The Works
La Vie Velominatus. It is the life we, as Velominati, lead. It is life as a disciple of cycling, of the greater meaning the bike holds and the lessons it teaches us. Along the path, one of our great duties is the wholesale consumption of the great Works related to our sport. From periodicals to books to films, herin lies the list of works considered to be necessary reading and viewing for any Velominatus who wishes to further understand our craft.
All works in this list have been read or viewed by The Keepers or have been recommended by one of our community members; if it is included herein, you can be certain that The Work speaks to the greater meaning of La Vie Velominatus that we pursue. Please feel free to add your own recommendations and we will make sure to update the list as we become aware of more great Works.
The Texts
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Rouleur (Periodical)
While pricey by periodical standards, Rouleur is also immaculately curated and written; the entire Rouleur project is founded on everything that makes a velominatus what we are. From guest articles by the likes of Robert Millar, to interviews with Chris Boardman on the selection of Royce hubs for his Hour Record attempt, to a two-part series on how to properly select and mount your tubular tires.
Rouleur is an absolute must-read for any Velominatus.
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Tomorrow, We Ride
Jean Bobet
Perhaps the single most inspirational work on what it means to love the bicycle, Jean Bobet takes us on a journey of life as a scholar and professional cyclist alongside his famous brother, Louison, who won the Tour de France three times. It is a book about his life as a cyclist and a passion for cycling that goes beyond careers and racing results. In some places historical, in others touching, while in others is downright funny. But mostly, it’s about a love for a cycling life.
Paperback: 179 pages, Publisher: Mousehold Press (September 3, 2008), ISBN-10: 187473951X, ISBN-13: 978-1874739517
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We Were Young and Carefree
Laurent Fignon
The late and honored Professeur writes an amazing memoir of his life as a professional cyclist. Unapologetic and brutally honest, this book takes us through the highest high and lowest lows of a career better remembered for losing the Tour by eight seconds than he is for winning it twice. The pages are lined with unforgettable anecdotes, from racing bikes alongside The Badger and Greg LeMond, to mentoring the great Gianni Bugno, to the befuddlement of the Old Guard as EPO entered the peloton in the early nineties.
Paperback: 304 pages, Publisher: Yellow Jersey Press (July 5, 2010), Language: English, ISBN-10: 0224083198, ISBN-13: 978-0224083195
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Le Metier
Michael Barry
Le Métier (the craft) is something just this side of an addiction. Barry beautifully describes the struggle and agony inherent in professional cycling; he portrays a miserable existence, saved only by the fact that these select few are permitted to make a living doing something they love, even if le métier is a far cry from what drew them to the sport in the first place.
*Synopsis by Steampunk.
Hardcover: 204 pages, Publisher: Rouleur Ltd (April 2010), Language: English, ISBN: TBD
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A Dog in a Hat
Joe Parkin
While it covers the same subject matter as Rough Ride – of a young neo-pro learning the ropes of the peloton, including the dark depths of drug use – A Dog in a Hat is an uplifting tale by a rider clearly in love with the sport and everything that comes with it. With none of the bitterness of the story of Rough Ride, Joe Parkin acquaints us with life as a professional in Belgium with grace, humor, and, above all, honesty.
Paperback: 205 pages, Publisher: VeloPress (September 1, 2008), Language: English, ISBN-10: 1934030260, ISBN-13: 978-1934030264
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The Rider
Tim Krabbe
“To say that the race is the metaphor for life is to miss the point. The race is everything. It obliterates whatever isn’t racing. Life is the metaphor for the race.”
Paperback: 160 pages, Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (June 12, 2003), Language: English, ISBN-10: 1582342903, ISBN-13: 978-1582342900
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Need for the Bike
Paul Fournel
While the cover and the pages within contain various Rule violations, the passion and attention to the little things that make a Velominatus can’t be ignored. The book consists of short passages, each discussing a different, fundamental aspect of cycling. Not about racing, this book is about passion for the sport at a recreational level.
