Categories: La Vie VelominatusNostalgiaRiding UglyTechnique

La Vie Velominatus: Standing Grace

Kelly teaches the masterclass once again.

We are bipedal creatures. Fact. Bipedal locomotion sucks. Also a fact. This makes being a human somewhat challenging in the sense that we don’t have opposable toes or a tail with which to swing from tree limbs. Swinging from your tail seems a little bit like bliss, if you ignore the associated demotion back into the Food Chain.

We Cyclists elect to circumvent these shortcoming by pushing our legs around in circles rather than in whatever shape makes a walking pattern or a tail-swinging pattern. It’s quite unnatural, riding a bike, and even the most casual study of the common Cyclist will reveal that most are not terribly good at it.

Which is why the graceful Cyclist is such a pleasure to watch; the mastery of the unnatural. A Cyclist who coaxes the pedals about their arch with fluid grace and power is not so much an athlete as an artist. This is a creature who has dominated the nature and become something wholly of another world.

Rising from the saddle in search of more power is perhaps the pinnacle of the art. Planting our butts in our saddle provides a solid platform from which to crush the pedals; it’s a handy way to keep our limbs from setting off in independent orbits. But when we’re really on the rivet and in the search for Speed Plus One, that rump is going to have to get lifted up into the air.

The most skilled in this craft are a beauty to behold. In one fluid motion that does nothing to limit the venom in their stroke, they rise out of the saddle and allow the machine to sway beneath them in response to the power being applied by each thrust to the pedals. The saddle sways from side to side in an almost hypnotic rhythm as the rider suffers without revealing any external signs of the effort they are applying.

The only hint is that the amplitude of the saddle’s sway increases as the power does. And when the time comes to return to the saddle, the amplitude is reigned in and brought back to home with perfect precision and no loss in the pedal stroke.

Cadel Evans looked horrible out of the saddle; he gave the impression he was trying to strangle his machine for some untold afront. Sean Kelly, on the other hand, could rise out of the saddle without you even realizing he was standing, so smooth was the transition.

On my best days, my saddle returns to me in perfect unison; I am one with my machine, a symbiotic lifeform. Upon a visit with the Man with the Hammer, I almost need to coast in order to return my rump to its home on the rare occasion that I manage to lift it off in the first place.

Mastery of this art is one I continue to pursue. 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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View Comments

TBONE says:

Jun 19 2015 at 9:04 am

Kelly is the original Danger Man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fztwlbrAxmA
frank says:

Jun 19 2015 at 9:11 am

@Haldy

From the same 87 Tour TT- Roche was also a master at this…an Irish thing perhaps?

Something else they share is the Rolls saddle, certainly the most beautiful saddle ever made, and arguable the most comfortable.

Not to mention their resistance to the clipless pedal.
frank says:

Jun 19 2015 at 10:56 am

@Haldy

So much awesomeness in this photo…a glorious old school funny bike( minus crank bolt covers I am sure!), and Sean Kelly full tilt out of the saddle. Kelly was one of my all time favorites..such that my son is named Sean! But I digress. One way for any Velominatis to help improve rising and returning to the saddle would be to spend some time on the glorious banks of my favorite cycling spot…a velodrome. Track racing is very unforgiving to those who do not have smoothness of stroke. When racing a full tilt…gliding up out of the saddle and caressing the pedals for more speed ends up all for naught if you cannot return to the saddle smoothly. When one just “plops” back to the saddle after winding it up, you can watch a couple of mph of speed get scrubbed off by the impact of them dropping back to the saddle. It takes a bit of practice to launch, then return to the saddle while still churning out that smooth power through the fixed gear.

The skill involved in track racing is crazy. And I can't imagine crashing with the added pleasure of splinters.
frank says:

Jun 19 2015 at 10:58 am

@Matt

@Haldy

From the same 87 Tour TT- Roche was also a master at this…an Irish thing perhaps?

Everything about this photo rules. The backwards cap, the chrome fork, the bidon, the massive Big Ring. His face – suffering but ever so focused. Even the shifters are bloody PERFECTLY aligned. FFS.

Roche was a master aesthete for sure. The cap wearing is most perfect.

That rear mech was also the pinnacle of style as far as I'm concerned. They'd only just left the boxy design behind and really invested in machining the derailleur for one reason only: beauty.

You gotta love those Italians.
frank says:

Jun 19 2015 at 11:00 am

@frank

@Matt

@Haldy

From the same 87 Tour TT- Roche was also a master at this…an Irish thing perhaps?

Everything about this photo rules. The backwards cap, the chrome fork, the bidon, the massive Big Ring. His face – suffering but ever so focused. Even the shifters are bloody PERFECTLY aligned. FFS.

Roche was a master aesthete for sure. The cap wearing is most perfect.

That rear mech was also the pinnacle of style as far as I’m concerned. They’d only just left the boxy design behind and really invested in machining the derailleur for one reason only: beauty.

You gotta love those Italians.

