It's been a long tough winter already. Considering we are only technically six days into winter, this is a sobering thought.
Time for me to get back to my healthy ways. I've gained enough weight back for people to make comments and worse for me to feel lethargic, unhealthy and generally flabby. Time to bring sexyback.
I'm setting my cycling goals for 2008 and will begin my training in earnest in January:
1) complete 3,500 miles of riding (vs. 3,000 in 2007)
2) be a leader for the A-19 SIG (this is a 12 week training series for the NYCC I completed last year and will lead this year).
3) do an early summer tour of Nova Scotia, Canada.
4) do a late summer tour of the lakes region of Italy.
I'm hoping to get firSSt to join one of my bike tours. Further, a co-worker has expressed interest in the Canada tour. Regardless, I'm willing to do either or both alone.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Conspiracy to Commit Murder
Billion Bucks is alive and kicking. The song just won't die. I have some theories on it but will wait 'til later to hypothecate.
I have a new strategy for killing the song though. Bring in some co-conspirators. On two separate occassions, I've explained the indestructible song theory to two of my buddies and and then played the song for them. I figure, how the heck can someone like a song that is introduced to them as indestructible? It sets unachievable expectation levels.
What was the result you ask? Complete confusion. In both cases my buddies listened to the song with a someone indifferent expression but then commented "yeah, good song" at the end. No read. I want someone to tell me I am crazy for thinking this song is indestructible or even good in the first place. I thought I had an indestructible sitcom with Hogan's Heroes and then firSSt massacred it with the loudest silent reject in the history of mankind. This is what I'm after with a Billion Bucks. I need someone to tell me it sucks firSSt.
I have a new strategy for killing the song though. Bring in some co-conspirators. On two separate occassions, I've explained the indestructible song theory to two of my buddies and and then played the song for them. I figure, how the heck can someone like a song that is introduced to them as indestructible? It sets unachievable expectation levels.
What was the result you ask? Complete confusion. In both cases my buddies listened to the song with a someone indifferent expression but then commented "yeah, good song" at the end. No read. I want someone to tell me I am crazy for thinking this song is indestructible or even good in the first place. I thought I had an indestructible sitcom with Hogan's Heroes and then firSSt massacred it with the loudest silent reject in the history of mankind. This is what I'm after with a Billion Bucks. I need someone to tell me it sucks firSSt.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The Money Man
Well, you are looking at the new Treasurer of the New York Cycle Club. I think it sounds more important/impressive than it is considering noone else ran for the job/I was basically recruited for it.
I've been to one transitional board meeting and just had a meeting with the outgoing treasurer to review the responsibilities. While it seems like a good bit of work it definitely feels good to be giving something back to the cycling community. It will also give me a bird's eye view on the inner workings of likely one of the largest cycling clubs in the country. And if I'm (we're) lucky it'll even provide some blogworthy material given that I expect to be interacting with some serious characters.
One of the first things I've noticed is how "paper intensive" the processes are. Almost feels like I'm CFO of some factory in Altoona, PA in the 1970's....check stock, deposit slips, P.O. Boxes, signature stamps, etc...
I think I'm going to try and streamline/automate some things. Likely the thought of every new board member. Let's see if I'm willing to do some heavy lifting.
I've been to one transitional board meeting and just had a meeting with the outgoing treasurer to review the responsibilities. While it seems like a good bit of work it definitely feels good to be giving something back to the cycling community. It will also give me a bird's eye view on the inner workings of likely one of the largest cycling clubs in the country. And if I'm (we're) lucky it'll even provide some blogworthy material given that I expect to be interacting with some serious characters.
One of the first things I've noticed is how "paper intensive" the processes are. Almost feels like I'm CFO of some factory in Altoona, PA in the 1970's....check stock, deposit slips, P.O. Boxes, signature stamps, etc...
I think I'm going to try and streamline/automate some things. Likely the thought of every new board member. Let's see if I'm willing to do some heavy lifting.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Diamond in The Re-up
As promised on my last post, I’m experiencing everything firSSt again. The biggest draw for me so far is Eminem – I’m having a monster revival. What’s ironic is that firSSt has soured on Eminem recently so this revival is truly old school. I’d like to go on record as saying that The Eminem Show is one of the top 10 best albums of all time (though keep in mind I’ve probably given 100 albums top 10 status in my lifetime). I think even firSSt in his state of Eminen denial would agree on The Eminem Show. firSSt said it firSSt and best, Eminem is the Shakespeare of our generation.
My Eminem resurgence got me thinking about his career/album progression so I did some research (i.e., I looked it up on Wikipedia). I’ve included a summarized list below. I actually didn’t realize there was a difference between albums and “compilations”. This is important because earlier this year I e-mailed firSSt all excited about the fact that Eminem released a new album: Eminem Presents the Re-Up. He was indifferent. Perhaps if I had correctly identified it as a compilation his reaction may have been different. I must admit after listening to Eminem Presents the Re-Up, I was indifferent as well. The compilation wasn’t really an Eminem album -- it was more a “friends of Eminem” album with some Em sprinkled in here and there. I tried as hard as I could to force myself to listen, giving Eminem the benefit of the doubt, but just like cycling in Italy on day 13, it was like chewing nails. I put the compilation to the side for a while, but one day a song (Pistol Pistol) popped on my ipod during an iPod shuffle session and I actually enjoyed it. I started getting into the song, listening to it a lot – but I never listened to the other songs on the compilation. Soon, I started to branch out on the album and the music grabbed me – I started to see the genius of it too. Eminem got his start through a break from Dr. Dre, so this was his way of paying it forward. There are 23 songs on the album and I truly heart about 15 of them. It was a hard, long road to enjoying this album, but just like the 9 mile climbs into the Italian mountains, the rewards are that much sweeter.
I’m sure you are wondering how I came up with my post title. It refers to the last song on the album called “Billion Bucks”, sung by Stat Quo. The diamond reference has double meaning – not only is the song awesome – but I think it’s indestructible. Let me explain. You know how you love a song so much and never imagine you could ever not love it – you listen to it nonstop – and in the process, you kill it. Once you cross the line, you wonder if you’ll ever listen to it again. I think Billion Bucks is the first indestructible song I’ve run across. I’m trying to massacre it. I listen to it nonstop. It just keeps laughing at me. The lyrics are awesome. The beat is awesome. The layers are infinite. (FYI, I’ve listened to the song 12 times while I was writing this post.)
ALBUMS:
1) The Slim Shady LP, Released: February 23, 1999, Worldwide Sales: 9.3 million
2) The Marshall Mathers LP, Released: May 23, 2000, Worldwide Sales: 21 million
3) The Eminem Show, Released: May 28, 2002, Worldwide Sales: 20 million
4) Encore, Released: November 12, 2004, Worldwide Sales: 12 million
5) King Mathers, unconfirmed name of the fifth full-length studio album.
COMPILATIONS:
1) 8 Mile Soundtrack, Released: October 29, 2002
2) Curtain Call: The Hits, Released: December 6, 2005 (U.S.)
3) Eminem Presents the Re-Up, Released: December 5, 2006
MIXTAPES:
1) Shade 45: Sirius Bizness
2) The Freestyle Manual
3) Anger Management 3
4) Mick Boogie Presents the Pre-Up
5) Invasion Part 1
6) Conspiracy Theory: Invasion Part II
7) Invasion Part 3: Countdown to Armageddon
8) Shady 08:Shoot To Kill
UNDERGROUND:
1) Steppin' onto the Scene, Released: 1992
2) Fuckin’ Backstabber/Soul Intent, Released: 1995
3) Infinite, Released: 1996
4) The Slim Shady EP (demo), Released: 1997
5) The Underground EP, Released: 1997
My Eminem resurgence got me thinking about his career/album progression so I did some research (i.e., I looked it up on Wikipedia). I’ve included a summarized list below. I actually didn’t realize there was a difference between albums and “compilations”. This is important because earlier this year I e-mailed firSSt all excited about the fact that Eminem released a new album: Eminem Presents the Re-Up. He was indifferent. Perhaps if I had correctly identified it as a compilation his reaction may have been different. I must admit after listening to Eminem Presents the Re-Up, I was indifferent as well. The compilation wasn’t really an Eminem album -- it was more a “friends of Eminem” album with some Em sprinkled in here and there. I tried as hard as I could to force myself to listen, giving Eminem the benefit of the doubt, but just like cycling in Italy on day 13, it was like chewing nails. I put the compilation to the side for a while, but one day a song (Pistol Pistol) popped on my ipod during an iPod shuffle session and I actually enjoyed it. I started getting into the song, listening to it a lot – but I never listened to the other songs on the compilation. Soon, I started to branch out on the album and the music grabbed me – I started to see the genius of it too. Eminem got his start through a break from Dr. Dre, so this was his way of paying it forward. There are 23 songs on the album and I truly heart about 15 of them. It was a hard, long road to enjoying this album, but just like the 9 mile climbs into the Italian mountains, the rewards are that much sweeter.
I’m sure you are wondering how I came up with my post title. It refers to the last song on the album called “Billion Bucks”, sung by Stat Quo. The diamond reference has double meaning – not only is the song awesome – but I think it’s indestructible. Let me explain. You know how you love a song so much and never imagine you could ever not love it – you listen to it nonstop – and in the process, you kill it. Once you cross the line, you wonder if you’ll ever listen to it again. I think Billion Bucks is the first indestructible song I’ve run across. I’m trying to massacre it. I listen to it nonstop. It just keeps laughing at me. The lyrics are awesome. The beat is awesome. The layers are infinite. (FYI, I’ve listened to the song 12 times while I was writing this post.)
ALBUMS:
1) The Slim Shady LP, Released: February 23, 1999, Worldwide Sales: 9.3 million
2) The Marshall Mathers LP, Released: May 23, 2000, Worldwide Sales: 21 million
3) The Eminem Show, Released: May 28, 2002, Worldwide Sales: 20 million
4) Encore, Released: November 12, 2004, Worldwide Sales: 12 million
5) King Mathers, unconfirmed name of the fifth full-length studio album.
COMPILATIONS:
1) 8 Mile Soundtrack, Released: October 29, 2002
2) Curtain Call: The Hits, Released: December 6, 2005 (U.S.)
3) Eminem Presents the Re-Up, Released: December 5, 2006
MIXTAPES:
1) Shade 45: Sirius Bizness
2) The Freestyle Manual
3) Anger Management 3
4) Mick Boogie Presents the Pre-Up
5) Invasion Part 1
6) Conspiracy Theory: Invasion Part II
7) Invasion Part 3: Countdown to Armageddon
8) Shady 08:Shoot To Kill
UNDERGROUND:
1) Steppin' onto the Scene, Released: 1992
2) Fuckin’ Backstabber/Soul Intent, Released: 1995
3) Infinite, Released: 1996
4) The Slim Shady EP (demo), Released: 1997
5) The Underground EP, Released: 1997
Friday, November 9, 2007
My firSSt Reader
Now that the dust has settled on my Italy tour, we're separating the wheat from the chaff. I know I have at least one consistent blog reader, my good buddy firSSt. I must admit I'm having troubles deciding if my readership has troughed or peaked at one.
In tribute to my blog reader, I'm doing a firSSt revival tour. I'm going to experience everything firSSt again. Just in case someone other than firSSt is reading this, I'll give you a bit of background. firSSt is a native Idahoan who came to NYC to work on Wall St. -- after a few years he decided to move back to Idaho and he resides there now. He has his own blog and in fact was the inspiration for my blog (he actually named it as well). http://firsst.blogspot.com/
firSSt and I worked together and became good friends, spending a lot of time sharing ideas and entertainment content (e.g., recommending music and movies to each other). If there's one thing that defines a person's uniqueness it's their taste in entertainment content. No matter how much you overlap personality-wise or humor-wise with another human being, you will no doubt find something funny that they find completely unentertaining. I came up with the 25% doctrine to characterize the "hit rate" on content recommendations firSSt and I make to each other. In truth, the hit rate is higher than that, but it feels like 25% bc just like in poker, in life you remember your big losses/misses more than your big wins/hits.
So long story longer, I'm going to go back and watch/listen to some of the firSSt content that defined our time here in NYC together. I've compiled a list of hits and misses below (full disclosure: some of the content below was recommended after firSSt moved back to Idaho, as we've remained close friends and continue to share ideas).
HITS
1. Snatch
2. Pink Panther Movies
3. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
4. Rushmore
5. Tenacious D
6. Eminem
7. Jack Johnson
MISSES
1. Cool Hand Luke
2. Hogan's Heroes
3. Anything Jackie Chan
4. Pintailes Pizza
I'm sure firSSt will chime in with some more misses I've come up with.
In tribute to my blog reader, I'm doing a firSSt revival tour. I'm going to experience everything firSSt again. Just in case someone other than firSSt is reading this, I'll give you a bit of background. firSSt is a native Idahoan who came to NYC to work on Wall St. -- after a few years he decided to move back to Idaho and he resides there now. He has his own blog and in fact was the inspiration for my blog (he actually named it as well). http://firsst.blogspot.com/
firSSt and I worked together and became good friends, spending a lot of time sharing ideas and entertainment content (e.g., recommending music and movies to each other). If there's one thing that defines a person's uniqueness it's their taste in entertainment content. No matter how much you overlap personality-wise or humor-wise with another human being, you will no doubt find something funny that they find completely unentertaining. I came up with the 25% doctrine to characterize the "hit rate" on content recommendations firSSt and I make to each other. In truth, the hit rate is higher than that, but it feels like 25% bc just like in poker, in life you remember your big losses/misses more than your big wins/hits.
So long story longer, I'm going to go back and watch/listen to some of the firSSt content that defined our time here in NYC together. I've compiled a list of hits and misses below (full disclosure: some of the content below was recommended after firSSt moved back to Idaho, as we've remained close friends and continue to share ideas).
HITS
1. Snatch
2. Pink Panther Movies
3. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
4. Rushmore
5. Tenacious D
6. Eminem
7. Jack Johnson
MISSES
1. Cool Hand Luke
2. Hogan's Heroes
3. Anything Jackie Chan
4. Pintailes Pizza
I'm sure firSSt will chime in with some more misses I've come up with.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Offseason Balancing Act
Well it's been a month since the end of my Italy tour and cycling season. Truth be told, it's been a difficult transition into the offseason as I've regressed into some of my older habits of inactivity and bad eating. One thing I've learned about life is it is all about momentum -- there's a certain inertia that carries you in the direction you are pointed. The second thing I've learned about life is there are no excuses. We all have the power to change our direction and momentum -- it's just a matter of discipline and removing the crutch of the victim syndrome.
Cycling has an incredibly moderating effect on your demeanor and energy levels. The endorphine rushes you get from riding put you on emotional highs for hours and days. While I can't replicate those highs, I can to extent try to moderate my energy levels through other types of activity. For the next few months, I will be practicing yoga and playing squash for my physical outlets. I'll also mix in some stationary bike rides but won't get serious about training/using the bike trainer until January or February, with a goal of starting my 2008 season in March.
I'll be posting here sporadically but don't want to waste anyone's time with gibberish. Come to think of it, since noone likely reads my blog, the only time I am wasting in posting is probably my own.
