Originally Posted by
Peter Treadway
I've recently found out that I've won an entry to L'Eroica Italia this October, along with one night's accommodation the night before the ride, in a town 30km outside of Gaiole.
Now that's what I call a prize.
Congratulations!
Originally Posted by
merziac
Paging @non-fixie
The forum's mention function is still a bit iffy. Didn't get a notification, but the thread title worked well enough.
A lot of useful information has already been provided above, so just a few additional comments from my experience.
Accommodation
If you're staying a bit further from Gaiole, driving into town before the ride is certainly an option. Unless the weather is really wet ample parking space is provided in the meadows along the Via Vertine. Another possibility is to park the car a few miles from Gaiole, somewhere along the SP408 (an easy ride in and out of town), and ride the last bit. I'll probably be doing one or the other, as I'm staying in Castellina this year, about 25k from Gaiole.
Ride distance
If you haven't done this or a similar ride before, be aware that it is not an easy ride, even in good weather. And a rental bike with a 42 x 28 lowest gear (at best) on skinny tubulars is not going to help much either. When I first participated I made a last-minute decision to switch from 135 to 75k and I was
really glad I did. The
bellezza of the
fatica only goes so far. YMMV.
Race pack
Your race numbers and road book come in an envelope, but the other goodies are provided in a very nice but rather large and heavy metal box. You'll definitely want to pick this up the day before, as well as make sure you have a bag to put it into if you're going to have to walk or ride with it. There may or may not be a suitable bag in the box.
