Who's going to Gaiole? / getting in the mood
09-22-15, 03:08 PM
#26
Shifting is fun!
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Instructional video for those driving their macchinas to Italy through the Alps. Don't forget to blip the throttle on the down shifts!
09-22-15, 03:08 PM
#27
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One day I'd love to do this in my '81 Gazelle.
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1 Super Record bike, 1 Nuovo Record bike, 1 Pista, 1 Road, 1 Cyclocross/Allrounder, 1 MTB, 1 Touring, 1 Fixed gear
1 Super Record bike, 1 Nuovo Record bike, 1 Pista, 1 Road, 1 Cyclocross/Allrounder, 1 MTB, 1 Touring, 1 Fixed gear
09-22-15, 03:25 PM
#28
Shifting is fun!
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Good choice! Three of the four bikes I'm bringing with me this time have Reynolds 531 frame sets from Gazelle's racing department.
09-28-15, 10:42 AM
#29
Shifting is fun!
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Update. Mrs non-fixie and I arrived in Italy on Friday for some pre-Eroica training/touring.
The car loaded with steel:
The strade bianchi are still here. And just as rough and steep as I remembered them.
However, when you do reach the top of a hill, it's worth it. Every time.
The car loaded with steel:
The strade bianchi are still here. And just as rough and steep as I remembered them.
However, when you do reach the top of a hill, it's worth it. Every time.
10-02-15, 08:14 AM
#30
Shifting is fun!
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We arrived in Gaiole today and got our 'race' numbers. A nice suprise: there is a goody tin for all all participants:
10-02-15, 08:19 AM
#31
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There are some bikes for sale here. Most are old junk though (
):
):
10-02-15, 08:28 AM
#32
Shifting is fun!
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The Bianchi 'l'Eroica' is getting a lot of positive attention. Good to see, after all the flak it received. It does look really nice. An A for effort, as far as I'm concerned.
10-03-15, 02:06 PM
#33
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Here's to @3speedslow and @MiloFrance and all the others that should have been here but couldn't. Cheers from @davester and yours truly!
10-03-15, 02:13 PM
#34
Shifting is fun!
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Everyone's ready for tomorrow, including the assistenza:
10-03-15, 02:33 PM
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10-03-15, 02:38 PM
#36
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Hoping for good weather for you guys tomorrow. We're in the Langhe region around Alba and it's just pounding down here...
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Hard at work in the Secret Underground Laboratory...
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10-03-15, 02:43 PM
#37
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10-03-15, 02:55 PM
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Have a great day folks, Bob and I will be there in spirit!
10-03-15, 03:17 PM
#39
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great choices on the steeds for tomorrow's ride. Best of the best of luck with the journey !
I truly appreciate the toast !
PS... The bike forth from the left, how much he want for it ? Uewww, wooden handle grips !
I truly appreciate the toast !
PS... The bike forth from the left, how much he want for it ? Uewww, wooden handle grips !
10-03-15, 05:14 PM
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Judging by google time, it's after 1 AM in Gaiole. In just a few hours a few thousand wool-clad enthusiasts will be strapping into their carefully prepared steel machines and pedaling into town for the start registration stamp.
I just checked and saw rain in the forecast...bonne chance mes amis! I really wish I was there with you!
I just checked and saw rain in the forecast...bonne chance mes amis! I really wish I was there with you!
10-04-15, 10:51 AM
#41
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Bob broke the seat bolt on his Redolfi this morning so was on something modern, but in full Molteni strip. My NOS Rivat shoes have lost the 'N', and were actually very good. Hope you've all stayed dry!
GIMP kept crashing so I used an online editor, looked fine when I uploaded it the first time!
GIMP kept crashing so I used an online editor, looked fine when I uploaded it the first time!
Last edited by MiloFrance; 10-04-15 at 11:27 AM. Reason: Not Australian. Even after the Rugby
10-04-15, 10:56 AM
#42
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10-04-15, 11:55 AM
#43
Shifting is fun!
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Well, we didn't stay dry - not by a long way - but it was a great day. The mud only added to the fun. 
I'll get some pics up later, when I've got access to more than a phone.
I'll get some pics up later, when I've got access to more than a phone.
10-04-15, 11:56 AM
#44
Shifting is fun!
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BTW, nice outfit, Milo!
10-05-15, 01:47 PM
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Quite an experience and not what I expected.
Much more a test of fortitude than a vintage bicycle celebration. Nothing like the contemplative cruise through a beautiful countryside I had anticipated. Rain, mud, untold hours of washboard hammering, grinding ascents, squeeze and pray loose muddy descents, this ride (the 208k) was punishing and a lot of beautiful bikes took an awful beating during it. As for scenery, forget it. Truthfully 1/2 the time you are focused on your front wheel trying to find a tolerable path through teeth rattling washboard, the other 1/2 either with nose to your stem grinding up endless steep stuff or plummeting down wet roads focused only on your line and speed.
But, oh, what incredible cycling. Flying through the dark hanging onto the wheels of better men, shutting out pain on climb after climb, passing through age and fear to breathe exhilaration and youth on paved descents. And great moments. Watching a powerful young rider grab the saddle of his elderly father and assist him up kilometers of steep gravel. Befriending a tireless Italian paratrooper on a broken squeaking Colnago (42x15 was his lowest available gear plus he flatted twice and lost his water bottle) with likely more determination, heart, and legs than anyone else in the ride, the first light below Siena, the low slung rainbow hugging the hills north of Asciano, drinking a post-ride beer while caked in mud and totally exhausted amongst the chaos of Gaiole.
Life is made better by doing things that are hard. This ride is hard. Tuscany is gorgeous and offers truly wonderful cycling on quiet winding roads through hills of breath-taking beauty. Plan your trip to do that before L'Eroica. L'Eroica is something different, something about you more than your bike and about a connection to others past and present. Respect it and it will reward you.
