Cobbles, Bergs, Beer, and Legends. Putting the V Back in Vlaanderen.
It has been a busy couple of weeks in the Velominati Boardroom as we’ve been scrambling to finalize a few partnerships and get all the products for the Keepers Tour customers designed and produced. Suffice to say, fists and beers were slammed in tandem as we feverishly worked out the final designs.
Producing V-Pints, V-Shirts, and V-Musettes seems a simple enough task; and we also needed a flag and banner to fly at the roadside of the various races we are due to watch from the roadside, including de Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix. There was also a the small matter of getting our hands on musette bags, which aren’t commonly found on the market, as far as we could tell. Fair heart, never worry; Gianni and his VMH took matters into their own hands and made them up from scratch. If their other business ventures fail, musette-sewing may be a good fallback, they Look Fantastic.
The most significant effort due was for the Keepers Tour Cobbled Classics 2012 design; enter our graphic-design mastermind, KRX-10. We tossed a few emails across the net and settled quickly on the notion of using a variation of the Lion of Flanders. “Now we need a public-domain vector graphic. Race you to it”, was the last word from KRX10 on the matter before the design was finalized. Then it was on to deciding on a tag line, with the result being perhaps the best example of what happens when the Keepers argue long enough on such matters.
With that, we proudly present the official artwork for Keepers Tour: Cobbled Classics 2012:
The last two weeks I’ve felt like a kid waiting for Christmas as orders were placed and we entered into the torturous period of time while we waited to lay our hands on the final products and see the fruits of our labor. And I have to say, this round may have produced our finest products yet; the V-Lion and tagline turned out magnificently, as did all the other items. The flag and banner are actually breathtaking – waving in the wind. We hope you like it as much as we do.
A few items of note: Attendees of Keepers Tour will receive a musette packed with their V-Shirt and V-Pint along with a few lovies from our sponsors, and will also have the honor of commenting for the next year with the V-Lion badge. Also of note is the matter that these products are not available for sale and will never be; the only way to get Keepers Tour products is to attend a Keepers Tour, so bear that in mind next time around. Finally, if you’re looking for a real photo of the V-Pint, you’ll have to wait until we arrive in Belgium, as they were shipped ahead while I was away on business and as such they have not yet been seen by anyone, even me.
Please also get yourself acquainted with our Twitter and Tumblr sites if you’ve not done so already – we’ll be reserving the site for major updates, and will be posting minor updates in those to locations throughout our trip, with Twitter being used for small updates, and Tumblr for the ones that are too much for a tweet and too little for the V.
VLVV.
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@itburns
I think the jersey looks great and a great idea. I will be a voice of dissent (or is it ignorance of the significance- I apologize heartily either way!) on the referee stripes on lower half.
Looks like the characters from “The Usual Suspects”.
Gentlemen, looks like you’re having a fantastic time.
More photos, please.
At last! The cobbled classic first annual tour starts.
Frank, glad the ride made it and Gianni behave yourself laddie we want only good reports!
Have fun all and keep the images flowing.
Names(aliases) to go with faces would be nice.
We’re all gathering our things together in the way that everyone does when they don’t really know what they’re preparing for.
We all met up at the Gite last night and got bikes ready. Bretto was the only casualty of Airline Handling and lost a back wheel to damage. No worries, we got a spare lined up. Everyone else’s bike seems in good order and we’re all sitting around waiting for breakfast. Breakfast is an hour. This is Europe.
I love it. As many updates as we can manage will be on their way. Bars have been double-wrapped. Guns have been shaved. Now we wait.
Have a ball guys, look forward to reading all about it.
More enthralled about the Keepers tour than the race!
Awesome! Keep the updates coming!
@scaler911
I like Ted King. He does seem pretty cool. I’d like to know how he went from being a solid high school athlete (three sports, okay, pretty good talent base) to college intramural athlete…to a darn good PRO! Seems like a huge jump. But, I’m guessing he has a pretty good physio & motor, and I think playing other sports can really teach you the mental aspect of toughness and competing.
I guess every guy in the PRO peloton likely has a different story & a different route to his place in the pack.
Glad that most/all of you have arrived! Enjoy lads, really enjoy it!
Just showed the VMH the photos & here are her two comments:
1) “Hey, I’ve been to Bruges!”
2) “These guys look pretty cool.” I know, they’re Velominati. We are cool. “No, I mean their clothes and stuff. If you ever go to hang out with these guys we’re going to have to get you some cooler stuff.”
Alas, I’m pretty understated off the bike, saving the nice threads for my kit!
Have a boss Saturday & Sunday everyone!
Forgive me a Big Ring Moment, I think we derserve that after riding the last 21 secteurs (of 26) of Roubaix.