Cycling has an incredibly moderating effect on your demeanor and energy levels. The endorphine rushes you get from riding put you on emotional highs for hours and days. While I can't replicate those highs, I can to extent try to moderate my energy levels through other types of activity. For the next few months, I will be practicing yoga and playing squash for my physical outlets. I'll also mix in some stationary bike rides but won't get serious about training/using the bike trainer until January or February, with a goal of starting my 2008 season in March.
I'll be posting here sporadically but don't want to waste anyone's time with gibberish. Come to think of it, since noone likely reads my blog, the only time I am wasting in posting is probably my own.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Post-Touring Depression
It might be time to call Brooke Shields and Tom Cruise for a debate on my post-touring depression (PTD). While I guess it should come as no surprise that re-entering reality brings you back to reality, there are definitely some unexpected consequences of the tour.
First off, riding locally just doesn't compare to the beauty of Italy. It's very similar to skiing in Vermont after you've experienced Colorado for the first time. Just doesn't cut it. Second, the timing of the tour was bad in some ways as it came near the end of the cycling season. For all intents and purposes, it has now ended my cycling season. I don't want to fight my instincts and have my love for the sport suffer as a result. I'm moving on to squash season. Click on the link to The Bully Backcourt if you are interested in reading up on my squash endeavors (just kidding).
While I've transitioned my focus to squash, I will still be doing random rides this fall -- essentially I'm done with the "mid-season" structured ride regimen. I think this is also a fallout from PTD as the trip was very structured -- in fact, I'm thinking for my next Italy tour I'm just going to fly into Milan and head up toward the lakes region with no predetermined schedule and just see where the riding takes me. I may try to get my buddy firsst on this tour as we can really do it in a light fashion and I can carry his gear for him since he only has a carbon bike at this stage.
Aside from a lot of enjoyment, my first tour also brought a lot of lessons/experience. While doing research for the tour, a consistent theme I've heard from experienced tourers is how they are always looking for ways to refine their load and carry less weight. I now understand where they are coming from. Here's a list of things I wrote down for next time:
1) Only bring two pairs of merino wool riding socks (I brought four to Italy).
2) Buy a kevlar spoke (which is foldable and takes up less room than regular spokes).
3) Extra tire should be foldable (my spare tire wasn't foldable and took up way too much room in my pannier).
4) Always travel the smaller/less congested roads.
5) Explore the large cities on bike (vs. foot) and then stay in hotels outside the city (this is cheaper and easier on the legs bc walking hurst after riding).
6) Only bring three spare tubes (two if touring with a partner) if you are in a developed country.
7) No need to bring extra riding shorts or jerseys -- these are not critical items/can be bought on tour if you get a rip or whatever.
-The Bully
First off, riding locally just doesn't compare to the beauty of Italy. It's very similar to skiing in Vermont after you've experienced Colorado for the first time. Just doesn't cut it. Second, the timing of the tour was bad in some ways as it came near the end of the cycling season. For all intents and purposes, it has now ended my cycling season. I don't want to fight my instincts and have my love for the sport suffer as a result. I'm moving on to squash season. Click on the link to The Bully Backcourt if you are interested in reading up on my squash endeavors (just kidding).
While I've transitioned my focus to squash, I will still be doing random rides this fall -- essentially I'm done with the "mid-season" structured ride regimen. I think this is also a fallout from PTD as the trip was very structured -- in fact, I'm thinking for my next Italy tour I'm just going to fly into Milan and head up toward the lakes region with no predetermined schedule and just see where the riding takes me. I may try to get my buddy firsst on this tour as we can really do it in a light fashion and I can carry his gear for him since he only has a carbon bike at this stage.
Aside from a lot of enjoyment, my first tour also brought a lot of lessons/experience. While doing research for the tour, a consistent theme I've heard from experienced tourers is how they are always looking for ways to refine their load and carry less weight. I now understand where they are coming from. Here's a list of things I wrote down for next time:
1) Only bring two pairs of merino wool riding socks (I brought four to Italy).
2) Buy a kevlar spoke (which is foldable and takes up less room than regular spokes).
3) Extra tire should be foldable (my spare tire wasn't foldable and took up way too much room in my pannier).
4) Always travel the smaller/less congested roads.
5) Explore the large cities on bike (vs. foot) and then stay in hotels outside the city (this is cheaper and easier on the legs bc walking hurst after riding).
6) Only bring three spare tubes (two if touring with a partner) if you are in a developed country.
7) No need to bring extra riding shorts or jerseys -- these are not critical items/can be bought on tour if you get a rip or whatever.
-The Bully
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Day 14: A Cheesy Ending
Date: 9/21/07
From: Bergamo
To: Milan
Miles: 30.0
Miles Completed: 668.6 (21,100 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Pizza at Linate Airport
Dinner: Ristorante Stendhal Antica
Accommodations: Crowne Plaza
We wrapped up the tour today with a nice easy 30 mile jaunt and no riding complications. Dr. Ed has been keen to stop in Gorgonzola since day 1 of the tour and this was our chance to go through the town.
We charted our course and were scheduled to arrive around 10am and I asked Dr. Ed if he wanted to hang out there for a bit until lunch so we could get something to eat. “I don’t like Gorgonzola cheese”, he shrugged. I found this kind of amusing. I just assumed we were stopping there because he loved Gorgonzola cheese. But his rationale was more along the lines of why you would want to stop in Intercourse, PA (e.g. the name is interesting). This is the first time I’ve heard anyone equate sex to cheese.
Gorgonzola is a neat little town with a bustling town center. We stopped for a coffee and met two German gentleman who were retired and living in Milan. They are intrigued by our tour but more so the mini rearview mirrors that are attached to our glasses (actually, pretty much every person in Italy was intrigued by this). One of their sons works in New York and we chat about the city. They love New York City and say it’s the greatest city in the world. I find it ironic I’m there to escape NYC and we end up talking about it for an hour. However, this really is a fitting transition since I am heading home soon.
Dr. Ed and I agree that we should ride directly to the airport, pack our bikes in the boxes and leave them there overnight so we don’t have to deal with the hassle in the morning (our flight leaves at 11:30am). Packing the bikes goes extremely smooth. I’m amazed at how much easier it was to do the second time around – most of it is just confidence. We grab some pizza at the airport and take a shuttle to our hotel. The Crowne Plaza is exactly like hotels in the U.S. and is another fitting transition. We head down to the center of Milan and explore the city a bit. I saw a McDonalds and my mouth began watering for a cheeseburger. I obliged my mouth. We had dinner at a nice local restaurant in an area of the city that was similar to Soho. It had a very trendy feeling to it and was very busy because it was fashion week in Milan.
We’re back in our hotel now and it’s time for bed. This will be my last “on tour” entry since our flight out is tomorrow.
I’ll be doing an entry with some post-tour thoughts in a few days.
Thanks for tuning in.
Ciao.
-The Bully
From: Bergamo
To: Milan
Miles: 30.0
Miles Completed: 668.6 (21,100 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Pizza at Linate Airport
Dinner: Ristorante Stendhal Antica
Accommodations: Crowne Plaza
We wrapped up the tour today with a nice easy 30 mile jaunt and no riding complications. Dr. Ed has been keen to stop in Gorgonzola since day 1 of the tour and this was our chance to go through the town.
We charted our course and were scheduled to arrive around 10am and I asked Dr. Ed if he wanted to hang out there for a bit until lunch so we could get something to eat. “I don’t like Gorgonzola cheese”, he shrugged. I found this kind of amusing. I just assumed we were stopping there because he loved Gorgonzola cheese. But his rationale was more along the lines of why you would want to stop in Intercourse, PA (e.g. the name is interesting). This is the first time I’ve heard anyone equate sex to cheese.Gorgonzola is a neat little town with a bustling town center. We stopped for a coffee and met two German gentleman who were retired and living in Milan. They are intrigued by our tour but more so the mini rearview mirrors that are attached to our glasses (actually, pretty much every person in Italy was intrigued by this). One of their sons works in New York and we chat about the city. They love New York City and say it’s the greatest city in the world. I find it ironic I’m there to escape NYC and we end up talking about it for an hour. However, this really is a fitting transition since I am heading home soon.
Dr. Ed and I agree that we should ride directly to the airport, pack our bikes in the boxes and leave them there overnight so we don’t have to deal with the hassle in the morning (our flight leaves at 11:30am). Packing the bikes goes extremely smooth. I’m amazed at how much easier it was to do the second time around – most of it is just confidence. We grab some pizza at the airport and take a shuttle to our hotel. The Crowne Plaza is exactly like hotels in the U.S. and is another fitting transition. We head down to the center of Milan and explore the city a bit. I saw a McDonalds and my mouth began watering for a cheeseburger. I obliged my mouth. We had dinner at a nice local restaurant in an area of the city that was similar to Soho. It had a very trendy feeling to it and was very busy because it was fashion week in Milan.
We’re back in our hotel now and it’s time for bed. This will be my last “on tour” entry since our flight out is tomorrow.
I’ll be doing an entry with some post-tour thoughts in a few days.
Thanks for tuning in.
Ciao.
-The Bully
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Day 13: Autostrada ≠Bicyclette
Date: 9/20/07
From: Desenzano del Garda
To: Bergamo
Miles: 55.2 (1,200 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 638.6 (21,100 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Locanda Ristorante Italia in Polazzolo Sull’oglio
Dinner: Capri da Nasti
Accommodations: Hotel Arli
Today’s ride started awfully. Riding the bike was like chewing nails. Encouraged by a serious case of ride rage, I think I yelled “this is like CHEWING NAILS, Ed” somewhere around 100 times in the first 10 miles. The climb out of Desenzano made me feel like I had bags of fluid in my thighs. I’m on autopilot at this point, which probably explains how we ended up on the Autostrada. I can’t even tell you where, how or why it happened but suddenly we are cruising through a huge tunnel with tons of exhaust in our faces. Somehow it still doesn’t hit us we are on the Autostrada. Ten miles later I am hammering the pedals and doing 30 mph in an anxious fury because the road is getting busier and the ante is being upped. Suddenly, the once cordial Italians are honking and yelling at us. Finally, it dawns on us. We are on the superhighway. We pull off at a roadside gas station where the attendant gives us great directions to Bergamo using smaller and more scenic roads.
We stopped in Polazzolo Sull’oglio for a very nice lunch at Locanda Ristorante Italia for €13 price fix.
The town is very quaint (especially during siesta when we arrived!). There are some beautiful views along a small river that runs through the town (pic right). As we are approaching Bergamo, we somehow get caught on the Autostrada again! This time a huge truck protected us, blocking off traffic behind us like a guardian angel, until we found a place to pull off. Too bad he didn’t have a bumper sticker with “How’s my driving?” and a number to call so I could give him some props.
My legs actually started to loosen at the end of the ride and I’m feeling better physically. However, I am coming down with a big head cold. Dr. Ed thinks it could be from all the exhaust on the Autostrada. Whatever it is, it’s taking the life out of me. We have a mellow dinner at a local pizza place that has literally hundreds of toppings choices. It’s a great place and definitely worth another visit if I ever go back to Bergamo. We have GROM gelato to end the night – it’s a high-end place that apparently just opened a location in the Upper West Side of NYC. Need to check it out at home.
From: Desenzano del Garda
To: Bergamo
Miles: 55.2 (1,200 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 638.6 (21,100 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Locanda Ristorante Italia in Polazzolo Sull’oglio
Dinner: Capri da Nasti
Accommodations: Hotel Arli
Today’s ride started awfully. Riding the bike was like chewing nails. Encouraged by a serious case of ride rage, I think I yelled “this is like CHEWING NAILS, Ed” somewhere around 100 times in the first 10 miles. The climb out of Desenzano made me feel like I had bags of fluid in my thighs. I’m on autopilot at this point, which probably explains how we ended up on the Autostrada. I can’t even tell you where, how or why it happened but suddenly we are cruising through a huge tunnel with tons of exhaust in our faces. Somehow it still doesn’t hit us we are on the Autostrada. Ten miles later I am hammering the pedals and doing 30 mph in an anxious fury because the road is getting busier and the ante is being upped. Suddenly, the once cordial Italians are honking and yelling at us. Finally, it dawns on us. We are on the superhighway. We pull off at a roadside gas station where the attendant gives us great directions to Bergamo using smaller and more scenic roads.
We stopped in Polazzolo Sull’oglio for a very nice lunch at Locanda Ristorante Italia for €13 price fix.
The town is very quaint (especially during siesta when we arrived!). There are some beautiful views along a small river that runs through the town (pic right). As we are approaching Bergamo, we somehow get caught on the Autostrada again! This time a huge truck protected us, blocking off traffic behind us like a guardian angel, until we found a place to pull off. Too bad he didn’t have a bumper sticker with “How’s my driving?” and a number to call so I could give him some props.My legs actually started to loosen at the end of the ride and I’m feeling better physically. However, I am coming down with a big head cold. Dr. Ed thinks it could be from all the exhaust on the Autostrada. Whatever it is, it’s taking the life out of me. We have a mellow dinner at a local pizza place that has literally hundreds of toppings choices. It’s a great place and definitely worth another visit if I ever go back to Bergamo. We have GROM gelato to end the night – it’s a high-end place that apparently just opened a location in the Upper West Side of NYC. Need to check it out at home.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Day 12: The Wall
Date: 9/19/07
From: Parma
To: Desenzano del Garda (via Conneto and Castiglionne)
Miles: 52.6 (500 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 583.7 (19,900 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Pizzeria in Castiglionne
Dinner: Ristorante in Hotel Estee
Accommodations: Hotel Tripoli
Today, I hit the wall physically. Every inch of the ride was a struggle. My body was rejecting the bicycle. Ed said there was a headwind – it felt more like a wall. Those of us who cycle know how much your emotions can ebb and flow during a ride – it’s like a mental roller coaster. For better or worse, I decide to listen to Pink Floyd’s classic album The Wall for sympathetic theme music.
My mood and cycling mojo are perfectly in tune with the mostly depressing but sometimes uplifting Pink Floyd music. I feel like I lived nine emotional lives this ride – as if I was suffering from bipolar biking disorder. Each time the winds kick up I feel Another Brick in The Wall. At times I feel Comfortably Numb while others I just want to Stop. I’ve now gone from thinking this trip was The Happiest Days of Our Lives to wanting to say Goodbye Cruel World of bike touring. I get some sudden bursts of energy during The Trial (TEAR DOWN THE WALL!!!) only to regress to wanting sympathy from my Mother. Eerily, clouds start forming overhead during Goodbye Blue Sky and the road feels endless like we are cycling into Empty Spaces. Don’t Leave Me Now, I keep thinking as the wind is howling so badly I’m trailing Dr. Ed by miles and now lose sight of him wondering Is There Anybody Out There? At last I realize The Show Must Go On and begin to pedal my way Outside The Wall and into Desenzano del Garda around 3pm.
The music stops and so does my emotional roller coaster – the ride and accompanying Pink Floyd music almost feel like a dream. Desenzano is an incredibly tranquil town on the shore of Lake Garda, which is framed by huge mountains in the background. Lake Garda is one of several big lakes, including the more famous Lake Como, in northern Italy.
I’m definitely going to dedicate a bicycle tour to the lakes region in the near future. Our accommodations at Hotel Tripoli are great – we have a lakeside room with great views. After scouring the town for a massage, I stumble upon Figurella, a woman’s beauty center. The women here are fascinated with our touring story and they say the love American men. They give me a discounted rate of €30 for an hour long massage. I feel great afterward.