Paperback: 150 pages, Publisher: Bison Books (September 1, 2003), Language: English, ISBN-10: 0803269099, ISBN-13: 978-0803269095
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Slaying the Badger
Richard Moore
The easy-going, trusting, and entitled personality of Greg LeMond clashed with the brash, take-what-you-can, aggressive personality of Bernard Hinault during the 1986 Tour de France, resulting in one of the greatest editions of the race. The race was fought not only on the roads of France, but through a psychological battle that was sparked not just in 1985 as is widely accepted, but the day the two met on the Renault team in the winter of 1980/1981.
Paperback: 304 pages, Publisher: Yellow Jersey Press (May 26, 2011), Language: English, ISBN-10: 9780224082907, ISBN-13: 0224082906
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Paris-Roubaix, A Journey Through Hell
Philippe Bouvet
Simply stunning is this book. If you have a soft spot for L’Enfer du Nord, you must own this. You can almost taste the mud in your teeth and feel the pain in your bones as the riders rattle over the stones. As much a great history of the race as it is visually striking. A tribute fit for the Queen.
Hardcover: 223 pages, Publisher: VeloPress (September 1, 2007), Language: English, ISBN-10: 1934030090, ISBN-13: 978-1934030097
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Intimate Portrait of the Tour De France: Masters and Slaves of the Road
Philippe Brunel
The photos in this book will draw you in, but eventually you’re bound to discover that the pages of this immaculate work are filled with reverent prose that can be read and re-read. The book covers many of the greatest legends of our sport both on and off the bike and contains some of the most recognizable photos of our sport. It appears out of print, but is still available on the second-hand market.
Paperback: 156 pages, Publisher: Buonpane Pubns, Language: English, ISBN-10: 0964983508, ISBN-13: 978-0964983502
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This what happens when you put a real writer in a following car. Robin Magowan is an excellent writer of prose and poetry and he records one Tour de France from the road, not from a press room. This is the Tour of Thevenet and Maertens, it’s the post-Merckx era. I have a copy to loan but owning this would be a wise investment. It’s excellent.
Hardcover: 203 pages, Publisher: Stanley Paul, London, (1979), Velopress 2nd edition (May 1996), Language: English, ISBN-10: 1884737137, ISBN-13: 978-1884737138
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The Death of Marco Pantani
Matt Rendell
Fans of Il Pirata may have a hard time reading this studiously researched and compelling biography of one of the legends of our sport. It paints no pretty pictures and dons no kid gloves as it chronicles Marco’s life in detail. Nor does it serve as a muckraking exposé into the rise and fall of this great athlete. Rendell’s work serves as, what The Independent aptly called, an ambivalent tribute. From his upbringing in Cesenatico, to his first races as a promising youth rider, to his storied 1998 season, to his descent into addiction and self-loathing, Rendell captures the passion, athleticism, and complexities of Pantani’s too-short life. If you’re a fan of Il Pirata who is hesitant to read this book for fear of your Pantani bubble being burst, we challenge you to read it anyway. The Keeper who wrote this review came away with an even deeper appreciation, respect, and compassion for the man in spite of having to read about some of the darkest places a Cyclist can go.
Copyright 2006, 323 pages, Phoenix Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-7538-2203-6
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Rouleur Photography Annuals
There is no more photogenic sport than cycling. A big call, yes, but one that is supported by the consistently stunning examples offered every year by Rouleur Magazine’s Photo Annual. And of course, their fine writers aren’t entirely forgotten, with typically verbose text accompanying each photographer’s contibution.
Publisher: Rouleur Ltd. ISBN: 9780956423306 Hard or Soft cover available.
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The Escape Artist
Matt Seaton
“A beautifully written book which depicts the struggle between a fulfilling home life and a satisfying bike life. Seaton manages to describe the skill, drama, speed and pain of cycle racing as well as giving the book a very personal feel.” *Synopsis by Dexter.
Pages: 192 ISBN 13: 9781841151045 ISBN 10: 1941151041
Publisher: Harper Collins Date: 2/06 2003 Sub-title of Text: Life From The Saddle
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Road Racing Technique and Training
Bernard Hinault and Claude Genzling
Many of us had our first introduction to The Craft through Greg LeMond’s Complete Book of Cycling. But where did LeMan acquire his wisdom? Possibly from The Badger himself. Bernard gives the fundamentals on how to destroy opponents as well as properly adjust the seatpost.
