Encore de la Pluie

The Lion roars in the mud and rain

I don’t enjoy the races in February on the Arabian Peninsula because I like watching other people ride in the sun while I spend my afternoons looking for a sliver of daylight that coincides with some fragment of my day where I don’t also need to work or engage in some other activity. I also don’t enjoy them because I think corners are overrated, nor because I like watching stock-bike time trials, nor because I believe wind is a suitable substitute for mountains.

No, I enjoy the February races on the Arabian Peninsula because it’s the first sign of life we get from the hardmen who will be bending, breaking, and smashing their way over the cobblestones this Spring in snow, rain, or suffocating dust.

Not a bad way to start things, Tomeke.

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

Jeff in PetroMetro says:

Feb 7 2011 at 8:56 pm

Gone are the days of blue handlebar tape and wire (American Classic?) bottle cages.
Brett says:

Feb 7 2011 at 9:29 pm

Jeff in PetroMetro:
Gone are the days of blue handlebar tape and wire (American Classic?) bottle cages.

Those are Elite cages...
Oli Brooke-White says:

Feb 7 2011 at 10:18 pm

I never liked Museeuw much after he held Sean Yates back by the yellow jersey in a bonification sprint during the '94 Tour, directly contributing to Yates losing said yellow jersey.
Dave Harding says:

Feb 7 2011 at 11:39 pm

Roll on the Classics, my favourite time of year
Fredrik says:

Feb 8 2011 at 2:34 am

I, too, am looking forward to getting the Arabian Peninsula circus over, so that the hardmen can get down to business in the cold, gray north.

I can highly recommend the book The Spring Classics, by the writers of l'Equipe, as a warm-up and to live the historical context. It has helped me to get on the rollers in the dark.
poppapro says:

Feb 8 2011 at 6:00 am

Museeeuw is on the best classics bike of all, Eddy Merckx Scandium tubing. So forgiving in the rough and awesome carving through the corners. The arabian races are tune ups and getting base layer tans for the classics!
Buck Rogers says:

Feb 8 2011 at 9:14 am

poppapro :
Museeeuw is on the best classics bike of all, Eddy Merckx Scandium tubing. So forgiving in the rough and awesome carving through the corners. The arabian races are tune ups and getting base layer tans for the classics!

That's my BIKE! I have a Merckx scandium tubing and just LOVE it!
Buck Rogers says:

Feb 8 2011 at 9:16 am

Oli Brooke-White :
I never liked Museeuw much after he held Sean Yates back by the yellow jersey in a bonification sprint during the '94 Tour, directly contributing to Yates losing said yellow jersey.

I completely agree with you on not ever really liking Museeuw. Not sure why but he never appealed to me as a rider. Definitely was a Hardman in the Spring but just not very likable in my opinion.
Steampunk says:

Feb 8 2011 at 2:45 pm

My coffee shop was showing the 2006 Tour of Flanders this morning...
Buck Rogers says:

Feb 8 2011 at 4:34 pm

Steampunk :
My coffee shop was showing the 2006 Tour of Flanders this morning...

Now that is a damn fine Coffee Shop you got there!