We ate dinner at a restaurant in the Hotel Estee, which is right on the lake. The views were incredible and the food was great as well.
As we head back to our room I realize this is the first day I am looking forward to heading home. I’m a little anxious. As I put my head down to rest I wonder how my body is going to feel tomorrow riding.
From: Parma
To: Desenzano del Garda (via Conneto and Castiglionne)
Miles: 52.6 (500 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 583.7 (19,900 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Pizzeria in Castiglionne
Dinner: Ristorante in Hotel Estee
Accommodations: Hotel Tripoli
Today, I hit the wall physically. Every inch of the ride was a struggle. My body was rejecting the bicycle. Ed said there was a headwind – it felt more like a wall. Those of us who cycle know how much your emotions can ebb and flow during a ride – it’s like a mental roller coaster. For better or worse, I decide to listen to Pink Floyd’s classic album The Wall for sympathetic theme music.
My mood and cycling mojo are perfectly in tune with the mostly depressing but sometimes uplifting Pink Floyd music. I feel like I lived nine emotional lives this ride – as if I was suffering from bipolar biking disorder. Each time the winds kick up I feel Another Brick in The Wall. At times I feel Comfortably Numb while others I just want to Stop. I’ve now gone from thinking this trip was The Happiest Days of Our Lives to wanting to say Goodbye Cruel World of bike touring. I get some sudden bursts of energy during The Trial (TEAR DOWN THE WALL!!!) only to regress to wanting sympathy from my Mother. Eerily, clouds start forming overhead during Goodbye Blue Sky and the road feels endless like we are cycling into Empty Spaces. Don’t Leave Me Now, I keep thinking as the wind is howling so badly I’m trailing Dr. Ed by miles and now lose sight of him wondering Is There Anybody Out There? At last I realize The Show Must Go On and begin to pedal my way Outside The Wall and into Desenzano del Garda around 3pm.
The music stops and so does my emotional roller coaster – the ride and accompanying Pink Floyd music almost feel like a dream. Desenzano is an incredibly tranquil town on the shore of Lake Garda, which is framed by huge mountains in the background. Lake Garda is one of several big lakes, including the more famous Lake Como, in northern Italy.
I’m definitely going to dedicate a bicycle tour to the lakes region in the near future. Our accommodations at Hotel Tripoli are great – we have a lakeside room with great views. After scouring the town for a massage, I stumble upon Figurella, a woman’s beauty center. The women here are fascinated with our touring story and they say the love American men. They give me a discounted rate of €30 for an hour long massage. I feel great afterward.
We ate dinner at a restaurant in the Hotel Estee, which is right on the lake. The views were incredible and the food was great as well.
As we head back to our room I realize this is the first day I am looking forward to heading home. I’m a little anxious. As I put my head down to rest I wonder how my body is going to feel tomorrow riding.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Day 11: Passing Wind
Date: 9/18/07
From: La Spezia
To: Parma (via Pontremoli and Passo della Cisa)
Miles: 76.0 (5,000 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 531.1 (19,400 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Ristorante 1km short of Passo della Cisa
Dinner: Hotel Restaurant
Accommodations: Palace Maria Luigia
This was our most difficult day of riding although I feel okay afterward. We basically spent 35 miles in the mountains. Our first climb was roughly 805 meters over 16-17 kilometers from Pontremoli to Passo della Cisa. This equates to roughly 10 miles of climbing at an average 5% grade. We then descended 200 meters over 4 or 5 miles and re-climb the 200 meters over the next 4 miles – and then we repeated this again. Those damn chevrons bit us again! They were there on the map after the mountain pass but I didn’t want to believe it/I was in denial. I paid the mental price for sure. We finally began to descend at the 50 mile mark and had a 9 mile descent that was awesome.
The wind up at the pass was incredibly strong – I almost got blown over a few times and I find it funny how this is the least safe I’ve felt on the trip so far considering all the busy roads we’ve traveled. The feeling I got in the mountains was similar to when I ride over the George Washington Bridge back home sometimes. If the wind is strong enough, your mind begins to believe it can lift you off the ground and throw you over the rail, forcing you to crouch down on your bike. Obviously this would be impossible but your mind actually begins to believe it – most likely because of the instability of the bike.
Lunch at the top of the pass was pretty good. Most people in the restaurant looked at us like we were aliens. I can’t imagine they see many bike tourists stopping in there. Most people I spoke with about our trip chose to take the train on this leg of the trip to avoid all the climbing. I find the pain quite rewarding.
One thing I found poignant on this ride was watching the Autostrada (superhighway) pass through a tunnel that cut through the mountain we were climbing. Cars were accomplishing in seconds what took us hours. Some people would consider this absurd but this is what I love about touring by bike. You see things other people don’t and you appreciate the things you see more because of the effort you put into getting there. This is deceleration at its finest.
We arrived at our hotel around 6pm and Dr. Ed is dragging a bit. This is the first time he’s really been low on energy (vs. me who was likely low on energy 50% of the days so far!). We have nice 4 star accommodations and decide to eat in the hotel restaurant given our long day of riding. The food is very good and the service is outstanding. I hop on the internet for an hour in the hotel lobby and I feel myself slowly integrating back to my normal habits as the trip is winding down.
**PLEASE VOTE IN THE POLL ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PAGE FOR YOUR FAVORITE TOURING DAY SO FAR**
From: La Spezia
To: Parma (via Pontremoli and Passo della Cisa)
Miles: 76.0 (5,000 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 531.1 (19,400 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Ristorante 1km short of Passo della Cisa
Dinner: Hotel Restaurant
Accommodations: Palace Maria Luigia
This was our most difficult day of riding although I feel okay afterward. We basically spent 35 miles in the mountains. Our first climb was roughly 805 meters over 16-17 kilometers from Pontremoli to Passo della Cisa. This equates to roughly 10 miles of climbing at an average 5% grade. We then descended 200 meters over 4 or 5 miles and re-climb the 200 meters over the next 4 miles – and then we repeated this again. Those damn chevrons bit us again! They were there on the map after the mountain pass but I didn’t want to believe it/I was in denial. I paid the mental price for sure. We finally began to descend at the 50 mile mark and had a 9 mile descent that was awesome.
The wind up at the pass was incredibly strong – I almost got blown over a few times and I find it funny how this is the least safe I’ve felt on the trip so far considering all the busy roads we’ve traveled. The feeling I got in the mountains was similar to when I ride over the George Washington Bridge back home sometimes. If the wind is strong enough, your mind begins to believe it can lift you off the ground and throw you over the rail, forcing you to crouch down on your bike. Obviously this would be impossible but your mind actually begins to believe it – most likely because of the instability of the bike.Lunch at the top of the pass was pretty good. Most people in the restaurant looked at us like we were aliens. I can’t imagine they see many bike tourists stopping in there. Most people I spoke with about our trip chose to take the train on this leg of the trip to avoid all the climbing. I find the pain quite rewarding.
One thing I found poignant on this ride was watching the Autostrada (superhighway) pass through a tunnel that cut through the mountain we were climbing. Cars were accomplishing in seconds what took us hours. Some people would consider this absurd but this is what I love about touring by bike. You see things other people don’t and you appreciate the things you see more because of the effort you put into getting there. This is deceleration at its finest.
We arrived at our hotel around 6pm and Dr. Ed is dragging a bit. This is the first time he’s really been low on energy (vs. me who was likely low on energy 50% of the days so far!). We have nice 4 star accommodations and decide to eat in the hotel restaurant given our long day of riding. The food is very good and the service is outstanding. I hop on the internet for an hour in the hotel lobby and I feel myself slowly integrating back to my normal habits as the trip is winding down.
**PLEASE VOTE IN THE POLL ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PAGE FOR YOUR FAVORITE TOURING DAY SO FAR**
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Day 10: A Stroke of Lucca
Date: 9/17/07
From: Pisa
To: La Spezia (via Lucca, Camaiore and San Terenzo)
Miles: 67.9(1,000 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 455.1 (14,400 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Café in Camaiore
Dinner: La Lanterna
Accommodations: Hotel Collazo
For some reason I had a miserable night’s sleep in Pisa. It was one of those nights where you aren’t even sure if you actually fell asleep or were just in a daze worrying about not sleeping all night. My body was very tired when I got up and I wasn’t “feeling it”. However, I almost need to remind myself of how bad I felt this morning as today was just an incredible day of riding that totally energized my mind and body. I sit here 12 hours later a totally new person with endorphins jumping inside my body.
When we woke up, the weather forecast was good so we decided we’d head to Lucca as long as there wasn’t too much climbing. Dr. Ed has some great Touring Club Italiano (TCI) maps, which do a nice job of showing the altitude of the mountain passes and severity of the climbs. TCI characterizes the difficulty of the climbs into the passes by the number of chevrons on a scale of one to three (>, >>, and >>>). In the world of cycling, I’ve come to realize chevrons are not welcome sights. TCI doesn’t just throw a chevron on the map for a random little hill. If you see a chevron, expect some pain. If you see two chevrons, expect a lot of pain. If you see three chevrons – well, luckily we haven’t done any three chevron roads yet and I hope I never do. My point in explaining this is that we were hesitant about heading to Lucca a day before our big climbing ride because we saw some chevrons on the map around the city – it’s in a somewhat mountainous region but there also appears to be ways around the mountains.
The woman at the front desk assured us there was a flat way to Lucca. Head north out of Pisa and make a left in San Giuliano Terme at the Hotel Granduca. We follow her directions and the road swerves in between the mountains as we were hoping. The scenery was very pretty. Lucca is an awesome city. It’s still walled and is very charming – in fact, you can walk or ride your bike around the wall of the city – it’s almost like an elevated circular park.
We went to three bike shops in Lucca. The first was Chrono. The owner, Paladino, was a great guy – we chatted about touring and riding around Europe and U.S. He’s been to Arizona and San Diego to ride. We show him our route to La Spezia via SP327 and he suggests a different way (SP1), which will be better for bikes and prettier. Dr. Ed buys a jersey but I hold off. We also stop at Poli, where I get two jerseys (their team jersey and an Italia cycling team jersey). The ride along SP1 was incredible. We climbed a bit and turned the corner in a little town and bang – smack in our faces was the most beautiful view (picture right) down into a valley and the town of Camaiore. The switchbacks heading down the mountain into the town were sweet. We met an Australian couple traveling Europe for six weeks in town and they love our touring story/take some photos of us. The town was in a state of lockdown for siesta so we had microwaved pasta at a bar!
We then rode directly to the water via Lido di Camaiore and headed up the Liguria coast (Italian Riviera) – it was an incredible contrast to the mountains where we just were. We headed out on a boardwalk (picture right) to breathe in the salty air and snap pictures of the beautiful scenery. The ride along the coast is so refreshing and the scenery just pops out of nowhere and smacks you in the face. We did some inadvertent climbing when we descended into a dead end town on the water near La Spezia. Great views and beautiful water but we pay the price climbing back up to the main road.
La Spezia is a cool town. Ed mentions cinque terra as a place we could visit but I’m pretty tired and want to chill. Again, I’ll just tell people I went there. I had baked mozzarella for an appetizer (so good) and pizza for my main course (yes, pizza again). We went to a bar on the water after dinner and started chatting with some women but suddenly we don’t feel welcome as locals are staring us down and the bartenders are being less responsive. We take the hint and leave immediately!
Tomorrow is our most difficult ride so it’s time for bed. I forgot to mention our accommodations are great. I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep after a tough one last night.
A domani.
From: Pisa
To: La Spezia (via Lucca, Camaiore and San Terenzo)
Miles: 67.9(1,000 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 455.1 (14,400 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Café in Camaiore
Dinner: La Lanterna
Accommodations: Hotel Collazo
For some reason I had a miserable night’s sleep in Pisa. It was one of those nights where you aren’t even sure if you actually fell asleep or were just in a daze worrying about not sleeping all night. My body was very tired when I got up and I wasn’t “feeling it”. However, I almost need to remind myself of how bad I felt this morning as today was just an incredible day of riding that totally energized my mind and body. I sit here 12 hours later a totally new person with endorphins jumping inside my body.
When we woke up, the weather forecast was good so we decided we’d head to Lucca as long as there wasn’t too much climbing. Dr. Ed has some great Touring Club Italiano (TCI) maps, which do a nice job of showing the altitude of the mountain passes and severity of the climbs. TCI characterizes the difficulty of the climbs into the passes by the number of chevrons on a scale of one to three (>, >>, and >>>). In the world of cycling, I’ve come to realize chevrons are not welcome sights. TCI doesn’t just throw a chevron on the map for a random little hill. If you see a chevron, expect some pain. If you see two chevrons, expect a lot of pain. If you see three chevrons – well, luckily we haven’t done any three chevron roads yet and I hope I never do. My point in explaining this is that we were hesitant about heading to Lucca a day before our big climbing ride because we saw some chevrons on the map around the city – it’s in a somewhat mountainous region but there also appears to be ways around the mountains.
The woman at the front desk assured us there was a flat way to Lucca. Head north out of Pisa and make a left in San Giuliano Terme at the Hotel Granduca. We follow her directions and the road swerves in between the mountains as we were hoping. The scenery was very pretty. Lucca is an awesome city. It’s still walled and is very charming – in fact, you can walk or ride your bike around the wall of the city – it’s almost like an elevated circular park.
We went to three bike shops in Lucca. The first was Chrono. The owner, Paladino, was a great guy – we chatted about touring and riding around Europe and U.S. He’s been to Arizona and San Diego to ride. We show him our route to La Spezia via SP327 and he suggests a different way (SP1), which will be better for bikes and prettier. Dr. Ed buys a jersey but I hold off. We also stop at Poli, where I get two jerseys (their team jersey and an Italia cycling team jersey). The ride along SP1 was incredible. We climbed a bit and turned the corner in a little town and bang – smack in our faces was the most beautiful view (picture right) down into a valley and the town of Camaiore. The switchbacks heading down the mountain into the town were sweet. We met an Australian couple traveling Europe for six weeks in town and they love our touring story/take some photos of us. The town was in a state of lockdown for siesta so we had microwaved pasta at a bar!
We then rode directly to the water via Lido di Camaiore and headed up the Liguria coast (Italian Riviera) – it was an incredible contrast to the mountains where we just were. We headed out on a boardwalk (picture right) to breathe in the salty air and snap pictures of the beautiful scenery. The ride along the coast is so refreshing and the scenery just pops out of nowhere and smacks you in the face. We did some inadvertent climbing when we descended into a dead end town on the water near La Spezia. Great views and beautiful water but we pay the price climbing back up to the main road.
La Spezia is a cool town. Ed mentions cinque terra as a place we could visit but I’m pretty tired and want to chill. Again, I’ll just tell people I went there. I had baked mozzarella for an appetizer (so good) and pizza for my main course (yes, pizza again). We went to a bar on the water after dinner and started chatting with some women but suddenly we don’t feel welcome as locals are staring us down and the bartenders are being less responsive. We take the hint and leave immediately!
Tomorrow is our most difficult ride so it’s time for bed. I forgot to mention our accommodations are great. I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep after a tough one last night.