Beautifully translated from French, the Cyclist is frequently referred to as “the organism”. Sadly, there is no chapter on punching out French protesters who dare to block a race course.
*Synopsis by @fignon’s barber.
Paperback: 208 pages, Publisher: Vitesse Press (31 Dec 1994), Language: English, ISBN-10: 0941950131, ISBN-13: 978-0941950138
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The Films
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Road to Roubaix
Masterlink Films
This film holds an important place in every Velominatus’ Roubaix Sunday Ritual, which should include riding over the worst roads in your neighborhood, watching the race, and watching this movie.
This film is not a race video; this film is a tribute to everything that is beautiful and brutal about the Spring Classics. The incredible cinematography is paired to rider interviews so intimate, you simultaneously worship and pity these hard men. An absolute must-see for any rider who loves the classics.
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Stars and Watercarriers/The Impossible Hour
Jørgen Leth
This is a double-feature DVD containing two classics, Stars and Watercarriers and The Impossible Hour. Both narrated by the Dane Jørgen Leth, these films are an entirely unique take on this amazing sport of ours. The scenes of the riders carrying out their work and preparing for races are the stuff that inspire us to enter La Vie Velominatus. Stars and Watercarriers takes us through the Giro d’Italia where Merckx dominates the race, and The Impossible Hour covers Ole Ritter’s attempt to reclaim the Hour held by Merckx.
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La Course en Tete/The Greatest Show on Earth
Joel Santoni
La Course en Tete is perhaps the most iconic cycling film of all time; anyone wishing to better know The Cannibal is obliged to start here. Following him at the height of his career, this film reflects the man training, at the table with his family, and dominating races. No other rider compares to The Prophet, and no other film is a more suitable reflection of his career.
The Greatest Show on Earth shows us why the Giro is better than the Tour, as we follow Merckx through the ’74 edition, which he struggled to win by a mere 12 seconds.
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A Sunday in Hell
Jørgen Leth
Another classic Leth work, this film moves at a pace that dramatically contrasts the chaos of the race itself. A Sunday in Hell documents what it takes to race the hardest of the classics by following the hardest of the hardmen during the golden era of the race: Merckx, de Vlaeminck, and Marten.
Only Leth would include the scenes for the Velominatus such as the one at the neutralized zone where Merckx borrows a rival team’s spanner to adjust his saddle a trifle.
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Breaking Away
Peter Yates
This is easily one of the greatest ‘Hollywood’ films featuring cycling. Even other cyclists who may not have heard of the 1979 Oscar winner for Best Screenplay seem perplexed and unable to grasp the concept of a teen coming-of-age film featuring that rarity of Hollywood filmdom, a *gasp* cyclist.
And that’s all that Breaking Away is. It’s not a cycling film, not a fly-on-the-wall doco like A Sunday In Hell or Hell On Wheels. In fact it’s completely bereft of hell in any form. It’s heaven, sometimes on wheels, sometimes in Mike’s Buick, sometimes in the swimming hole at the old abandoned limestone quarry.
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The Flying Scotsman
Douglas Mackinnon
Graeme Obree holds a hallowed place in cycling, this film puts into sharp relief what kind of personality it takes to turn the entire world of cycling on it’s head and claim one of the most honored and difficult records in our sport.
This film is based on Obree’s autobiography. Unlike most other films made from books; Obree himself was involved in this project and even built a replica of his the bike he had built to carry his inventive aerodynamic position. This tale is tragic and triumphant all at once. It also demonstrates that Scottish is basically it’s own language; American’s will need to pour themselves an ale in order to have any hope of understanding the dialog.
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Overcoming (2005)
Directed by Tomas Gislason
“Unlike the recent HTC-Columbia feature-length advert, Overcoming truly gives the feeling of life in a Pro Team. It’s also the only film (of a genre) where the extras are as good as the movie, and it only serves to make us love Jens even more (if that were possible!).”
