Recovery Ride Italian style

Tuesday,

I think after the Passo San Marco 8 hour spin , some sort of an easier day was on every one's mind.

A 3 hour recovery ride sounded right . We started our ride to the local bike shop, Paolo’s bike shop in other words the Italian version of Westwood cycle.

Super organized and nice European style shop called Salvi’s .With all the connections to the local bike manufactures as well , so it looked good for us to be able to visit one later this week( maybe Colonago , Bianchi or De Rosa ??)

We are like kids in a candy store and me and Kevin ordered a pair of Sidi shoes, colors not sold in the US, the blue and white Ergo 2’s! A must have, to stand out back home in the local races. We all have our bikes looked at by the bike mechanic and he takes great care to get rid of the creaking and noises we all have in the our bikes by now, especially my bike, with stuff being loose and basically falling off! Mr. Lugiano Moreti, the owner of Paolo’s team and also a sponsor of the U23 Cyclisti Begamasca team as well, is already at the bike shop and ready to go for a ride with us. We ride past the hotel and head up towards Paolo’s house into Almenno Valley, but we take a left onto a 15 K recovery climb . The road goes up to a radio tower( Paolo old us to not use our cell phones , apparently it was a risk to get your phone fried???) and it is a nice big climb right in our back yard .We can see our hotel on the other side of he valley , a nice comforting feeling on a recovery day!

This camp's one and only mechanical strikes Jon , the small chain ring buckles and that is the end of his ride , he limps back to the hotel in the big ring and then back to the bike store to get surgery on bike , since it is a Zipp crank it is not an easy fix with Zipp parts like this not that common around here. We continue our recovery climb and we reach the top were there is a nice lunch spot at Valcava, nice view once again , not just mountains !There is also a lake with some sunbathers at the top of the mountain, if you know what I mean and once again this camera is not that good!( I hope my wife does not read this !) After some Panini's we head back down and decided to stop by Paolo's house to show the guys where he lives . I beautiful place right at the bottom of the switch back we just came down ( another former Giro decent) , still an incredible view of the Valley right from his yard. Sultan was happy to see us ( the dog) as well .

We rode through the town of Sant Omobono, back towards the hotel , still plenty time left of the day to enjoy , but first we had to climb up our drive WAY once again , loved it !!

Quick change of clothes and a recovery bike wash for every body. A good day and ready to go again !

Of course we needed a good meal first and some R 5 ( vino rosso) , and a good meal would not be without some Casincelli ravioli!! Tasty !!

The day goes by fast , but it was a great one and tomorrow will be the Queen stage of the Camp, we are leaving early for Tirano to do the Mortirolo and the the Gavia Pass , so let's hope it does not snow !

Ciao

Roger

Passo San Marco

Pappini ( an ex elite bike racer ) is giving us some advice about today's route , I think he said; "way don't you guys just stay here and watch the Giro and smoke cigarettes with me instead of doing this monster ride " , my Italian is not that good , so I could be wrong .

Passo San Marco, a famous climb from the Giro in the past , our planned ride time was about 6 hours , so a big day.We set off from the hotel @ 9.00 am, today we will have a 3 hour to Morbegno where the climb starts.

The roads are narrow (not just on the twisty mountain roads, they are narrow every where) and there is a lot of traffic going to Lecco with big trucks, so bike-handling skills are put the test following an Italian ( Paolo) zipping in and out of traffic circles, once passed Lecco it gets better and riding next to Lake Como is just very cool , watch Giro di Lombardi and you know what I am talking about. Rolling terrain thru towns with a lot of history and view that pictures cannot describe. The lake on the left side and the mountains on the right. Sorry the zoom on my camera was a little out of focus on this picture.

We make our way towards the Valtelina Valley where a lots of wines comes from, the sunny side of the mountain slopes are filled with win yards. Pizzockeri ( not sure about the spelling, I am sure about the taste) is another dish we have on the menu at our hotel that originates from this area.

After a fairly flat 3 hour ride we are at the base of San Marco in Morbegno , this is a beast of a climb ,it is not that flat anymore as you can see, as a matter of fact pretty steep and consistent , last time I rode this one it was pouring rain , so the visibility was about zero and freezing cold , today it was perfect weather and the boys are dancing on the pedals , this is the real deal and what you see on TV from the Giro is what we are experiencing!

After climbing for about1 ½ hours we start seeing snow, and first there are some fallen trees on the road, but that does not stop us, we just carry the bike over and continue up the climb. It was not a problem at all for a cyclocoss rider like Kevin!

