Section head text.
We talked about style a few weeks ago, so here’s the next step in that discussion. Would you rather look good or be fast? Would you ride bowlegged and with a curved back if you could win? If the devil offered you a massive sprint in exchange for you having a giant Vino melon on which a helmet can find no purchase, would you take that deal? What if he said you could be a great climber, but you’d have a cute little pot belly? Would you be found dead riding Gulla’s steel Bianchi with triple rings?
If an alien landed in front of the Runcible Spoon tomorrow, you’d all look like a bunch of fucking Fabios to her/him/it.
if it’s intolerant not to accept others’ view on team clothing.
has been around the scene for some time now. he’s an elder. please show him some respect. it reflects very poorly on a community when it treats its elders discourteously.
doesn’t mean you have to agree with him. when he says “a lot more … a lot” about how much of a “lame poser” this guy is, and writes the “fundamental nature of club/team clothing is about being a part of a group” he’s simply wrong.
to jft, that seems to be the nature of team clothing, but its intolerant not to accept others’ views on the matter. and weak to think someone’s lame for having a little fun with it.
if you consider what this man does as an act of “posing,” however defined, you have to at least admit he’s going to 11 with it. he’s not wearing a team jersey. or full team kit. or full team kit and bike. this dude has multiple bike personalities he rolls with, down to a T. that’s borderline insane. how – as a cyclist, no less – can you not appreciate that perverse dedication to something 99.9% of the world finds irrelevant? i’m looking forward to seeing him out there.
so this guy wears what he wants, when he wants, confidently stands out from the crowd with his look and view and i’m sure doesn’t care if others think he’s a dumbass. he seems to be a moderately well-known character and a real iconoclast to boot. having fun and not hurting anyone. sound familiar, jt? do you really think he’s a “lot more” lame than most of us?
I like jft’s “biased-ass, idiotic opinions about everything.” They’re interesting.
There were some continuity to this silly web site so the same stupid discussions wouldn’t come up every other week.
at least I’m out there racing, or at least trying
at least I’m writing what I think with my own name it.
saying these two things
“in your knuckle-head world (w/o helmet, of course)” and “let people wear/ride whatever the hell they feel like wearing/riding”
dude, stop trying to justify your biased-ass, idiotic opinions about everything. what are you now, president of the english language academy? go ride your trek until you get pulled off from another criterium for being unable to keep up. until then, you may want to join fabio for some big gear riding and become one of ‘them’
always about racing (and friends)
at least for me
Also, I’m not a 3, though if I was I’d be a mediocre 3. Used to be a killer 3.
I always see that guy on the carbon Merxx.He has some nice campy carbn wheels(I love those things)Hes a nice guy and floats up stateline in his big ring so he’s strong.
I’ll take the Pot belly and the Bianchi! As for Posers comment, he is still fuming because he gets shelled everytime by the 6 year old kid with the fixi and banana seat! Not too mention he’s getting fisted a little to deep, and it’s affecting his brain. Poser = NERD alert!!!
You proved what an asshole you are with the “…fat people suck..” comment. No need to belabor the point. Nuns are off-limits.
are u kiddin’ me? mr ‘know it all’ jft: at a certain point in your knuckle-head world (w/o helmet, of course) you too are buying the right to ‘be’ of a group, not being able to BE a real pro cyclist and gaining entrance into the holy community of deno’s w.w. by *being* what? slow and on the old side of things? middle class trek-riding mediocre cat 3? let people wear/ride whatever the hell they feel like wearing/riding
zincwoman’s not a nun. love her perseverence, though. brava!
the rollerblading nun is a nun. full blue outfit with white trim and flowing habit. cute, too. wouldn’t mind letting her rap my knuckles.
glad you saw her, too. thought it was a hallucination/flashback.
white face lady is a nun?
The nun! Yes! So f-&*(^ funny. What do you bet that the nuns even make fun of each other when they look funny – likely in hushed tones of course, and puncuated with “bless her soul” at the end of each jab. Cyclists arent the only ones who rib each other…
Is Zmolik
I’m heading to my low category crit at GMSR and in Waitsfield, see Zmolik sitting at a cafe in his Empire suit. Wrapping up the morning loosening up ride before the pro-1-2 crit six or seven hours later.
