Velominati Super Prestige:
Giro D'Italia 2013
Velominati Community Profile Archive

Velominatus: Giles

Order: Level 1 Velominatus

Location: Perth, Australia

Social: /

Will be cremated with my bike and wearing lycra. Will never win a bike race. Likes coloured coordinated and shiny things.

@Giles's activity:

Velominati Super Prestige: La Flèche Wallone 2013

We came tantalizingly close to adding a foray up the Mur de Huy during our excursion to Liege-Bastogne-Liege during this year’s Keepers Tour. But good sense and The Anti-V prevailed, as they are wont to do, and only two of us were left wanting a dig at the most notorious finishing climb in the Classics season.I write this, then, woefully igno...

@Giles's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. Cunego 2. Gerrans 3. Albasini 4. Sagan 5. Martin »

Velominati Super Prestige: La Flèche Wallone Féminine 2013

Last year we saw Evelyn Stevens out-last Marianne Vos at the top of the Mur de Huy. The take home message is don’t start one’s charge too early. Vos should know this finish, having won it four times already. It’s hard to know who is on form in the professional women field as the races are too far apart to infer much from the last...

@Giles's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. Gillo 2. Vos 3. Johannsen 4. Stevens 5. Armstead »

Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Roubaix 2013

It looks so easy on the television. Well, no, actually it looks pretty bloody hard. We think we have some understanding of how they suffer, how their bodies can take the continual beating. But we don’t really know. Not even by riding these abominations they call roads twice in the space of a few days can we understand the scale of the thing...

@Giles's posts:

  1. @Gianni YES! 4 points, that’s 25% better overall than I thought….. »

  2. VSP PICKS: 1. Boassen Hagen 2. Veilits 3. Farrar 4. Cancellara 5. Chavanel »

Defining Moments: Hood Position

If I spent half a summer riding with one hand on the tops and one on the hoods, I spent the other half riding with each hand deliberately gripping the hoods differently. As any young Cyclist growing up in the United States in the late 80s, I had a major thing for Greg LeMond.I imagined Greg to be the perfect Cyclist, as youth often does of their...

@Giles's posts:

  1. @Simon @Chris no he’s fine he’s using his third arm in the drops to steady the ship…. »

Velominati Super Prestige: Milan-Sanremo 2013

Finally, we have Milan-Sanremo. I hope pedale.forcetta is ready to shoot some pictures, especially black and white because it will be cold and possibly wet. Throw in a little wind and a race of this distance will weed out the less hardy. Recently, but not too recently, this race would be won out of a decent size field sprint. And yet, besides Fabs...

@Giles's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. Cav 2. Thomas 3. Sagan 4. Gerrans 5. Gilbert »

Velominati Super Prestige: Ronde Van Drenthe 2013

Ok, so you guys and gals don’t miss a trick, but sometimes we do. In fact, we kind of specialize in it. @Bianchi Denti just texted me to point out, as others have done on site, that we have almost missed the next stop on the VVomen’s VSP calendar, the Ronde Van Drenthe. On International Women’s Day, of all things.All I can tell yo...

@Giles's posts:

  1. No idea,no time to think….research, random assortment of names others have used… VSP PICKS: 1. Armistead 2. Vos 3. Bronzini 4. Stevens 5. Gilmore »

The Gear

Our products represent the spirit of Velominati; every product we offer is made with the utmost attention to detail – no compromises were made in their selection or design. Whenever possible, our products are made my small, locally-owned businesses who share our passion for quality and we make every effort to ensure they are made in an enviro...

@Giles's posts:

  1. @frank Have I missed the cut-off for V-kit?? I saw Frank’s comment about minimums and the KT isn’t a driver for me. »

Velominati Super Prestige: L’Eroica/Strade Bianche 2013

Until the 70′s it was common to race on gravel roads, but the Paving of the Planet has led to nearly every road being graced by smooth, black tarmac. As is the case with most things, once we are shown the easy path, it is difficult to return to more arduous ways. So it is with gravel roads; we take measures to avoid unpaved roads and in doi...

@Giles's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. Cuddles 2. Dekker 3. Rast 4. Iglinsky 5. Sagan »

V Day

Ah, February 14 is here again. A very special day for all of us. A day you don’t want to forget. A day when you make that extra effort to show the one you love just how much they mean to you. V Day.On this day, I will rise early, tiptoeing out of bed so as not to make any noise and stir the sleeping. I will dress quickly and quietly, leaving...

@Giles's posts:

  1. I rdie for the sake of it. I enjoy it – and if I’m brutally honest I ride so I can drink beer, not so I can win races. I enter races/rides to see how my informal training is going, and they usually demonstrate that I should stick to having fun, but every … »

  2. @roger And when the VMH says she “doesn’t want anything” – is that REALLY girl speak for she does, bugger that explains two things – the treatment last night and the opening line this morning “I think I want a new car”…….. »

On Rule #64: The Sudden Drop

The severity of a crash exists on two planes, the physical and psychological. The physical is the most obvious and one we busy ourselves with in the immediate vicinity of coming down. Our bodies need time to heal, our kits may need replacing or mending, and our bicycles may need repair work. For weeks and sometimes months, we may carry with us t...

@Giles's posts:

  1. “Assume that everyone else is out to kill you” – with respect to drivers, this is my on road mantra and was passed on by a motorcycling friend. Having met a truck driver a year or so ago who regaled us with the wonderful story of how he liked to drift the… »

2012 Anti-V Moment of the Year: Bullies are really just pussies

As referenced in the 2012 V-Moment of the year article and ensuing discussion, it was a most Vawesome year for cycling. It’s been hypothesized here and on cycling sites with more integrity that the fantastic racing of 2012 may be, at least in part, attributed to a cleaner peloton. Unless you watched the Tour de France you’d think the da...

