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Look Pro, Part II: Casually Deliberate

Louison Bobet rests calmly on his top tube before a race.

Looking Pro is a delicate art rife with paradox and enigma. Aesthetics in a sport as difficult as cycling is itself a contradiction; surely anything wrought with such suffering should be driven by function and function alone. Yet cyclists are both some of the hardest people in sport and the most vain. For a cyclist knows better than perhaps any other athlete that Morale is a fickle beast that lives upon a knife’s edge; it can drive us on to incredible heights yet squash us at will like an insect for little more than spotting grime on a freshly laundered jersey or dirt on the bar tape. In order for us to ride well, we must have good Morale. In order to have good Morale, we must look Fantastic.

The argument could be made that the best way to improve your riding is to meditate extensively on Rule #5; some might even suggest that aesthetics dilute it’s purity. On the surface, that may be a seductive thing to believe, but it ignores the single most important fact of cycling: looking Fantastic is the best anesthetic available. Just imagine how you looked there, standing on the pedals, dishing out The V. I was magnificent and didn’t feel a thing; I looked Pro.

Along with the vital The Three Point System, mastering the art of being Casually Deliberate is one of the key principles to Looking Pro. A professional gives the impression of having been born on their bicycle; they are one with their machine. When riding, their Magnificent Stroke exudes grace and power. Movements on the bicycle are deliberate yet effortless. Standing, sitting, climbing, cornering – rider and machine form a cohesive union.

Even when not riding, the Professional exudes an air of calm. Sitting across the top tube, the rider rests easy, precisely familiar with the movements of their loyal machine, trusting in the motion and balance. The bicycle is as familiar and connected to the rider as the very air they breathe.

In your quest to master the art of the Casually Deliberate, keep these pointers in mind:

A pre-ride espresso is the perfect casually deliberate means to prepare for a ride. Fully kitted up, loyal machine leaning patiently against a nearby wall, cycling cap carefully disheveled atop the head, sunnies perched above the brim.
Never look like you’re too eager to get on with the ride or the race. After all, the ride is a daily companion and while it is cherished, you are tranquillo in the knowledge that the ride will start soon enough. This is the genesis of Rule #80; energy is to be saved for the right moment and is not to be wasted on pointless things like standing under your own strength.
Once the ride begins, the first twenty minutes are to be taken at a luxuriously slow pace. A rider is confident in their powers and never too anxious to show their hand too early. When riding with others, this is the time to ride two abreast, chatting about simpler times.
Light conversation is to be taken up casually near the top of the first several climbs of the day. If not at the top, at least during the more difficult bits. As the other riders in the group begin to feel the pressure in their legs and Doubt begins its steady march into the bit of the morale where they do their worst damage, a casually deliberate comment which show no signs whatsoever of labored breathing can do much to hurry that march along.
Never show how much you’re suffering. Ever. Even when inhaling a wasp, the effort that shows on your face is less than you are truly suffering. Unless, of course, it is the finale, and all thought has vacated the mind in the solemn journey into the void. Only then is it acceptable to cease being casually deliberate.

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:

Dec 10 2010 at 5:48 am

@Jeff in PetroMetro
Why is Frank getting lucky with your VH? Is it because you took too long getting changed into all your natty refinery?

But, really, people, I'll say it again: Rule 4. Go back to the original shots of Bobet, Coppi, Koblet, etc: casually deliberate is not about what they're wearing, but how they comport themselves. That confidence. Louison Bobet would have looked good in anything, because he had that air about him. Nothing more, nothing less. Casually deliberate comes from killing it on the bike and knowing that no one"”but no one"”could beat you up that col or across that pavÃ©. It's the almost arrogant curl of the lip, not the wool sweater vest in "ocean grey." As with so many other threads here, we're talking about parameters of masculinity; the clothes don't make the man. Rule 4; then Rule 5. Repeat.
Marko says:

Dec 10 2010 at 6:36 am

@Steampunk

Though I'm reluctant to post links to other cycling "media" here because I figure you all are reading the same shit, I just had to post this. This is fucking gold. We could mine this for quotes for the next 10 years. It's also what I think you're talking about Steampunk. Fucking gold I say.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cipollini-decries-modern-cyclings-lack-of-machismo

