Velominati Community Profile Archive

Velominatus: Rob

Order: Level 4 Velominatus

Location: Woluwe Saint Pierre, Belgium

@Rob's activity:

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...

@Rob's posts:

  1. Thanks guys for the replies, seems most of you run a compact.  Not sure a 27/28 on the rear will make enough difference so looks like I will have to learn how to swap out the front rings in the next month. Just as a clarification here is the profiles inv… »

  2. Ok I know this could be taken as a seriously noob thing to ask but flame suit is on and I’d like to get some V – guidance. What gearing do most people run on Belgian Classic style riding, specifically the 2nd half of Liege Bastogne Liege? I had my first… »

Velominati Super Prestige: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Women 2013

Finally, some cold nasty Belgian one day racing. Oman, Qatar, does anyone brag about winning those stage races? Yes, they might but really, it’s a tune up for the real season which finally begins this Saturday. Will racing in China or Oman grow the sport? Will there be a new wave of inspired young racers from these countries. Does professiona...

@Rob's posts:

  1. @Skip Thanks skip for the photo.  Went to bed last night with butterflies excited about the first ride of the season and woke up at 6 am seriously disappointed to see all the snow.  1 hour drive to gent would have been sketchy let alone the 3-4 hrs in the… »

One-Eyed Wonder: CX-V

What I have always loved about Mountain Biking is the immersion into the woods; the sense of solitude that comes in the wilderness that is lost entirely in the convenience and hustle of the cities I’ve always lived in. What I always hated about Mountain Biking is that my mountain bike never feels enough like my road bike.I was but a budding...

@Rob's posts:

  1. @G’rilla All US-based viewers and most viewers throughout the world will be able to watch the live streaming video right here on cxmagazine.com except for a few countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Canada. The feed is brought… »

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...

@Rob's posts:

  1. @wrench Stay strong man. I have thought about this topic often since my near fatal motorcycle accident 5 years ago (see above comments regarding russian roulette and the law of averages riding 60k miles a year on two wheels).  28 days in the hurt locker… »

Guest Article: The Day of Atonement

Is this still the off season for the people of the North? I hope so. I know it’s -34 fahrenheit where Marko lives so he is only riding three times a week to prepare for the Keepers Tour. It seems @souleur has a little holiday guilt and now that those damn holidays are behind us it’s time to think about the cycling season ahead.Yours in...

@Rob's posts:

  1. @strathlubnaig Fixed your post there! »

  2. @eightzero Difficult conditions repeated often enough becomes routine, routine becomes easy.  +4 C is downright balmly today and I can’t wait for the next ride tomorrow despite it being just a lowly commute. Every man has to find his own motivation, but… »

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...

@Rob's posts:

  1. @Tobin »

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...

@Rob's posts:

  1. @chezzie *shrug* not sure how it can’t.  0 degrees yesterday and 10 cm of snow overnight.  Even in Belgium I saw a sum total of 3 cyclist on my commute yesterday morning and was the only cyclist in the garage.  Slipping my way up a 9% incline, blowing s… »

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...

@Rob's posts:

  1. Damn, only two orders a year?  My budget was sorely tapped out and had to decide between paying entrance fees or new kit.  Was still hoping to sneak an order in to be kitted in V glory for my ride up the Stelvio in June.  Any luck for an order date before… »

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...

@Rob's posts:

  1. @Barracuda +1 on writing cheques that your body can’t cash.  Sometimes its the only way to force progress. This year I’ve sent the checks for trips to the Stelvio and two metric centuries (gasp, preceded by a swim and followed by a run).  I would welcom… »

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...

@Rob's posts:

  1. @frank +1 Forecast is -2 but dry! Dry in Belgium in the winter! The heavens have parted! I’m trying to keep next season in mind….. http://sport.be.msn.com/cyclingtour/2012/fr/ »

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...

@Rob's posts:

  1. @RedRanger Very nice sir.  Before leaving the states I picked up a Motobecane 29er from a LBS.  Not name brand in the least but its my go to steed whenever the weather turns to shit or for my daily commute (don’t like the thought of leaving my racebike i… »

The New V-estament

During the birth of The Rules, just like the Big Bang, there was a flurry of new activity, too much expanding and not enough contracting; certainly not enough thinking. It’s hard to keep the throttle back when divining the Word of Merckx in real time. The interweb tubes whistled with new Rules shuttling back and forth, beers consumed, genius...

@Rob's posts:

  1. @Hobbanero http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flandrien_%28wielrenner%29 Consensus appears to be that the Flandrien are a subset of the Flemish.  Sadly not all can rise to such a level, even amongst the Flemish, but the Flandrien are the hardest of the hardm… »

Whidbey Island Cogal; October 15, 2011

On October 15, 2011, a select team of Velominati gathered in Langley on Whidbey Island to go for a ride together. These gatherings, referred to as Cogals, are a key component of the vision of Velominati, to bring the community from the Interwebs into the reality of The Ride. After all, we are Cyclists and we are meant to ride our bikes – not...

@Rob's posts:

  1. @frank et all Definitely down for any cogal in Belgium. My Belgian colleague and I were discussing RVV next year but apparently the Flemish community is pissed about a route change and I was threatened with being disowned if I did anything other then the… »

  2. @936adl This American expat living in Brussels would definitely be down for an England cogal. Was even thinking about offering the same for Belgium. Jesus the Flemish take this sport seriously. Just did the second half of Liege-Bastogne (with a stop in S… »