A domani.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Day 9: Bicycle Fit
Date: 9/16/07
From: Florence
To: Pisa
Miles: 54.7 (500 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 387.2 (13,400 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Trattoria di Michele
Dinner: Trattoria il Viale
Accommodations: Hotel Touring
Today was a relatively easy day of riding. The bike fits as good as ever with the new stem and my arms feel great now. I also feel very fit physically on the bike after all the riding we have done. We got a bit lost on the ride today – maybe lost isn’t the right word – we were somewhat unconfident in our directions and needed a lot more guidance from strangers on the street.
Our hotel is on the south end of Pisa, near the train station and it’s a pretty dirty part of town. My mind keeps recycling the phrase “man, this city is a pisa sh*t” to entertain myself. It starts to rain as we are finding a place to put our bikes behind the hotel – the hotel attendant is very unhelpful and won’t let us store them under an overhang across from the hotel because it is on private property (man, this guy is a pisa sh*t). The accommodations are okay – the bathroom is pretty small and so is the room. I feel a cloud of depression forming over me as I think about the pisa sh*t room, the unhelpful hotel attendant and the rain pounding outside our room. I look on the bright side and figure this is just some sour forming and that the sweet can’t be far behind.
We decide to get lunch right way at Trattoria di Michele in our cycling clothes and once again people are looking at us like we are from outerspace. The food is awesome (I get pizza with onion and bacon again) but it takes forever. Italians don’t complain much but when they do, they do it with style – a bunch of patrons head up to the manager and put on a hand waving performance saying they have been waiting three days for their food. The manager apologizes, ushers them back to their seats, heads back to the kitchen and a screaming match with the cook begins. None of the patrons bat an eyelash as the manger remerges from the kitchen like nothing happened.
We find out the leaning tower is at the north end of the city and a roughly 20 minute walk. I’m immediately discouraged. However, there’s a bus (LAM Rossa) that leaves from the train station and drops you off near the tower for €1 each way. No walking? I’m in! The tower lives up to the hype and is really awesome looking in person – I’m glad we made the trek. Dr. Ed takes a picture of me with my hands out to appear like I am holding up the tower. “Man, that is a genius idea” I think to myself. I look around and notice every other person doing it and laugh. I buy an Italia shirt for my nephew at the market in the Piazza dei Miracoli, where the tower resides. We head back to the hotel to grab a bite nearby at Trattoria il Viale – the pizza was okay (I’m now officially hooked on pizza) but Dr. Ed thought his pasta was one of the best he’s had so far.
Dr. Ed suggests we head a bit out of the way to visit this city called Lucca tomorrow. I resist at first since our likely toughest ride of the trip is coming up in two days and I don’t want to add unnecessary mileage the day before. However; I recall my instinct to do more riding/town visiting so I warm to the idea and we agree that we will make the decision in the morning based on the weather forecast.
From: Florence
To: Pisa
Miles: 54.7 (500 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 387.2 (13,400 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Trattoria di Michele
Dinner: Trattoria il Viale
Accommodations: Hotel Touring
Today was a relatively easy day of riding. The bike fits as good as ever with the new stem and my arms feel great now. I also feel very fit physically on the bike after all the riding we have done. We got a bit lost on the ride today – maybe lost isn’t the right word – we were somewhat unconfident in our directions and needed a lot more guidance from strangers on the street.
Our hotel is on the south end of Pisa, near the train station and it’s a pretty dirty part of town. My mind keeps recycling the phrase “man, this city is a pisa sh*t” to entertain myself. It starts to rain as we are finding a place to put our bikes behind the hotel – the hotel attendant is very unhelpful and won’t let us store them under an overhang across from the hotel because it is on private property (man, this guy is a pisa sh*t). The accommodations are okay – the bathroom is pretty small and so is the room. I feel a cloud of depression forming over me as I think about the pisa sh*t room, the unhelpful hotel attendant and the rain pounding outside our room. I look on the bright side and figure this is just some sour forming and that the sweet can’t be far behind.
We decide to get lunch right way at Trattoria di Michele in our cycling clothes and once again people are looking at us like we are from outerspace. The food is awesome (I get pizza with onion and bacon again) but it takes forever. Italians don’t complain much but when they do, they do it with style – a bunch of patrons head up to the manager and put on a hand waving performance saying they have been waiting three days for their food. The manager apologizes, ushers them back to their seats, heads back to the kitchen and a screaming match with the cook begins. None of the patrons bat an eyelash as the manger remerges from the kitchen like nothing happened.
We find out the leaning tower is at the north end of the city and a roughly 20 minute walk. I’m immediately discouraged. However, there’s a bus (LAM Rossa) that leaves from the train station and drops you off near the tower for €1 each way. No walking? I’m in! The tower lives up to the hype and is really awesome looking in person – I’m glad we made the trek. Dr. Ed takes a picture of me with my hands out to appear like I am holding up the tower. “Man, that is a genius idea” I think to myself. I look around and notice every other person doing it and laugh. I buy an Italia shirt for my nephew at the market in the Piazza dei Miracoli, where the tower resides. We head back to the hotel to grab a bite nearby at Trattoria il Viale – the pizza was okay (I’m now officially hooked on pizza) but Dr. Ed thought his pasta was one of the best he’s had so far.
Dr. Ed suggests we head a bit out of the way to visit this city called Lucca tomorrow. I resist at first since our likely toughest ride of the trip is coming up in two days and I don’t want to add unnecessary mileage the day before. However; I recall my instinct to do more riding/town visiting so I warm to the idea and we agree that we will make the decision in the morning based on the weather forecast.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Day 8: New Jerseys
Date: 9/15/07
From: Florence
To: N/A
Miles: N/A
Miles Completed: 332.5 (12,900 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Il Latini
Dinner: Il Vecchio Carlino (via le Fratelli Rosseli)
Gelato: Vivoli
Accommodations: Hotel Romagna
Today was our first planned day off, but our second rest day so far based on our impromptu decision two days ago. (In retrospect, we could have easily done the ride to Siena and I have some slight regrets because Siena is supposed to be a great city and the ride from Siena to Florence is supposed to be beautiful).
Finally, our quest for cycling jerseys is fulfilled and in a big way I might add. We start the day off by walking to S. Bianci, the bike shop where Dr. Ed visited 10 years ago. The location has changed and the shop is much smaller (both symbolic of how much more touristy the city has become). The shop owner and his assistant are both very friendly – the owner even politely feigns to remember Dr. Ed from his last trip (I’m pretty sure Dr. Ed bought it though). I bought one of the shop’s team jerseys (malia squadra) – it’s pretty cool/I’m pumped to wear it at home. Next we went to another bike shop around the corner and we hit the motherload – dozens of jerseys. I felt like someone who just emerged from the dry desert and saw a water fountain – I end up buying three jerseys here after an hour or so of perusing and modeling them for a couple of Aussie girls who are shopping for their boyfriends (but at the same time showing a keen interest in me and Ed…hmmmmm). Dr. Ed laughed at me because I was like a kid in a candy store (re the jerseys).
Florence is growing on me; although my appetite for "sightseeing" is very limited. I think it's because of the amount of walking that is required and the fact this is supposed to be a rest day. Here's an obligatory/gratuitous shot of the Duomo in Florence – the only real sightseeing I did. However, I will of course lie and tell people at home I saw the David (and any other Florence attractions they cite). I’m starting to develop my touring “identity” and I’m realizing I like the riding the most. On my next tour, I’m going to ride more miles during the day (including visiting more little towns) and spend less time exploring big cities on foot because it requires you getting into another mindset rather quickly (showering, changing, getting a map, identifying the attractions, etc…) and it can be both mentally and physically taxing after the day’s ride.
We ate lunch @ Il Latini, which was recommended by a friend from home and is consistently rated among the best restaurants in Europe. This makes me skeptical (tourist trap) but the locals assure us it’s very good. There’s definitely a touristy feel to it but the locals are right as I have an incredible dish of sausage and white beans – it was almost like a hearty but basic stew – the sausage was so tasty and fresh. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I’m actually getting sick of pasta (perish the thought) so I ask Barbara at the hotel for a good pizza place and she recommends Trattoria Paledioro, which is a bit outside the city limits. Despite the relatively long walk, I am excited to try the place since something off the beaten path is bound to be good – we aren’t disappointed as we have incredible pizzas (I had bacon and onion). If I return to Florence, I’ll definitely be returning to Trattoria Paledioro. We make our standard gelato run and get the best so far at Vivoli – very fresh and great consistency – this is another place I’ll try again in Florence.
It’s been a long day off with lots (too much) walking so I need some rest. We’re off to Pisa tomorrow and I'm already debating whether to venture to see the leaning tower – we'll see how close it is to our hotel.
From: Florence
To: N/A
Miles: N/A
Miles Completed: 332.5 (12,900 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Il Latini
Dinner: Il Vecchio Carlino (via le Fratelli Rosseli)
Gelato: Vivoli
Accommodations: Hotel Romagna
Today was our first planned day off, but our second rest day so far based on our impromptu decision two days ago. (In retrospect, we could have easily done the ride to Siena and I have some slight regrets because Siena is supposed to be a great city and the ride from Siena to Florence is supposed to be beautiful).
Finally, our quest for cycling jerseys is fulfilled and in a big way I might add. We start the day off by walking to S. Bianci, the bike shop where Dr. Ed visited 10 years ago. The location has changed and the shop is much smaller (both symbolic of how much more touristy the city has become). The shop owner and his assistant are both very friendly – the owner even politely feigns to remember Dr. Ed from his last trip (I’m pretty sure Dr. Ed bought it though). I bought one of the shop’s team jerseys (malia squadra) – it’s pretty cool/I’m pumped to wear it at home. Next we went to another bike shop around the corner and we hit the motherload – dozens of jerseys. I felt like someone who just emerged from the dry desert and saw a water fountain – I end up buying three jerseys here after an hour or so of perusing and modeling them for a couple of Aussie girls who are shopping for their boyfriends (but at the same time showing a keen interest in me and Ed…hmmmmm). Dr. Ed laughed at me because I was like a kid in a candy store (re the jerseys).
Florence is growing on me; although my appetite for "sightseeing" is very limited. I think it's because of the amount of walking that is required and the fact this is supposed to be a rest day. Here's an obligatory/gratuitous shot of the Duomo in Florence – the only real sightseeing I did. However, I will of course lie and tell people at home I saw the David (and any other Florence attractions they cite). I’m starting to develop my touring “identity” and I’m realizing I like the riding the most. On my next tour, I’m going to ride more miles during the day (including visiting more little towns) and spend less time exploring big cities on foot because it requires you getting into another mindset rather quickly (showering, changing, getting a map, identifying the attractions, etc…) and it can be both mentally and physically taxing after the day’s ride.
We ate lunch @ Il Latini, which was recommended by a friend from home and is consistently rated among the best restaurants in Europe. This makes me skeptical (tourist trap) but the locals assure us it’s very good. There’s definitely a touristy feel to it but the locals are right as I have an incredible dish of sausage and white beans – it was almost like a hearty but basic stew – the sausage was so tasty and fresh. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I’m actually getting sick of pasta (perish the thought) so I ask Barbara at the hotel for a good pizza place and she recommends Trattoria Paledioro, which is a bit outside the city limits. Despite the relatively long walk, I am excited to try the place since something off the beaten path is bound to be good – we aren’t disappointed as we have incredible pizzas (I had bacon and onion). If I return to Florence, I’ll definitely be returning to Trattoria Paledioro. We make our standard gelato run and get the best so far at Vivoli – very fresh and great consistency – this is another place I’ll try again in Florence.
It’s been a long day off with lots (too much) walking so I need some rest. We’re off to Pisa tomorrow and I'm already debating whether to venture to see the leaning tower – we'll see how close it is to our hotel.
Day 7: Vanilla Sky
Date: 9/14/07
From: Bagno di Romagna/Acquapartita
To: Florence (via passo dei Mandrioli, Badia Prataglia, Poppi and passo della Consuma)
Miles: 60.8 (5,000 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 332.5 (12,900 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Pizza in Poppi
Dinner: Trattoria Paledioro
Accommodations: Hotel Romagna
Today’s ride reminded me a great quote from the movie Vanilla Sky: “the sweet is never as sweet without the sour”. The rewards from the pain of climbing are incredible – the views, the wind, the sky, the downhill descent – the list goes on. Climbing mountain passes on your bike captures the essence of cycling, which makes you appreciate all the things we take for granted and miss with our modern conveniences (like cars and tunnels that cut through mountains). Dr. Ed and I diverge a bit on our “descending” philosophies. I like to take my time and savor the reward of the climb – he likes to “bomb” it down as fast as possible.
The first climb was actually not as difficult as expected for a few reasons. First, while the 7 mile length proved accurate, our diminutive waiter friend created sky high expectations of a 15% average grade – the average was actually only 6.5% (did I just use the term “only” to describe a 6.5% average grade? -- I must be losing my mind). Second, the climb came in the beginning of the ride when our legs were fresh – I actually felt pretty spry when we got done (despite how I look in the picture below). Third, the grade was actually very consistent throughout the climb, which I think is better for your legs since you don’t random areas of nasty steepness that can crush your quads.
Can't I just turn left here and avoid the pass?
We made it! Look how happy I am! (NOT!)
From: Bagno di Romagna/Acquapartita
To: Florence (via passo dei Mandrioli, Badia Prataglia, Poppi and passo della Consuma)
Miles: 60.8 (5,000 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 332.5 (12,900 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Pizza in Poppi
Dinner: Trattoria Paledioro
Accommodations: Hotel Romagna
Today’s ride reminded me a great quote from the movie Vanilla Sky: “the sweet is never as sweet without the sour”. The rewards from the pain of climbing are incredible – the views, the wind, the sky, the downhill descent – the list goes on. Climbing mountain passes on your bike captures the essence of cycling, which makes you appreciate all the things we take for granted and miss with our modern conveniences (like cars and tunnels that cut through mountains). Dr. Ed and I diverge a bit on our “descending” philosophies. I like to take my time and savor the reward of the climb – he likes to “bomb” it down as fast as possible.
The first climb was actually not as difficult as expected for a few reasons. First, while the 7 mile length proved accurate, our diminutive waiter friend created sky high expectations of a 15% average grade – the average was actually only 6.5% (did I just use the term “only” to describe a 6.5% average grade? -- I must be losing my mind). Second, the climb came in the beginning of the ride when our legs were fresh – I actually felt pretty spry when we got done (despite how I look in the picture below). Third, the grade was actually very consistent throughout the climb, which I think is better for your legs since you don’t random areas of nasty steepness that can crush your quads.
Can't I just turn left here and avoid the pass?
Yes, this is the first mountain we climbed. It hurts just looking at it, no?
Seven miles of this -- talk about banging your head against the wall -- good thing we're wearing helmets.
We made it! Look how happy I am! (NOT!)
Proving once again that life is an expectations game, the second climb is more difficult than we were expecting – a 5% average grade for 9 miles. We almost ran out of water as we climbed through several small towns that were in “lockdown” during siesta. As we are approaching the second mountain pass (passo della Consuma – this is where the picture on the header of the blog was taken), I notice we are approaching another Hotel Miramonti and I am excited about the poetic justice of starting our climbing at one Hotel Miramonti and finishing it at its sister location. I excitedly head into the hotel and find someone who speaks English. I start explaining how our ride began at their other hotel in Bagno and the guy is just looking at me. “Our other hotel….what other hotel?”. “Hotel Miramonti” I say. He laughs “Sir, there are probably 100 Hotel Miramontis in Italy – Miramonti means ‘mountain view’”. I feel pretty stupid but I’m so excited to be done with the climbing for the day I get over it quickly.
