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.
Want to contribute a story to the Velominati? Tell us why.
*Levels are calculated based on the previous year’s activity.
View Comments
@frank logging in on Safari worked, thanks!! It must have been a sign from the gods when I went to switch Quintana for Cadelephant on the first rest day and I manually had to go in and do it....motherf*cker!!!
Hello,
Can you give me your view on white vs. black (or other colours) cycling shoes?
I understand that white is pro, but Eddy did ride with black...
Some will also claim that the better you are, the more spectacular the shoes can be (has to match)... is this correct?
Thanks in advance!
Best regards
Øystein
CCT
The link to register and/or login isn't showing up on mobile sites (Chrome on Android)
@commodumcyclingteam
It appears no one has got back to you on the issue so allow me to refer you to Rule #18, Rule #34, and Rule #69 in regards to footwear. And then, check the Articles and the Lexicon for guidance.
Stumbled onto THE RULES at the local Barnes & Noble. Not much of a selection, I alreaady owned most of the cycling books offered for sale. But, it looked interesting and was a great read. Much to my surprise I pretty much adhered to most of the rules already. (My only major indiscretion is the use of a saddle bag.) I especially like the N+1 rule. I now have 4 bikes and eyeing up no. 5 So I decided to check out the site. I am old (59) and tired but still like to ride as much as I did when I got my first bike at age 9. Like so many, I had been off the bike for a good while. I always had one around but was pretty sporadic in my riding. I rode a MS150 in 2004 after being goaded into it by a cousin. 4 years ago I decided to get a modern bike. Once introduced to the beauty of indexed shifting I kind of went crazy and have been riding at least 3000 K a year. The upside to this is I have lost a good bit of weight, made a lot of friends and am riding faster and farther than I ever did as a child. I am somewhat reclusive and a loner at heart. It has taken a while for me to get used to the idiosyncratic nature of road cylists. They tend to be strange birds. It seems like a place thatI fit in . So here I am.
@Bigjohnla
Welcome. It's not only youngsters around here!
Hi, the link http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/ appears to be broken! I can't view any content and need to share your rules with a friend new to cycling and unfamiliar with them!!
Please help! Thanks!
@Amy Works fine for me, try flushing your cache or not using MS explorer.
Frank, the spam is getting crazy. I don't know what but Something Must Be Done, please.
Some of them make more sense than the posts so it's really hard to scan the Latest column and choose one to read. (insert ironic emoticon please)
It's like someone coming in to our conversation and yelling over us. Why are they here anyway - I don't even understand. Mostly they don't seem to be selling stuff or creating links as click bait. Do they get paid by the comment perhaps?
At any rate there is clearly something about this site that attracts them or makes it easier for them to post. Speaking for myself I would accept some greater level of security/inconvenience if it meant limiting the spamage.
@ChrisO @Frank I presume they are just posting on a random name and email combination without registering so maybe just checking that people are registered to post? If they are registering automatically maybe insert a check to delay say a day before accepting a first post? Probably teaching you to suck eggs.