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Archive for the ‘Folklore’ Category

Anatomy of a Photo: I Will Eat You Where You Stand.

by frank / Nov 23 2010 / 42 posts

If ever there was a photo that illustrated why anyone would be given the monicker, “The Canibal”, this is it.I devoted a full seventeen seconds to ‘finding out the history’ of this picture, and came up empty.  G’Phant sent this my way with a short but clear note, “This photo looks like it was taken at the momen...

In Memoriam: Gleaming Metal Bits

by frank / Nov 4 2010 / 41 posts

I posted this picture as a joke in yesterday’s Anatomy of a Photo piece, but I find myself going back to it over and over, captivated by the way the light gleams off the peloton as they race by. Gleaming metal bits – hubs, cranks, spokes, handlebars, stems, frames, toe clips, all reflecting light from a thousand discrete points as the...

Velominati Challenge: Name that Climb

by frank / Oct 25 2010 / 33 posts

As cyclists, our legs bristle with anticipation at the sight of a hairpin turn.  Stitch a series of them together in close succession, and we lose the ability to speak in complete sentences.  Show us a road that resembles a goat path, and we start to wonder aloud in fragmented sentences what it might be like to send a bunch of racers up it.  Com...

In Memoriam: The Cycling Cap

by frank / Sep 22 2010 / 88 posts

We gather here today to pay our respects to one of the icons of our great sport, the cycling cap.  The perfect union of form and function and an excellent example of why the former follows the latter, and why together they are beautiful.  The brim is just long enough to shield the eyes from the elements, but is short enough to allow the rider t...

Defining Moments: 1990 Luz Ardiden

by frank / Aug 30 2010 / 24 posts

There are several moments in my childhood when I realized the bike held a more meaningful place in my life than the other fancies and desires one experiences growing up; those instants that somehow stand out from the others in the endless stream of memories that hold greater significant than the rest.One such moment was when I realized that my firs...

Anatomy of a Photo: Hunchbacks of the 81 Tour

by brett / Aug 28 2010 / 18 posts

My friend and trainee Velominata Rachel has a keen cycling eye and an inquisitive mind. While perusing the book Tour de France/Tour de Force she happened upon this image of The Badger, Bernard Hinault, sprinting for a stage win in the 1981 Tour. We know this because the caption says so. And that is pretty much all it says; no other names, no photo...

Old School

by brett / Aug 14 2010 / 24 posts

We, as cyclists, as Velominati, may share a common passion, yet invariably have our roots planted in differing turf.  Some may be late bloomers, coming to flower in our adult years, when we decide that a sedentary lifestyle, an expanding waistline or the realisation cycling is indeed more than just a sport or an activity, but a more spiritual expe...

Doping: The Acceptability of a Method

by frank / Aug 12 2010 / 60 posts

Performance-enhancing methods. This is a term we hear so often in cycling; it refers to the practice of using products or processes that elevate your performance beyond what you could naturally do. It is a terribly complicated matter for the fans, and I can only speculate as to how complicated it is for the professionals who do or do not participat...

Tino

by brett / Apr 3 2010 / 4 posts

 Up until a week ago, I’d never heard the name Tino Tabak. Tonight, I’m brimming with anticipation about reading his life story. Continue reading...

Flahute: The Hardest of the Hardmen

by Marko / Mar 29 2010 / 27 posts

Few images inspire the Keepers more than those of hardmen grinding away large chainrings on roads of antiquity built as cattle paths in northern Europe. Throw in some grey skies, hordes of beer soaked Belgians lining the way, windmills in the background, and of course, Flandrian Mud, and the first word that comes to mind is most likely “hardm...
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