happy birthday to velotel

[AngryScientist]

i'm sure you'll be out there smokin the peace pipe and riding those beautiful roads. cheer pal, hope to make it out to meet you one day!

http://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=105405&stc=1&d=1352275598

[rwsaunders]

Cheers to the man of the mountains! :banana:

[Black Dog]

Great guy who always helps out around here with a lot of good information and advice. I hope to ride (suffer) in your neck of the woods this summer when I am in the Alps.

Happy Birthday.

[oldpotatoe]

i'm sure you'll be out there smokin the peace pipe and riding those beautiful roads. cheer pal, hope to make it out to meet you one day!

http://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=105405&stc=1&d=1352275598

He's actually leaving that beautiful landscape to visit his son here in the republic. His 15 hour of so journey was expanded to almost 2 full days because of the really crappy weather here in Colorado.

Hopefully the weather will clear enough for him to ride some here. Gonna borrow our Moots Vamoots. I also have a couple of CRs, plumbed for EPS I'm gonna show him..even tho he is an Erikson fan.

[thwart]

Gonna borrow our Moots Vamoots. I also have a couple of CRs, plumbed for EPS I'm gonna show him.Now there's a birthday present for ya.

Hope you're having a great b-day!

[christian]

Happy Birthday Hank. Been a fan of your writing for 20 years, and very happy that you choose to share it with us here. Enjoy the vacation.

[bikerboy337]

Happy Birthday. Your posts constantly make me jealous and I often contemplate a move to someplace a little more fun after reading them. hope its a good one and you get some ride in CO this week.

[tiretrax]

He's actually leaving that beautiful landscape to visit his son here in the republic. His 15 hour of so journey was expanded to almost 2 full days because of the really crappy weather here in Colorado.

Hopefully the weather will clear enough for him to ride some here. Gonna borrow our Moots Vamoots. I also have a couple of CRs, plumbed for EPS I'm gonna show him..even tho he is an Erikson fan.

From one beautiful mountain town to another, and from an Erickson to a Moots. What a life!

Happy birthday and happy riding!

[firerescuefin]

Always enjoy the stories..and candor:). Sent OP a pm...would love to get out for a ride and a beer when you're in town.

[572cv]

and thanks for sharing your rides in la belle France with all of us. Your accounts and pictures take one away from the day to day for a few moments of mental freshening. Always appreciated! I'm already looking forward to another trip to France....

[soulspinner]

Happy birthday and thanks for sharing wonderful pics with us:hello:

[William]

Happy Birthday to the Mountain Man!!!

http://www.galleryhistoricalfigures.com/images/MountainMan_Rt.jpg


Thank you for sharing!!!:cool:





http://www.sherv.net/cm/emo/funny/2/dreadlocks.gif
William

[velotel]

Thanks much for all the generous comments. I must admit for me they were quite touching. And to see that one of you has been reading my stuff from way back in the magazine days amazes me. Truly thanks

And yea, I had a great day on the bike, a bike most generously loaned to me by Peter at Vecchio's. A fine bike, a Gunnar cross bike since the roads here are currently still suffering from winter's last visit. Also a cross bike because my son asked for it because his idea for the day was to make me suffer. Big time. He succeeded. Big time.

Never imagined that my traditional birthday ride would be through snow, on snow, on mud, in air that was seriously rude in the temperature department during the descents. Apparently something around 4000 vertical ft on lots and lots of fat double digit grades. Didn't see another cyclist the whole day. An amazing ride all in all. I think the hardest ride of the year in fact despite that the verticals and length weren't either the highest or the longest. In the hard, at times even desperate to be honest, department, hardest of the year. Even ended up in a bit of a whiteout near the high point! Crazy!

A wonderful treat to ride with my son and follow him over one of his favorite loops that included all of his favorite pastimes on a bike. As in long, hard climbs, snow covered road, slush covered roads, mush covered roads (frozen mud melting and getting all soft and sucky). A fine ride and time.

The bike Peter lent me was a Gunnar (might have misspelled that), a brand I didn't know. Steel frame, Campy triple, fat, knobby tires. Thank you Peter for that third ring!!!! In one respect the bike was quite frustrating because it was a bit too small for me and I really felt that in the climbs and could never apply full power. What was frustrating was that the bike felt really good. I mean I totally enjoyed the ride. Can't say why, just felt good. Despite it being a bit too small. Kept thinking that on a frame the correct size for me, the bike would have been awesome.

Anyway, just my feelings on a bike I didn't know. Also rather enjoyed the Campy triple. Not sure what the group was (is), lower down the scale. Worked very, very well. Except for the dumb one cog at a time shifting. Absolutely do not understand why anyone would want to build the shifter that can only handle one cog at a time. An impressively dumb decision by someone. For what it's worth, that was my experience with it. Otherwise have to say the triple was sweet. And totally saved my butt.

So, once again, thanks to all. Your kind words are much appreciated.

[tiretrax]

It sounds like you had a great ride. Where are the pictures?

Gunnar's are nice bikes; Peter can fill you in on their lineage. The Campy worked great because your bike was supplied by one of it's maestro's - down to his tattoos.

Each year I ride 100k on my birthday, then have lunch with my family. Since my birthday is 12/26, it's always cold and, sometimes, icy (I live in Dallas, so snow is ususally mixed with freezing rain). It's a great tradition I hope to keep up (and maybe transfer to the Alps).

[Matt-H]

A very Happy Birthday to you! Your posts are simply the best.

[maxn]

happy birthday man!

Ignoring the awesome rides we have done together and the cool roads he has shown me, I just have to add that velotel is a generally great guy. Even though we have only known eachother for a short time, it feels like he is an old friend already. I'm hoping we can do even more great rides this year now that the weather has finally changed.

Looks like he rode in the snow today though. Ye olde patate -- did he bring the bike bake encrusted with salt ? :)

[oldpotatoe]

Great to see him again, very nice gentleman.

Yesterday's ride with his kid..also a nice guy.

[MadRocketSci]

Always enjoy the stories..and candor:). Sent OP a pm...would love to get out for a ride and a beer when you're in town.

if velotel has the time/desire i'd be down for the beer part...i'm not nearly as nerdy in person :)

[tiretrax]

Thanks for the pictures. It's not a ride from Velotel or Maxn without them.

Looks like a great day. Nice sweaters, BTW.

[maxn]

velotel on Noyer

[mnoble485]

Happy Birthday Hank. Been a fan of your writing for 20 years, and very happy that you choose to share it with us here. Enjoy the vacation.

Can you share a link to some of his writings for those of us not in the know.

Thanks

Mike

PS. Happy birthday and hopes for more to come.

[velotel]

i'm sure you'll be out there smokin the peace pipe and riding those beautiful roads. cheer pal, hope to make it out to meet you one day!

http://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=105405&stc=1&d=1352275598
Where'd you come up with that pic? Col de l'Arpettaz in Savoie. Hard to see but in the background of that pic you can see a road contouring the hillsides. It's a dirt road, links over to Col des Aravis. I think I'll ride it this year. Drag Maxn along. Looks like it ought to be fine on a road bike. With lots of big views I think.

[AngryScientist]

Where'd you come up with that pic? Col de l'Arpettaz in Savoie. Hard to see but in the background of that pic you can see a road contouring the hillsides. It's a dirt road, links over to Col des Aravis. I think I'll ride it this year. Drag Maxn along. Looks like it ought to be fine on a road bike. With lots of big views I think.

Hank - i copied it from one of your earlier posts, it's definitely your picture!