Italy for Me this Year
 

First week of July, I'll be riding in Italy along the Adriatic coast from the town of Rimini. It's kind of a one-week cycling boot camp/dude ranch.

Here's the Week Overview

Here's one of the rides that I hope to tackle if I'm in good enough shape. It is one of the late Marco Pantani's favorite training rides.
After Rimini we're going up to the town of Bormio, where I hope to ride up either the Gavia or Stelvio. You can do either pass from Bormio. Passo Gavia is where Andy Hampsten took the lead in the Giro in the snow in 1988. I hope there won't be snow in July. :) If the weather isn't good or I'm feeling tired, I'll just do an easier ride in the area.

I can't find the really cool Gavia cycling video I was looking for... maybe later though.

I'm staying near home...probably boring to some....we moved out in the rurals so I'm planning all new training routes where there are hills all over the place. Special rides? They are all special in this resort area. Maybe a group ride or three and a century.

OK ... I am now officially jealous. What an awesome trip!

Just call Hans and break out the credit card to join us! First day of riding is July 1. My wife is registered as a non-cycling companion and we're driving to watch a TdF stage on the 16th I think it is. Now where did i put my Devil suit?:)

Four major trips for me this year:

1. The Abruzzo region in Italy in May, with a ride to Pescara to see a Giro stage finish. Plus two weeks riding around the Appennini and to the Adriatic coast on the fixie.

2. Followed by a few days on Maui, featuring an early-morning climb on the fixed gear up Haleakala. Plus I've heard the ride around West Maui is nice.

3. London-Edinburgh-London in late July, on a fixed gear.

4. And, attempting to set a (what else?) 60+ fixed gear record at the Furnace Creek 508 in early October. What all the above "training" leads up to.

I'll be doing a few of the local brevets and organized rides as well. But these are the biggies.

Luis

I'm in for MoM this year. Had to skip last year because I had emergency surgery. Will probably miss Mountain Mama (DO IT jppe!) because I'll be out of the area. There are other local rides that are worth doing, but I wouldn't necessarily travel a long way for them, like the Reston Century. That's good for the piedmont rolling horsecountry scenery.

I do the Cap2Cap ride, and various others around the Chesapeake, but these are all very flat.

I like the Tour de Valley. A ride out of Harrisonburg has some great valley riding http://www.ourcommunityplace.org/eve...est/index.html

I do that most years because there aren't too many organized rides in the middle of July. The CASA ride in Shepherdstown is also good for early in the season: http://www.casarivercentury.org/