*(Synopsis by Jake Scott)
How To Annoy People:
– receive message from your local (independent, of course) bookstore that your order has arrived
– scratch head and wonder what book that could be, as you cannot recall placing the order
– wonder up to bookstore to find out
– find,with joy, that the book is “Tomorrow, We Ride” by Louison Bobet
– perform little excited jig of joy as you pay with trembling hands
– decline the offer of a paper bag, on the basis that you are going to start reading immediately
– remember that you have to be back in the office
– start walking back to the office wih your nose buried in the book
– bump into people
– lots of people
– fail to acknowledge any of these collisions, much less apologise for them
– look pissed off that the colliders have disturbed your reading
– keep walking
– and reading
– and bumping
Hey, Ho. There it is. I got my book. I am content. Brett, let me know if you wanna read it when I’m done.
@G’phant
Right there is the reason you’re our first Black Order (though you have since been joined by several worthy disciples). Fantastically strong work.
Enjoy the book; we’ve also added Need for the Bike.
Read and viewed a lot of these from the list (and I’m late to the game) but this is a huge addition to the site. Awesomeness!
My copy of “We Were Young and Carefree” arrived on Friday. Finished the book last night. Not an easy task when you are happily married with five, yes FIVE, incredibly wonderful children 9 years old and under.
As for the book, sooo bittersweet and truly amazingly written. What an insight into the man. Unforgiving and in your face but beautifully captures so much of what cycling really means, so much more than the winning and losing and the drugs and the salaries. Leaves me a bit meloncholy but have to recommend that anyone who has not read it, order it today, you will grow from this novel.
Check out le-grimpeur.net. Not really a ‘Work’ so much as a body of work. Definitely worth a browse – particularly for those who fancy they climb well for their weight. Some nice articles and a passion for the sport which will strike a chord with the Velominati..
http://le-grimpeur.net/
Might I add that Overcoming is worthy of this list? I’m no fan of the Dane but at least he was open-minded enough to let the cameras role regardless of (most) things happening in front of it. Unlike the recent HTC-Columbia feature length advert, Overcoming truly gives the feeling of life in a pro team. It’s also the only film (of an genre) where the extras are as good as the movie and it only serves to make us love Jens even more (if that were possible).
Just finished TourMen… Not a bad read, lots of interesting stories about the Tour, but somewhat confusingly organized… it tends to jump across time periods without really tying the jumps together, at least I wasn’t getting the inferences. Worth a gander… used or Kindle.
@sgt
Does Kindle show photos and illustrations from books?
@jake scott
Going to have to see that one. Anything with Jens in it is worthy of a look!
KINDLE? OK folks, using a Kindle is like riding a recumbent. Both are poor excuses for the real thing. No exceptions.
@mcsqueak
Ok. Here’s my situation. I didn’t ask for a Kindle for Christmas, but I got one. So I feel obligated to get the thing up and running. (It’s the middle of March and all I’ve done with it is take it out of the box and charge it.) I’m with you. I like the books WITH REAL PAGES. I don’t care how much water and how many trees it takes. But I’ve got this Kindle and I really should buy a book with it just to say I did so I won’t be lying to the person who gave it to me.
So, back to my question: Does it show pictures?
@Jeff in PetroMetro
WEAK! It’s like having a recumbent in your garage even if you don’t ride it. Or a triple. Or a compact. It’s like “having a friend, who…”
@Jeff in PetroMetro
The short answer is, yes. The longer answer is that the Kindle is black and white only, so it’s not great for pictures, and certainly not for color. It’s for reading primarily, and it’s great for that.
@mcsqueak
@Steampunk
Ummm, no. It’s called technology, kids. I’m typing this on my iPad, btw. Like a lot of technology, especially new technology, it has some limitations. But it also has amazing capabilities. I have the complete works of Dumas, Tolstoy, Hugo, Stevenson, etc. at my fingertips. And when my six year old niece stayed with us this summer and her dad forgot to bring “The Wizard of Oz” that he was reading to her, I was able to download it instantly (along with all the other Oz books) for five bucks and be a hero.
