Categories: Belgian AffirmationsThe HardmenTradition

Winter Training

There is drafting, and then there’s this.

Merckx famously professed that after a night of sinning, the body must be cleansed. He obviously meant this figuratively, not literally, because those mud guards on his bike aren’t going to take a big bite out of whatever that lorry has to offer him by way of a Flandrian facial.

Winter is a tough time for those of us pawing about in search of our climbing weight. With the shortening of days, the nesting instinct awakens. Darkness falls in late afternoon and when we wake, we are greeted by the same darkness that wrapped us all through the evening. Nature urges us to combat the darkness with food and drink; summer’s dinner salads are replaced by slow-cooked meat and potatoes served with a side of pasta and bacon and washed down with a few bottles of red.

Weight defies the conservation of mass; it is more easily gained than lost. Fitness occupies the opposite realm; it is more easily lost than gained. Riders like Kelly, Merckx, and De Vlaeminck were famous for their discipline throughout winter; training long and hard to lay the groundwork for their Spring and Summer campaigns. With a sea of months between us and next season’s goals, there is little urgency to train properly. But keeping our weight down and putting in the long base kilometers will reward us throughout the season. Besides, it hardens the character to train in the cold, wet winds that characterize the winter months. The training we do in summer feels a luxury by comparison.

I cherish the winter months when my training is peaceful and free of pressure. I look forward to the sun warming my muscles, but for now I am content to stock up on fresh Flandrian Best, prepare the bike for the winter roads, and submit to the solitude of the cold training hours that lie before me.

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

Weldertron says:

Oct 30 2013 at 4:36 pm

@Chris

@frank This is meant in the nicest possible sense but, Fuck Off with your backpack.

For one, my back is fucked enough as it is without lugging my fat arsed laptop around on top of it. It's bad enough trying to reach my feet to put my socks on some mornings without the extra grief that would cause.

And have you not ever noticed how stupid people look on road bikes with a backpack? The hipster twats even invented courier bags to avoid looking like that much of a cunt.

Fucking fuckity fuck, indeed.

I bought a Boreas Larkin for that exact reason. it's got a curve in it, and is very comfortable againt my back, and dare i say, doesn't look horrible.
EricW says:

Oct 30 2013 at 4:40 pm

@Weldertron

@Chris

@frank This is meant in the nicest possible sense but, Fuck Off with your backpack.

For one, my back is fucked enough as it is without lugging my fat arsed laptop around on top of it. It's bad enough trying to reach my feet to put my socks on some mornings without the extra grief that would cause.

And have you not ever noticed how stupid people look on road bikes with a backpack? The hipster twats even invented courier bags to avoid looking like that much of a cunt.

Fucking fuckity fuck, indeed.

I bought a Boreas Larkin for that exact reason. it's got a curve in it, and is very comfortable againt my back, and dare i say, doesn't look horrible.

I commute with a Boreas Lagunitas. Awesome bag and the suspension keeps the back cool and ache free. As far as the design goes, it's pretty sleek and I think it looks pretty cool.
Weldertron says:

Oct 30 2013 at 4:54 pm

i considered that one, but figured i only need enough room for a shirt and my lunch. The top load aspect can be a bit of a hassle, but overall i'm very happy

comes in v-orange to
Weldertron says:

Oct 30 2013 at 4:57 pm

It also has a port for a hydro pack for the mountaineers, or those who ride to group cyclocross training with no cages. (and haul modular barriers)
Nate says:

Oct 30 2013 at 4:57 pm

@wiscot Please get over to the "riding without data" thread and confirm whether I am right about who is the Belgian champ in the photo is, because we need to highjack that thread and turn it into the AOP it should be, instead of another discussion about having data while riding, or not.
frank says:

Oct 30 2013 at 5:32 pm

@Chris

@frank This is meant in the nicest possible sense but, Fuck Off with your backpack.

For one, my back is fucked enough as it is without lugging my fat arsed laptop around on top of it. It's bad enough trying to reach my feet to put my socks on some mornings without the extra grief that would cause.

And have you not ever noticed how stupid people look on road bikes with a backpack? The hipster twats even invented courier bags to avoid looking like that much of a cunt.

Fucking fuckity fuck, indeed.

I will only start caring about your back when I can feel the pain myself; your argument is therefore invalid.

Backpacks can be and should be selected for aesthetic and functional qualities and have the benefit that after you arrive at the office and lean your bike against the wall, it will still look the tits And be everyone's envy.

My solution to the backpack weight problem was to buy a portable closet where I could hang my clothes and kept a few pairs of shoes there as well. I had a locker with towels and toiletries. I also bought a power source for the office which meant all I carried was a pair of underwear, socks, and the laptop itself.
unversio says:

Oct 30 2013 at 5:40 pm

@frank

@Chris

@frank This is meant in the nicest possible sense but, Fuck Off with your backpack.

For one, my back is fucked enough as it is without lugging my fat arsed laptop around on top of it. It's bad enough trying to reach my feet to put my socks on some mornings without the extra grief that would cause.

And have you not ever noticed how stupid people look on road bikes with a backpack? The hipster twats even invented courier bags to avoid looking like that much of a cunt.

Fucking fuckity fuck, indeed.

I will only start caring about your back when I can feel the pain myself; your argument is therefore invalid.

Backpacks can be and should be selected for aesthetic and functional qualities and have the benefit that after you arrive at the office and lean your bike against the wall, it will still look the tits And be everyone's envy.

My solution to the backpack weight problem was to buy a portable closet where I could hang my clothes and kept a few pairs of shoes there as well. I had a locker with towels and toiletries. I also bought a power source for the office which meant all I carried was a pair of underwear, socks, and the laptop itself.

"There is a pain between my ears that I do not understand?"
unversio says:

Oct 30 2013 at 5:45 pm

@Weldertron

i considered that one, but figured i only need enough room for a shirt and my lunch. The top load aspect can be a bit of a hassle, but overall i'm very happy

comes in V-orange to

Similar to a sporty Tusken Raider papoose!
gaswepass says:

Oct 30 2013 at 5:56 pm

@frank

@gaswepass

oh, and yeah- i am the gear destroyer. at least twice per season the shop mechanics provide a rousing chorus of "I've never seen that before" when they check out the evidence of my destruciton

some people have finesse and some don't; it can be learned to an extent, but some of it is inate.

on the pavÃ© of roubaix there is one section with a huge hole and we all ride it several times and you have to unweight the bike just right not to fuck your wheels.

Only one person in the group fucked a wheel; Johan's kid. And he was riding my golden tickets. And FMB.

I'll remember that when the next mtb riding cx'er rubs alongside me for warmth.
Steampunk says:

Oct 30 2013 at 5:59 pm

@xyxax

@frank

I am so fucking sorry in advance for posting this, but given that CX is a viable winter training option, I have no choice but to laugh to the point of tearing up looking at this.

Yes, tears...hilarious.

I loved the kid getting bowled over. Does that make me a bad person?