Pierre-Roger Latour goes more faster at the 2013 Giro d’Emilia. Photo: Pedale.Forchetta

I wasn’t anywhere near old enough to hold a driver’s license but my dad had already bought me a motorcycle. It was a late seventies BMW R100 RS, dark blue. I loved that bike; I polished it fortnightly even though it never left the garage. I spent hours sitting on it, twisting the throttle and squeezing the clutch, diving in and out of turns on a twisty road somewhere in my imagination. My dad sold the bike not long after I got serious about Cycling, making the shrewd observation that if I was able to land myself in the emergency room as often as I did under my own power, then from a Darwinian standpoint my chances of survival would be dramatically decreased by the introduction of a 1000cc engine.

To this day, I love speed. I feel it in that layer between skin and muscle that science will tell you doesn’t exist but that anyone who has ever taken a risk will tell you does. On a bicycle, it doesn’t even have to be high speed; descending, cruising along a valley road, or climbing – any speed that comes as a result of that familiar pressure in my legs and lungs is a thrill.

Cornering at speed will amplify the feeling of speed as your muscles press against the change in tangental velocity. But even the slower speeds of climbing can produce the exciting effects of speed; diving into a tight switchback on a fast climb can provide the distinctive exhilaration that comes with needing to brake and lean while climbing. There is no sensation in Cycling that will make one feel more Pro than needing to control your speed while going uphill.

Cobblestones and gravel also provide their unique doorway into the feeling of speed. The bouncing of the machine under you as you push a big gear along the road will amplify the sensation of going fast with the transitions from tarmac to rough roads and back again playing their own part to demonstrate speed through the power of contrast.

Riding along a road that has a lot of shrubbery or tall grass that hugs the roadside, my peripheral vision will quietly inform me that the blurred motion at my side is the direct result of my own burning engine and the effort I’m putting into the pedals. To experience under our own strength that which others require a motor to accomplish is what makes us stand apart. We are active participants in speed. We are Cyclists.

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.

View Comments

  • @Ron

    Hey, how did Pedale managed to make Pozzovivo look non-mini?

    Check out his head tube cluster dude. That ain't a Strackian frame.

    Also I might have the rider wrong.

  • @PeakInTwoYears

    @scaler911

    The feeling of a wicked fast descent down a buttery smooth mountain road is like none other.

    This.

    +1 .   I often get the the bottom of climbs after screaming down at speed and think " shit that was awesome" then the little voice in my head says "youd be pretty fkd up if youd fallen at that pace !"

  • @Barracuda

    @PeakInTwoYears

    @scaler911

    The feeling of a wicked fast descent down a buttery smooth mountain road is like none other.

    This.

    +1 . I often get the the bottom of climbs after screaming down at speed and think " shit that was awesome" then the little voice in my head says "youd be pretty fkd up if youd fallen at that pace !"

    And that same little voice sometimes talks me into going back up so I can do it again.

  • @brianold55

    But I also like Power, the parent of speed. When you can rise out of the saddle and the power comes on smoothly. Just brilliant.

    This. This is the basis of it, isn't it? I hate being scared, but love the thrill of finding the line between skill and chance - that feeling of confidence is what makes speed really fun.

    Of course, if you are scared a make it through unscathed then that's pretty fun too, purely from a 20-20 perspective.

    Had a great ride today, really easy on a very easy route. On easy days I like to explore new route possibilities, which is a risk because you never know what hills you might encounter around here. But off I went and it was awesome. I came flying down a hill into a perfect 90 degree bend from sunlight into shade. Almost pulled an Olympic Cancellara as I got to the apex and saw nothing but potholes and manhole covers peppering the other half of the corner. I took a quick survey of the empty road and just rode off to the other side but if there had been traffic, it would have been a bad thrill.

  • @scaler911

    @Barracuda

    @PeakInTwoYears

    @scaler911

    The feeling of a wicked fast descent down a buttery smooth mountain road is like none other.

    This.

    +1 . I often get the the bottom of climbs after screaming down at speed and think " shit that was awesome" then the little voice in my head says "youd be pretty fkd up if youd fallen at that pace !"

    And that same little voice sometimes talks me into going back up so I can do it again.

    If you didn't know that it would fuck you up, it wouldn't give you the thrill. (Said the guy who does *not* claim to have the big balls.)

    If you didn't know that it would fuck you up, you wouldn't be a Cyclist, you'd just be yet another candidate for a Darwin Award.

  • @razmaspaz

    @Ron My entire fall riding season was spent trying to get this down. I spent hours weaving in and out of cone marked corners. Racing was fun, but trying to get the feel for this was a source of joy all its own.

    You don't have to do those tight turns without brakes. You just have to keep pedaling; use the front brake to control your front wheel traction and use the pedals to control your rear traction and speed. You can take the turns much tighter and carry more speed that way.

  • @Beers

    @Mike_P

    You've done it again @frank. Beautiful.

    Your uphill thought reminded me of the wonderful sensation of reaching a mountain hairpin as I climb, taking the outside line and being able to spin that much faster, almost a feeling of flight after the grinding that my climbing style resembles.

    This. Maintaining the Magnificent Stroke while on a longer line climbing much quicker than the shorter inside line is a definite thrill...

    Yeah, Cougar Mountain here has a particularly steep hairpin and everyone hits the inside but steep side of it. I go wide and loves me the easier gradient.

  • @Ron

    Hey, how did Pedale managed to make Pozzovivo look non-mini?

    raz - It's fun to work on and thrilling when you hold a line you've been too nervous to just roll through. I lack an off-road riding background, which I think can really, really help in cornering of all types on a bicycle. Especially if you start at a young age when crashing isn't so scary or life-interfering. Heading to 4th grade on crutches or in a wheel chair is cool, heading to work...not as cool.

    The most valuable thing offroad cornering will do is teach you at lower speeds (i.e. less consequence) what happens when your wheels slide.

    Spoiler alert: wheels sliding do not mean "crash", they mean adjust weight. If you adjust wrong, then maybe it means crash, but your wheels can slide any direction (independently) and you can still come through the corner just fine.

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