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.
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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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View Comments
@Chris The only thing wrong with Aussie beachsk apart from sharks, bluebottles, octopuses, deadly scorpionfish, the odd taipan that wanders down for a quick taste of Pom, huge dumping waves, overweight European women wearing nil (as contrasted to Aussie Sheila's in yellow polka-dotted bikinis, is..... Well, nothing!
@Chris English BBQs usually feature butties, whatever they are or whatever diseased, footrot infested vermin they find in their damp climate. And the
@Mikael Liddy
Mikado, thank you for your reply. The camera icon is absent from my iPad, but might be in my PC. I'll try that tomorrow.
@DocBrian
Welcome Doc! I like you already.............(being of Irish decent myself).
@DocBrian
Horse. It would seem that most English BBQs of late have consisted largely of horse. Which is a good deal better than kangaroo, crocodile and camel.
Seriously who the fuck would eat Skippy? That would be a bit like the yanks eating Lassie, Silver or Trigger.
@Chris I ate horse, once, and inadvertently. $10 in a cafe in Tahiti. Labelled "boule de viande," but only late did I see the addendum "au Cheval." It was cheaper than McDonalds, and about as tasty, although the texture was a bit odd.
Would not, could not, do it again. Skippy.....I have also eaten. By choice to see what all,the hype about it is? Not nice. Gamely, stringy if overlooked. Venison is better. But then, Aussie shark is much better than bottom feeding flatfish that Poms use in their fish and chips.
Sorry about typos. Spell check is too quick to react and keyboard on I-Pad is junk.
@Chris Roo's not bad eating. Super lean, cooks quickly and is supposed to be high in iron. Marcus would have you believe that convicts and the morally inept would bother to eat it, (the rest of the Australian population in other words) but to be honest compared to the feedlot raised livestock that doesn't taste of anything that gets sold a lot round here, it's an interesting change.
@Chris
And I'm NOT FUCKING AUSTRALIAN (even though you may be talking about Marcus)
Photo taken at top of 3km 10% to 12% winding climb called "cardiac." Near a town called Robertson in Southern Highlands of NSW Australia. Ride was a very hilly 55km charity ride for a group called"Giant Steps," that supports a very good school for kids with autism.
Saint Cadel donated his time, gratis, and also gave a AUD17,000 BMC bike to the group to auction.
Some PANACHE, with a capital P
Cadel went up and down cardiac several times to accompany each of the groups and thus each of the 150 of us as we struggled up the hill. He tried to personally talk to as many of us, indivually, as possible.