FUCK MY TITS THAT WAS BUMPY. I HAD NO IDEA HOW ROUGH THE PAVÉ IS. UNREAL. I LOST ORGANS I STARTED WITH, AND GAIN NEWS ONES I DIDN’T HAVE PREVIOUSLY.
Marko snapped his seatpost on his Number #1. That was a massive bummer and he had to finish the ride on a loaner. Two flats other than that, so not bad.
Bretto and I broke away and rode into Roubaix ‘a block. Beautiful.
@frank
great stuff. look forward to the full report.
Broken seat post on the Paris-Roubaix route…epic.
@frank
This post deserves some enduring place of honour on the site. Magnificent.
Great stuff! Who won the sprint?
so…. apparently I’m posting in the wrong thread… here are some shots from today… including a v cool shot from Marko’s headcam (of, errr, me). Great day in the saddle
VLVV
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@roadslave
Go into full screen and check the chain slap on that first shot of @Roadslave525.
Here’s a great shot of Frank paying due respect to the Troue Arenberg….. we did back it off afterwards, turn around, and hit it at speed (and it was fucken great)…. check out the definition on his calves.
with photo this time….
Photos do not do that ride justice. It was like riding on stairs.
Those cobbels just beat the crap out of you, tv coverage defenately doest do em justice , glad to have met all of you , now get that flag in front of a tv camera i want to see it on the live coverage
@roadslave
I can’t say how awesome this photo is. Merckxian proportions.
@eightzero
+1. Almost puts a tear in my eye.
Wicked! And your wheels held up, Frank! Good stuff.
@Frank, @G’rilla et al. Fucking super awesome!! +10nth Nipple Lube!!
On a side note, This, gents, is how we train in the PNW:
I’d rather be in Belgium.
Excellent, excellent stuff gents! Keep it coming so the rest of us can live the pave through you gratuitously!
@eightzero
Yes, that. Incredibly awesome.
@roadslave
It was all fun and games until Frank started using tongue.
Outstanding work, gentlemen. I’ll be on the lookout for the V-livery along the route tomorrow — where are you stationing yourselves?
@Oli
Mate, I think they’re truer now than they were when I started! They did brilliantly. When you have the right sensei, even an monkey can build a set of wheels that survive the trench.
Which, by the way, was the bumpiest road I’ve ever ridden.
@roadslave
Those are excellent photos. Worthy of Rouleur.
Great to see you’re all sorted, lads. Looking forward to seeing and hearing about the race. Would be so cool to be there. The cycling gods are punishing me for attending a school football team reunion instead of joining you on the tour – my first game of football for thirty years ended when I stood on the ball and sprained my ankle (the one I’d previously had reconstructed). Sigh. Shoulda gone to Flanders. The worst will be having to admit to Brett he was right.
Ouch! That’s no good @G’phant, hope you heal swiftly.
@frank
Awesomeness all round!
Just out of curiosity, what tire pressures did you (each) end up riding with? Would you change it from what you first thought? Cobbles look dryish, How’d they be in the wet?
Ah, broken seat pillar! That’s crazy.
Frank, great photo! Hope the VMH is okay with you kissin’ other gals!
Great photo though. I’d put that on my wall & stare at it every day.
The food is home cooked and delicious. More photos from Saturday and Sunday:
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And here are a few shots from a tough day outdoors following the 2012 RvV from the Oude Kwaremont. It must have been tough, because we drank a shit load of beer to stay hydrated…. followed up by more beer.
Chapeau Tommeke
@Roadslave @Grilla- thanks for sharing the pics! Please keep them coming for those of us not able to attend… we are living vicariously!
I hope the photos of Flecha and Van Summeren laying down the V make up for the other crap of my beer (I was drunk), my frites (this is Belgium… and I KNOW, there shouldn’t be tomato ketchup with them), a dog in a campervan, and Frank (looking heroic and staring at far off horizons waving his flag, wearing his t-shirt, on his website, gripping the barbed wire in a Hoogerland-esque homage/pastiche/whatever).
What can I say… carried away by the occasion
@roadslave
+1 Great pics- keep them coming!
I AM SOOOOO FREAKING JEALOUS!!!! Man, I need to start selling Factory Five Fabrication frames so I can go next year.
Good use of frank as the flagpole.
Yeah, great photos guys.
@roadslave
Keep it up!!!
OMM, I am seriously jealous! The photos make me weepy. I’m looking at doing a workaway in Liège for a month next year, just so I can be there.
I’m glad I found this site. Everyone I know calls me “bike dork” and they just don’t GET it.
@Sauterelle
If no-one has said it already, Welcome!
@snoov
Thank you, snoov. Everyone has been very welcoming! :-)
@RedRanger
Congrats on the win Red, love the pink lion
@seemunkee
Thanks but I may not get to keep it once the women’s race VSP is sorted.
@snoov
fixed your post.