Categories: Anatomy of a Photo

Anatomy of a Photo: And He Parted The Waters

De Vlaeminck parts the waters in the Trouée d'Arenberg.

No double wraps of bar tape. No arm warmers or bandages for an injured left arm; just some wrappings borrowed from an Egyptian mummy he sent back to the underworld earlier in the morning. Nothing special for Roger on a typical race day in Hell. Just unmeasurably enormous helpings of Rule #5.

The most remarkable thing about this photo? He did that to the water before he rode through it.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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  • @frank
    Not too much pressure, by the way - depending on the tape you'll have a massively lumpy job of it. With Fizik, you want to pull pretty hard and get a very even wrap, while with Cinelli and it's imitators in the varying types of cork and pseudocork, you'll want a firm but not too tight pressure to make sure you avoid the big lump in the middle of each wrap. Be careful on that one, even the Pros will wrap too tight.

    @frank

    I use Spesh Bar Phat with the gel inserts, so the bumps are pretty much a given. I like them, gives the hands extra textural variety when moving around the cockpit.

    Each to their own.

    Fuckin nails photo by the way.

  • @Souleur

    here is the clips of video, hey frank, can you paste a pic or tell me how to, i am computer stupid
    it indeeed was the 1973 Paris Roubaix, and the video shows it all, it shows them taking out w/goods and evidently he just threw them to the side, i suppose he may have taken the stitches out too and just tossed them bastards out but the antifreeze in his veins would have leaked for sure
    http://youtu.be/ftZkzaarq4E

    Unbelievable. Fing glorious. When men were truly men.

  • Back in '92 when Cycle Sport magazine was launched, it came with a free video. That video was a highlights package of english-language cycling and included a 10 minute segment of "A Sunday in Hell". Later in the decade, as motivation, I used to watch that video the night before races.

    "De Vlaeminck pushes harder on the pedals"

  • @Blaireau

    @Souleur

    here is the clips of video, hey frank, can you paste a pic or tell me how to, i am computer stupid
    it indeeed was the 1973 Paris Roubaix, and the video shows it all, it shows them taking out w/goods and evidently he just threw them to the side, i suppose he may have taken the stitches out too and just tossed them bastards out but the antifreeze in his veins would have leaked for sure
    http://youtu.be/ftZkzaarq4E

    Unbelievable. Fing glorious. When men were truly men.

    That podium jersey Merckx is wearing is superb! You know it's wool too.

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