All of a sudden we come a height were there are no more trees, about 4 K to go to the pass. There is snow all over the road, and avalanche! We can almost see the top and I hiked up over the snow a little, but it is so steep and there is no way we can make it any further! Snow and cycling shoes does not match all that well either.

There is no road!! We have to go back the same way we came, a 20 K decent and a 3-hour ride back to the hotel, like I said “ another day on the bike” 8 hours to be precise! This is not so bad, it is warm, unbelievable view and guess what; there is a mountain café/hotel where the trees where fallen and lady with a little Kid (Ricardo) comes zipping around on a 4-wheeler that is the who runs the restaurant! She was open for Business!

After climbing up the 20% steep gravel drive to the absolutely oasis of the mountain, about 20 K up and no one around we have cokes, pasta, cheese, bread and even desert.

I think the best lunch anyone could dream of, we were even thinking about staying the night, there were plenty of rooms available here. Even Giovanni Formagio looks very pleased with the spread!

Richardo was providing the entertainment while we were eating ( a mountain dance with his dog ) priceless!

We finally had to get going, the decent was a blast and back to Mobegno , then the death march started back to the hotel. 8 hours ride time and 11 hours since we left this morning, epic the least, but we all survived the ride back with some cokes and Nutella filled croissants along the way and there was even a sprint up the final K to the hotel.

Boy did the dinner tasted good after this ride , lasagna , crapes , more casancelli and wine of course! After some stories about the day and some good laughs about what we had experienced we all agreed we were going to sleep in tomorrow!

Kevin was wondering if these wooden bikes come with DI2 as well , he was think of maybe doing a demo ride later in the week up the Gavia Pass .

A day on the bike to remember.

Ciao again , it will only get better , so do not miss the next blogpost !

Roger

First real ride of the Italy Camp

Sunday 5/23/2010


Well, it was either this road or the Killington stage 2 TT, but since we were here in Italy this one made more sense -:) Had to rub it in a little !!

It was time to go to work ( riding I mean -:) ) nothing else to do , so a perfect day for a bike ride!

I slept like a rock (I wonder why -:)) I think about 10 hours. After breakfast Italian style; about 3 different coffees (Americana, cappuccino and espresso) and tea with croissants, cooked ham, cheese, bread, yogurts and yes; Nutella . A little different from we are used to at home, but I decided I am not going stress out about not having almond butter and Trader Joe’s stuff while here , so we are going with he flow and enjoying the superb service provided by Fabio and the Hotel owner Matteo.

The traffic was not too bad , since it was Sunday , so we got a chance to ease into the rytmen of narrow streets and a round abouts every mile filled with little cars and scooters. Bike handling skills are a big part of this camp as you will see !

To days ride plan was a 4-5 hour near by the hotel. It turned out to be an amazing route, thru the out skirts of Bergamo up a 10 K climb up to the town of Selvino, a very nice view and an awesome switch back climb.

A nice way of enjoying the view!!

Past the nice little restaurants at the top and then a decent down into Brembo Vally, a right hand turn passed the San Pellegrino water company and along side a beautiful river into the Taleggio valley/ mountain (where they make the cheese)

The road snakes along side the river and a nice steady climb past some little mountain towns, steady grade with switch backs and after climbing for a good 15-20 K of climbing we crested the top and now what was left was a 15K serpentine decent that the Giro came down last year as well.
Back up to the hotel, a 1.5 K (probably close to 16% at some spots) climb with the finish line at the top, I think Kevin took the KOM points today . Good amount of climbing and a nice pace and everyone did great. We had so many great rides ahead of us, but this loop would probably top the list at the end of the week I am sure. Paolo knows the roads here like I do around us back home and this is something that will make this camp unforgettable and a life time memory for all us!
The hotel is super clean, nice beds in very quiet rooms and when you open a window you have an picture perfect view, even from the bathroom , how could you go wrong first thing in the morning -:) With a courtyard restaurant it is the most relaxing place to eat and recover after the rides.

We have a balcony for our bike area, very private and a nice place to change and keep our bike stuff while over looking the valley.

Dinner is at 7.30 , but after having our R4 Endurox provided by Accelerade we switch over to R5 ( Vino Rosso ) , an amazing house red vine along with some fresh bread and about 10 different cheeses, so I am not planning on loosing any weight this week. Then dinner, antipasto ( all kind of thin sliced meats , cheeses, other specialty appetizers that we even never heard of ) The staple main course is for sure Casancelli ( a home made ravioli filled with meat known for this region) made right here in the Cascina Belvedi . The food here is unbelievable, everything is made fresh here and with a lot of pride. We sat at the dinner table for about 3 hours, eating and drinking wine, but not over eating just socializing and enjoying life.