Than after my race but still a few hours before his, spot him at a cafe in Burlington chilling yet again
Fabio has long gray curly hair that fans out from under his helmet as he rides, wears high-end clothing (Assos?), sports aero wheels, and rides fairly fast in a big gear on 9W, and can be seen at the Runcible. You can’t miss him.
two words: rollerblading nun
what’s up with that white faced lady anyway?
I haven’t seen the older orthodox guy who runs in what look like his HS gym shorts. Plus the black socks, only in NY
Well, saying we should all love each other because we all ride is like saying everyone on Capital Hill should spread the love – and their “club” is a lot smaller and tighter than ours!
Personally, I think ribbing my comrades on bikes is half the fun. Its done in a fun way though most of the time – not mean spirited. I see this Phillipe fellow as a local character to be celebrated right along with 300 lb rider guy from CP and white-faced lady and the assortment of oddballs that make riding in NYC so much fun. Nothing like having an over the top Frenchman-with-Euro-kit guy to keep an eye out for and chuckle about, right?
I’ve noticed that sometimes I look so good that my freinds are embarrased.
Maybe unless you’re a pro, none of you should be purchasing pro level bikes or “pretending” that that amateur level thing you do on the weekends is true racing.
Don’t be half-wits!! Live and let live.
two interviews I’d now like to see on the site:
JJ
Fabio
Can someone describe Fabio a bit more? I’m not sure who we’re talking about. And perhaps I’ll say hi if I spot him.
I know a guy in NYC who rides named Fabio Savoldelli who has a fair amount of $ (and is related to Paolo Savoldelli – close cousins I think).
But this guy isn’t a show off.
What is the last name of the Fabio being discussed here?
The fundamental nature of club/team clothing is about being a part of a group. For better or worse, that’s the point. That guy in the full getups is into buying a look, not being part of a group.
And moreover, I certainly don’t have a problem riding around in mix-n-match stuff w/o just the right look.
I sure hope I’m not the same sort (“one of us”) as that guy.
Give the guy a break. He’s a nice fella and loves cycling. He owns restaurants in the city and at one point even thought about sponsoring a CRCA team.
Nothing wrong with buying nice things if you can afford it.
I don’t ride 9w and I don’t go to the spoon, so I don’t know the guys you’re all hating on. But why hate them? They’re one of us. They’re on our team, in the larger sense. They are cyclists, they love the sport, the love bikes, they are guys who’ll ride for years and years and bring others closer to our sport, if only tangentially. What the f— is the matter with all of you that you have to hate on them? The most ludicrous comment is that if the guy doesn’t race he shouldn’t buy and ride race-quality gear. Are you kidding me? Who do you think keeps these companies in business? Not all of us with our bike shop discounts and employee-purchase sponsorships. These guys are riding bikes, that’s cool. They aren’t racing? So what? Some guy who isn’t that strong wants a nice bike? Cool! Good for him, let him have it. Should we only apportion nice instruments to the best musicians? Should BMW’s only be available to folks that are gonna drive them at their limits? That is ridiculous thinking. Some people just like nice things. If they can afford it, good for them. They should be able to enjoy it however they want without judgement or commentary from the bitches on this board. As for the guy who dresses like his favorite pro, I see a guy sometimes who dresses like Ludo Dierckxsens, full Lampre kit and bike and he even has the pink and blue stormtrooper helmet. I love that guy. This sport is a little bit about playing dress-up and I think we all have a bit of Walter Mitty in us. Live and let live.
Just pray that the folks on all the ass-expensive rides and in the expensive kit pay retail and buy it locally. Then relax and think that they subsidize racing a bit for the rest of us who depend on shop discounts to feed our habit.
a lot
er…how much more of a lame poser is he than any of us?
you gotta be yanking our chains. if not, not only would i not laugh at the dude, im dismounting and giving him a full round of applause next time i see him.
The French guy on 9W is named Phillipe Chateau, a name that punctuates his role as vain poser. Yes, he has the full euro kit, but it gets even better:
He goes out riding in-character. On Saturday, he’ll dress as Johan Museeuw in a Mapei world-champion kit with a Mapei Colnago and white shoes. Then on Sunday, he’ll have a full Castorama kit with the French national jersey and Catorama socks, obviously dressed as Luc Leblanc.