Cool.
Carbon fiber used to be sniffed at, too, now we talk about Carbone… same thing. Don’t be grumpy old men (or women), at least not for a few more years.
JiPM, fire that puppy up and inaugurate it with “Fallen Angel”… you won’t regret it.
@Jeff in PetroMetro
Fair enough, mate.
@sgt
I’m not a technophobe in the slightest, and I’m typing my post on an iPhone! That being said, I understand why a Kindle might be desirable, but I just love paper books and magazines too much. I guess if that makes me a grumpy old coger at age 29, so be it. I spend all day with my face in a computer as it is, so I’m not sure I can accept one more device.
@jake scott
Thanks mate, added…
@Jeff in PetroMetro
Remember there are a huge number of free books on Kindle store.
@all–Regarding the Kindle. The Wizard of Oz story resonates with me, as my 8-year-old daughter stills loves for us to read to her before bedtime, but her books keep getting bigger and more interesting–The Lightning Thief, all the Harry Potter books (ok, I’m hooked, too). These would be interesting to read to her on the Kindle, and it would add another twist to her ever-expanding understanding of technological advancement. (Besides, as the exponential development of chip speed brings us closer to human obsolescence, which will happen during my daughter’s lifetime, might as well keep her abreast of what’s going to rule her world. Of course, I’ll either be dead or so old that, when the Borg comes to get me, I won’t be able to ride away from it fast enough, no matter how many cogs I’ve got.)
EDIT–…as my 8-year-old daughter STILL loves for us…
Nevermind my sentence structures. Leaves a lot to be desired. At least I, sometimes, use verbs. Stream-of-conscious typing, minus my understanding of editing on the posts, leaves me feeling rather incompetent. But y’all get my drift.
I wonder if the Borg will like espresso. Or Paris-Nice. How can it not like the Tour of Flanders? It’s loss if it doesn’t.
I bet it will be just as tired of the Tour de France as I am. If it has any taste at all, it will prefer the Giro.
I hope it can find a place for the Vuelta on the calendar that gives it more relevance.
AND, I hope it moves the World Championships back to its rightful place in the of the schedule.
Apologies for the mess of undefined pronouns.
@Jeff in PetroMetro
No. The Borg would only approve of the monotony of those repetitive dull and flat stages of the TdF before any real climbing begins. They’re the only ones that are easily assimilated. The passion of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix? The Borg would freak out. Better to resist the Borg (although it might improve my stroke).
So do Borg not climb well for their weight?
The UPS guy just delivered three issues of Peloton magazine to me. I turned immediately to the issue with the Eddy Merckx article. I like the opening paragraph:
“1972 – The Greatest Season Ever – In life there are absolutes: the love of our parents, taxes, death, and the fact that Eddy Merckx was the greatest cyclist ever. For a short time after his seventh Tour de France victory, some Americans began to speak of Lance Armstrong as the greatest cyclist of all time. As if.”
@Cyclops
How do you like Peloton? I need a good cycling rag, but what I don’t want is one full of useless product ‘reviews’ covering the latest laterally stiff/vertically compliant carbon wonder bikes. I really want a subscription to Rouleur, but my internal velominatus budgetatus starts to cry anytime my mouse goes near the button for the $120 yearly subscription…
I bought that issue of Peloton with Eddy on the cover, but I won’t be buying another. Crap and derivative, with some kind of failed Rouleur attempt by putting some random pictures of boxers in there. Also, I damn them to the dustbin of lameness for using the exact phrase laterally stiff/vertically compliant several times, and without a shred of irony.
@mcsqueak
I actually like it myself. It is not Rouleur but it is an excellent mag in my opinion. I think it is totally worth it, esp as it is not very expensive.
@mcsqueak
So far so good. I think for $8 an issue it is far better than what I’ve been picking up at B&N such as ProCycling or Velo News, etc.
