International Cogal: Festum Prophetae

Artwork: @mcsqueak // Original photograph: Stephan Vanfleteren

It came to me in a moment of absolute clarity, the kind of clarity which only arrives to one in an oxygen-depleted state and at high speed – usually down a steep descent. It would be awfully nice to justify wearing my Molteni jersey, rather than having it hanging in my workshop all the time.

It had been suggested a few times already by the time the notion came to me last winter, that Velominati should organize an international Cogal on which all of us around the world would climb aboard our bicycles in honor of each other, and devote the day to riding. It is, after all, what we do; we ride our bikes. The rest is detail.

While the idea is simple enough, the selection of a date has proven positively futile. Summer on the Upper Half of the planet (you know the one – the one that matters) means VVinter for the Lower Half. When the Lower Half (you know the one, the one with all the convicts and Aztecs) is in summer, the important side is snowed in or sopping wet. You simply can’t choose a day that works for everyone.

The solution, of course, is simple: I unilaterally pick a date for the entire community and shove it down everyone’s throat by the virtue of being louder than almost anyone else (with the exception of the bloke sitting just behind me and to my left at the café; that is one loud-mouthed bastard, that.)

Being the type of person I am, with all the personality defects I have at my disposal, I was still perplexed by the selection of a date that holds significant meaning for all our community. January first, so we may ride off our hangovers. October 3rd, to celebrate Leiden’s liberty from the Spanish. Then the epiphany as I flew down Lighthouse Hill towards the shore of Puget Sound, where Pearl Jam and Sound Garden once rocked out in the weeds: the Velominati International Cogal will be held every year in honor of The Prophet’s birthday, June 17.

Every Velominatus is free to observe this day however they like. Take a holiday from work; declare an exemption due to your specific religious requirements. Ride on the day, in a way that helps you honor the way Eddy rode himself. Ride lots, was his sage training advice. I like to surprise my rivals, was his explanation attacking 70 or 80 or 90 or 100km from the finish. However you ride, on Festum Prophetae each year, we will honor The Prophet. We may also choose, as is customary with other holidays, to arrange within our immediate community to designate the nearest convenient day to observe the holiday. If taking the day to honor him is impractical on the 17th, designate a nearby day that works better for you.

Mark your calendars for June 17, Festum Prophetae*. Personally, I will climb aboard my steel Bike #2 fitted with tubular tires, don my wool Molteni Jersey and head out with only a bit of food in my jersey pocket and water in my bidon with the express intent to meet the Man with the Hammer. No mean feat, considering the Seattle Summer Cogal will have taken place only the day before. Two Cogals in one weekend: I can’t think of a better way to honor him.

Vive la Vie Velominatus.

*A special thanks to @ChrisO for helping determine the “correct” latin phrase.

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284 Replies to “International Cogal: Festum Prophetae”

  1. Could you imagine if he walked up, grabbed your face, and gave you a hard kiss — right before a race start?

  2. Organizing a double-lake-loop (225km) with an option for some to cut it in half. Clockwise and counter-clockwise. June 17, Festum Prophetae, Lake Murray, South Carolina.

  3. Dude, that was close. The Idaho State RR Championship is June 16. I can’t go to that since June 16 is also the “Wedding of the Century” when my pastor’s son marries a lovely young daughter of a church elder. The church has been scheming/wishing for this the last ten years since they were both just entering puberty and now it has come to fruition. Being the hardy Presbyterian that I am I will be well “liquid carbo loaded” for a ride the next day.

    @versio

    Could you imagine if he walked up, grabbed your face, and gave you a hard kiss “” right before a race start?

    How many of us would mind if the Prophet slipped a little tongue in there?

  4. truly brilliant concept

    Festum Prophetae, it is! Marked, check, loaded and ready to ride
    I believe i have a SS mtn bike race that day, so i will paste the hallowed V to the top tube, and ride in holy rememberance

  5. @Cyclops

    @Steampunk

    Nope. This is rubbish. Designed to bury your ode to Basso as quickly as possible after he lost more time today.

    Me thinks he’s right.

    Ditto. And as a salve for the Schleckchute!

  6. Cyclops…hmm, June 17, eh? I know someone else who is going off that market that day as well!

    I’m still (carefully) working on being allowed to ride to the wedding. As it stands, I’ve been allowed the rehearsal dinner.

