Categories: Defining MomentsExportLa Vie VelominatusNostalgia

La Vie Velominatus: The Joyride

The commuter bike that once again represents the simple freedom of riding a bike.

There are very few experiences as incredible as riding a bike; the wind in your face, the sensation of generating speed under your own power, the balance of forces that almost magically hold the bike suspended upright. It is the closest we humans will ever come to feeling the miracle of flight; it is the closest we can come to knowing what it must be like to be a bird.

Cycling is my passion, my greatest hobby, my obsession. From a young age, I have been taking it seriously, slowly growing my dependence and interest in life behind bars. It was during the summer when I was eight or so years old that I first set a legitimate training goal, and took to the bicycle as my primary means of summer training. It isn’t a unique story, how the bicycle intervened into a skier’s life and somehow took over, but the point is that I hardly recall a time in my life that the bicycle didn’t hold some enormous meaning for me.

Before I became a Cyclist as a pre-teen, I learned to ride a bike on the dirt trails behind my parent’s house. With this acquired skill, my range of travel increased dramatically. I could suddenly meet my friends who lived far enough away that I couldn’t walk there. I could ride to and from school, I could ride to the lake and swim with my friends. The bicycle was simple, carefree. It was freedom.

This is the great paradox of La Vie Velominatus: the more serious and passionate we become, the farther we are from that juvenile pleasure and freedom afforded by the bike. As Velominati, each ride serves a purpose, whether that purpose is to follow a training plan, feed the Good Wolf, or to spend some quality time with ourselves as introverts.

Last weekend, my girlfriend and I whimsically decided to jump on our bikes for a midnight ride around the neighborhood. No helmets, no lights, no plan; just two people riding around, choosing the route on a whim, talking about life, love, and laughing. It was perhaps the first time in more than thirty years that I felt the raw childhood whimsy of riding a bike for its own sake. It was one of my favorite rides, ever.

Cycling is indeed my passion, my hobby, my obsession; I am eternally grateful for the gift it has given me throughout my life. But somehow, I’ve lost the original connection I had to the bike from before I became a Cyclist. I am resolved to rebuild that and continue to indulge in the joyride.

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

MangoDave says:

Sep 16 2016 at 1:17 pm

@wiscot

@MangoDave

@MrBirchum

FNG here… Is the “Life Behind Bars” new? If so, I sense a tee shirt/bumper sticker

It’s already been done.

Just to be pedantic, but shouldn’t the bars be viewed from the opposite side?

I suppose they would be in the correct orientation while wearing the shirt.
wiscot says:

Sep 16 2016 at 1:24 pm

@MangoDave

@wiscot

@MangoDave

@MrBirchum

FNG here… Is the “Life Behind Bars” new? If so, I sense a tee shirt/bumper sticker

It’s already been done.

Just to be pedantic, but shouldn’t the bars be viewed from the opposite side?

I suppose they would be in the correct orientation while wearing the shirt.

Good point! But why is there only one cable coming from the left shifter and two from the right? Are they running an old-school braze-on front derailleur? I think we should be told.
MangoDave says:

Sep 16 2016 at 2:09 pm

@wiscot

@MangoDave

@wiscot

@MangoDave

@MrBirchum

FNG here… Is the “Life Behind Bars” new? If so, I sense a tee shirt/bumper sticker

It’s already been done.

Just to be pedantic, but shouldn’t the bars be viewed from the opposite side?

I suppose they would be in the correct orientation while wearing the shirt.

Good point! But why is there only one cable coming from the left shifter and two from the right? Are they running an old-school braze-on front derailleur? I think we should be told.

I can't explain that, so I'll go with your braze-on front idea. If I were to design a shirt like this, I wouldn't do such a shoddy job with the details.

BTW, I understood your sequoia humor.
Randy C says:

Sep 16 2016 at 5:31 pm

@Harminator

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cheers
frank says:

Sep 16 2016 at 9:21 pm

@wiscot

I have an arrangement with a friend who rides a little. We ride together on the understanding that it is a hard ride for her, a recovery one for me. With that understanding, we’re good. On Labor Day we did 50kms in Milwaukee. (I’d done 170 kms the day before). Average speed was 20 kmh. It was lovely. Lots of time to look around, and enjoy the pleasure of the ride knowing that time, distance and speed were immaterial.

Such a beautiful thing. I don't have enough of these rides, obviously!

BTW, that’s a sequoia Frank’s bike is leaning against.

Brilliant!
frank says:

Sep 16 2016 at 9:22 pm

@Teocalli

@wiscot

Ahhh – Bollocks – Maybe I should change my tag to @Sheldon.

You have every reason to have lost your sense of humor; standby, news is coming my friend...
frank says:

Sep 16 2016 at 9:40 pm

@fenlander

Since the VMH got her Liv it’s been really nice to go out with her and just ride with no thought of sprints,Strave sections etc.Only thing is now she’s got one of those mini Lezyne gps things she’s now keeping an eye on her average speed and such,don’t know for how much longer they’ll be gentle rides,,,,

On the commuter note I’m partway re-building my old Trek hybrid in to a light tourer hack thing(it’s being called Trek the mongrel!);only original bits left are the frame,rear v-brakes and rear wheel .I’m as excited about building this as I have been about any other of the stable and I may have one to do for the VMH some time.

Here’s a rubbish pic of it so far;mis-matched wheels,old carbon fork,old 105 kit etc;plenty of ‘cruising’ will be done on this hopefully.

Oh and yes panniers! Will be doing the weekly ‘big’ shop with this now the car’s gone.

Hopefully you'll fix the saddle angle.

I've actually bought some longer cables for the mustache monster and will wrap the bars in cloth tape - any day now. Super fun builds, these little worker bikes.
frank says:

Sep 16 2016 at 9:41 pm

@Haldy

@frank–

“Last weekend, my girlfriend and I whimsically decided to jump on our bikes for a midnight ride around the neighborhood. No helmets, no lights, no plan; just two people riding around, choosing the route on a whim, talking about life, love, and laughing. It was perhaps the first time in more than thirty years that I felt the raw childhood whimsy of riding a bike for its own sake. It was one of my favorite rides, ever.”

That statement seems to me to be the essence of Rule #6. Freeing the mind…..

Absolutely, great call. Sometimes a ride like that reminds you what it feels like to be truly free.
frank says:

Sep 16 2016 at 9:42 pm

@Owen

@Charles Barilleaux

Very recently acquired a Surly Straggler (in mint green of course) for general commuting, off road riding, bikepacking, etc. It definitely doesn’t roll like the roadie, but it is an absolute blast to ride. Top that off with the fact that my office has a prox-access bike lockup in the basement garage and I can ride it to work and proceed stress-free through my day. About the bike no stress, anyway

In a nod to Rule #8, the saddle and bar tape are black, and the fenders are chrome to match the derailleurs and other misc hardware. She is a thing of beauty.

That post is useless without a photo.
frank says:

Sep 16 2016 at 9:44 pm

@RobSandy

Beautiful piece and as always, timely, as I’ve been spending lots more time on my commuter bike again (I’m going to have to post a picture of it as Frank has done with his).

Also, timely as I’m now in the void between the end of the racing season and the start of the winter training plan proper. One of my main aims with this 2 month break from any sort of structured training was to enjoy it – rediscover that feeling of just riding and not worrying about the results. I’m pretty sure my form has stayed more or less where it was, actually.

Two words: Cyclocross.