If you ever doubted for a minute that the hardmen of yore drafted the blueprint for The Rules, you need only look at these fine examples to be reminded that no matter how limited the resources they had to work with, they still managed to do a better job of Looking Fantastic than we ever could.
It matters not to them that having pockets in the front of the jersey gave the impression of gynecomastia, their aching backs ably supported by crude inner-tube mansierres. They didn’t care that their cycling caps were actually just handkerchiefs tied at the corners, or that the bulging gusset in their shorts needed to be covered up at all times when off the bike by a strategically placed hand. It meant they got to fraternise with the likes of Wevelgem Mayor Wally de Schmoi, infamous for his love of wine, women and tucking his tie into his pants.
That’s just the way they rolled back then. And if you think they gave a fuck, well, think again. They were too busy laying waste to fools like us to even consider rolling their socks back up.
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@Chris VVaking up is a great description of what is required to get me out of a warm bed in the dark, but knowing there's a ride waiting helps.
@ChrisO
Someone should forward this pic to Johnathan Vaughters. It'll show him how to look sharp - even with your tie being down your pants.
@Chris Avoiding starting the day with a steady stream of gripes from the spouse is about as strong a motivator as I can imagine.
@zalamanda I went to a Christian Brothers school. We tried not to show any interest in what might or might not be tucked into the teachers pants.
I enjoyed the wheel-building piece too and I met the guy in question - Pete Matthews - last Sunday on the club run. Really nice bloke and still a classy rider.
@Nate Made it out of the house this morning without Mrs Chris even noticing that I'd gone. That's two days in a row.
If I keep this up I'll be awesome on the Keepers Tour (for a fat slow bloke).
Something that I find interesting about this article (besides the awesomeness of the photo) are the comments from @brett. I think his comments are spot on about how previous generations of cyclists did the best with the resources they had, didn't give a damn how they looked, etc. Here is what I find interesting about it though.... why do we look back at previous generations that didn't look good or show well as heroes that "did it right' while we ourselves spend a considerable amount of time on how we DO look on our bikes?
Look at The Rules as an example. There are numerous rules about how to dress and how to appear on our bikes, right? When did we decide to care so much about appearance, apparel and color coordination? Maybe we WOULD be better off not caring about how we look or how we place on Strava? Maybe it's time to consider getting back to basics and simply not giving a damn about anything other than the ride itself?
Just food for thought from my ride into work today. Either way, I really like the article @brett!
-Dinan
@Dinan
I'm pretty new here, but what hooked me on the site--aside from the ridiculously deep well of cycling knowledge--is the aesthetic of the community. Or, rather, the focus on aesthetics, on the pleasures of the "superficial." It's just a pleasure to appreciate the look of well-designed kit. And people here generally operate with a healthy sense of irony.
In light of the current Vatican conclave, I will defer to Father Guido Sarducci:
"My two favorite theologians are Thomas Aquinas and Oscar Wilde, you know? Oscar Wilde, he was a real character, he said some funny stuff, like 'Only superficial people can't be superficial.' Thomas, he said something about the Holy Spirit revealing itself through bodily stuff, but I can't remember how it went, exactly. It was pretty profound, though."
@PeakInTwoYears
I will be honest, Peak, this site did the same thing for me on initial look. In fact, it was one of the big reasons I started frequenting this site (content excluded). I would be a liar and a hypocrite if I said I didn't put effort into making sure my riding was aesthetically solid.
Most of my efforts are put into the bike as far as staying with a certain look or color scheme. In fact, I would argue that I am almost anal about it. I've spent absurd amounts of money building this carbon rig to match perfectly. It's almost shameful.
The clothing choices I make for cycling? Meh. I match (mostly) I will say that. But for me it's much more function over form. I wear what best suits me for current conditions not how I wish to appear to others. For the most part I do match but if I don't, I generally don't give it a second thought.
As far as my comments in my previous post, I can see now that it would read like I was looking down my nose at riders who take appearance seriously. I honestly wasn't thumbing my nose there. More like verbally pondering a cycling world that was purely about the bike at all costs. It's at least interesting to think about, right? Either way, thanks for the comments, Peak. Great to hear from you!
-Dinan
@Dinan
I certainly didn't detect any nose-thumbing, just wanted to respond to what I agree is an interesting question--the whole business of depths and surfaces. I think Frank has articulated the relationship between Looking Fantastic and riding hard rather well (that is, Looking Fantastic is powerfully anesthetic and motivational). Hardness and vanity...the Tao of cycling.
Somebody just praised the word sprezzatura--what a Fantastic word, coming as it does out of the Italian Renaissance literature of the courtier, describing the ability, for instance, to cut someone to pieces either literally or rhetorically with the highest degree of practiced skill and make it look as natural as breathing. Hardness and, if not vanity, a decent appearance of unconcern...
At present, I'm a little too budgetatus to act out the full extent of my latent vanity. But send some more work my way and look out...
@Dinan
There's where you're going wrong. It's not about pleasing others, but yourself. If you want to look like a slob, on or off the bike, so be it. Would you get up on a cold winter's morning and dress in track suit, ugh boots and a wooly hat with beagle ears and a pom pom on top because it 'suits the conditions', and then go to work or shopping or a cafe like that? Or would you wear pants, shirt, jacket and shoes and still be warm but not look like you've come straight from the audience of the Jeremy Kyle show?