pullup

5000??

That will be madness on those little roads and I agree that a few hundred will be more than enough

A pity hought i would be smaller than the retroronde

non-fixie 

One thing the L'Eroica organization does well, at least in Gaiole, is spread out all those participants in time and space in such a way that the event feels smaller than it is. On the road and at the stops it doesn't feel much more crowded than the Retroronde.

Elev12k

Dito.

paulkal

Thanks, did not know there is going to be one here in Holland, registered for the email.
but I think that my wife already has something planned the 3rr of July.

Hajo

I have to admit, I have never participated in L'Eroica, but i am afraid I will never do so, it is a far too big event for my standards. I prefer the smaller events myself, although at L'Eroica there will be more and interesting bikes to see there than at a smaller local event. But even putting in "L'Eroica" at for example Ebay will get you more hits than you might like ... it might be the standard for retro-rides for some, but in my honest opinion it is too much. But I wish everybody that will participate a lot of joy, I have no doubt that it will be perfectly organized, even with some many participants, and I will take a sneak peak at the pictures that will be made there, I can still enjoy that.

non-fixie 

Some difficult decisions to be made in the paulkal household, I see.

non-fixie 

I'm not sure what you're looking for, but I find these larger events, like L'Eroica and the Retroronde, more relaxed than small rides. They provide a better opportunity to ride at your own pace, with your own friends or group.

non-fixie 

And we're off! Registration for the event is now open.

The press conference:

big chainring 

What's interesting to me is if you have to MAKE your bike conform, or buy or build a bike that confirms to the rules, why are you going?

non-fixie 

Some of these events, like L'Eroica and the Retroronde, have so much to offer besides old men on old bikes that they attract people who are not into old bikes per se. Like my wife. She loves the friendly nerds that make up the crowd, the food, the crit races, the oufits, the drooling over rusty bits at the market.

The first time she just came along to do me a favor, but decided that for the full experience she needed to ride as well. And she understood that her favorite butterfly bars and MTB brifters were out of the question. So I got to build her a suitable bike.

USAZorro

I'm waiting for Eroica Finger Lakes (I imagine it would be a great location for a late September event, but the powers that be haven't made it come to pass yet).

gomango

Yes, that's the ticket.

We are very interested in this event down the road.

We have spent zero time in this region and it's about time.

Keep the info coming please.

Italuminium

Been off the vintage bike grid for a while... Have no plans to go yet, and no bike to go with, since I sold all my downtube shifted stuff - actually, most of my stuff - and just kept my SOMEC.

non-fixie 

Good to see you're still alive. Should you change your mind, I could probably rustle up something in your size for the event.

non-fixie 

Just prepared our bikes for our trip down to Valkenburg tomorrow (put a little air in the tires). The weather forecast for the weekend is not particularly good (showers), but we'll make do. The latest news is that Erik Zabel will be joining Jan Janssen, Johan Museeuw, Adrie van der Poel and the rest of us.

Who else is going?

Vieux chnoque

I will go if the weather isn't too awful, first attempt to ride disguised as a period rider, lets see how much fun it is maybe next year Italy.

non-fixie 

Just checked the weather forecast again, and Sunday doesn't look too bad:

non-fixie 

Mrs non-fixie and I just got back, and before I get into the finer details, and for all you TL;DR types: we had a great weekend in Valkenburg, and we've experienced an excellent first edition of Eroica Limburg!

Right, now we've got that out of the way, here's the report.

We arrived early Saturday afternoon and the first thing we noticed as we walked into town were these new-yet-vintage-looking NSU bikes:



After lunch we went to the venue, just as the festival area opened and things were still pretty quiet:



The way it was set up was rather promising, though. Around the central music tent were these classic fairground attractions:







My all-time favorite, the shooting gallery:



The tradesmen were opening their booths and one of them had this pair for sale. Mrs non-fixie was rather taken with the Securitas, whereas I wished the Hosteller was my size:



Bianchi and Brooks were also well-represented of course:



Brooks had this 'chair' in its tent:

non-fixie 

Anyway, soon the other participants started rolling in, and with them came some very nice bikes, like this Merosa:



And a band showed up. These guys are awesome:



More bikes:







Very nicely done, this lightly modernized Vittorio Strada:



Slightly out of focus, so I'll read the price tag of this Rigi bici corta to you: €6,999:



But the lavatories were free, and nicely decorated:

non-fixie 

Lining up for the start of the 60k tour on Sunday morning. From left to right: Adrie van der Poel (with safety levers?), Leo van Vliet (just like we remember him from his glorious Raleigh days), Jan Janssen (still looking very sharp at 76 in his 1968 yellow), Erik Zabel (without green jersey, but on a Gazelle), Giancarlo Brocci and Luciano Berutti.



The first kilometer went through the local marlstone caves:



After that it was the Cauberg climb, which was he biggest stretch of tarmac we would see all day. Most of the ride was on unpaved roads, some of which were fairly easy:



Others were less easy, not in the least because of the torrential rains that had passed the weeks before:



Which meant that most bikes looked like this at the lunch stop:



Ours did as well:



Q: how many Eroica rides can one do?
A: that depends on your frame size:



Lunch was in Belgium and was very nice: freshly-squeezed orange juice, a delicious asparagus soup and meat and cheese sandwiches.



Music was provided for by an impromptu band. 'Marina' was their favorite song:




A certain someone couldn't resist a pic with the lead singer:

non-fixie 

Another Eroica classic: the steep hill right after lunch:



Who needs Tuscany if you've got this?









More music along the way: Viva Las Vegas!

non-fixie 

Finally, around 16:00 we arrived at the finish in Valkenburg, to take possession of our medals. Not only pretty, but useful too :



Back in the festival area the atmosphere was one of contentment and satisfaction: the ride had been pretty tough and everyone was tired and some were scratched and bruised, but everyone seemed to have made it back in one piece. I spoke to several participants, and the general consensus was that this first edition of Eroica Limburg certainly was a success. We'll be back next year!

Now I just need to clean those bikes again ...

poprad

Great pics NF, thanks for sharing your ride in this inaugural event!

northbend 

Cool medals NF! Looks like a great time was had by all. Thanks for posting your report

Stevensb 

Yet another great ride report. Thanks @nonfixie.

Brad