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

Velominatus: marko

Order: Keeper of the Cog

Marko has not set up a V-Profile.

@marko's activity:

The Rule #5 Talk

Have a look around to see who you find occupying your immediate vicinity. Presently, I am surrounded by a pleasant-seeming bunch. Some are even going so far as to appear happy or at least not displeased; all of them are pale and none of them fit. My attention is drawn, however, to a a portly mustached gentleman who strode into the hotel lobby with...

@marko's posts:

  1. @versio A gravel race called the Almanzo 100. Very well organized and thought out and a very hard route. There were a lot of people suffering in 90 degree temps and 25+ mph winds yesterday. Wouldn’t have had it any other way. »

  2. Got it. Lots of catching up around here. I was in the woods for a week and then traveled to and rode in a race this weekend. Its good to be back. Seems like peeps got their panties unwadded. Glad I missed that. »

  3. @versio Huh? »

Guest Article: Rule VI – Racing to Recover

It is my great pleasure to bring @Dan_R’s article to the Velominati. Frank has recently written about cycling as an addiction. It’s a “good” addiction but it is more than that. We worry about our Strava numbers, debate sock height, but forget that the simple act of cycling with others can offer more than just an endorphin bu...

@marko's posts:

  1. Riding can do so much more than fitness. And the brotherhood you all share is tremendous. Great piece. Thanks for everything. »

The Rides

The Ride. It is the cathedral of our sport, where we worship at the altar of the Man with the Hammer. It is the end to our means. Indeed, The Bike may be the central tool to our sport, but to turn the pedals is to experience the sensation of freedom, of flight. It is all for The Ride.The world is overflowing with small, twisty roads that capture ou...

@marko's posts:

  1. what g’rilla said @RED RANGER. afterall the wheels are the same diameter, you can dial in the same fit as your roadie, and get more chicks. »

Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2012

After a winter of long training rides that offered more in the way of numb extremities than it did in acute enjoyment, I have to say that the warming of the air and brightening of the skies have served to remind me that while I love riding in bad weather, I certainly don’t have anything against riding when its nice out.But dont think for...

@marko's posts:

  1. The vid with his mom is great also for Och. How cool is it that he was there for Davis and now Taylor. I’m really happy for that dude. Awesome career and not bad for a blue collar guy from Wisconsin. »

  2. @The Fish Listen up peeps-the leader has chosen. »

  3. @brett which (after seeing how you operate with the fairer sex on the KT) makes your reasoning and your actions contradictory. I’da pegged you for a Tour of Poland man myself. »

Canon of Cycling’s Etiquette: The Rules

In the roughly six months since launching the Velominati, we have gradually moved from covering races, rumors, and doping to pouring over the very essence of what makes ours such a special sport – its history, culture, legends, traditions, races, and its physical and cultural challenges – and how those threads fit into cycling’s c...

@marko's posts:

  1. The first dozen or so posts in here take me back. Thanks for revisiting this article. »

The Shropshire Hills Cogal Ride Report

With the Cogals slowly starting to take shape and the days getting longer, @936adl did a good job in the timing, organization, and the promotion of his Cogal. Buckle in for the fruits of his labor as from all accounts, this was a fantastic ride and great time; I’m only sad I couldn’t be there myself. Fair warning: He’s already ta...

@marko's posts:

  1. Most excellent and perhaps the most successful cogal to date. Very descriptive writing – it put me there. Thanks all. »

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...

@marko's posts:

  1. @tessar Your mom sounds rad. Heirloom bikes with Record 10S? »

La Vie Velominatus: The Goldilocks Principle

The Rules are about cultivating a passion for riding our bikes to gain the maximum enjoyment possible. This requires humility, for one thing, and devotion, for another. It requires a balance between focusing on progress and enjoying the journey. It demands a reverence for our history paired with a hunger for evolution. The Rules teach us balance, t...

@marko's posts:

  1. @xyxax Beauty of a strip. »

Velominati Super Prestige: Luik-Bastenaken-Luik 2012

I thought I’d take this opportunity to move en danseuse on Rule #89 and to refer to Liege-Bastogne-Liege by its less-common Flemish name. It also draws into sharp relief that fact that while Dutch may be every bit as expressive and subtle as French, it certainly sounds less sexy.Some races seem to foster a romanticism that other races of e...