The next time you see him, don’t be afraid to point and laugh out loud. Be as American as possible to counter his French-ness.
Univest teams
http://www.spartacycling.com/univestgp/teams.html
so you can’t be a strong rider and ride a nice bike and not race?
interesting…
he may look like a tool, but its his money and he’s enjoying himself and not bothering anybody…
Vanity , Dedication?
Is anyone having FUN?
“Did he race seriously ever (any level, but trying hard consistently)? No? Then he’s lame.”
Whew. That makes me feel better since he’s passed me a couple of times on 9W.
Fabio keeps a good pace and seems like a good rider. Can’t say how he races
White shoes
White Saddle
White Bar tape
Re: Whose that guy..
I think – Paolo Netto. He’s the only guy I know with the new Eddy Mercx with that stupid hot bent top tube and he also owns a Pinarello if I’m not mistken
white shoes
black socks
results
Maybe he is a strong rider. But he’s kitted up like a racer. Does he race now? Did he race seriously ever (any level, but trying hard consistently)? No? Then he’s lame.
http://www.velocitynation.com/slideshow.aspx?slid=1711&pid=11
Given what happened with O’Donnell at Mengoni, I think it’s best to be super strong and look a little dorky.
Has anyone verified that Fabio isn’t a strong rider? I’ve seen him riding up 9W at a pretty good clip, always pushing a big gear, gray locks trailing behind just so, like a comet’s tail.
thats what she said
honest, i was just looking for skidmarked bibs!
I’m out.
I’m back in.
I’m out again.
Who knew coming out would be so hard?
All you cyclists look like fairies – with your tight shinny clothes gripping your taught slender muscles … Got to go to the airport
I’d never ride in a visibly dirty jersey, but wear skid-marked bibs all the time. Doodoo BROWN!!!
My point was, stop trying to make yourself look better at the expense of criticizing others…whether it’s that Fabio or this Fabio. Go do some work, so you can enjoy this sport as a hobby not a life work.
Any reminder of that stupid hick comedian and his tag-line makes me slightly ill. Especially when I think of how popular he is across the US. Makes me want to move to another country, or at least never leave NYC. Please spare me.
Not funny, fake Fabio. I think the point of this thread is to not take ourselves too seriously, in part by pointing out those of us who look particularly ridiculous. Get it?
…supposed to re-bore your tractor beam
…touching/cutting choreography
…git er dun
pro vid
I just started reading this..I thought Fabio was the other FABIO. Stop whining and comparing…ALL of you. Read the last page of the current Veloe news…We take this waaaaaay to seriously and put such self-importance to what we do…The rest of the world doesn’t care…we are just annoying bunch in the park, on the road and at home. So least we can do is have respect for all your fellow riders…
In the pro-1-2 with a cracked frame. That’s 12K dreamer as shit.
Little Mig Mark Siega cracked a seatstay in the pro-am at Killington and finished the stage on it.
Wannabe pro as shit he was.
Does Fabio even race??
get a grip and then tell Fabio to follow your lead. He is out there all year eating paninis at the spoon and showing off his gucci shit. Big deal if he rides in the winter. I ride all year long unless temps are below 30 as does 99% of the people on this site. The point is, he is all flash with no power. That is what this thread is about – he is the perfect example of what cycling has become for the weekend warrior.
whatever dude. The gym works fine in Feb for most of us. Dont be an Assos-hole.
I think all fashion concerning cycling should be compared to Cipollini first… his sense of style was so exessively roccoco and he had the sprint to match it!
whats the point of posting links to stupid TdF footage that we all saw? Is that interesting for some reason? No. Wasted 6 min of my time.
Say what you will about Fabio but, the guy seems to be out there no matter what– cold, ice, snow. Those days when most of you Nancy boys are in the gym. Could it be the Assos?
a few years ago Jermaine Burrowes had an S-works with a huge gash in the top tube and a lot of electrical tape. That is the aesthetic to aspire to. Of course, he can back it up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2EyqE-pDFE&mode=related&search=
I don’t know who that guy is but we refer to him as “Fabio” I have had conversations with my riding buddies that I fear that we will become him some day. Hopelessly out of touch with style like Michael Bolton (pre haircut)and just trying too hard. He is friendly though.
