Cycling is a mighty sport with a rich and complex history. Every company, racer, piece of kit, and component has a legend, a story behind it; in many cases it also has a personal and nostalgic connection to our lives. While this particular sport is steeped in tradition, it is also fiercely modern, a fact that serves only to deepen its complexity.
All these factors combine to provide an unique atmosphere and breeds devoted and loyal disciples of our great sport. We are of a peculiar nature; we seek out the highest mountains and the roughest roads on which to worship at the altar of the Man with the Hammer. Our legs are what propel us; our minds are what drive us. We refer to our shaved legs in the third person – the legs – and speak of distance in kilometres and measure sizes in centimetres regardless of what country we are in. We adhere strictly to the Canon of Cycling’s Etiquette: The Rules.
A Velominatus is a disciple of the highest order. We spend our days poring over the very essence of what makes ours such a special sport and how that essence fits into Cycling’s colorful fabric. This is the Velominati’s raison d’être. This is where the Velominati can be ourselves. This is our agony – our badge of honor – our sin.
I have a unique way of looking at bicycles. A good bicycle and it’s components are beautiful things to me. I’m not just talking about appearance, but also how the frame and components show the dreams of those who made them.
– Gianni Bugno, Hardman and Italian cycling legend
Perhaps we are too wrapped up in the past, but the Velominati don’t believe that to be the case. After all, the greatest lessons can be learned from the past and those lessons can then be applied to the present and may then allow us to more fully experience the future.
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Velominati.com is less about the articles and more about the conversation. Those of you who read more and poster more, become an integral part of the discussion and help carry the momentum forward. There are several levels of Velominatus*:
Level 4 Velominatus: The casual observer and occasional poster.
Level 3 Velominatus: The regular reader and casual poster.
Level 2 Velominatus: The devoted reader and regular poster.
Level 1 Velominatus: The most committed of reader and poster.
Gray, Black, and Orange Order Velominatus: Once having passed Level 1, the inducted among the Order wear three color badges, based on their rank.
We strive to foster an open, fun, critical, and censure-free environment. Any criticism of our writing, spelling, grammar, or intelligence is welcome and nothing said will ever get you suspended from the site. That said, the code of conduct is governed by Rule #43 and the Piti Principle. Members consistently exhibiting behavior that falls outside these parameters will be warned to check themselves; should warnings go unheeded, we may elect to issue a suspension. The first offense will result in a one-week suspension, the second in a two week suspension, and the third in a three week suspension. A fourth offense will result in a lifetime ban.
Velominati reserves the right to edit posts with the express interest to preserve the spirit of the conversation and the community. Regarding posts that address a grammatical or typographical error, Velominati may elect to take their input, correct the error in the articles where appropriate, and editing posts that point them out. This editorial action is not to serve as a censure entity, but to preserve the spirit of the conversation. That said, we endeavor to only edit those posts that point out a minor issue and only in the event that we make the edit before the post has yielded further discussion. Furthermore, when possible, we will strive to acknowledge said poster for their correction.
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*Levels are calculated based on the previous year’s activity.
View Comments
@Chris
Just 'cause y'all want to go stickin' extra u's into everything where they ain't got no sense belongin'...
@all
What a lovely welcome. Damned already for the use of a smiley. On less erudite sites, if you don't resort to the use of emoticons, you get trashed for unintended, yet perceived malice. So, I didn't really intend to be obtuse, I only thought that I would preempt what would certainly filtered on this site.
It is I, a golfer (yes Canadian) who enters, with tail between legs, soon to be replaced by saddle, while on this site at least.
@all
You do know that cycling is the new golf. (I hope I can still find friends here)!
@mcsqueak
Or apostrophes. How do you convey sarcasm without a freakin sarcasm emoticon?! Hmmm, maybe I did.
@Bespoke
Golfist not golfer - do keep up now
@Nate
@Nate
Straylians laugh at most every country outside of Asia these days. Because you cunts are all broke.
@Marcus Yeah, but we've got better beaches...
@Bespoke
Ah, fuck me, that is the one 6 letter "g" starting and "er" ending word that we did not come up with. If I remeber correctly, LeMan himself was and is a big golfer.
As for the emoticon stuff, yeah, we do not use them and it leads to all sorts of hilarity and fights and deep malice and loathing and lifetime grudges around here, but, you know, what ever Frahnk wants, Frahnk gets (insert banned emoticon here)
@Buck Rogers
Frahnk finally received his orange handlebar tassels?
@Buck Rogers
It's also a word that would likely be banned on this site, if there were language filters so, thanks for providing a respectable context via. LeMan. In my original post, I tried to describe the commonalities of the two pursuits, at least common for me.
Orange tassels eh. Do you earn those en route to a grey order? Maybe worth the ensuing hilarity. And fights. And grudges.