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

Velominatus: IcemanYVR

Order: Level 4 Velominatus

Location: Vancouver, BC

Social: Website /

I take pictures... people pay me... in my spare time I ride... a lot.

@IcemanYVR's activity:

Vancouver BC Cogal

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@IcemanYVR's posts:

  1. Derek H. Ulrich has offered up a killer Cogal in westernmost Canada. There is a lot of time to plan for this so no excuses.

    Here’s the route:

    http://app.strava.com/rides/19358842

    It should be firmly stated that the ride will not be going up the Mountain Highway (Fromme) on the gravel road as I’ve ridden up there enough times in the MTB/FR days. That and a local shop rode up there on their bikes and had to sort out 5 flats.

    It will happen on August 24th, 2013. This is tentative, depending on any events that may fall on the same day. Start time is 8AM. It will be leaving from here:

    Meet up for espresso here to fire it off.

    Break time will occur here, after climbing Grouse, no grousing.

    Apres Velo will happen here.

    The ride can be described as ~130km of suffering. 3000m of climbing over six hours. It hurts. A lot

    Dutch Keepers are welcome to come, as the Dutch are quite familiar with running to Canada.

    Event Details

    Loading Map....

    Date/Time
    Date - August 24, 2013
    8:05 AM - 5:15 PM

    Location
    Musette Caffe

    Cogal Details
    Route Details

    Ride Classification

Frank vs. The Volcano, Part Trois

At some point, I reckon the idea may dawn on me that I’m not a climber. Eighty kilos and standing something just shy of two meters, I’m not clear on why climbing is what speaks to me most about Cycling; I’m certainly not built like a grimpeur. But there is no question about it; I love riding in the mountains. I only have to catch...

@IcemanYVR's posts:

  1. Well done Frank… Chapeau That’s quick :) »

Solitude

The task spreads out before me like molasses poured onto a tabletop, indulging in its viscous immensity. Its growing breadth makes it a kind of enigma, the sort distinguished by an elusive end and therefor an intangible beginning. It occurs to me, at this moment, that the difference between those who achieve and those who stagnate is not measu...

@IcemanYVR's posts:

  1. My buddy refers to these as “character building rides”… once the spring racing season is upon us, just the knowledge that we’ve done these long winter training rides makes us faster… … as typical in the PNW, I was hoping for rain today, something to… »

La Vie Velominatus: Flemish Tan Lines

Clouds hang heavy in the sky, plump with a rain which contemplates the opportunity to hurl itself towards the Earth below. I get the sense that we wait for each other, the Rain and I; the rain relishes the opportunity to soak my clothes and skin, seeking to corrode my resolve while I cherish the opportunity to prove to myself that it will not be s...

@IcemanYVR's posts:

  1. @Giles @Deakus Yes to both of you… I did in fact mean “RAIN” bike… cycling version of a freudian slip ;) »

  2. I have a dedicated winter/rain bike… it has fenders… ahem mudguards. Clubs around here won’t let you ride or relegate you to the back of the bus if you show up for a winter ride with no fenders. I would gladly ride without them if someone else was doi… »

In Memoriam: Leather and Brass

Composites, microfibers, synthetics. They amaze in their qualities; light, strong, durable - unyieldingly stiff or unimaginably suple, depending on our whim. When modern components arrive on my doorstep, upon lifting the unremarkable cardboard box I often wonder whether there is anything at all inside or if perhaps the person on the other end of...

@IcemanYVR's posts:

  1. I have an old Rolls in the basement, served it’s purpose for many years. Did my longest rides on that saddle… I went through a lot of bikes back then, but I just kept switching it from steed to steed.  it leaves me with some very fond memories. Now I’m… »

The Lexicon: A Retraction

The recent headlines being made in the cycling world have honestly not garnered a whole lot of attention at V-HQ, at least where a certain COTHO is concerned. Yes, The Keepers have added to the usual discussions on the topic here, read the news, and given it some thought. But we really don’t feel the need to take any sort of official position...