Ok...posting against my own post is not cool but I just can't stop. Check out the inner chainring too. And the block. That is some burly gearing he's crushing and I bet the course wasn't even pancake flat.
frank says:

Jun 19 2015 at 11:01 am

@RobSandy

The ability to rise out of the saddle every now and again is something I am working on. I tend to keep my arse firmly plonked on the saddle whenever I can, and this is not ideal for speed and not ideal for my arse.

Interestingly, I had an issue with my rear derailleur on a route I did a week or so ago which features two of my steepest local climbs, whereby I could not shift to my biggest sprocket. I was forced to stand up to take on the climbs more than I normally would.

The net result? I went faster. Changes to my bike are being meditated to enable better (harder) gearing.

That's a shocker!

I've oft contemplated the 42T inner chainring, and I've gone so far as to buy one. I have not mounted it, and I don't know why not; I'm very rarely in my lowest gear.
Haldy says:

Jun 19 2015 at 11:03 am

@frank

@frank

@Matt

@Haldy

From the same 87 Tour TT- Roche was also a master at this…an Irish thing perhaps?

Everything about this photo rules. The backwards cap, the chrome fork, the bidon, the massive Big Ring. His face – suffering but ever so focused. Even the shifters are bloody PERFECTLY aligned. FFS.

Roche was a master aesthete for sure. The cap wearing is most perfect.

That rear mech was also the pinnacle of style as far as I’m concerned. They’d only just left the boxy design behind and really invested in machining the derailleur for one reason only: beauty.

You gotta love those Italians.

Ok…posting against my own post is not cool but I just can’t stop. Check out the inner chainring too. And the block. That is some burly gearing he’s crushing and I bet the course wasn’t even pancake flat.

Clearly not...he's cresting a hill in the middle of the course here. I was going to mention the chainrings as well..one wonders why they even bothered having the inner ring! I doubt he ever touched it.
frank says:

Jun 19 2015 at 11:04 am

@unversio

@Phillip Mercer

As someone who frequently sits on the front of the group into climbs to then be dropped by the smart-arse climbers who draft the entire way there when I get out of the saddle I always try to make sure there is no break in pedal stroke to avoid taking out those behind. The same cannot be said the other day when I reeled back in one of the guys where I sat on his wheel to regather myself, only for him to stop pedalling to get out of his saddle, change gears and start wildly swinging his back wheel. I found my front wheel being taken out at that point but was able to catch myself before hitting the ground. Sure, I was too close by my mate’s technique really could do with smoothing out…

Phillip pointed out many issues here — concur. Never allow the bike to throw itself backward. It takes a good deal of practice, but control that glide into position. On the front of the line, at the “now” moment, the bike will even carry forward with me as I push up. There is a short version of this too where I lift entirely off the saddle all within one stroke (carrying forward) just to circulate stuff.

Yes, preventing the rearward bike throw when standing is hugely critical and I would say that's pack-riding 101; if you can't pull that off, don't stand.

I've heard it referred to as "pedalling over the top of the stroke" when you stand, which I think describes it well. It feels to me like an extra-smooth motion and I focus on keeping pressure on the stroke as I rise out of the saddle. At this point, I even do that when I'm riding solo, just out of habit.
frank says:

Jun 19 2015 at 11:07 am

@piwakawaka

@Teocalli

@Beers

Not forgetting to move to the drops first.

well, that’s an entirely different sort of standing than what we are discussing here, standing with hands on the tops, (although, Kelly of course is neither on tops nor drops), now standing in the drops, there’s a whole other tread for that!

In the drops it’s about power rather than grace, you torque the bike from side side to side like you want to tear it’s head off, standing is more like you’re trying to dance her ass off

Standing on the tops? Oh for fucks sake, please tell me you mean standing on the hoods.
Haldy says:

Jun 19 2015 at 11:10 am

@frank

@Haldy

So much awesomeness in this photo…a glorious old school funny bike( minus crank bolt covers I am sure!), and Sean Kelly full tilt out of the saddle. Kelly was one of my all time favorites..such that my son is named Sean! But I digress. One way for any Velominatis to help improve rising and returning to the saddle would be to spend some time on the glorious banks of my favorite cycling spot…a velodrome. Track racing is very unforgiving to those who do not have smoothness of stroke. When racing a full tilt…gliding up out of the saddle and caressing the pedals for more speed ends up all for naught if you cannot return to the saddle smoothly. When one just “plops” back to the saddle after winding it up, you can watch a couple of mph of speed get scrubbed off by the impact of them dropping back to the saddle. It takes a bit of practice to launch, then return to the saddle while still churning out that smooth power through the fixed gear.

The skill involved in track racing is crazy. And I can’t imagine crashing with the added pleasure of splinters.

Of all the crashes in that video..the one that amazes me is the Madison crash with Kenny DeKetele( the belgian who hits the deck) 30 guys on the track all doing 30+ and he's the only guy who falls! I much prefer to watch track videos where folks don't fall down. Like this one from this years Madison at World's. Watch the string of exchanges that happen at 1:15 into the video...bear in mind all of this is at 30+mph! I will be engaged it just such an event next Friday night! Though not quite as fast as what's on offer here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mBjJaP8NOk&list=PL7NFlV830crPzl5QysaoIIln3ns4Yblu7&index=16