The rest of our ride is a long, beautiful descent into Florence. I’m relatively disappointed with Florence when we arrive because it is extremely crowded and touristy – probably didn’t help that we arrived at rush hour but still. Our accommodations are okay – two stars but a respectable two stars – however, we need to leave our bikes locked outside in an alley. After today’s difficult ride I’m secretly hoping someone steals them so we can just take a train for the rest of the trip (kidding…sort of).
We got a dinner recommendation from Barbara at the front desk of the hotel and it was very good – I had torellini en brodo soup – very tasty. I’ve decided from now own I’m not eating any bread at dinner, nor am I getting anymore meat dishes. The pasta is so delicious here that I’m just going to get two pasta dishes instead.
Tomorrow is a scheduled day off so I’m looking forward to exploring Florence.
Ciao.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Day 6: The Siesta
Date: 9/13/07
From: Bagno di Romagna
To: N/A
Miles: N/A
Miles Completed: 206.7 (7,900 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: La Gardina
Dinner: Ristorante in Hotel Miramonte
Accommodations: Hotel Miramonte (in Acquapartita)
Today we took an unscheduled day of rest. I suggested we rest after the difficult day and Dr. Ed quickly agreed. Good teamwork at its best. Dr. Ed asks the front desk to call our hotel in Siena and cancel our room. In another Fawlty Towers episode, she instead books another night’s stay. Luckily, Dr. Ed catches her mistake.
The banter with our enigmatic waiter is increasing. “Bonjourno”, we say – “Goood Mourning”, he responds; “Grazie”, we say – “yoouuu’re welcome”, he quips. In fact, his characterization of the ride to Siena and the mountain pass we must climb is one of the main reasons we decide to rest. When we quizzed him on the ride to Siena, he states it’s 300km away (180 miles!) – this is dead wrong – we know it’s only 80 miles away, yet somehow it still scares me. Then he starts talking about the mountain pass as if it’s Mt. Everest. I explain to him the ride we did from Ravenna. “Ravenna? The ride from Ravenna is a JOKE compared to this…Raaavennnnna, heh!!” The fear factor is high. He tells us it’s an average 15% grade for 9 miles. I can’t imagine this is true but I’m still scared. Basically, we have to do this mountain pass whether no matter what, but we decide to skip Siena and go straight to Florence tomorrow (which will be a more difficult ride because we actually have to do two mountain passes).
The waiter is beginning to warm to us now. I start calling “mi amico” – which means my friend in Italian. He rolls his eyes. I tell him he’s crazy. He responds “My friend, I am many things, but crazy is not one of them.” I suggest a little bit crazy at least. “Ok, maybe a little be crazy”, he concurs. We take a picture with the waiter but I lost it – need to get Dr. Ed’s copy.
Time for bed – we have a loooong ride tomorrow.
From: Bagno di Romagna
To: N/A
Miles: N/A
Miles Completed: 206.7 (7,900 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: La Gardina
Dinner: Ristorante in Hotel Miramonte
Accommodations: Hotel Miramonte (in Acquapartita)
Today we took an unscheduled day of rest. I suggested we rest after the difficult day and Dr. Ed quickly agreed. Good teamwork at its best. Dr. Ed asks the front desk to call our hotel in Siena and cancel our room. In another Fawlty Towers episode, she instead books another night’s stay. Luckily, Dr. Ed catches her mistake.
The banter with our enigmatic waiter is increasing. “Bonjourno”, we say – “Goood Mourning”, he responds; “Grazie”, we say – “yoouuu’re welcome”, he quips. In fact, his characterization of the ride to Siena and the mountain pass we must climb is one of the main reasons we decide to rest. When we quizzed him on the ride to Siena, he states it’s 300km away (180 miles!) – this is dead wrong – we know it’s only 80 miles away, yet somehow it still scares me. Then he starts talking about the mountain pass as if it’s Mt. Everest. I explain to him the ride we did from Ravenna. “Ravenna? The ride from Ravenna is a JOKE compared to this…Raaavennnnna, heh!!” The fear factor is high. He tells us it’s an average 15% grade for 9 miles. I can’t imagine this is true but I’m still scared. Basically, we have to do this mountain pass whether no matter what, but we decide to skip Siena and go straight to Florence tomorrow (which will be a more difficult ride because we actually have to do two mountain passes).
The waiter is beginning to warm to us now. I start calling “mi amico” – which means my friend in Italian. He rolls his eyes. I tell him he’s crazy. He responds “My friend, I am many things, but crazy is not one of them.” I suggest a little bit crazy at least. “Ok, maybe a little be crazy”, he concurs. We take a picture with the waiter but I lost it – need to get Dr. Ed’s copy.
Time for bed – we have a loooong ride tomorrow.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Day 5: Hill is a Four Letter Word
From: Ravenna
To: Bagno di Romagna/Acquapartita (via Forli, Castrocaro Terme, Rocca San Casciano, Strada San Zeno, Galeata, Santa Sofia, and San Piero)
Miles: 65.0 (5,300 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 271.7 (7,900 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Fruit, bread, meat and cheese in Rocca San Casciano
Dinner: Ristorante in Hotel Miramonti
Accomodations: Hotel Miramonti (in Acquapartita)
Today’s ride was one for the ages. We set out on a hilly route from Ravenna to Bagno di Romagna at 8:30am after having a nice breakfast at Hotel Byron. The first part of the ride through Forli and into Rocca San Casciano is very flat. Boy, was this a headfake. We knew we had three long hills to climb to get to Bagno so we stopped to eat in Rocca. Everyone there was very interested in our journey. Rocca is a small town and I think we looked like aliens to them – swooping into their town with all our gear, helmets and glasses/mirrors. When we explained we were going to Bagno, they rolled their eyes and waved their hands up and down to signal three mountains. The people in Italy are so nice. A shopkeeper gave us two apples as a gift for our journey. Another woman from the store gave me a half a peach to try just to be nice – Italians love to show off their food to you – an I’m more than happy to oblige them. The fruit and vegetables at the stand were awesome. I bought a big vine of grapes, four peaches, two tomatoes and two nectarines for €1.89 – incredible deal. Dr. Ed got some bread, cheese and salami for sandwiches and we ate overlooking a bridge and a stream.
After lunch, the fun began. The first mountain was 3.2 miles with a 6% average grade. A nice little warmup (this is three times as long as any “hill” I’ve done in New York!). Then downhill for a couple of miles into Strada San Zeno. Next, a 1.8 mile hill with a 5% average grade – not so bad – I can handle this – then, a descent to Galeata. The final (or so we thought) climb was a doosy; 7.2 miles with an average grade of 5.5%. Pure pain. Needless to say I was totally zapped of energy as we descended into Bagno. The main town in Bagno is actually San Piero and this is the address of our hotel so we stop to ask where it is. Some people point up the next hill and say that it’s seven kilometers away. I almost fell over. I needed a second opinion since the first was in Italian and maybe we misunderstood. Second opinion confirmed. Maybe a third opinion would help. Third opinion confirmed. We’re climbing again. And it hurts, bad. There’s nothing worse than thinking you are done with a ride and needing to start up again. I’m in total meltdown mode as Ed is calling out how much mileage we have left. After 3.5 miles, I see a woman and her son on the side of the road and ask if the hotel is near. The woman speaks broken English and confirms the hotel is up the hill (she is staying there) but that it’s about 4 kilometers away (2.5 more miles). I almost threw up. She offers to drive me up there – I politely decline the offer and wait for Ed to give him the bad news. “No way it’s that far,” he says “it’s less than a half mile away”. As usual, Dr. Ed turned out to be right. Less than a half mile later I saw the woman jumping up and down in celebration on the side of the road pointing at the hotel. “I’m sorry, I was wrong about how far we were!” I’ve never been happier to have someone be so wrong.
I thought day one was bad – this ride crushed day one – I have a new benchmark for my hardest ride. We climbed an extra 4 miles at an average 5% grade but the good news is our hotel is fabulous and four stars, definitely worth the extra climbing. We ate dinner in the hotel restaurant, which was awesome – they have a huge “all you can eat” appetizer table with fresh vegetables, salads, meats and a huge bowl of parmesan reggiano cheese. I have pasta to start and two huge beef tenderloins in peppercorn sauce. I have two beers, bottled water, coffee an they also have an “all you can eat” dessert table. My share of the meal was €30 – it’s like they’re giving the food away in Italy. Our waiter is very funny. He has an incredibly dry sense of humor. We speak to him in Italian but he responds in English (as if he’s mocking our ability to speak Italian). He’s a bit intimidating so I ask him if I can ask a question. “As long as it’s not too difficult, please”, he responds. Funny guy.
My body hurts – time to rest it.
To: Bagno di Romagna/Acquapartita (via Forli, Castrocaro Terme, Rocca San Casciano, Strada San Zeno, Galeata, Santa Sofia, and San Piero)
Miles: 65.0 (5,300 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 271.7 (7,900 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Fruit, bread, meat and cheese in Rocca San Casciano
Dinner: Ristorante in Hotel Miramonti
Accomodations: Hotel Miramonti (in Acquapartita)
Today’s ride was one for the ages. We set out on a hilly route from Ravenna to Bagno di Romagna at 8:30am after having a nice breakfast at Hotel Byron. The first part of the ride through Forli and into Rocca San Casciano is very flat. Boy, was this a headfake. We knew we had three long hills to climb to get to Bagno so we stopped to eat in Rocca. Everyone there was very interested in our journey. Rocca is a small town and I think we looked like aliens to them – swooping into their town with all our gear, helmets and glasses/mirrors. When we explained we were going to Bagno, they rolled their eyes and waved their hands up and down to signal three mountains. The people in Italy are so nice. A shopkeeper gave us two apples as a gift for our journey. Another woman from the store gave me a half a peach to try just to be nice – Italians love to show off their food to you – an I’m more than happy to oblige them. The fruit and vegetables at the stand were awesome. I bought a big vine of grapes, four peaches, two tomatoes and two nectarines for €1.89 – incredible deal. Dr. Ed got some bread, cheese and salami for sandwiches and we ate overlooking a bridge and a stream.
After lunch, the fun began. The first mountain was 3.2 miles with a 6% average grade. A nice little warmup (this is three times as long as any “hill” I’ve done in New York!). Then downhill for a couple of miles into Strada San Zeno. Next, a 1.8 mile hill with a 5% average grade – not so bad – I can handle this – then, a descent to Galeata. The final (or so we thought) climb was a doosy; 7.2 miles with an average grade of 5.5%. Pure pain. Needless to say I was totally zapped of energy as we descended into Bagno. The main town in Bagno is actually San Piero and this is the address of our hotel so we stop to ask where it is. Some people point up the next hill and say that it’s seven kilometers away. I almost fell over. I needed a second opinion since the first was in Italian and maybe we misunderstood. Second opinion confirmed. Maybe a third opinion would help. Third opinion confirmed. We’re climbing again. And it hurts, bad. There’s nothing worse than thinking you are done with a ride and needing to start up again. I’m in total meltdown mode as Ed is calling out how much mileage we have left. After 3.5 miles, I see a woman and her son on the side of the road and ask if the hotel is near. The woman speaks broken English and confirms the hotel is up the hill (she is staying there) but that it’s about 4 kilometers away (2.5 more miles). I almost threw up. She offers to drive me up there – I politely decline the offer and wait for Ed to give him the bad news. “No way it’s that far,” he says “it’s less than a half mile away”. As usual, Dr. Ed turned out to be right. Less than a half mile later I saw the woman jumping up and down in celebration on the side of the road pointing at the hotel. “I’m sorry, I was wrong about how far we were!” I’ve never been happier to have someone be so wrong.
I thought day one was bad – this ride crushed day one – I have a new benchmark for my hardest ride. We climbed an extra 4 miles at an average 5% grade but the good news is our hotel is fabulous and four stars, definitely worth the extra climbing. We ate dinner in the hotel restaurant, which was awesome – they have a huge “all you can eat” appetizer table with fresh vegetables, salads, meats and a huge bowl of parmesan reggiano cheese. I have pasta to start and two huge beef tenderloins in peppercorn sauce. I have two beers, bottled water, coffee an they also have an “all you can eat” dessert table. My share of the meal was €30 – it’s like they’re giving the food away in Italy. Our waiter is very funny. He has an incredibly dry sense of humor. We speak to him in Italian but he responds in English (as if he’s mocking our ability to speak Italian). He’s a bit intimidating so I ask him if I can ask a question. “As long as it’s not too difficult, please”, he responds. Funny guy.
My body hurts – time to rest it.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Day 4: 10,000 Maniacs on a Bike
Date: 9/11/07
From: Bologna
To: Ravenna (via Medicina, Santa Agata and Lugo)
Miles: 50.0 (300 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 206.7 (2,600 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Ristorante Bizzani
Dinner: Ristorante La Gardela
Accommodations: Hotel Centrale Byron
Today we rose at 7am and were on the road by 8:45am – the 7am wakeup is becoming a routine. I was excited to ride today for sure. I learned the power of the tailwind today – it’s a cyclist’s best friend. We rode with little effort for the first 15 miles – almost as if we were gliding on ice – awesome feeling. I also rode to music for the first time and rediscovered the band 10,000 Maniacs – they provided a perfect backdrop for cruising the beautiful Italian scenery.
Interestingly, the part of my body that has been giving me the most trouble is my arms and they are screaming at me today. I tried several different saddle (seat) positions and none have really worked. I’m afraid I need to decide between trading off my legs for my arms if I want more arm comfort. This is a no-brainer – legs are much more important than arms so tomorrow I’m going to reposition my saddle again. Dr. Ed suggests I need a stem with more rise (higher angle), which will lift my handlebars and take pressure of my arms. The search for a new stem is on; however, I realize the odds of finding the right one are slim.
We stopped in two medieval cities on the way (Medicina and Santa Agata) which were very cool. My Italian is improving a bit and we are on a constant search for negozio della bicicletta (bike shops) for local cycling jerseys. I think “dove è un negozio della bicicletta?” (where is a bike shop?), has now surpassed “dis is our first week on da job” as the most used phrase on the trip.
Our second stop in Santa Agata led us to a bike shop with no jerseys; however, he directed us to a SOMEC store just before Lugo. It looked great but unfortunately it was closed until 3:30pm. For some reason, it seems like we are hitting a lot of stores/towns when they are closed. Pretty much every town has siesta from 12:30pm-3:30pm but they also have these random times when they are closed in addition. The SOMEC bike shop was randomly closed on Tuesday mornings (and that’s when we got there). Oh well. Speaking of random, Dr. Ed gets two flats within two minutes of each other – they actually turn out to be tube defects (vs. something piercing the tire). We rode through Lugo and found a bike shop called Deka but they had no good jerseys in my size. This jersey thing is becoming a serious quest.
