Velominati Super Prestige:
Giro D'Italia 2013
Author Archive for john
John Andrews, Author and Community Relations Manager

Gianni bought a champagne gold Peugeot with sew-up tires in 1976. That was the beginning of the Troubles. Think Magnus Backstead without the big engine or rugged Swedish good looks. He has a small altar in his crawlspace containing smaller photos of Francesco Moser, Eros Poli and Gianni Bugno.

Reverence: Lezyne Tyre Levers

by Gianni / Dec 19 2012 / 75 posts

Two summers ago my wife and I had the pleasure of visiting friends in Switzerland. The country is so expensive that I took home only two souvenirs: white Assos socks and a pair of Lezyne tyre levers. I assumed Lezyne was a European company. It was in this Swiss bike shop and I’d never seen the brand in an American store, ever. “Ewwww,...

The Tubeless Enigma

by Gianni / Dec 5 2012 / 73 posts

There must still be a few readers out there who have not followed the Dutch Monkey down the merry tubular path; for them I offer an update on an alternative. Road tubeless has been lauded as the best thing to happen to cycling since the introduction of seatpins. These have been around for years but the road version has not gathered the expected mom...

Meditations on the V-Meter

by Gianni / Nov 14 2012 / 117 posts

There was no need for Rule #74 until the cyclometer showed up on our handlebars. According to the late Sheldon Brown, the cyclometer has been around since the early 1900s.“Star-wheel cyclometers, such as the Lucas unit, suffered two serious problems. They made an annoying “tink-tink-tink” noise. At high speeds, the star wheel would s...

Awesome Almost Belgian Guys: Alex and William

by Gianni / Nov 7 2012 / 36 posts

Recently we had a photo of Yates on the stones. Two days later, it was the killer photo of Boonen getting down to business. Until then, Frank’s photo from that day was the best photo ever but @Harminator’s shot is better. Tom tosses the squeezed bidon. The glove-less Belgian is already on his own- it’s business time. I’ll be...

Cogal Report: Scottish McCogal 2012

by Gianni / Nov 4 2012 / 68 posts

The first Velominati Scottish Cogal is in the books. Organized and supported by Clan Engine, it looked to be a beautiful Scottish day on the bikes. V-kits and Casually Deliberate in Callander, this Cogal thing is catching on. VLVV, Gianni …...

Choose Your Parents Wisely

by Gianni / Oct 26 2012 / 71 posts

Evelyn Stevens was working on Wall Street four years ago and is now the best American women cyclist. How is that possible? Her parents must be enjoying dinner with pulses of 40 bpm and sky high VO2 maxes. Are they both professional marathon runners? Is that how they met? Maybe they have never attempted aerobic sports. If Evelyn has siblings and the...

Velominati Super Prestige: Paris Tours 2012

by Gianni / Oct 6 2012 / 152 posts

The final race of the 2012 Velominati Super Prestige season is upon us. It’s not the most inspiring race, supposedly a race for the sprinters. The long straight final run in to the finish line begs for a mass sprint. It should be called Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais-Tours. The route is 235.5 km of small rollers through the French countryside. The...

Book Reviews: Racing Through the Dark, The Secret Race

by Gianni / Sep 28 2012 / 606 posts

I must admit to not having read most of the cycling memoirs in the Works. I may eventually but the local public library doesn’t carry any of them and never will so I’ll have to buy them or ask Frank to tote everything he has to Hawaii. I did get off my wallet and buy these two and it was money well spent. David Millar and Tyler Hamilton...

Velominati Super Prestige: Women’s Road Championship 2012

by Gianni / Sep 18 2012 / 134 posts

It seems like just weeks ago that Cav won his rainbow stripes, things were said, umbrage was taken. Luckily we have found more umbrage so we are good to go. This course is not like last year. It’s not exactly a sprinters finish. It’s a 128 km rumble in Valkenberg and the Dutch team is there for Marianne Vos. She has finished second in...

Best Kit Ever?

by Gianni / Sep 14 2012 / 198 posts

What is the best pro team kit ever? I’m talking team kit only, not a leader’s jersey, national team jersey or the national champion jersey. Not the worst either, for those are legion and worthy of a much longer article than this. @wiscot and I exchanged emails about Urs Freuler and the fantastic Atala kit which led to quick discussion o...
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