By the by, head on over and visit our friends at Big Ring Riding. They've picked this up with vigor.
Steampunk says:

Dec 10 2010 at 6:59 am

@Marko
I typically start my mornings here, so I hadn't got to that yet. But that is gold. I'm not sure I want to entirely associate myself with Cipo's perspective on this, but what do you think Katusha's going to look like next year with him as a consultant and this on his mind?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go shower, shave, and don a bow-tie and dinner jacket to go into the garage and work on the bike.
Jeff in PetroMetro says:

Dec 10 2010 at 7:36 am

@Steampunk
No, no. She's not my Velomihottie. Mine's at the stables preparing for an upcoming dressage test.
Marko says:

Dec 10 2010 at 7:46 am

@Jeff in PetroMetro
Yours too, eh? My VMH is into dressage and general horse training, wranglin' and trading. Although she's down to three horses now and sold her #1 last summer. She did "buy" me a horse which I've been learning on and I find it very fun and interesting. I thought my Antares was a work of art until she gifted me an Australian poley for my birthday. Gorgeous.
frank says:

Dec 10 2010 at 8:19 am

@Steampunk

Casually deliberate comes from killing it on the bike and knowing that no one"”but no one"”could beat you up that col or across that pavÃ©. It's the almost arrogant curl of the lip, not the wool sweater vest in "ocean grey." As with so many other threads here, we're talking about parameters of masculinity; the clothes don't make the man.

Spot fucking on, mate.

From our mate at BRR:

And

THAT's casually deliberate.

I'm as much of a dandy as anyone (or more), and with fashion comes a similar attention to detail about the clothes like @Jeff in PetroMetro is describing and I applaud him for it. But, like you say, the clothes don't make the man - it's all about how you carry yourself. You need to believe it and it's not about what others think; it's about the details that make you know you Look Fantastic.
Steampunk says:

Dec 10 2010 at 10:56 am

@frank
I'm sure some of this stems from the fact that I grew into the kind of guns and shoulders that would make Thor cry like a girl and simply don't fit the ridiculously slim and small sizes that pass for men's fashion these days. But this thread leaves me yearning for a little more cognoscentus on these pages"”it's been awhile since we had a good hardman rant (I'm looking at you, Joshua!).
Jeff in PetroMetro says:

Dec 10 2010 at 11:15 am

@frank
Right. My contribution was just a humorous diversion. Back to the work at hand.

Merckx, what is up with Yate's left foot in the above picture? That can't be his cleat position. His heel is in his spokes. A little too much float with the old Time pedals?
Jeff in PetroMetro says:

Dec 10 2010 at 11:47 am

@Marko
Yeah. My VMH loves her horses. Has two.

The family pet is a bullet proof seal brown quarter horse. He came off a cow/calf operation in Nebraska. Smart, efficient, working stock, top of the food chain at the stables. Absolutely casually deliberate. My daughter rides him at hunter-jumper events. He picked up English riding very quickly. And he's amazingly kind to people.

The other is an old Hanoverian. We found him abandoned in a pasture in northeast Texas. Someone who lived a financially overextended life finally ran out of credit and left a wake of destruction. He was one of the victims. He is registered, from Germany. We can't quite make out his neck brand number, but his Hanoverian brand stands out beautifully on his left rear hip. We don't have his passport. If we can get his brand number right, the registry in Germany can at least tell us who he is.

He came with all the buttons installed for both dressage and jumping. He had to be a Grand Prix level horse. Just amazing.
Ron says:

Dec 10 2010 at 12:02 pm

Damn, Sean Yates is a big fella, eh?

Odd, my girlfriend grew up riding horses and still would love to, but grad school life/earnings doesn't really allow much money for that these days. But, the first time I got her on one of my road bikes a few years ago she commented that it was the closest thing she'd felt to riding a horse. I'm happy - the older steel road bike I bought her is much cheaper than a horse!

It's 20*F warmer here than it has been the past three days. Can't beat that. Friday afternoon/early evening ride...with some beer in the bidon to boot...