We arrived in Ravenna at 2:30pm and had lunch immediately at Ristorante Bizzani next to our hotel – very good pasta. Hotel Byron is a very nice hotel located in the middle of the city – solid accommodations at a reasonable price. I really like Ravenna and would like to return here some day for vacation – it has a rich history and a lot of ethnic influences. The city is famous for its mosaics. Dr. Ed went to visit them while I got a massage to prepare for the hills tomorrow. I joke with Dr. Ed that I’m just going to tell people I saw the mosaics (and most other touristy type stuff on the trip) – how will they know?
Dinner was very good as well and is a good deal. Ravenna has a very warm feeling to it (this may be the alcohol talking).
A domani.
From: Bologna
To: Ravenna (via Medicina, Santa Agata and Lugo)
Miles: 50.0 (300 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 206.7 (2,600 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Ristorante Bizzani
Dinner: Ristorante La Gardela
Accommodations: Hotel Centrale Byron
Today we rose at 7am and were on the road by 8:45am – the 7am wakeup is becoming a routine. I was excited to ride today for sure. I learned the power of the tailwind today – it’s a cyclist’s best friend. We rode with little effort for the first 15 miles – almost as if we were gliding on ice – awesome feeling. I also rode to music for the first time and rediscovered the band 10,000 Maniacs – they provided a perfect backdrop for cruising the beautiful Italian scenery.
Interestingly, the part of my body that has been giving me the most trouble is my arms and they are screaming at me today. I tried several different saddle (seat) positions and none have really worked. I’m afraid I need to decide between trading off my legs for my arms if I want more arm comfort. This is a no-brainer – legs are much more important than arms so tomorrow I’m going to reposition my saddle again. Dr. Ed suggests I need a stem with more rise (higher angle), which will lift my handlebars and take pressure of my arms. The search for a new stem is on; however, I realize the odds of finding the right one are slim.
We stopped in two medieval cities on the way (Medicina and Santa Agata) which were very cool. My Italian is improving a bit and we are on a constant search for negozio della bicicletta (bike shops) for local cycling jerseys. I think “dove è un negozio della bicicletta?” (where is a bike shop?), has now surpassed “dis is our first week on da job” as the most used phrase on the trip.
Our second stop in Santa Agata led us to a bike shop with no jerseys; however, he directed us to a SOMEC store just before Lugo. It looked great but unfortunately it was closed until 3:30pm. For some reason, it seems like we are hitting a lot of stores/towns when they are closed. Pretty much every town has siesta from 12:30pm-3:30pm but they also have these random times when they are closed in addition. The SOMEC bike shop was randomly closed on Tuesday mornings (and that’s when we got there). Oh well. Speaking of random, Dr. Ed gets two flats within two minutes of each other – they actually turn out to be tube defects (vs. something piercing the tire). We rode through Lugo and found a bike shop called Deka but they had no good jerseys in my size. This jersey thing is becoming a serious quest.
We arrived in Ravenna at 2:30pm and had lunch immediately at Ristorante Bizzani next to our hotel – very good pasta. Hotel Byron is a very nice hotel located in the middle of the city – solid accommodations at a reasonable price. I really like Ravenna and would like to return here some day for vacation – it has a rich history and a lot of ethnic influences. The city is famous for its mosaics. Dr. Ed went to visit them while I got a massage to prepare for the hills tomorrow. I joke with Dr. Ed that I’m just going to tell people I saw the mosaics (and most other touristy type stuff on the trip) – how will they know?
Dinner was very good as well and is a good deal. Ravenna has a very warm feeling to it (this may be the alcohol talking).
A domani.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Day 3: The World's Oldest Profession
Date: 9/10/07
From: Modena
To: Bologna
Miles: 28.2 (200 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 156.7 (2,300 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: La Rotunda (via G. Amendola)
Dinner: Donatello
Accommodations: Hotel Europa
Today was our shortest scheduled ride of the trip – just under 30 miles. We rose at 7:00am and again had breakfast in the hotel, it was a modest but solid spread and the coffee was especially good. Coffee in Italy is twice as good as the U.S. and costs half as much as Starbucks (even with the Euro appreciation) – they also make it everywhere and serve it almost as if it was water. I digress.
We visited a few shops on our way out of Modena and one thing is becoming apparent: Dr. Ed likes to shop – I don’t. When Dr. Ed talks about shopping and asks if I want to join my standard joking response is “I’m a man, Ed”. I digress again.
I finally cave and do some shopping as I see a shop that carries high-quality balsamic vinegar. Balsamic vinegar is only made in Modena, where it has been made since the Middle Ages and some of the names (notably: "Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena") are protected by the Denominazione di Origine Controllata and the European Union's Protected designation of origin (thanks Wikipedia). The woman who works behind the counter offers me tastes of all the vinegars. I decide the 30 year tastes best so I bought three bottles (one for each of my parents, brother and sister) – I begin to think about extra weight and wonder if I’ll be cursing these bottles riding up the mountain passes. The woman packs the bottles in bubble wrap to protect them on our journey.
As we are approaching Bologna, I start noticing an interesting phenomenon. Random, attractive, scantily clad women are littering the shoulders of the highway (via Emilia) into the city. When you are traveling the world at only 15mph, the world slows down for you and unfortunately, sometimes your brain follows. It took me about four or five sightings to put two and two together. First woman I saw I thought to myself “wow, look at that beautiful, stranded woman…wish I had a car to help her out”…then again, “hmmm, there’s one with her daughter…and the daughter is cute also – wait, how old is she?”…finally it hits me. I tried to joke with one of them to get on my bike but they are all business.
Bologna is a cool city. Has the charm of a small Italian town but more of a big city feel on the fringes with an excellent energy to it. If I lived in Italy, I’d definitely live in Bologna. Our hotel is great – four starts and only €125 per night. The person behind the desk suggests La Rotunda for lunch – excellent suggestion. Dr. Ed and I split caprese salad (the mozz was super fresh) and I had tagliatelle Bolognese and it was great. However the pizza looked incredible and I think it was a mistake not to order one. If I ever return to Bologna, I’ll be sure to get a pizza at La Rotunda.
We ate dinner at Donatello, which was solid. I struggled through ordering a martini to a guy who spoke “un poco inglese” – when I mention vodka, his head twists and his eyes blink as if he’s confused. “Martini?”, he responds. “Yes”, I say. He returns with a putrid tasting drink – I have no idea what it is. I try to question him and he points at the drink stating “martini!”. I just drop it. For starters, I had lasagna, which tasted exactly like the lasagna at Nani, a restaurant we go to near work – big props for Nani. Second course was veal with prosciutto and chesses sauce – very good. We get gelato after dinner and it is phenomenal. The name of the place is Gelateria Pellati di Gola and it’s located at via Augosto Righi 43. The girl behind the counter is very cute and she’s showing some interest/being a bit flirty. Dr. Ed and I are joking around outside and I tell him confidently I’m going in to get her number. I was really heading in just to get the address. I had her write it down for me in my journal so it appeared she was writing down her digits. Dr. Ed was pretty keen to my scam – I need to get more complex with my pranks it seems.
Buena notte.
From: Modena
To: Bologna
Miles: 28.2 (200 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 156.7 (2,300 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: La Rotunda (via G. Amendola)
Dinner: Donatello
Accommodations: Hotel Europa
Today was our shortest scheduled ride of the trip – just under 30 miles. We rose at 7:00am and again had breakfast in the hotel, it was a modest but solid spread and the coffee was especially good. Coffee in Italy is twice as good as the U.S. and costs half as much as Starbucks (even with the Euro appreciation) – they also make it everywhere and serve it almost as if it was water. I digress.
We visited a few shops on our way out of Modena and one thing is becoming apparent: Dr. Ed likes to shop – I don’t. When Dr. Ed talks about shopping and asks if I want to join my standard joking response is “I’m a man, Ed”. I digress again.
I finally cave and do some shopping as I see a shop that carries high-quality balsamic vinegar. Balsamic vinegar is only made in Modena, where it has been made since the Middle Ages and some of the names (notably: "Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena") are protected by the Denominazione di Origine Controllata and the European Union's Protected designation of origin (thanks Wikipedia). The woman who works behind the counter offers me tastes of all the vinegars. I decide the 30 year tastes best so I bought three bottles (one for each of my parents, brother and sister) – I begin to think about extra weight and wonder if I’ll be cursing these bottles riding up the mountain passes. The woman packs the bottles in bubble wrap to protect them on our journey.
As we are approaching Bologna, I start noticing an interesting phenomenon. Random, attractive, scantily clad women are littering the shoulders of the highway (via Emilia) into the city. When you are traveling the world at only 15mph, the world slows down for you and unfortunately, sometimes your brain follows. It took me about four or five sightings to put two and two together. First woman I saw I thought to myself “wow, look at that beautiful, stranded woman…wish I had a car to help her out”…then again, “hmmm, there’s one with her daughter…and the daughter is cute also – wait, how old is she?”…finally it hits me. I tried to joke with one of them to get on my bike but they are all business.
Bologna is a cool city. Has the charm of a small Italian town but more of a big city feel on the fringes with an excellent energy to it. If I lived in Italy, I’d definitely live in Bologna. Our hotel is great – four starts and only €125 per night. The person behind the desk suggests La Rotunda for lunch – excellent suggestion. Dr. Ed and I split caprese salad (the mozz was super fresh) and I had tagliatelle Bolognese and it was great. However the pizza looked incredible and I think it was a mistake not to order one. If I ever return to Bologna, I’ll be sure to get a pizza at La Rotunda.
We ate dinner at Donatello, which was solid. I struggled through ordering a martini to a guy who spoke “un poco inglese” – when I mention vodka, his head twists and his eyes blink as if he’s confused. “Martini?”, he responds. “Yes”, I say. He returns with a putrid tasting drink – I have no idea what it is. I try to question him and he points at the drink stating “martini!”. I just drop it. For starters, I had lasagna, which tasted exactly like the lasagna at Nani, a restaurant we go to near work – big props for Nani. Second course was veal with prosciutto and chesses sauce – very good. We get gelato after dinner and it is phenomenal. The name of the place is Gelateria Pellati di Gola and it’s located at via Augosto Righi 43. The girl behind the counter is very cute and she’s showing some interest/being a bit flirty. Dr. Ed and I are joking around outside and I tell him confidently I’m going in to get her number. I was really heading in just to get the address. I had her write it down for me in my journal so it appeared she was writing down her digits. Dr. Ed was pretty keen to my scam – I need to get more complex with my pranks it seems.
Buena notte.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Day 2: Fawlty Towers
Date: 9/9/07
From: Salsomaggiore Terme
To: Modena (via Parma and Reggio nell'Emilia)
Miles: 58.0 (1,300 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 128.5 (2,100 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Assorted from local markets
Dinner: Ristorante Fini
Accommodations: Hotel Milano
Today was the perfect touring day. We woke up at 8am and had breakfast at our hotel (apparently breakfast is included in the room rate for all Italian hotels) - it was a beautiful spread of cheese, meat and fresh pastries.
We rode east out of Salsomaggiore and headed up into the hills, choosing to take the shorter, more direct route which was much hillier and very scenic. We climbed for 10 straight miles to the castle town of Tabiano and met up with an ex-racer from Parma who was cycling home and he helped us with our direction back to the main highway (via Emilia). We did most of our climbing in and around Tabiano as the ride was mostly flat for the rest of the way. We stopped for a drink in Parma, a nice city where we will be crossing back through and staying in later in the trip. It's Sunday, so the city is pretty quiet except for a big street fair where we grab a quick bite of bread with tomatoes and basil -- pretty tasty -- the tomatoes here are great and taste "just like candy", according to Dr. Ed.
We journey east out of Parma and decide to stop in a street fair in Reggio for lunch (yes, the Reggio of Parmesan Reggiano fame). I strike up a conversation with some people selling cheese and meat and they keep breaking off cheese samples for me to try - INCREDIBLE. I was stopping there for meat so I asked for salami and they start cutting me slices to eat! They love the story of our cycling journey and give us some meat as "un regalo" -- a gift -- for our journey. Very nice people. They don't speak good English but I was still able to somehow get across the joke we were journeying to Modena for Pavarotti's funeral in Modena (which was yesterday). Dr. Ed and I grab some bread, he buys a tomato and we sit on a bench and eat, cutting pieces of bread, cheese, meat and tomato to make sandwiches. SO GOOD.
We decide to call ahead to Hotel Milano to confirm our reservation and make sure our room has two beds – they assure us we’re all set in broken English. We arrive in Modena mid afternoon and check into the hotel. I’m immediately reminded of the classic British sitcom Fawlty Towers as life imitates art (actually, the show idea originated from the Monty Python casts’ stay at a horribly run hotel in England so perhaps it’s more life imitating life).
There are two bumbling attendants behind the desk who start booking our reservation like Frick and Frack. We ask where to put our bikes and they stare at each other “dis is our first week on da job” they say. Frick decides to call the manager. I ask Frack if there is anywhere in town to watch American football. His eyes light up as he seems excited by the challenge of figuring this out – he darts out of the room to talk to the manager about it (yes, the same manager Frick is on the phone with about the parking). Frick tells us we’ll need to park our bikes in the garage for €5 each (the same price as a car) – while it seems ridiculous on principle, it’s not that much money so we agree. Frack comes back and says I can use the large TV in the common lounge to watch the game. This opens a whole new list of questions – I just decide to drop it. Needing to use the bathroom, I head up to the room as Ed secures the bicycles in the garage. I enter the room and dart to the bathroom as I’m about to burst – I see there’s only one bed but on further inspection it’s separable into two twin beds. I head downstairs to tell F and F we need another set of sheets. Upon hearing that we only had one bed they both hit their foreheads with their palms almost in unison and apologize profusely. Frick pulls out the room matrix and Frack looks over his shoulder – they start to confer. Frick shakes his head and calls the manager again. He hangs up and says “great news, you don’t need to pay for parking in the garage” – they should change the name of this place to Hotel Non Sequitur. More whispers from F and F and they finally reach a consensus. They circle our name in the matrix, draw a line across to a new room and Frack hands me the key with another apology, a confident smile and a “bonjourno”. Ed emerges from the garage and I explain the situation. He heads to the new room while I run upstairs to get my stuff from the old room and back down to give the old room key back to F and F. I enter the new room – same situation – one big bed, but separable into twin beds – except now the room and bathroom appear 50% smaller. My head drops. Ed is in the bathroom already taking a shower so I head down to attempt to get another set of sheets (again). Frack can’t believe it. “Dis is our first week on da job”, he says again. Another F and F conference and another combined analysis of the (mostly empty) room matrix. This feels like the Twilight Zone and Groundhog’s day wrapped into one. Frack grabs another room key and I start laughing at the thought of another new room. He motions for me to follow him. We go to another room on our floor and he opens the door. Two beds – “PERFECTO, I’ll grab our bags”, I said. He looks at me and says, “no, we just take’a what you need’a from here”. I almost fell over. We grab the sheets off one bed and extra towels from the bathroom, etc. We head back into the hallway and he starts running upstairs with the sheets. I ask where he is going and he says “to’a your room”. I explain our room is on the same floor. He laughs and says (all together now…) “dis is our first week on da job”. I laugh and try to take the sheets from him, motioning that I’d take care of making the new bed. Frack would have none of it. He insists on making up the new bed and we enter the room – Ed emerges from the bathroom in a towel and the “uncomfortable” meter hits red alert as there’s barely enough room for the three of us to breathe. Frack says hello to him as if they were just chatting in the lobby. I almost laugh out loud at the ridiculous scene. Frack makes the bed and I try to assist – he motions me away – when he’s finished one corner of the bed is sticking like 9 inches up in the air because he concentrated all the excess sheet into the one area – the comedy won’t end. I’m not sure he’s ever made a bed before – then again, it is his first week.