@Giles's posts:

  1. Can’t watch any more. Just don’t want to hear any more from him, or her. It’s making me depressed. The worst thing is that there will be no doubt so much dissection and post mortem analysis I won’t be able to escape. Must be time to go out on (lots of) l… »

  2. @LA Dave I think this is a real possibility. The best form of defence is attack, and it should mean that he leaves a monumental  legacy, and proven that one man is bigger than the company/team. I can’t use emoticons, but as I am English, the “leaves a mon… »

The Bikes

The Bike. It is the central tool in pursuit of our craft. A Velominatus meticulously maintains their bicycles and adorns them with the essential, yet minimal, accoutrement. The Rules specify the principles of good taste in configuration and setup of our machines, but within those principles lies almost infinite room for personal taste.It seems in s...

@Giles's posts:

  1. In our house “Bike bits” = arched eyebrows and new shoes. “Upgrades” = totally acceptable. It’s all about the messaging. »

V And V Makes VV: Haleakala Round IIV

I can’t really call it an obsession. If it was an obsession, I would have commissioned a bloke I’ve never met to build me a set of ultra-light wheels and I would have spent an outrageous amount of money to upgrade my handlebars in an identical shape from aluminum to carbon in an effort to shave a few grams off the top end of my machine...

@Giles's posts:

  1. Missed you guys, been offline for a few days. @frank – good luck with that, may the Hammer not fall. »

The Rules

We are the Keepers of the Cog.  In so being, we also maintain the sacred text wherein lie the simple truths of cycling etiquette known as The Rules. It is in our trust to maintain and endorse this list.See also The Prophet’s Prayer. Continue reading...

@Giles's posts:

  1. @Benj so I’m also in Perth, same problem. a mate went out on Boxing Day and “survived” 85km, albeit feeling a but sub par for the rest of the day. My personal rule is over 36, i don’t ride if i don’t have to. (A doctor mate once said tp me if you ride in … »

Merckxy Christmas, and a Coppi New Year

It has been a crazy year, this, with our first annual Keepers Tour sorted, partnerships with the industry’s leading icons including Johan Museeuw, Pavé Cycling Classics, DeFeet, fi'zi:k, and Lezyne – and a book deal to boot (deadline looming large on January 1st). We couldn’t have asked for a better year, and would like to remind...

@Giles's posts:

  1. To the Keepers, you do an awesome job, the result is a community. Love you all. Have a great and safe holiday, VLVV »

Reverence: Lezyne Tyre Levers

Two summers ago my wife and I had the pleasure of visiting friends in Switzerland. The country is so expensive that I took home only two souvenirs: white Assos socks and a pair of Lezyne tyre levers. I assumed Lezyne was a European company. It was in this Swiss bike shop and I’d never seen the brand in an American store, ever. “Ewwww,...

@Giles's posts:

  1. This is a good article, one we can all relate to and one where the object of reverence does not involve the need to sell a kidney or a time machine to obtain. I have Michelin levers which while incredibly flexible seem thin enough to slip between my tyres… »

Strack to Lead New V-Studies Initiative at McMaster University

La Vie Velominatus is set to become the subject of intense scholarly analysis next week, as Frank Strack will receive an honorary PhV from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario (chapeau to @ten B for the PhV). It’s been a heady week for the cycling types around these parts; Strack will close out festivities that included the Bike Snob and Mari...

@Giles's posts:

  1. @Steampunk @frank Really nice job guys. Was a great way to pass an hour and half at work. Summed up a lot of why I come here. »

The Bikes

The Bike. It is the central tool in pursuit of our craft. A Velominatus meticulously maintains their bicycles and adorns them with the essential, yet minimal, accoutrement. The Rules specify the principles of good taste in configuration and setup of our machines, but within those principles lies almost infinite room for personal taste.It seems in s...

@Giles's posts:

  1. (mental not to self read original post properly before assuming you are more humorous than @wiscot) »

  2. @wiscot »

Not Really A ReView: ENVE SES 3.4 Wheelset

It was said by someone in the posts following Gianni’s excellent review of his tubeless system that an honest, long term analysis by a ‘real’ rider was most welcome. Well, you’re not going to get that here. You will get honesty, for sure, but ‘long term’ doesn’t come into the equation when a week is the am...

@Giles's posts:

  1. I’d never considered theft as being morally acceptable, until now. I don’t know what those wheels cost, but given the current VMH expenditure approval process, I reckon that’s the only way I could get a set. »

Confessions of a Keeper: Descension

The only thing worse than being two months from peaking and Too Fat To Climb is being two months past peaking and in the middle of the season of rapid weight gain. At least with the former there is something to look forward to as you measure the incremental gains of your training as the almost daily rides of the season accumulate on your Strava pro...

@Giles's posts:

  1. @Marcus Yep that’s me too. It was a balmy 22 degrees (C) at 530am when I got on the bike to ride to my ex-dance instructor taught Pilates class. I was exhausted by 730, but boy did I have a smile on my face…. However even with all of that, I am strug… »

The Gear

Our products represent the spirit of Velominati; every product we offer is made with the utmost attention to detail – no compromises were made in their selection or design. Whenever possible, our products are made my small, locally-owned businesses who share our passion for quality and we make every effort to ensure they are made in an enviro...

@Giles's posts:

  1. @Nate These are about the closest, mine had no padding in the backs, which was what made them so great, I can’t tell from the pix if either of these are padded. http://www.competitivecyclist.com/product-apparel/2012-fox-racing-incline-gloves–12266.12.1…. »

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