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Archive for the ‘Defining Moments’ Category

The Thin Boundary Between Casual and Deliberate

by frank / Oct 22 2012 / 135 posts

Cycling and crashing are the kinds of things that come together whenever you liberally combine Newtonian Physics, skill, and overconfidence. In other words, I’ve been falling off my bike for nearly as long as I’ve been climbing on it.One of the more memorable crashes of my youth involved the commute home from my high school and a lady...

La Ruota

by frank / Sep 24 2012 / 193 posts

Its hard to say precisely where the line lays, but I’m certain I’m well on the wrong side of it. I never notice lines as I pass over them but I can usually tell after I have because it feels suddenly liberating to leave reason, sensibility, and convention behind. I find them very restrictive – claustrophobic, almost. They force me...

Defining Moments: My First Kit

by frank / Aug 6 2012 / 131 posts

As children, none of us were given an allowance. Instead, we were taught from a young age that if we wanted to buy something, we had to earn the money in order to do so. To facilitate the model, and possibly to avoid child-labor law infringement, we were paid to do chores around the house in exchange for a cash payment directly proportional but not...

Velominati: Terrahist

by frank / Jul 27 2012 / 36 posts

PayPal has decided to classify Velominati as a “Terrorist Organization” because we accepted contributions last week from community members to support the fight against cancer - without being an accredited non-profit organization. So much for trying to do the “right thing”.While I’m sure they have their internal proce...

La Vie Velominatus: Optimism

by frank / Jul 23 2012 / 130 posts

If I were a pessimist, or a realist for that matter, I wonder if I might have started any of the various activities which have brought me the most pleasure and satisfaction. Though I have Cycling in my mind when I make that statement, this principle expands beyond the vast and il-defined borders of La Vie Velominatus: everything worth doing takes t...

La Bicyclette, Part II: Scars

by frank / Jul 4 2012 / 45 posts

We meticulously care for our bicycle, stopping only just short of pampering it. Through ages spend coveting, building, and riding it, we become attached to it and its beautiful finishing details – the luster of the frame’s finish, the angle and sweep of the bars, the gleaming white tape, the tires, the wheels – all perfectly curat...

Into The Tunnel

by frank / Jun 18 2012 / 96 posts

It requires a combination of factors to intersect. You need to have already spent loads of time on a bicycle. Enough so that you have an inherent sense of this odd thing with two wheels; you can make it go quickly or slowly, you can steer it around a corner with ease, you know how the introduction of a layer of moisture between the tires and the t...

Peter Van Petegem: A Lesson in Rule #9

by Gianni / Jun 15 2012 / 26 posts

Rule #9-Fair-weather riding is a luxury reserved for Sunday afternoons and wide boulevards. Those who ride in foul weather – be it cold, wet, or inordinately hot – are members of a special club of riders who, on the morning of a big ride, pull back the curtain to check the weather and, upon seeing rain falling from the skies, allow a wry smile...

Twistin Banged and Felled. And Got Back Up.

by frank / Jun 6 2012 / 122 posts

As a byproduct of brakes being strictly for ornamental purposes, cyclists are often forced to find alternative means of stopping their bikes. As a matter of both convenience and effectiveness, the tarmac and other objects of greater mass than the sum of cyclist and bicycle are often employed for this purpose. Collectively, we refer to this process...

La Vie Velominatus: Addiction

by frank / May 11 2012 / 115 posts

I feel it in my bones. I feel it in my breathing. I fixate on how much I feel it in my legs to the point where I find myself in a meeting, rubbing them to gauge how soft they’ve gotten. (Must learn to stop doing that in public as it can’t possibly improve my social standing. I’m tempted to cite the fact that I’m a Cyclist an...
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