Dinner at Ristorante Fini was incredible. Top shelf food and service. I had homemade tortelloni and pork wrapped in bacon (can’t beat fat wrapped in fat).
Bed time:
From: Salsomaggiore Terme
To: Modena (via Parma and Reggio nell'Emilia)
Miles: 58.0 (1,300 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 128.5 (2,100 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Assorted from local markets
Dinner: Ristorante Fini
Accommodations: Hotel Milano
Today was the perfect touring day. We woke up at 8am and had breakfast at our hotel (apparently breakfast is included in the room rate for all Italian hotels) - it was a beautiful spread of cheese, meat and fresh pastries.
We rode east out of Salsomaggiore and headed up into the hills, choosing to take the shorter, more direct route which was much hillier and very scenic. We climbed for 10 straight miles to the castle town of Tabiano and met up with an ex-racer from Parma who was cycling home and he helped us with our direction back to the main highway (via Emilia). We did most of our climbing in and around Tabiano as the ride was mostly flat for the rest of the way. We stopped for a drink in Parma, a nice city where we will be crossing back through and staying in later in the trip. It's Sunday, so the city is pretty quiet except for a big street fair where we grab a quick bite of bread with tomatoes and basil -- pretty tasty -- the tomatoes here are great and taste "just like candy", according to Dr. Ed.
We journey east out of Parma and decide to stop in a street fair in Reggio for lunch (yes, the Reggio of Parmesan Reggiano fame). I strike up a conversation with some people selling cheese and meat and they keep breaking off cheese samples for me to try - INCREDIBLE. I was stopping there for meat so I asked for salami and they start cutting me slices to eat! They love the story of our cycling journey and give us some meat as "un regalo" -- a gift -- for our journey. Very nice people. They don't speak good English but I was still able to somehow get across the joke we were journeying to Modena for Pavarotti's funeral in Modena (which was yesterday). Dr. Ed and I grab some bread, he buys a tomato and we sit on a bench and eat, cutting pieces of bread, cheese, meat and tomato to make sandwiches. SO GOOD.
We decide to call ahead to Hotel Milano to confirm our reservation and make sure our room has two beds – they assure us we’re all set in broken English. We arrive in Modena mid afternoon and check into the hotel. I’m immediately reminded of the classic British sitcom Fawlty Towers as life imitates art (actually, the show idea originated from the Monty Python casts’ stay at a horribly run hotel in England so perhaps it’s more life imitating life).
There are two bumbling attendants behind the desk who start booking our reservation like Frick and Frack. We ask where to put our bikes and they stare at each other “dis is our first week on da job” they say. Frick decides to call the manager. I ask Frack if there is anywhere in town to watch American football. His eyes light up as he seems excited by the challenge of figuring this out – he darts out of the room to talk to the manager about it (yes, the same manager Frick is on the phone with about the parking). Frick tells us we’ll need to park our bikes in the garage for €5 each (the same price as a car) – while it seems ridiculous on principle, it’s not that much money so we agree. Frack comes back and says I can use the large TV in the common lounge to watch the game. This opens a whole new list of questions – I just decide to drop it. Needing to use the bathroom, I head up to the room as Ed secures the bicycles in the garage. I enter the room and dart to the bathroom as I’m about to burst – I see there’s only one bed but on further inspection it’s separable into two twin beds. I head downstairs to tell F and F we need another set of sheets. Upon hearing that we only had one bed they both hit their foreheads with their palms almost in unison and apologize profusely. Frick pulls out the room matrix and Frack looks over his shoulder – they start to confer. Frick shakes his head and calls the manager again. He hangs up and says “great news, you don’t need to pay for parking in the garage” – they should change the name of this place to Hotel Non Sequitur. More whispers from F and F and they finally reach a consensus. They circle our name in the matrix, draw a line across to a new room and Frack hands me the key with another apology, a confident smile and a “bonjourno”. Ed emerges from the garage and I explain the situation. He heads to the new room while I run upstairs to get my stuff from the old room and back down to give the old room key back to F and F. I enter the new room – same situation – one big bed, but separable into twin beds – except now the room and bathroom appear 50% smaller. My head drops. Ed is in the bathroom already taking a shower so I head down to attempt to get another set of sheets (again). Frack can’t believe it. “Dis is our first week on da job”, he says again. Another F and F conference and another combined analysis of the (mostly empty) room matrix. This feels like the Twilight Zone and Groundhog’s day wrapped into one. Frack grabs another room key and I start laughing at the thought of another new room. He motions for me to follow him. We go to another room on our floor and he opens the door. Two beds – “PERFECTO, I’ll grab our bags”, I said. He looks at me and says, “no, we just take’a what you need’a from here”. I almost fell over. We grab the sheets off one bed and extra towels from the bathroom, etc. We head back into the hallway and he starts running upstairs with the sheets. I ask where he is going and he says “to’a your room”. I explain our room is on the same floor. He laughs and says (all together now…) “dis is our first week on da job”. I laugh and try to take the sheets from him, motioning that I’d take care of making the new bed. Frack would have none of it. He insists on making up the new bed and we enter the room – Ed emerges from the bathroom in a towel and the “uncomfortable” meter hits red alert as there’s barely enough room for the three of us to breathe. Frack says hello to him as if they were just chatting in the lobby. I almost laugh out loud at the ridiculous scene. Frack makes the bed and I try to assist – he motions me away – when he’s finished one corner of the bed is sticking like 9 inches up in the air because he concentrated all the excess sheet into the one area – the comedy won’t end. I’m not sure he’s ever made a bed before – then again, it is his first week.
Dinner at Ristorante Fini was incredible. Top shelf food and service. I had homemade tortelloni and pork wrapped in bacon (can’t beat fat wrapped in fat).
Bed time:
Day 1: Running on Empty
Date: 9/8/07
From: Milan (Linate Airport)
To: Salsomaggiore Terme
Miles: 70.5 (800 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 70.5 (800 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Pizza @ Roadside Gas Station
Dinner: Ristorante La Porchetta
Accommodations: Hotel Casa Romagnosi
From: Milan (Linate Airport)
To: Salsomaggiore Terme
Miles: 70.5 (800 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 70.5 (800 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Pizza @ Roadside Gas Station
Dinner: Ristorante La Porchetta
Accommodations: Hotel Casa Romagnosi
Today is one of those days you mentally prepare yourself for, yet somehow it's even tougher than you could have imagined. Our flight left from JFK at 5:35pm - everything went smooth logistically - no issues with weight or bike box and the flight left on time. I took two sleeping pills in an attempt to get some shuteye on our leg to Dublin. No luck. Just felt heavy headed most of the trip and the meal seemed like a dream. May have gotten a few winks but definitely no REM cycle.
We arrive at Dublin for our 2 hour layover. We were required to go through immigration and then back through a security checkpoint. The immigration officer asked where why we were in Dublin. I tell him for a layover to Milan. "If you make it" he says. I thought it was a strange comment but when we arrived at the security line I understood what he meant. Mayhem. Luckily Dr. Ed found a "fast pass" line for us to access since we were connecting and we made it through security in less than 10 mins. The flight to Milan left a bit late but we arrived on time @ 11:50am - our luggage and bike boxes came out pretty quickly and immigration/customs were very easy. While the layover was a pain, Linate is a European-only international airport (you can't fly into Linate directly from the US - only into Malpensa), so the customs and immigration seem less demanding.
Now the race is on. We find the "left luggage" area where we are going to leave our bike cases and confirm we can leave them there. We scout out an area in the corner and begin to assemble the bikes. People are walking by, doing double takes, backing up and watching us with quizzical looks - they then move on. With little sleep and all the energy spent on traveling, my muscles are already hurting from just assembling the bike - I can't even begin to think about the ride. Somehow, despite my packing fears, my bike looks great and nothing is damaged. We get the bikes assembled, panniers packed and luggage checked in what feels like record time and hit the road at 1:30pm.
I was riding on adrenaline for the first 30 miles. While we were mainly on bigger roads, the beauty of Italy is starting to appear in patches. I also notice the cars are much friendlier to cyclists. The give you a "I'm behind you and I'm about to pass you" toot of the horn vs. flat out blowing your eardrum laying on the horn most drivers in the U.S. give you. At mile 30 the reality of 40 more miles begins to set in. I'm doubting myself but I must go on. It's painful. My legs are burning and I feel no energy yet I'm trying to pedal harder to get there faster. We are doing 19mph on the flats, which is pretty fast considering we have 35-40 extra pounds on our bike. I see we are averaging 15mph so far for the ride - again, pretty darn fast considering all the circumstances. As we are approaching mile 60 I'm not sure what to think - the town seems so close yet so far. We get directions to make a left ahead. Wait - we're starting to go uphill. This is no good. I can't even imagine climbing at this point. Well we did, for 5 miles. I could barely pedal. HELLO GRANNY. First time in the granny gear (this is the smallest ring on the crank - nicknamed the granny gear by cyclists for obvious reasons). We give up all the climbing we did in half the distance on our descent into the town. I'm blown away at how awesome Salsomaggiore is. What a sweet town. Totally worth the ride. Our hotel is very nice and we have a jacuzzi tub to boot. I take bath and we head to dinner in town. Very solid dinner - nothing to write home about (or blog about) but solid nonetheless. I need to get some shuteye. Body hurts.
A domani.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Body Depleted, Soul Refreshed
The Italy tour was a rousing success on every level. Italy is an incredible place - the scenery and food lived up to the hype and touring by bicycle is a great way to see the country. I had no bike issues (including no flats) and the logistics were incredibly smooth. In summary, over two weeks, we rode 12 days (with two rest days), covered 650 miles (the equivalent of New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina ), climbed 20,000 vertical feet (roughly 3.5 miles into the sky) and crossed four official mountain passes (passo x, Passo dei Mandrioli; Passo della Consuma; and Passo della Cisa) and numerous other "hills".
Of the twelve days of riding, three included 5,000+ feet of vertical climbing (Ravenna/Bagno di Romagna, Florence/Bagno di Romagna and La Spezia/Parma). Our longest (and toughest) ride was La Spezia/Parma (nearly 80 miles) and our shortest was Modena/Bologna (roughly 30 milies).
I've plotted our route below on this map of Italy. Since I was unable (perhaps more unwilling) to blog while I was there, I'm going to publish a post a day for the next two weeks as if I was blogging on the trip itself. Almost like a sporting event on time delay. Tune in tomorrow for day 1.
Of the twelve days of riding, three included 5,000+ feet of vertical climbing (Ravenna/Bagno di Romagna, Florence/Bagno di Romagna and La Spezia/Parma). Our longest (and toughest) ride was La Spezia/Parma (nearly 80 miles) and our shortest was Modena/Bologna (roughly 30 milies).
I've plotted our route below on this map of Italy. Since I was unable (perhaps more unwilling) to blog while I was there, I'm going to publish a post a day for the next two weeks as if I was blogging on the trip itself. Almost like a sporting event on time delay. Tune in tomorrow for day 1.
Friday, September 7, 2007
The Final Countdown
Well the bags are packed and I'm ready to roll. The Art of Packing also required some science as I'm pretty sure I'm just under the 80 lb. limit for mike bikebox and duffle bag combined - I just need to hope my home scale is correct!
The biggest "risk" in my packing is my barbag, which I'm carrying on as my "personal item" or self-proclaimed manpurse since my backpack is my dedicated carryon. The barbag is just about the same size as a purse but it's EXTREMELY heavy as it has books and other dense materials. If the security screeners balk at my barbag, my whole packing plan gets foiled. It will require me to pack extra items in my duffle bag which will then be overweight and subject to ridiculous overrage charges. I don't even want to contemplate this scenario.
This is my last blog before the trip as my flight leaves at 5:40pm tonight -- after a layover in Dublin, we'll arrive in Milan Linate Airport just before 11AM and will hopefully be on the road by 12:00-12:30pm. I'll try to blog while I'm there.
Ciao.
The biggest "risk" in my packing is my barbag, which I'm carrying on as my "personal item" or self-proclaimed manpurse since my backpack is my dedicated carryon. The barbag is just about the same size as a purse but it's EXTREMELY heavy as it has books and other dense materials. If the security screeners balk at my barbag, my whole packing plan gets foiled. It will require me to pack extra items in my duffle bag which will then be overweight and subject to ridiculous overrage charges. I don't even want to contemplate this scenario.
This is my last blog before the trip as my flight leaves at 5:40pm tonight -- after a layover in Dublin, we'll arrive in Milan Linate Airport just before 11AM and will hopefully be on the road by 12:00-12:30pm. I'll try to blog while I'm there.
Ciao.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
The Art of Packing
Well the bike is packed. Just writing those words is a relief. It was one of those experiences that tests your patience, many times over. Suffice it to say, I had many swings of emotions trying to get it done. I used a Trico Iron Case, which has a great reputation and I think in the end will likely stand up to it.
Basically, the case works like a club sandwich. There are three foam pieces, which are essentially the bread, the frame is the meat and the wheels are the lettuce. In order to make the sandwich fit, I needed to remove the wheels, handlebars and seat/seapost. (I also needed to remove the rack.) Afert I layed the first piece of foam inside the bottom half of the case, I was perplexed how the bike and tires were going to fit considering just the frame itself was alread sticking out a few inches higher than the bottom half of the bike box. I then put on another piece of foam, followed by the wheels, which overlapped each other a bit. Now the top piece of foam and then the top of the bike case. Wow, the thing was like 6 inches from being able to close. What to do? I put gentle pressure on the case until it compressed a bit. Then I clipped the straps loosely and began to tighten them as the foam compressed. Despite my reservations, the case actually closed nice and snug. Whether there is any damage to the bike or spokes is a seperate issue!
I have a major packing dilema as you can only pack 80 total lbs for checked luggage and my bike and bike case alone weigh 60 lbs. That leaves 20 lbs for everything else. Nearly impossible. BUUUUUT, I plan to carryon a backpack (which allows me an extra 13 lbs) and will use my barbag as a personal item (aka manpurse!). I should be able to get everything under weight using this methodology.
I have a checklist of items I need to bring below. In order to be fully organized and sufficiently anal, I also listed next to the item where it would be packed and where it would be stored during touring. Basically, anything I don't need while touring (my backpack, etc...), will be left in the bikebox (which is being stored at Linate Airport for the two weeks we tour).
T minus two days...can't wait.