An example of why I think I like it so far is by comparing their review of the BMC Team Machine vs Road Bike Review’s. I really want a BMC – RBR left me thinking that the Team Machine wasn’t all that it is cracked up to be and not very comfortable. Peloton went into great detail about the difference in philosophy of geometry that BMC (you know it’s pretty much impossible for me to type BMC without automatically typing BMX first and then correcting my typo) has compared to other manufacturers and then they explain what that difference translates into as far as ride handling.
In a nutshell, I like Peloton but my name is not hyphenated so how deep can I be?
Dear Cy-clops,
I wish I had your sense of humor.
Ol-i is just a little cranky (understandably so) because one of his inner tubes blew out through a sidewall. Nothing personal, I’m sure.
@xyxax
Damnit, *I* was going to use Cy-clops! Oh well…
I’ll have to pick up an issue at some point and check it out, especially if it’s only $8.
@mcsqueak
I’ve been doing posting intervals at home trying to improve my comment speed.
I think the issues are free if you have access to Oli’s trash bin.
@mcsqueak
I subscribed recently and just got my first issue; it seems a promising alternative to the mainstream mags, and I like some of the writers. The price is right and I think you can get an online preview for free at their website to check it out.
Clearly. Myself? Just out for a recovery ride, like always.
Nothing to do with my inner tubes blowing out (although I love that metaphor!) or having a hyphenated name (wtf?) – just my honest opinion when opinions were being solicited. Reading it cover to cover I just thought it offered nothing new, but if Cyclops likes it because it coincides with his opinion on the BMC then it must be good.
OBW:
Heal The Fuck Up.
@Oli Brooke-White
Its just-not-fair when uncaring-people-with-no-idea make fun of people-with-hyphenated-names. I just think your surname sounds like the full name of some B grade actress who rose to fame on the back of a leaked sex tape (that is a compliment).
As to the question of magazines, I have been a Rouleur subscriber for about 2 years and I gotta say I am getting to the point of being a little bit underwhelmed with it. Whilst the quality of the photography and “feel/weight” of the paper is pretty satisfying, at about 20AUD a copy, it is pretty expensive when there actually aint a great deal of written content in there. But then again, maybe I am missing the point…
I agree with you to an extent, but I wasn’t comparing Peloton to Rouleur really. At least the latter manages to hit the originality spot at least once or twice every issue, whereas I couldn’t see any evidence of it in the former.
@Marcus
Indeed, the whole value of magazines has been thrown off with the “all-you-can-eat-content” of the internet. I think beautiful photography can make up for some of that. Granted, there are great photos online, but a printed photo will POP in a way that something on a screen never can.
Also, reading something not in a screen every now and again is nice. No internet and no TV at my new place yet, so I’ve been reading before bed each night without any distractions in the background. Pretty nice change of pace, actually.
I gave up on magazines a while ago. Once Winning went away, my world got a little darker and sad. I came back to VeloNews after a 20 year hiatus until they shrunk the size of the issues. It began to look a bit cheap and less special. Besides, I hit the website as about 5th in the order of daily review:
1. Velominati
2. Cyclingnews
3. PezCyclingNews
4. Cyclingfans
5. VeloNews
Any other websites (road cycling specific, not your porn suggestions) I should review on a daily basis?
Besides Peloton, what can we get in the U.S. that’s pretty good (not including VN)?
@Jeff in PetroMetro
I like CycleSport America, but I spend a lot more time here reading y’all’s crazy shit…
Online I read Pave’ , Inner Ring and cyclingnews.com.
@Jeff in PetroMetro @sgt
1. Velominati.
2. Cycling News.
These are daily (correction – multiple daily) visits.
Others I visit quite a bit but less frequently than daily include:
http://www.cyclocosm.com – I particularly like his “how the race was won” diagnostic videos
http://www.le-grimpeur.net – some great reflections, rants and reverence
http://www.pezcyclingews.com – though it doesn’t often increase my stock of knowledge much
Then there’s a whole host of occasionals – Podium Cafe, Big Ring Riding, cyclingtips, etc.