  7. @Cyclops

    Dude, that was close. The Idaho State RR Championship is June 16. I can’t go to that since June 16 is also the “Wedding of the Century” when my pastor’s son marries a lovely young daughter of a church elder. The church has been scheming/wishing for this the last ten years since they were both just entering puberty and now it has come to fruition. Being the hardy Presbyterian that I am I will be well “liquid carbo loaded” for a ride the next day.

    @versio

    Could you imagine if he walked up, grabbed your face, and gave you a hard kiss “” right before a race start?

    How many of us would mind if The Prophet slipped a little tongue in there?

    Now you have cycling recourse on the 17. The kiss is a full on Ricky Bobby and Jean Girard!

  8. Brilliant Conceptus

    Festum Prophetae and an international ride in fellowship of the brotherhood!
    great!

    as a lone wolf here in the middle of nowhere, i can do

    that day, however, is a SS mtn bike race for me, so i will paste the V to the top tube and ride in Reverence and Rememberance of the holy one

  9. This year June 17th is fathers day in the UK. Now to be renamed cogfathers day.

    What this also means is that I’ll automatically qualify for a weekend pass out rather the usual Rule #11 negotiations.

  10. @Steampunk

    Nope. This is rubbish. Designed to bury your ode to Basso as quickly as possible after he lost more time today.

    Quite the oposite, actually. Despite having this article already done and scheduled for today, wanted to get my Basso out before today and tomorrows race so I was sure to be nice and wrong and you all have something to bicker about while I go ride my bike.

  11. Perfect concept! Love it! I will be one week post-Paris-Roubaix and just landing back in the States. Might have to shift the day to the right one day to actually have my bike, but I will duly honour it.

  12. @Cyclops
    The only church I know about is the one with roads, sky, and two wheels whirring through it. So unfortunately you’ve lost me completely.

  13. WOAH!!! So much going on ’round here today that I read just one reply on the sidebar before reading the words from Frank. Forgive me, Merckx.And Frank.

    HOLY CANNOLI! So June 17th, eh?
    #1 – I will now never forget Merckx’s birthday.
    #2 – I will now never forget my wedding anniversary.
    #3 – Now I’m completely justified in riding on my wedding day.
    #4 – A lot of my best mates will be in town on 6/17. Thus, I can’t sell that bike yet & have to get a few others for folks to ride.
    #5 – Father’s day ride for any Velominati with kids!

    This is wild. June 17th works for me!

  14. @frank
    Besides, your premis is flawed anyway; as you lovely lot have a way of proving over and over again, if I’m wrong enough about something, there is no amount of good writing and positive ideas that can be brought forth that will unclench your collective jaws from the bone.

    Which is beautiful, of course, and a fact I use to great effect. I think Switzerland also uses this same effect to synchronize their watches.

  15. I’ll have to shuffle the weekend company out of the house early and take advantage of being an empty nester on Father’s Day.

  16. Ah yes, the Father’s Day festivities will include a bit of hammering in tribute to The Prophet… the kids better hydrate the day before!

  17. Forgive the cross-post, but I’m thinking doing a short Cogal to celebrate this up Mount Hamilton. Any SF Bay Area Velominati interested in joining? If so, I’ll plan on it. But be warned – I will likely ride sweep. My climbing sucks. Even with a triple it still takes me about 2:30 to ride the entire 30k/1,300m climb up to the observatory from the golf course…

  18. @Xyverz

    Even with a triple…

    Let me revise that. That should have been, “Even with a triple. It still…”

    And yes, I know I’m a huge Rule #47 violator.

  19. I’ll celebrate by trying to to be a whiny bitch on the Seattle cogal when I start feeling crispy.

  20. @frank
    utter wank, 17 June is just getting worse, one of the boys has s football (soccer) tournament, mu daughter has some sort of running thing, it’s preceded by a two day extravaganza of food and booze in Madrid for a mates 40th followed a family reunion (other side of the family so I’ll have to be nice) and I’m penciled in to do an afternoon goalkeeping for a school charity thing.

    All of these thing would be cool by themselves or in twos but by the time I’m released from duties anything bike related will hurt. At best Festum Prophetae will be celebrated by back to back roller sessions.

    @frank love the idea though.

  21. @Nate

    @Xyverz
    Interested but I’ll need to see what sort of Fathers Day plans I’ve got.

    Ooo, good heads up, thanx. June 16 double-lake-loop is a better bet. Already committing to the single-lake-loop this weekend.

