Velominati Community Profile Archive

Velominatus: freddy

Order: Level 1 Velominatus

Location: Canada and Nederland

@freddy's activity:

Merry Festum Prophetae

This photo is perhaps the greatest of all time; it shows The Prophet riding in the 1969 Ronde van Vlaanderen, kit and machine perfect. Rule #9 conditions in abundance. He’s gone off the front with some 80km left to race, which predictably sent his directeur into a rage. Ordered to return to the bunch, Merckx calmly suggested he go screw hi...

@freddy's posts:

  1. On Sunday morning we did 100km in the rain at Horseshoe Valley. My brother rode his Merckx. We were blessed. »

On Rule #43: Notes for Bike Inspectors

This week’s Guest Article comes from our friend, @blacktoolpower (l) and our editor Drummond Moir (r). In anticipation of our book’s imminent release, these two donned their lab coats and headed out to the streets of London to assess the state of Rule Compliance in the city’s commuter crowd. Always remember: leave this kind of ins...

@freddy's posts:

  1. Rule #43 compliant »

Velominati Super Prestige: Tour de Suisse 2013

The mighty VSP generator has been switched on once again. The mil-spec hydraulic fluid has been changed since the Giro. A new power take-off belt has also been installed. And the punch card reader has been refurbished.Broome and Berti are already riding the Critérium du Dauphiné. The top contenders prefer the Dauphiné for the decent recovery all...

@freddy's posts:

  1. @Frank I think Mollema is 5th overall »

On Rule #12: Graveur Robber

I find it interesting to observe the chasm between parties engaged in a conversation, particularly in response to questions being asked. I’m thinking, at present, of the question, “How many bikes do you have?” My feelings in response are nothing short of complex and maybe a bit confused; reservation that I feel I should have a mo...

@freddy's posts:

  1. That looks like the perfect mo-sheen for rockin our cottage and colonization roads on the Canadian Shield. As my daughter used to say when she was little, “Have it. Have it.” »

Velominati Super Prestige: Tour de Suisse 2013

The mighty VSP generator has been switched on once again. The mil-spec hydraulic fluid has been changed since the Giro. A new power take-off belt has also been installed. And the punch card reader has been refurbished.Broome and Berti are already riding the Critérium du Dauphiné. The top contenders prefer the Dauphiné for the decent recovery all...

@freddy's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. TJ 2. Costa 3. Pinot 4. Kreuziger 5. Spilak »

Festum Prophetae: The Impossible Hour

Update: You can watch the live stream (assuming it works from the velodrome) on the Velominati channel at USTREAM. When you log in, you’ll first see my little test video of my puppy eating grass. Please disregard me yelling at it. That never happened.I have always considered myself to have a good imagination, something I attribute half to my...

@freddy's posts:

  1. 41.35 »

  2. @frank You are crazy and once again raising the bar for The V community. Best of luck. »

  3. @seemunkee Or Marinoni’s 35.728 at 75 years old– one of our Canadian cycling icons: 75-79              35.728    Giuseppe Marinoni (75)            CAN    2012         20.10.2012       Montichiari ITA   »

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...

@freddy's posts:

  1. @meursault I kinda like those arm war…wack! Speaking of gilet’s, here’s what I use …a lot: http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/tech/clothing/1025/1/giordana-gilet.html Expensive on a $/gram basis, but very useful. Not sure about the claim of one hand … »

  2. Rule #80 Canadian tranquilo…for now: »

Saved By The Bike

Addiction is typically defined as a bad thing. Addiction to drugs, to alcohol, sex or even work is usually portrayed as a condition to be battled, to overcome. The same sources may recommend a strict regime of regular exercise and healthy living as the perfect antidote to the bad addictions that befall an overwhelming majority of the general popul...

@freddy's posts:

  1. I find myself planning my next fix within hours of coming back from a ride. »

The Way of the Cycling Disciple: Publication & e-Book Sampler

Every once in a while, you stumble across a quote that changes your outlook on how you approach life. Of course, this requires that one does a good deal of “reading”, which is a problem for me, as reading anything that isn’t Cycling-related feels the same as doing “work”. I do the odd bit of it nevertheless, and in a r...

@freddy's posts:

  1. God Save the Queen! I knew living in the Commonwealth was going to pay off at some point (our health system and buttertarts aside). June 20 is marked on the family calendar: Buy The Rules. »

2nd Annual Ontario Cogal-2013

Repeats last year’s Café Domestique to the Shed Coffee Bar in Erin Date/Time Date - May 26, 2013 8:35 AM - 4:00 PM Continue reading...

@freddy's posts:

  1. Repeats last year’s Café Domestique to the Shed Coffee Bar in Erin

    Event Details

    Loading Map....