@marko's posts:

  1. On the Keepers Tour RVV ride we rode past a dude at least as fat as Lampre Man wearing an Astana kit pissing on the side of the road. That was weird. »

Velominati Super Prestige: La Fleche Wallonne 2012

I just had to use this pic of Tom Simpson in 1965 wearing the Peugeot kit as the title pic for this year’s VSP for La Fleche Wallonne. Rigid hooked himself up on the Keepers Tour with the same kit he purchased at the Flanders Cycling Museum and it’s Grade A nipple lube. Although victory eluded Simpson in this Classic he still looked dam...

@marko's posts:

  1. @paolo @paolo Give that man another! And let him wear The V-Kit post of the week jersey. »

The Lexicon

The Velominati have our own set of nicknames and terms which have developed over time through posts and correspondence. Some of these are names of landmarks or terms in cycling; others are nicknames for some of the riders in the pro peloton. While not intended to be offensive or derogatory, the nicknames in the list represent the riders’ pe...

@marko's posts:

  1. Flemish Enema? And yeah-who knew RdV was such an asshole? »

Velominati Super Prestige: Gent-Wevelgem 2012

Gent conjures up images of the quintessential Flemish city. Age-old medieval architecture rising from the river’s edge is classically Belgian. Gent is also firmly tied to Belgium’s greatest gift to the world, cycling tradition. Many a pro-expat cyclist has relocated to Gent with the hope of testing their mettle in the seat of cycling...

@marko's posts:

  1. @Jarvis Excellent comment. »

Tubulars: Art, Science, and Ritual

As Keepers Tour crossed from dream to reality and routes over the cobblestones of Northern Europe were sketched out, with it came the familiar tingling in my fingertips and uneasy sensation at the base of my spine as my mind starts its irrevocable journey towards categorizing as mandatory an unnecessary indulgence. I was going to need a wheelse...

@marko's posts:

  1. Ive been singing that out on training rides lately. We’re gonna have to do a round for sure.@Rigid »

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...

@marko's posts:

  1. Bel Mezzo!@Tubular Swells »

Velominati Super Prestige: Milano San-Remo 2012

The Poggio. It’s probably one of the most famous easy climbs in the world; going through old cycling photographs, I rarely come across one where the leaders haven’t moved Sur La Plaque. It has a reputation, however, for being a real leg breaker, mostly because any climb is a big climb once you cross its summit after a paltry 291 kilomet...

@marko's posts:

  1. @Anjin-san Which shortys? Theyre all fickle but ive had better luck with the 4s than 6s. The tension adjuster is clutch. »

Anatomy of a Photo: Take a Look While You Still Can

FDJ guy: Is that the new fi'zi:k Kurve in Bull?Fast Phil: Oui. Continue reading...

@marko's posts:

  1. Next time let’s. Hit reply instead of quote, shall we? Once is too much already. »

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...

@marko's posts:

  1. @frank It’s peanut butter. The tightener thing in the back made it slope down too much. »

Velominati Super Prestige: Men’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

The 2012 Velominati Super Prestige kicks off in proper form this season with the debut of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad as part of the series. I’m tempted to stubbornly refer to this race as Het Volk, but I’ll toe the line and refer to the race by its bewildering new(ish) name.This is a tricky race to predict because the big races in April ar...

@marko's posts:

  1. Everybody on the A list except PhilGil is up front. Badass. »

Velominati Super Prestige: Women’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

We kick off the first races of the 2012 VSP with a double-header as we open the picks for the VVomen’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Aside from an early hiccup, the new software has been running as expected, though I should have known better than to declare something as “tested”; as the first few picks went in sideways, there was more co...

@marko's posts:

  1. Bummer, Joha’ didn’t start. VSP PICKS: 1. d’hoore 2. d’vocht 3. d’jong 4. d’goede 5. d’vyust »

The Keepers

Cycling is a mighty sport with a rich and complex history. Every company, racer, piece of kit, and component has a legend, a story behind it; in many cases it also has a personal and nostalgic connection to our lives.  While this particular sport is steeped in tradition, it is also fiercely modern, a fact that serves only to deepen its complexity...

@marko's posts:

  1. I just downloaded the Jens Voigt Soundbar app. Best .99 cents I ever spent. »

The Shropshire Hills English Cogal

April 2012 promises top be a special month for any Velominatus. While the current icons of our great sport do battle in spring classics, many of the Velominati will be enjoying The Keepers Tour.Meanwhile, in the quiet county of Shropshire, another event promises great things. Epic scenery, some pretty serious climbing, an imperial century, and fine...

@marko's posts:

  1. If only the Keepers Tour, spring classics, and this were 6 weeks later. I could make an extended stay of it over summer break. Sounds like a great time Sheila. »