  22. This year the Trossachs Ton is on the 17th starting from Stirling – so any Velominati may enter, show the Sign of The V and ride together – who’s up for it? @Smoov @Strathlubnaig err…

    Proper hoppy beverage after at the Waverley in Callander? (if there’s no live music or jazz on obviously).

  23. @Nate

    @mcsqueak
    Excellent artwork, you should celebrate with a Foster’s.

    Thanks, but no – I appreciate my taste buds too much to assault them like that.

  24. @Nate

    @Xyverz
    Interested but I’ll need to see what sort of Fathers Day plans I’ve got.

    Cool, lemmee know. =) I’m riding it tomorrow, weather depending. Gonna do the East side down to the bridge and back up (hopefully twice) for an extra 580m of elevation gain. (1160m if I do it twice!)

  25. @mcsqueak
    Then may I propose a quality local brew? Enough of it up there in P-town to kill a saltwater crocodile or two!

  26. @Xyverz

    I’m riding it tomorrow, weather depending.

    Just checked the weather. Looks like it’ll be a Rule #9 ride tomorrow based on temps alone.

  27. @Nate

    Oh, you better believe that beer will be consumed this weekend. Holiday weekend + mountain cabin rental with friends = drinky-drinky.

  28. I’ll suggest to the boys in Malaysia that we go climb a very large mountain in stinking hot weather in his honor!

  29. Me and my training partner just spent two hours in the rain and hail and we both had huge grins on our faces. It was one of the funnest rides I’ve had in a long time.

  30. @mcsqueak

    @Nate

    Oh, you better believe that beer will be consumed this weekend. Holiday weekend + mountain cabin rental with friends = drinky-drinky.

    I thought Holiday weekend + mountain cabin rental with friends = Evil Dead

  31. @itburns

    @mcsqueak

    @Nate

    Oh, you better believe that beer will be consumed this weekend. Holiday weekend + mountain cabin rental with friends = drinky-drinky.

    I thought Holiday weekend + mountain cabin rental with friends = Evil Dead

    You sure that’s not Friday the 13th?

  32. @Cyclops

    Me and my training partner just spent two hours in the rain and hail and we both had huge grins on our faces. It was one of the funnest rides I’ve had in a long time.

    Any hail damage to your helmet shell?

  33. Despite the invite to Sydney Convict Cogal “All foreigners welcome. We’ll even accept Tasmanians.”
    I think Bass Strait will keep me isolated for my nearest Cogal, so Festum Prophetae provides a wonderful opportunity to commune with the pedalhood.
    That it comes well into a Tasmanian winter will multiply the V, though I’m happy we’ll be able to find a snow free route.

  34. @lokerola
    Welcome and excellent Choice. That’s the same one I’ve got hanging in the shop. Kinda feel like I need some wool shorts and suspenders to go with it.

  35. @mcsqueak

    @Nate

    Oh, you better believe that beer will be consumed this weekend. Holiday weekend + mountain cabin rental with friends = drinky-drinky.

    First growler of Fremont IPA is nearly sorted. This will be good.

  36. @markpa

    Despite the invite to Sydney Convict Cogal “All foreigners welcome. We’ll even accept Tasmanians.”
    I think Bass Strait will keep me isolated for my nearest Cogal, so Festum Prophetae provides a wonderful opportunity to commune with the pedalhood.
    That it comes well into a Tasmanian winter will multiply The V, though I’m happy we’ll be able to find a snow free route.

    That looks fakey. Nothing is that majestic and beautiful. Certainly not in Australia. And even if Aus, then definitely not something called Tasmania.

  37. @Adrian
    A+1

    @Cyclops

    Me and my training partner just spent two hours in the rain and hail and we both had huge grins on our faces. It was one of the funnest rides I’ve had in a long time.

    Attaboy.

  38. Bad ass Fred A. Birchmore circled the globe by bicycle in 1935 at age 25. The entire trip, through Europe, Asia and the United States, covered forty thousand miles. He pedaled about 25,000 miles. The rest was traveled by boat. He wore out seven sets of tires.

  39. So it is written. So let it be done! I too will observe this with the Double Cogal – following the Seattle Summer Cogal on 6/16, I will ride 6/17, and ride lots. I will not buy upgrades; I will ride up grades. Perhaps the Double Cogal will be the prior days route…backwards?

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