Back in the 70’s I was a little kid and had a dog (lab/irish setter mix) that hated the old VW Beetle cars. A guy up the street owned one and Arrow could hear the engine a long way off. He’d go after it like it was a rib-eye on wheels. One time he caught it, ramming the passenger door like he was a linebacker making a QB sack. The neighbor freaked out that he’d killed our dog but Arrow was just sitting there panting with a very satisfied look on his face. The guy never even complained about his door.
No one ever knew why Arrow felt so strongly about that particular type of car. It was only VW Beetles that he went after.
After cycling for a few years I now understand. I feel the exact same way whenever I see someone riding one of those Softride bikes. I don’t actually ram them but I want to. I really want to.
So in my book, virtually any sin is OK if you’re backing it up with mad strength. Nothing would be more annoying than doing a hard interval and getting smoked by a guy in a jersey detailing his internal organs.
But riding a Softride bike? Nothing can make up for that.
who always rides 9W to the Spoon – Long Gray Wavy hair, Merxx Carbon, Full Record and Dura Ace Tubulars or a Pinarello Dogma as a Back up. Always in full Assos and never riding always at the Spoon. That guy is Sweet! Also, Walter on the Gimbels Ride – has over a 100grand in bikes with a matching pro kit for each ride. He now rides a SLC Soloist, with full Zip components and Lightweights. Then as you think you have Sastre next to you on Gimbels he peels off for the old man Otto ride. Even sweeter!
Once, I got a big gash on my head where my tri bike fell on it.
I once tried to cut a right turn in a crit and got threatened for it. Looking back on it, I shoulda just ridden onto the sidewalk like they do in the Belgian Kermesses.
I have a Colnago C-50 with Record and Lightweights. I’m the one in a full Rabobank kit in front of the Runcible. My caoch said I’m getting really fast and I might be able to race as a Cat 5 next season, if I get a SRM power meter.
at the fopa, fopa fabana
I just ran into Dartagnan B
We are the only ones that appreciate the aesthetic. To the outside world we are are a bunch of pooftahs
unless you’re either french or a qu
…I’d like to know what it would feel like to be Gulla-strong. I’d wear a Yoo-Hoo jersey a visor helmet and some Postal shorts if I had to, but I’d love to have crush-them-all power just for one race.
to me is that something that I can never achieve. Those guys that are so skinny that you see their back bones move up and down when you sit behind them in a pace line. All they have is just the muscles they need to get them to the end of the race and it seems they were born riding bikes. You cannot buy this and it doesn’t come without sacrificing just about everything. When you don’t even notice the bike and the kit and all you can say at the end of the race was “that guy is so strong”, now that is cool.
I had a Moon Pie jersey from Toga, and I wore black Nike running tights with my asics running shoes in my first few weeks of riding. It was awesome. I thought I looked so pro.
I think now I’ve come a long way, and have a decent appearance, at least above average, nearly Euro Pro, and I’ve gone from a 5 to a 3 in a few months, so I’m no slouch in speed either.
O’Doyle Rules
underwear under shorts, of course!
its great when a hairy legged dude wins a major race…
and decent pedalling style
I’m not implying that Gulla didn’t. Just talking about his bike.
This is freakin lame. LAME.
Dammit, you crybabies, stop complaining. If you don’t like the topic, just slander someone anonymously like usual.
I’ll switch gears a bit. What’s the most embarassing biking-related fopa (sic) you committed as a newbie?
I rocked a Yoo-Hoo jersey. There, I said it. Rocked it pretty hard, too.
what the hell kind of thread is this?
this does it…I think the season is officially over.
Very Stupid
Ying: French guy I saw on 9W one day in FULL Euro pro kit – down to the socks and matching shoes. He cleans expensive bike with Q-tips, and never rides in rain. So pro looking he could have blended in with TdF peleton seamlessly, minus about 15 lbs. Not super fast, but still could ride ok. I laughed all the way home, but he did look great I gotta admit.
Yang = Gulla type. Looks like a Breaking Away screen shot. Total mess of a bike, scruffy as can be. But fast as shit. Way cooler to look slow but be fast. Very NYC. Very stealth. Very economical.