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

Velominatus: packfiller

Order: Level 4 Velominatus

Social: Website

@packfiller's activity:

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...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. When I grow up, I wanna be a Keeper. Or Tony Clifton. Or Sean Kelly »

Anatomy of a Photo: Sean Yates V. 2.0

Sweet Jesus, here is a DS you can’t bluff. Having Raas, Tchmil or Sean Yates as a director must make you a better rider; you will be getting little sympathy from the team car with one of these guys behind the wheel. Some ex-racers really let go when they retire but only Sean Yates looks meaner and leaner after he quits the pro peloton. This p...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. Just ordered the value pack. Yeeeeaaaaahhh. »

  2. Holy. Shit. I had no idea that I might actually want to wear rubber wristbands again. Now that’s a cause… »

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...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. @VeloVita Now that is funny. »

  2. Shit… Think it’s crooked. »

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...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. Crap. No Universal Sports here. Is anyone using the online pay for live streaming service? I can’t make it through with just video highlights… »

La Vie Velominatus: Survive On V

It’s a beautiful, yet cruel sport, this. It punishes you for being lazy, for being unfit, but it also punishes you when you are at the top of your game. And as for Europe, well it’s sending out all kinds of mixed messages when it comes to cycling. Everyone rides, and a good number of them do it while smoking. If it’s good enough f...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. Wait… I see it!! »

La Vie Velominatus: Life Gets in the Way

There’s no doubt I live La Vie Velominatus. Sometimes I think I live it maybe a little too much, as I’ve been told by independent observers that bicycles and all associated with them dominates my very existence. And it’s true; I work in the industry, dividing my time between editing Spoke magazine, writing (not nearly enough latel...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. As someone suffering from an extreme lack of riding recently, this article couldn’t have posted up on my ‘recent reads and popular articles’ section at the bottom of the home page. Life is friggin’ in the way right now, and the vie has been put on hold…. »

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...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. Don’t laugh at my pics. I’m vulnerable, and might cry. VSP PICKS: 1. Chris Friggin’ Horner 2. Simon Gerrans 3. Frank Schleck 4. Gilbert 5. Sanchez »

Velominati Super Prestige: Amstel Gold Race 2012

When people think of the The Netherlands, they generally think of flat lands, windmills, and a topography where people claim to “live at elevation” when their home on the third floor of a building. Never the less, this is not entirely true as The Motherland does, in its most southern reaches, boast quite hilly terrain; the province of...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. Yep. VSP PICKS: 1. Chavanel 2. Voeckler 3. Gerrans 4. F. Schleck 5. Boom »

Reverence: Fi’zi:k Aliante

The saddle has got to be the most important piece of equipment for the cyclist when it comes to comfort and performance. If your ass is rubbing the wrong way, causing chafing and sores, or all circulation is cut off rendering you unable to locate vital organs for nature breaks, then it’s fair to say you don’t have the right saddle. And...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. Crap. Now I’m going to have to try one out. Do any shops do the ‘try one, if it doesn’t work, bring it back for a discount’ kind of program? I miss those days… »

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’...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. @The Oracle @TheOracle, thank you… that helps more than you could know. »

  2. The wife is thinking I am obsessing a bit on finding the Keepers in the footage, until I showed her the photos above. Now at least I am obsessing with others. »

  3. Looked for the Keepers, might have to go back frame by frame… »

Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia

In the 1990 Giro, a relatively unknown cyclist named Gianni Bugno lit the cycling world on fire by winning the first stage, thereby taking the Maglia Rossa. That wasn’t so surprising in itself; what was surprising was that the little bugger managed to hold the jersey all the way to Milan, a feat previously only accomplished by Binda and M...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. 1. Contadork 2. Nibs 3. Garzelli 4. Someone not from Radio Shack? »