Much more a test of fortitude than a vintage bicycle celebration. Nothing like the contemplative cruise through a beautiful countryside I had anticipated. Rain, mud, untold hours of washboard hammering, grinding ascents, squeeze and pray loose muddy descents, this ride (the 208k) was punishing and a lot of beautiful bikes took an awful beating during it. As for scenery, forget it. Truthfully 1/2 the time you are focused on your front wheel trying to find a tolerable path through teeth rattling washboard, the other 1/2 either with nose to your stem grinding up endless steep stuff or plummeting down wet roads focused only on your line and speed.
But, oh, what incredible cycling. Flying through the dark hanging onto the wheels of better men, shutting out pain on climb after climb, passing through age and fear to breathe exhilaration and youth on paved descents. And great moments. Watching a powerful young rider grab the saddle of his elderly father and assist him up kilometers of steep gravel. Befriending a tireless Italian paratrooper on a broken squeaking Colnago (42x15 was his lowest available gear plus he flatted twice and lost his water bottle) with likely more determination, heart, and legs than anyone else in the ride, the first light below Siena, the low slung rainbow hugging the hills north of Asciano, drinking a post-ride beer while caked in mud and totally exhausted amongst the chaos of Gaiole.
Life is made better by doing things that are hard. This ride is hard. Tuscany is gorgeous and offers truly wonderful cycling on quiet winding roads through hills of breath-taking beauty. Plan your trip to do that before L'Eroica. L'Eroica is something different, something about you more than your bike and about a connection to others past and present. Respect it and it will reward you.
10-05-15, 02:08 PM
#46
Shifting is fun!
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Quite an experience and not what I expected.
Much more a test of fortitude than a vintage bicycle celebration. Nothing like the contemplative cruise through a beautiful countryside I had anticipated. Rain, mud, untold hours of washboard hammering, grinding ascents, squeeze and pray loose muddy descents, this ride (the 208k) was punishing and a lot of beautiful bikes took an awful beating during it. As for scenery, forget it. Truthfully 1/2 the time you are focused on your front wheel trying to find a tolerable path through teeth rattling washboard, the other 1/2 either with nose to your stem grinding up endless steep stuff or plummeting down wet roads focused only on your line and speed.
But, oh, what incredible cycling. Flying through the dark hanging onto the wheels of better men, shutting out pain on climb after climb, passing through age and fear to breathe exhilaration and youth on paved descents. And great moments. Watching a powerful young rider grab the saddle of his elderly father and assist him up kilometers of steep gravel. Befriending a tireless Italian paratrooper on a broken squeaking Colnago (42x15 was his lowest available gear plus he flatted twice and lost his water bottle) with likely more determination, heart, and legs than anyone else in the ride, the first light below Siena, the low slung rainbow hugging the hills north of Asciano, drinking a post-ride beer while caked in mud and totally exhausted amongst the chaos of Gaiole.
Life is made better by doing things that are hard. This ride is hard. Tuscany is gorgeous and offers truly wonderful cycling on quiet winding roads through hills of breath-taking beauty. Plan your trip to do that before L'Eroica. L'Eroica is something different, something about you more than your bike and about a connection to others past and present. Respect it and it will reward you.
Much more a test of fortitude than a vintage bicycle celebration. Nothing like the contemplative cruise through a beautiful countryside I had anticipated. Rain, mud, untold hours of washboard hammering, grinding ascents, squeeze and pray loose muddy descents, this ride (the 208k) was punishing and a lot of beautiful bikes took an awful beating during it. As for scenery, forget it. Truthfully 1/2 the time you are focused on your front wheel trying to find a tolerable path through teeth rattling washboard, the other 1/2 either with nose to your stem grinding up endless steep stuff or plummeting down wet roads focused only on your line and speed.
But, oh, what incredible cycling. Flying through the dark hanging onto the wheels of better men, shutting out pain on climb after climb, passing through age and fear to breathe exhilaration and youth on paved descents. And great moments. Watching a powerful young rider grab the saddle of his elderly father and assist him up kilometers of steep gravel. Befriending a tireless Italian paratrooper on a broken squeaking Colnago (42x15 was his lowest available gear plus he flatted twice and lost his water bottle) with likely more determination, heart, and legs than anyone else in the ride, the first light below Siena, the low slung rainbow hugging the hills north of Asciano, drinking a post-ride beer while caked in mud and totally exhausted amongst the chaos of Gaiole.
Life is made better by doing things that are hard. This ride is hard. Tuscany is gorgeous and offers truly wonderful cycling on quiet winding roads through hills of breath-taking beauty. Plan your trip to do that before L'Eroica. L'Eroica is something different, something about you more than your bike and about a connection to others past and present. Respect it and it will reward you.
10-05-15, 11:01 PM
#47
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+1, very succinct and poetic @Numbskull , and informative to those of us not there! Get those pics up! (please...)
10-06-15, 01:11 AM
#48
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+1, very succinct and poetic @Numbskull , and informative to those of us not there! Get those pics up! (please...)
*though I disagree about the scenery. I spent quite a bit of time marveling at the exquisite beauty of the Tuscan countryside, even as it was doling out torture. Perhaps this was because I rode a "mere" 135 km.
Last edited by davester; 10-06-15 at 01:45 AM.
10-08-15, 05:56 AM
#49
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I'll put up a report a bit later, or maybe not. I am still trying to recover from the event. I have done some pretty out there racing in my time, but I have never been wrecked by a one day event like I was last Sunday. All I can say is this. 209km (Actually 214km with the additions), 9:20 total time, and I cried at the finish.
10-08-15, 06:24 AM
#50
Shifting is fun!
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