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Archive for the ‘The Hardmen’ Category

The Seduction of Symbols

by frank / Dec 7 2011 / 480 posts

There was a time when bicycles were lovingly handmade by artisans who themselves loved the sport more than those for whom they built the machines. Lugs were filed to become Luggs; chain and seat stays were beautifully chromed for durability despite the grams it added to the frame’s final weight; spokes were chosen for their purpose and lace...

Rule #5: Racing Hoogerland-Style

by frank / Dec 2 2011 / 46 posts

Johnny Hoogerland, on receiving the Tour de France Rule #5 Award:I normally don’t drink that much beer anymore but having my first off-season beer in this glass makes it taste great. I moved to my new home and will find it a great place because it honors my way of racing. Continue reading...

Belgian Affirmations: Andrei Tchmil

by frank / Nov 11 2011 / 129 posts

Andrei Tchmil got so tired of the palpable disappointment of not being Belgian that he decided to become one. Envision the world the way you want it to be, then make it so.People are cynical when I talk about Belgium. They think I’m only Belgian on paper. That is not true. Yes, I was a Russian, even a proud one…. Now I am proud to be Be...

Velominati Keepers Tour: Cobbled Classics 2012

by The Keepers / Nov 8 2011 / 149 posts

The Hardmen. They inspire us; we aspire to be one among them. They drive us to be better cyclists. They are the solitary voice among the thousands in our heads that tell us to keep pushing when all the others tell us to stop. Their long shadows look on in approval as we pull on our cold and wet weather gear and head out into the elements to ride.Ev...

Paul Sherwen

by frank / Aug 22 2011 / 113 posts

Paul Sherwen is generally seen as Phil Liggett’s counter-point, dutifully keeping the iconic duo’s race commentary on course, helping to convey to the English-speaking world the sport of Professional Cycling. Liggett, of course, has undeniably helped shape this great sport  for Anglophones across the globe, having been the English voic...

Guest Article: Stephen Roche; A Study in The V

by scaler911 / Aug 13 2011 / 57 posts

It is with an especially acute understanding of pushing oneself to ones limits, having just completed my second assault on Haleakala, with which I select this Guest Article, a first contribution from community member Scaler911. Especially acute in this case meaning that reading this account reminds me that I have no idea how to suffer on a climb...

Tour de France Rule #5 Award: Johnny Hoogerland

by frank / Jul 24 2011 / 149 posts

Not an absolute; the beauty of Rule #5 is the graduated scale upon which it is measured. Rule #5 means to push yourself beyond the signals your body sends to stop what you’re doing, usually with ever-increasing urgency. It means to disobey reason and to surpass physical boundaries previously considered impassable. This is why Rule #5 stand...

Who’s your Poppy?

by brett / Jul 23 2011 / 95 posts

You’d think that with such an historical event taking place in France overnight that the Australian newspapers would be a sea of yellow and ‘we are the champions’ headlines this morning. Yet what I saw staring back at me when I visited one of the most respected newspaper websites (ie not a Murdoch tome) was a dead, tattooed junki...

Lo Sceriffo

by Gianni / May 25 2011 / 72 posts

In May, Velominati wake up too early, brew espresso and open laptop computers to watch small streaming videos of the Giro d’Italia.  We notice how different the Giro is from the Tour de France. It’s more colorful, more vibrant, more full of life. If Hinault somehow represents the TdF, Moser would represent the Giro. Lo Sceriffo, The Sh...

The Experienced Mr. Hincapie

by frank / May 16 2011 / 89 posts

Experience is something that we can only develop over time. We take it to imply there is some associated wisdom, garnered principally through those experiences that contributed that wisdom through hardship of some kind. As a society, we also refer to this as “learning from our mistakes”; mistakes make a much more convincing guide t...
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