@IcemanYVR's posts:

  1. I think one of the things that saddens me the most about this whole fiasco is how I allowed a boyhood hero and idol to be sidelined by his “successor”. I went from adoring him to thinking he was just being jealous, old and washed up, that he had gone craz… »

New Rule: 52 (Plus a Guest Reverence)

With the writing of our first book supposedly well underway (but in reality being discussed ad-nauseum in the Boardroom rather than actually committed to text), The Rules have at least been getting some form of attention from The Keepers. When deciding which Rules each of us were to curate, no-one really had much idea what exactly was in there; ask...

@IcemanYVR's posts:

  1. @TBONE Absolutely… and classy »

  2. Anything over 2 hours, two full-size bidons for sure… this one of the very few rules I break… I’d rather be Well Hydrated and crushing my opponents than looking good while I’m bonking ;) »

La Vie Velominatus: Clean Bike Day

It seemed so easy, when I was young, to decide who to love and who to hate. These days, life is a complicated web of heroic deeds and dark shadows. As we get older, it appears our heroes and villains get mixed up.Fortunately for us, Cycling is about much more than bike racing. It is about loving the machine, submitting ourselves to the cathedral ...

@IcemanYVR's posts:

  1. Don’t have a mutt, but have my young son with me every time I wash and maintain my bike. He’s great company and learning many life lessons at the same time, how to love and care for your bike, bike maintenance, how to correctly use tools and how to care f… »

Defining Moments: My First Kit

As children, none of us were given an allowance. Instead, we were taught from a young age that if we wanted to buy something, we had to earn the money in order to do so. To facilitate the model, and possibly to avoid child-labor law infringement, we were paid to do chores around the house in exchange for a cash payment directly proportional but not...

@IcemanYVR's posts:

  1. thanks for bringing back some fond memories… I too remember my first kit (black shorts and a La Vie Claire) jersey… »

Guest Article: Velo Love

Even Wiggo said it’s just a bike race. Bike racing may be just that but Cycling is life. And Love is life and it’s amazing when they all get tangled up together. We first heard from @Farzani months ago; a Belgian in training. She said she had an on-going story to tell and asked if we were interested. It’s an honor we can share the...

@IcemanYVR's posts:

  1. wow… amazing story. Thank you for sharing.  Not sure exactly what else to say, maybe I will after I grab a Kleenex. »

Listen to your body – Sensations from l’Alpe d’huez

When we announced Keepers Tour 2012, one of the first to put up his hand and pony up for the Cobbled Classics experience was my good mate Rigid. When I first met this Wellington rider four or five years ago, his enthusiasm for cycling (on and off-road) was evident, but his grasp on the finer points of The Rules needed a polish; like any good Pedalw...

@IcemanYVR's posts:

  1. Congrats on your epic journey… 5 years going on I sill remember my last trip up the l’Alpe. For anyone who hasn’t ridden the Alps… find the time, make the time, it is SO worth it :) »

Guest Article: Ride 542 – the Mt. Baker Hill Climb

@eightzero is throwing down the sweaty gauntlet here. He has a vision of a V-kitted, Rule compliant freight train of pain. Normally this post would be directly slotted into the Cogal section but it technically is not a Cogal: it has an entry fee, it’s too organized and people will not get lost. We have, however, included it on the Cogal Calen...

@IcemanYVR's posts:

  1. I’ve done Ride 542, an excellent, well organized event. It’s unfortunate that it’s on the same weekend as the RBC Whistler Grand Fondo… I’m sure that will hurt their participation numbers. The nice thing about Mt. Baker or any mountain for that matter … »

Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Roubaix 2012

We rode the Pavé of Roubaix in the dry, and any comforting feelings we might have been carrying about with us that suggested we had somehow prepared for them were summarily vaporized as we hit the first secteur. Riding together in a group, unable to reach for the brakes or the shifters, we all were hit with the same realization: these aren’...

@IcemanYVR's posts:

  1. Wish I was able to watch the race live… not airing in Canada sucks VSP PICKS: 1. Boonen 2. Ballan 3. Pozzato 4. Hushovd 5. Chavanel »