Once done with desert and another plate of grilled meats -:) it was time to go to bed and get ready for another big day on the bike.

Ciao,

Roger

On European soil

Saturday

Landed and after a couple of miles walking thru the airport in Brussels we found a spot to camp out and we needed some sleep, did not get much on the plane and we all felt like we had not slept in days. Quick bite to eat, I forgot how expensive Europe was, 12 euros for a couple eggs, a bowl cereal and some fresh squeezed orange juice, delicious!
When you are really tired I guess you can sleep anywhere but on a plane, so the rock hard airport bench felt like a pastropedic bed in a 5 star hotel ( see the picture in the last blog ) . Finally back on a plane and off to Milan, a nice short flight and no problems with anything. Our luggage came right away and we out of there in no time. Our bus driver Carlos was there waiting to pick us up with a FinKraft Camp sign in his hand and Kevin Hines were there too (he lost his suit case in Paris, but it had came on a later flight so it was all good) Nice smooth ride to our hotel and now the weather is beautiful and not what we have seen on TV from the Giro the last couple of weeks.

The hotel is amazing, located on top of a slope over looking the valley, a very private and quite place that you could just dream about and not really think would exist.

The drive way or road ( last 1.5 K about 12-15% ) up to the hotel was steep with a little gravel at the last 100 meters to make every ride each day plenty challenging, just the way we like it at the FinKraft camps !

Kevin is eager to get on the bike for a quick spin before dinner, so I slap my bike together and off we go! The legs feel surprisingly good and we ride for about an hour without really knowing where to go, but is just great to be on the bike in Italy. Paolo already took the rest of the guys on a 2-hour “welcome” ride before, so when we got back it was dinnertime. Something we all have been waiting for since we left the US on Friday and really had not eaten anything good in days!

The hotel Cascina Belvedi is from the 1800’s, so very rustic and a great atmosphere and the food is out of this world, not mentioning the best wine I ever had!

An unbelievable first night dinner, a great start to a week. Now we just needed a good nights sleep and we can start what we are here for; riding our bikes and soaking up the Italian culture!

There was even plenty of mouth watering delicacies for our vegetarian -:)

Stay tuned for more amazing pictures and stories ,

Roger

Italy here we come!

It is my birthday and I am sitting on a plane to Milan, Italy with my wife, Finley and Megan, my stepdaughter…they are all really cute and adorable!!(My wife wrote this part!) Raced the Thursday night Worlds last night at Rochleigh, (my race # was 42, funny! that is what I am today) A great training race by my house and it was my first race on my new training bike,

Giant Advanced , a great riding bike and plenty fast for training races and riding around Italy.

It was a big turn out and quite a few fast ones showed up; some times I think these guys take this race more seriously than the weekend races. It is fun and I can ride there and back home after, how can you beat that! Most areas have these races during the week, I think it is a good mid week speed workout (if you are looking for one) and just a great time to turn the screw or just hang out with the local Hammerheads for an hour. For me it is a chance to race with a lot of my clients and see them in action.

This week I also got the TT bike I have been waiting for a long time, a Giant Trinity, the super tricked out rig that Menchov rode in the Giro last year, so I had to take it out for a few spins before we left to get used the new machine and after a few modifications with the handle bar set up, decided to go with the L shape extensions “ Contador style” it seems like a very good set up, we will see in the CT stage race when I come back. Now the rear Super 9 and the front 1080 is just missing!
Packing everything and doing 100 other things in the morning seems like a routine by now and within a few hours the bike is in the box and a special suit case packed with a lot of supplies for the camp from Accelerade

(the bottles arrived by Fedex , always on time, just as we were loading Eric Carlson’s airport shuttle, thanks Justin Fink at Accelerade!!) The usual 5 piece luggage + a car seat for Finley, could not have fit one more thing, my wife has this figured this out by now and checks everything in before we leave and guess what, it was only $ 50.00 extra, nice job! I guess that is why we are married!
We fly to Brussels, Belgium first and then eventually to Milan, the other camp attendees will already be there by then and Paolo will have them situated in the Hotel in Bergamo. The action does not really start until Sunday, so Saturday is just a day to put the bike together and shake the legs out from the trip over. A 6 hour time difference and an over night fight plays tricks on you and you do not feel all that sparky the fist day, let’s see how we adjust this time around, it is not like driving the Massachusetts for 3 hours.
Ok, dinner is done with and nap time, 3 more hours to Belgium!

An update from Italy will follow each day , so do not go any where !

Roger