Anatomy of a Photo: Fausto Coppi

A lot has been made lately of the fact that riders today are lacking a little bit of The V. It’s not so much a criticism of how they conduct themselves during a race (although that has also been called into question lately), but in their general demeanor towards their life as a cyclist.It doesn’t surprise me much; historically, riders...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. Shit, I meant Rule #5. Now I am a d-bag…sigh »

  2. Effing brilliant Frank. I couldn’t agree more. Not to mention the coat is pretty cool (but I know there is no way I could pull it off without looking like a total D-bag)… Time for a little Rule #9? »

Velominati Super Prestige: Amstel Gold Race

Holland. Not known as a hilly country, this. I have relatives who live “at elevation” near the Kinderdijk, where I took this photo. They live at 3m above sea level. Right. Known more for wind than we are for hills, then. In fact, one of the many (many) interesting things about the Netherlands is that while most countries use windmills...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. So confusing…. VSP PICKS: 1. Matthew Lloyd, no, Frank Schleck 2. Riccardo Rico, wait…Gilbert 3. Joe Papp, crap…Andy Schleck 4. Lance Armstrong, awww, Gesink 5. Vinokourov…Vinokourov »

Here Stands a Man: Johan Van Summeren

Here stands a man. A quiet man. A hard working man. A Belgian man. A man from a life of grit, cold, and rain.Here stands a man who has chosen a life of hard work and sacrifice; a hard life even within the context of Cycling. A man who spends long hours in the wind and in the rain, in the service of his team. A man who despite those long hours in...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. Every cobble is a six inch climb, and six inch descent. »

Unforgettable Rides: Gavia 1988

I suppose it’s just a sign of how rich our sport is and how enthusiastic we are about it that some of the most iconic rides in cycling go virtually unmentioned in these pages. It almost seems as though they are so tightly woven into legend that we take them for granted, these rides. Nevermore, nevermore: enter a new V-Series where we’ll...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. ok, so, not to self promote, but if anyone would like, I recorded a podcast with Andy a while back, and we talked a bit about this ride. You can find it at packfiller.com, in the ‘previous posts’ section. If this seems like self promotion bs, don’t hesit… »

Irreverence: Starting with Rules 48 and 49

My work has me spending much time on college and university campuses.  Among the myriad fads that are sweeping the dirtbag and hipster college student sets these days is riding the retro bike around.  My feelings on this fad is “more power to them”.  I’ve got no qualms with college students on meager incomes recycling old steel...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. tell me the bars weren’t upside down, tell me the bars weren’t upside down… That is the kiss of death for any ‘former’ bicycle. »

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...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. @frank Holy crap! Didn’t think they made seatposts that went that high! I’m a little sore just looking at it! »

Anatomy of a photo: Gun Check, Gent-Wevelgem 1965

The above photo was liberated from a Dutch website which appears to be dedicated solely to a book about Dutch and Belgian riders both old and new.  I can’t read a lick of Dutch, in fact, I’m not even 100-% sure it’s a Dutch site (based on the “.nl” though I’m pretty sure).  The website is rad though and the boo...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. Built Ford Tough? Holy shit. The guy’s just like a Ford truck; huge, inefficient, and probably noisy. »

Velominati Super Prestige: Milano-San Remo

The second annual Velominati Super Prestige kicks off with La Primavera, Milano-San Remo on March 19. The first Monument of the year, MSR is the first true showdown of the year where all the big names will be en forme and willing to sell their mothers to notch this prestigious win.  Although known for its famous climbs including the Cipressa and t...

@packfiller's posts:

  1. @Steampunk I was just about to ridicule the chances of Fabio winning, and then I saw the yellow jersey on your icon. Nevermind. VSP PICKS: 1. Thor: The God of Thunder 2. Gibby Gilbert 3. Ty Ty Farrrrarrrrr 4. Spartacus 5. Pat Bulger »

  2. I think that Garmin/Cervelo has their shit together, and it’s time to show such. Thor has been putting the hammer down in the sprints as the lead out guy, but this will be his time in the Rainbow. He and Tyler can make it over the climbs and the distance,… »