Item/Packing/Touring
Panniers/Duffle Bag/Bike
Duffle Bag/Duffle Bag/Bikebox
Bike Rack/Duffle Bag/Bike
iPod/Backpack/Barbag
iPod Cable Charger/Backpack/Barbag
Camera/Backpack/Barbag
Camera Charger/Backpack/Barbag
Alien Bike Tool/Bikebox/Barbag
Lifu Tool/Bikebox/Barbag
Pump/Bikebox/Bike
Water Bottles/Bikebox/Bike
Helmet/Duffle Bag/Bike
Gloves/Duffle Bag/Bike
Glasses/Barbag/Bike
Mirror/Barbag/Bike
Tubes/Barbag/Pannier - Right
Tire/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Right
Grease/Bikebox/Pannier - Right
Spokes/Bikebox/Pannier - Right
Pedals/Bikebox/Bike
Xtra pedal platforms/Bikebox/Pannier - Right
Xtra cleat screws/Bikebox/Barbag
Lube/Bikebox/Pannier - Right
Italy Tour Book/Barbag/Barbag
Italian Convo Book/Barbag/Barbag
Touring Book/Barbag/Barbag
Barbag/Backpack/Bike
Travel Pillow/Backpack/Bikebox
Int'l Power Adapter/Barbag/Barbag
Touring Journal/Barbag/Barbag
Riding Shoes/Duffle Bag/Bike
Cycling Shorts and Shirts/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Right
Flip Flops/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Left
Cargo Pants/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Left
Wool socks/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Left
Merino Tee/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Left
Merino Polo/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Left
Shorts/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Left
Underwear/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Left
Icebreaker Longsleeve/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Left
Showers Pass Jacket/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Right
Basically, the case works like a club sandwich. There are three foam pieces, which are essentially the bread, the frame is the meat and the wheels are the lettuce. In order to make the sandwich fit, I needed to remove the wheels, handlebars and seat/seapost. (I also needed to remove the rack.) Afert I layed the first piece of foam inside the bottom half of the case, I was perplexed how the bike and tires were going to fit considering just the frame itself was alread sticking out a few inches higher than the bottom half of the bike box. I then put on another piece of foam, followed by the wheels, which overlapped each other a bit. Now the top piece of foam and then the top of the bike case. Wow, the thing was like 6 inches from being able to close. What to do? I put gentle pressure on the case until it compressed a bit. Then I clipped the straps loosely and began to tighten them as the foam compressed. Despite my reservations, the case actually closed nice and snug. Whether there is any damage to the bike or spokes is a seperate issue!
I have a major packing dilema as you can only pack 80 total lbs for checked luggage and my bike and bike case alone weigh 60 lbs. That leaves 20 lbs for everything else. Nearly impossible. BUUUUUT, I plan to carryon a backpack (which allows me an extra 13 lbs) and will use my barbag as a personal item (aka manpurse!). I should be able to get everything under weight using this methodology.
I have a checklist of items I need to bring below. In order to be fully organized and sufficiently anal, I also listed next to the item where it would be packed and where it would be stored during touring. Basically, anything I don't need while touring (my backpack, etc...), will be left in the bikebox (which is being stored at Linate Airport for the two weeks we tour).
T minus two days...can't wait.
Item/Packing/Touring
Panniers/Duffle Bag/Bike
Duffle Bag/Duffle Bag/Bikebox
Bike Rack/Duffle Bag/Bike
iPod/Backpack/Barbag
iPod Cable Charger/Backpack/Barbag
Camera/Backpack/Barbag
Camera Charger/Backpack/Barbag
Alien Bike Tool/Bikebox/Barbag
Lifu Tool/Bikebox/Barbag
Pump/Bikebox/Bike
Water Bottles/Bikebox/Bike
Helmet/Duffle Bag/Bike
Gloves/Duffle Bag/Bike
Glasses/Barbag/Bike
Mirror/Barbag/Bike
Tubes/Barbag/Pannier - Right
Tire/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Right
Grease/Bikebox/Pannier - Right
Spokes/Bikebox/Pannier - Right
Pedals/Bikebox/Bike
Xtra pedal platforms/Bikebox/Pannier - Right
Xtra cleat screws/Bikebox/Barbag
Lube/Bikebox/Pannier - Right
Italy Tour Book/Barbag/Barbag
Italian Convo Book/Barbag/Barbag
Touring Book/Barbag/Barbag
Barbag/Backpack/Bike
Travel Pillow/Backpack/Bikebox
Int'l Power Adapter/Barbag/Barbag
Touring Journal/Barbag/Barbag
Riding Shoes/Duffle Bag/Bike
Cycling Shorts and Shirts/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Right
Flip Flops/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Left
Cargo Pants/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Left
Wool socks/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Left
Merino Tee/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Left
Merino Polo/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Left
Shorts/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Left
Underwear/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Left
Icebreaker Longsleeve/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Left
Showers Pass Jacket/Duffle Bag/Pannier - Right
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Weight a Minute...
I did my final prep ride on Saturday with my touring bike pretty much set to spec. The offset of the new post I ordered is perfect and now my Brooks saddle is rearing to go. I even put on my barbag - the only thing that was missing was my rear panniers.
This was a memorable ride in a few ways. First off, the leader was riding a recumbent, and while he is a super nice guy, I'll never ride with a recumbent again. First off, they just look bizarre and you look bizarre by association. Second, they just can't keep a nice pace. It's like following a jackrabbit who with no sense of direction.
The biggest revelation of the ride though was the concept of weight. Wow, now I know why touring types always try to lighten up their load and say there's never a low enough gear. Even with just the 8 or so extra pounds of my barbag I found hills to be super painful. I can't even imagine how the "hills" in Italy are going to feel with 25 lbs added to the bike.
Well, it's off to pack the bike. I'm kind of dreading it to be honest. Feels like it's going to be an ordeal but I guess it's all just a part of the process.
This was a memorable ride in a few ways. First off, the leader was riding a recumbent, and while he is a super nice guy, I'll never ride with a recumbent again. First off, they just look bizarre and you look bizarre by association. Second, they just can't keep a nice pace. It's like following a jackrabbit who with no sense of direction.
The biggest revelation of the ride though was the concept of weight. Wow, now I know why touring types always try to lighten up their load and say there's never a low enough gear. Even with just the 8 or so extra pounds of my barbag I found hills to be super painful. I can't even imagine how the "hills" in Italy are going to feel with 25 lbs added to the bike.
Well, it's off to pack the bike. I'm kind of dreading it to be honest. Feels like it's going to be an ordeal but I guess it's all just a part of the process.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Crunch Time
Got the Ortlieb panniers and Tubus rack today. Man, both items are super high quality. I was pretty sold on the Tubus rack as I've read time and time again how strong the rack is. My touring partner was saying that the rack which came on the Trek 520 would be sufficient but now after putting the Tubus Cargo rack on my bike, I see the deficiencies of the stock rack on the 520. The Tubus rack is built like a tank and feels like it's almost welded on the bike with all its attachement points. I almost feel as if the bike would break before the rack would. This is clearly the feeling you want while you are touring and this was $100 well spent.
As for the Ortlieb panniers, people have a weird love/hate relationship with them and it comes down to two issues mainly: 1) pockets; and 2) waterproofing. The Ortlieb panniers are designed like sacks with only one compartment that can only be accessed from the top and they have limited pockets. Some people don't like this setup as it makes it difficult to access things on tour. Additionally the bags are waterproof, which sounds great at first blush but some people complain they can get musty as a result. I guess I won't know how I shake out on the issues until I complete my first tour but let me say that my first impression is that I made the right choice in getting these panniers - they actually do have a few more pockets than I anticipated. They are such high quality and have that "it" look to them.
My seatpost with the additional offset is due to arrive today. I hope it gives me what I am looking for. I also ordered some new tires and tubes today and they should be arriving next week. It's getting to crunch time as I leave for Italy next Friday. I think it makes sense to compose a "checklist" of things I need to bring. I'm going to work on one this weekend and will try to post it.
As for the Ortlieb panniers, people have a weird love/hate relationship with them and it comes down to two issues mainly: 1) pockets; and 2) waterproofing. The Ortlieb panniers are designed like sacks with only one compartment that can only be accessed from the top and they have limited pockets. Some people don't like this setup as it makes it difficult to access things on tour. Additionally the bags are waterproof, which sounds great at first blush but some people complain they can get musty as a result. I guess I won't know how I shake out on the issues until I complete my first tour but let me say that my first impression is that I made the right choice in getting these panniers - they actually do have a few more pockets than I anticipated. They are such high quality and have that "it" look to them.
My seatpost with the additional offset is due to arrive today. I hope it gives me what I am looking for. I also ordered some new tires and tubes today and they should be arriving next week. It's getting to crunch time as I leave for Italy next Friday. I think it makes sense to compose a "checklist" of things I need to bring. I'm going to work on one this weekend and will try to post it.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Def Cycling Jam
I typically try to get one long weekday ride in on Tuesday -- 30 to 45 miles depending on how much time I have and how I feel. Motivation is always an issue so it's much easier when you have a riding partner. Unfortunately I can only get one 25% of the time for my long Tuesday rides. If not, I usually ride with an iPod, which is dangerous but also fun to glide along to the music.
Yesterday I was supposed to have someone join me but they bailed last minute. I was a little pissed just bc now I was finding it hard to motivate so I decided to get some new music on the way home and stopped off at Virgin Megastore. A few guys in my office went to a Def Leppard concert last week and have been talking the band up...so I've had this urge to grab the greatest hits album. I took the plunge. Vault: Def Leppard's Greatest Hits
The album started well but it began to drag after song two (Photograph). Not great cycling music and with apologies to Russell Simmons, felt a lot like Def Comedy Jam from the 90s - a lot of hype and not much substance. It got me thinking about what my favorite music for cycling is. I know most hard core roadies would consider this question blasphemous since riding with headphones is frowned upon, but I'm working on a list and I'll post one at a later date. Let me know your favorites in the interim.
Yesterday I was supposed to have someone join me but they bailed last minute. I was a little pissed just bc now I was finding it hard to motivate so I decided to get some new music on the way home and stopped off at Virgin Megastore. A few guys in my office went to a Def Leppard concert last week and have been talking the band up...so I've had this urge to grab the greatest hits album. I took the plunge. Vault: Def Leppard's Greatest Hits
The album started well but it began to drag after song two (Photograph). Not great cycling music and with apologies to Russell Simmons, felt a lot like Def Comedy Jam from the 90s - a lot of hype and not much substance. It got me thinking about what my favorite music for cycling is. I know most hard core roadies would consider this question blasphemous since riding with headphones is frowned upon, but I'm working on a list and I'll post one at a later date. Let me know your favorites in the interim.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
A Setback
No, not the hammy. My seatpost.
My touring gear is slowly arriving. Just got my Brooks B17 Champion Special in Honey Brown with Copper Rails. Wow, what a beauty. Total classic:
Only problem is there's limited setback on the Brooks saddles. When I hopped on my bike after mounting the seat I got flashbacks to my first touring bike which was too small and I ended up returning. I was so dying to own the bike, in a state of delusion, I found myself pushing so far back on my saddle that my hammys were on the sitbone area. I digress. The bigger problem is that my existing seatpost actually has some reasonable offset to it (20mm) and finding more offset appears difficult. While not entirely unrideable, the cockpit definitely feels a bit tight so I want some flexibility. I ordered this seatpost from Wallbike in the hopes I get some relief:
The clamp on this seatpost starts at the rear of the post, whereas the clamp on my existing seatpost starts in the middle of the post. My seatpost is diameter is 27.2mm, so if I gain 1/2 of this or the radius, I should get roughly 13mm of clearance. That's actually pretty solid. I hope it works out this way.
My Ortlieb panniers and Tubus Cargo rear rack should be arriving in the next few days. I'll update as appropriate.
My touring gear is slowly arriving. Just got my Brooks B17 Champion Special in Honey Brown with Copper Rails. Wow, what a beauty. Total classic:
Only problem is there's limited setback on the Brooks saddles. When I hopped on my bike after mounting the seat I got flashbacks to my first touring bike which was too small and I ended up returning. I was so dying to own the bike, in a state of delusion, I found myself pushing so far back on my saddle that my hammys were on the sitbone area. I digress. The bigger problem is that my existing seatpost actually has some reasonable offset to it (20mm) and finding more offset appears difficult. While not entirely unrideable, the cockpit definitely feels a bit tight so I want some flexibility. I ordered this seatpost from Wallbike in the hopes I get some relief:
The clamp on this seatpost starts at the rear of the post, whereas the clamp on my existing seatpost starts in the middle of the post. My seatpost is diameter is 27.2mm, so if I gain 1/2 of this or the radius, I should get roughly 13mm of clearance. That's actually pretty solid. I hope it works out this way.
My Ortlieb panniers and Tubus Cargo rear rack should be arriving in the next few days. I'll update as appropriate.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Hamstrung...
Man, the past month on the bike has been excruciating. I've been nursing an injured hamstring that just wouldn't get better - as most cyclists know, once something like this gets in your head it can be a real impediment to enjoying your ride and it can in fact consume your very existence. The background on it is almost mindnumbing (for the reader!) but I'll give a quick synopsis. I changed from Keo Look to Speedplays X2 pedals roughly two months ago. About the same time the nose of my saddle broke and for some inexplicable reason, I continued to ride on it for a month. The broken nose caused me to sag in the saddle and put more pressure on my thighs relative to my hamstrings. Someone in my ride group pointed out the fact I was bouncing in the saddle and they practically laughed at me in disbelief that I was riding with a broken saddle.
Once I got my new saddle, all the problems started because I got repositioned higher and my hamstrings weren't ready for the stress. Additionally, because the Speedplay pedals/cleats have less "thickness" than the Keos there was even more stretch than I was used to. I spent the past month slightly lowering the seapost (like milimeters!) in denial. I'd ride slower and even take some time off to let the hammy heal. I'd even try to stretch it and still no improvement. So frustrating. Finally I figured two things out. It was actually my hip/butt that was getting stretched and my hammy was compensating. So stretching my hip would actually loosen my hammy. More importantly, I lowered my seatpost more meaningfully and shifted my cleats forward a bit to reduced the stretch in my stroke.
I finally did a ride on Saturday where my hammy didn't give out first and I was able to enjoy the full body buzz of a long ride. Wow, did I miss it. I'm also relieved to be able to figure things out with the Italy tour just around the corner - this was weighing on my mind as well.
I definitely took one funny little lesson/observation from this whole episode. While I knew it probably made the most sense to lower my seatpost, I was reluctant to in any significant way until I was able to rationalize that the pedal thicknesses were different. Amazing how stubborn we can be as riders and in life.
Ciao.
Once I got my new saddle, all the problems started because I got repositioned higher and my hamstrings weren't ready for the stress. Additionally, because the Speedplay pedals/cleats have less "thickness" than the Keos there was even more stretch than I was used to. I spent the past month slightly lowering the seapost (like milimeters!) in denial. I'd ride slower and even take some time off to let the hammy heal. I'd even try to stretch it and still no improvement. So frustrating. Finally I figured two things out. It was actually my hip/butt that was getting stretched and my hammy was compensating. So stretching my hip would actually loosen my hammy. More importantly, I lowered my seatpost more meaningfully and shifted my cleats forward a bit to reduced the stretch in my stroke.
I finally did a ride on Saturday where my hammy didn't give out first and I was able to enjoy the full body buzz of a long ride. Wow, did I miss it. I'm also relieved to be able to figure things out with the Italy tour just around the corner - this was weighing on my mind as well.
I definitely took one funny little lesson/observation from this whole episode. While I knew it probably made the most sense to lower my seatpost, I was reluctant to in any significant way until I was able to rationalize that the pedal thicknesses were different. Amazing how stubborn we can be as riders and in life.
Ciao.
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