither of them one that P-R. Tchmil did, but you already knew that didn't you? Did the photo of Tchmil for this post come from the 1994 PR?
Marko says:

Nov 12 2011 at 2:24 pm

This might possibly be the awesomest thread we've ever had here. Oli just kicked it up another notch with that Roger pic. Bam!
Oli says:

Nov 12 2011 at 2:35 pm

@scaler911
The thread photo came from the 2000 PR, I'm pretty sure. Not one of Tchmil's happier memories...