Am a bit distracted at present, though, by my weekend acquisition of 242 (yes, 242) cycling DVDs – televised races (mainly TdF, but quite a few classics) that someone has recorded (mainly in the late 90’s and noughties, but some earlier than that) and then offloaded on TradeMe (= NZ EBay). The long winter nights on the wind-trainer are going to fly by …
@sgt
Excellent use of “y’all’s”. Except it should be “all y’all’s”. See example below.
I agree about Velominati. Other blogs wear me out with their seriousness and Moses-from-the-mountaintop YJA BS. I didn’t come to this sport because of Lance, and I didn’t get my knowledge from reading Bicycling magazine. Therefore, I don’t need someone to explain to me what a rotating echelon is. I’d rather read about Brett’s egregious violations of Rule #33, Frank’s never-ending blather about Nederlanders and their superiority, what beer I should keep in my bidons, and all y’all’s other shit that makes me laugh until I spew espresso from my tear ducts.
@G’phant
Wow! What a great find of DVDs. I do loves me some bike racing porn, especially on DVD. I’ve got a shitload of VHS I recorded from ’84-’90, but I no longer have a VHS player (or a TV), and I have no idea what condition they’re in.
I especially like how you Aussies and Kiwis bicker. It’s like you’re an old drunk married couple. With mini-pumps.
@Jeff in PetroMetro
Less like a married couple and more like their two kids – (i) the stroppy older brother who is bigger, stronger and faster (and knows it), and who spends most of his time oscillating between ignoring and thumping his pesky little brother while trying to suck up to the even bigger kids, but who can generally be relied upon to have his younger brother’s back when the local bullies turn up, and (ii) the said pesky younger brother, desparately keen to prove himself the equal of his bigger brother (or at least to cop a feel of some of his girlfriends) but with an equally keen desire to take him down a peg or two and a finely-honed sense of how to goad him, but who can generally be relied upon to have his older brother’s back when the local bullies turn up.
The problem for we kiwis is that our pesky “little” brother is so much fatter than us.
Haha! Beautiful…
Great, that’s exactly my point, and since my knowledge of the English language do not allow me to be so articulate, I say thank you Jeff!
“CycleSport-America” I think is the best cycling magazine out there, at least in the USA, from a sport analysis POV. That is a mag that I read cover-to-cover. I also get Rouleur (a few issues at a time from Competitve Cyclist) and Peloton. The last two are great from a more “way-of-life” perspective in cycling but for news, info, I do love Cyclesport. On line it’s Velominati and Cyclingnews with the occasional look at Velonews. Race day it’s cyclingfans for live feeds.
@Jeff in PetroMetro
nailed it for me too matey. BTW, If you think the bickering is an entertaining read, you should hear/see us go at it in the flesh. Bit of a national pastime for both sides of the ditch.
@G’phant
hilariously accurate. Good to hear you’re back on the bike as well champ! Nice score with the DVD’s as well.
@G’phant
I finally learned not to have my espresso anywhere near my laptop when I read this morning’s little ditties from the Southern Hemisphere. Ha! No computers, tear ducts, or sinuses were harmed, and no espresso was wasted. However, I’ve snotted all over myself (it’s springtime and the pollen is raging). I must learn to laugh in a more civilized manner.
Fucking brilliant, as usual.
@Pedale.Forchetta
You’re welcome. Please know that, at least for me, your photos transcend all languages. They are very special gifts for all of us to enjoy.
@Buck Rogers
I should give Cycle-Sport a try. Rouleur looks fantastic, but it’s way out of this Velominatus Budgetatus’s league. I looked at Peloton, but I can’t get my head around tech reviews of any kind.
I learned about the history and majesty of pro bicycle racing from Winning, and I miss it. It had a beautiful mix, a subtle blend, of American, English, and European points of view. And the photos–they defined bike racing porn.
VeloNews is so hamfisted and, at this point, so geared toward American Lance-o-philes, that I can’t finish even one of their articles. Nevermind that their upper management cowtows to triathon (sell more shit to wealthier bullheaded Type A’s–“It’s the NEW GOLF!”).
Hopefully Cycle-Sport can fill the hole in my heart.