    Date/Time
    Date - May 26, 2013
    8:35 AM - 4:00 PM

    Location
    Café Domestique

    Cogal Details
    Route Details

    Ride Classification

  2. Repeats last year’s Café Domestique to the Shed Coffee Bar in Erin

    Event Details

    Loading Map....

    Date/Time
    Date - May 26, 2013
    8:35 AM - 4:00 PM

    Location
    Café Domestique

    Cogal Details
    Route Details

    Ride Classification

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...

@freddy's posts:

  1. @snoov Me likes. Need a way to properly clean the white chain stays. »

Velominati Super Prestige: Giro D’Italia 2013

Twiggo is dreaming of a Giro-Tour double. He has sent out mixed messages about his Tour ambitions. Will he use the Giro as the ultimate Tour preparation or will be burn all his matches in May and hope he can find another pack for July? He has abandoned his successful 2012 Tour run-up strategy of winning every stage race he entered the previous spri...

@freddy's posts:

  1. Santambrogio will be back…I can feel it…. »

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...

@freddy's posts:

  1. @wiscot It starts on the dining room table, then, like new sneakers when you were a kid, you take them to bed. Finally you get them dirty and they become part of your every day life. »

Velominati Super Prestige: Giro D’Italia 2013

Twiggo is dreaming of a Giro-Tour double. He has sent out mixed messages about his Tour ambitions. Will he use the Giro as the ultimate Tour preparation or will be burn all his matches in May and hope he can find another pack for July? He has abandoned his successful 2012 Tour run-up strategy of winning every stage race he entered the previous spri...

@freddy's posts:

  1. Twigs out, Cuddles in for 2nd place. VSP PICKS (2nd Rest Day Swaps): 1. Ryder 2. Cuddles 3. Nibs 4. Gesink 5. Santambrogio »

Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2013, Stage 10

Day 5 of the Six Days of the Giro continues with an impromptu VSP event.Lets have a look at where we are in the 2013 Giro. Wiggins must have spent time training in Luxembourg because he’s been descending like a Schleck when things get dodgy before disappearing into the team van to have a cry about it. Hesjedal has put in some good moves and...

@freddy's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. Pozzovivo 2. Santambrogio 3. Pellizotti 4. Pirazzi 5. Atapuma »

Pink or Yellow?

We’re into day four of the Six Days of the Giro series, let’s talk trash. Yes the Tour de France started a few years before the Giro and has always been credited as The Tour to win. You win the Giro, you are a stud. Win the Tour and you are a stud for life. Why is that? Is the Tour longer, tougher, more murderous, more beautiful? In the 20...

@freddy's posts:

  1. Pink. The Giro has a fragility and rawness that appeals to me. »

Velominati Super Prestige: Giro D’Italia 2013

Twiggo is dreaming of a Giro-Tour double. He has sent out mixed messages about his Tour ambitions. Will he use the Giro as the ultimate Tour preparation or will be burn all his matches in May and hope he can find another pack for July? He has abandoned his successful 2012 Tour run-up strategy of winning every stage race he entered the previous spri...

@freddy's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. Ryder 2. Twigs 3. Nibs 4. Gesink 5. Santambrogio »

Velominati Super Prestige: Luik-Bastenaken-Luik 2013

There is something to love about a race that makes a deviation to its route for the simple joy of sending a fleet of professional riders up a fiendishly steep and narrow ramp. The Cote du Stockeu offers zero benefit to the route from a logistical standpoint – in fact, all it does is complicate things. On the way down from the Cote de Wanne &#...

@freddy's posts:

  1. You got to love this race. Where else can you get the suspense, the drama, the craziness of the Cote de Saint Roch, the V, the Canadian content, a panda and an awesome win by a well deserving competitor. I love this sport. »

  2. Just to boost everyone’s confidence, Rodriguez was quoted in Cyclingnews today: “…this is Liege-Bastogne-Liege, it’s a very hard race and anything can happen. There are a lot of people out there who like to make predictions about bike races, but most of… »

Riding Ugly: Damien Gaudin

The simple art of riding a bicycle can be undertaken in many ways. Watching the stylish commuters of Amsterdam going about their business in the most Casually Deliberate way makes you wonder if indeed anyone is actually going about any business at all. I don’t know how anything ever gets done in that city; everyone seems to be on their way to...

@freddy's posts:

  1. @Gianni and elbows… »

Velominati Super Prestige: Luik-Bastenaken-Luik 2013

There is something to love about a race that makes a deviation to its route for the simple joy of sending a fleet of professional riders up a fiendishly steep and narrow ramp. The Cote du Stockeu offers zero benefit to the route from a logistical standpoint – in fact, all it does is complicate things. On the way down from the Cote de Wanne &#...

@freddy's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. Gilbert 2. Valverde 3. Martin 4. Nibali 5. Rodriguez »

    2. Older Posts