A great Hero amongst us (Mike Hero to be specific) once bestowed the great honor of the Ludo Dierckxsens Longevity award to a well-known piece of experimental cinema created by another great Hero (his name is Ben Hero, since we have decided to be specific, and to be more specific the video was a little piece of Hero History called Pedal Down ). In Mike Hero’s honorary remarks he cited this fine work of art as having the ability to “race well into its 40’s and still carry a timeless sense of style, just like Ludo did.” To further clarify, he spoke of (and also invented) an award in honor of Ludo Dierckxsens, the former Belgian professional cyclist. Ludo was a late bloomer by most cycling standards, turning pro at 30 and becoming best known for tenacious breaks in Paris-Roubaix, a Tour de France stage win, and most importantly of all, his wicked Jedi style when it came to protecting his head (another Ludo Favorite from Mike). Being a bunch of late bloomers, old guys, and big dreamers we have little doubt that someone like Ludo wholly embodies all that is the Hero Ethos and deserves not one, but many Tenspeed Hero awards in his name.
Since Ben’s video we have seen only one nomination (my Hincapie wool socks to be specific), but I have been very carefully considering a new nomination for some time. Now we all have standbys or go tos for our gear. We know that Italian shoes last forever and Silca floor pumps can last a lifetime if we replace the seals, but these are big ticket items. What impresses me most is when something so seemingly worthless, utterly disposable and necessarily cheap manages to go the distance (political or academy award joke here). With this, what I would like to nominate for this year’s (or this month’s, or this day’s) Ludo award is my shitty freezer bag. Now I have no idea where I got this freezer bag, what brand it is, or of what space-age polymer it is made, but I do know that I have used this same freezer bag to hold my flat kit and loose change on close to every bicycle ride for as long as I can remember. It has seen untold miles and endured untellable tales from the streets of Chicago to the cobbles of Flanders. Now I’m not saying my freezer bag would give Ben’s Pedal Down video a run for its money, and as many of us know, “timeless style” is often a subjective affair. What I do know is that every morning I stuff that piece of shit in my back pocket it does a hell of a job holding a tube. I suspect it will continue to do so well into its 40’s.