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poufthecascadeur

my bike and my clothes are ready ...
i will send you a report of this w.e with my gitane on "strada biancha"
Laughing

http://www.eroica-ciclismo.it/english/home.asp

Gtane

poufthecascadeur,

Great photo and good luck on the ride. It looks like you have heavier tyres fitted to the Gitane in preparation.

From what I've read and seen, L'Eroica really has become THE historic cycling event to attend.

Have a great time.

Tim

poufthecascadeur

yes my tires for the strada biancha are vintage wolber "chamonix"cyclo-cross tubeless-tubes (32mm).I passed some evening removing the cramps (studs?) for less friction on asphalted section. Very Happy

sandranian · Site Admin

I am green with envy. Have fun for the lot of us who aren't fortunate enough to attend!

greyhundguy

And take photos of the pretty women too!!! Wink

Jay

poufthecascadeur

FANTASTIC that's the only word i've find to describe this w.e Exclamation

I came back early in the night and i'll write an article as soon as possible...

Gtane

Super photo, and what wonderful countryside. It sounds like your one word for the weekend also perfectly sums up my impression (from articles and photos only) of the whole experience.

Look forward to reading the article.

Thanks for the post.

Tim

poufthecascadeur

FOR THE MOMENT ALL MY PICTURES FROM THIS W.E
http://www.flickr.com/photos/poufthecascadeur/collections/72157625092499342/

sandranian · Site Admin

That looks like it was a BLAST. Good stuff!

scozim

Jealous. That looks like a lot of fun.

poufthecascadeur

sorry it's early but my cousin (who made the translation) is very busy for the moment so ,i can just give you the first part of my report...

poufthecascadeur

EROICA 2010

The rented car's overloaded, full to the brim, we couldn't add anything more if we wanted to and we're already running an hour late on our schedule . Daily trafic jams in Toulon aren't helping....
I wished we took the good old WW Combi, but the long trip would have been fatal to our dear flat 4.

Our little group forms a funny tribe: my girlfriend, my daughter Noemie, my son Guillaume, his girlfriend Melissa and I.
I feel lucky to share my passion with my children; this year, my son and his girlfriend will join me on the 78 km run of the EROICA 2010..
A couple of friends from the BAD ASS FIXED GEAR from Toulon will join us and we'll try to have a group start with our friend usualy cycling on fixed gear .

The trip to Florence and the little village of Figine Valdarno will turn out to take much longer than planed.
The first part of the trip is spent comparing tunnels between Vintimiglia and Genoa. Once close to the port, we get lost on the countless 'autostradas' weaving a dense spiderweb like network around the city and end up driving 50km too far before eventualy reaching Florence... and its friday night trafic.

Exhausted, we finaly reach our accomodation for the week end at 9pm. ' Il Gavalacchio', a superb traditional house, a piece of Eden in the middle of the Chianti region, wasn't to easy to find either...

The night is brief but restful.

poufthecascadeur

The morning after, we leave early in the fog to have a brief but intense sightseeing of Florence. The Dome, the Ponte Veccio, the Medecis residence and the Boboli gardens are wonders only tempting you with a futur longer trip to the heart of the Renaissance jewel which is Florence.
Bicycles are all around and it seems obvious that the locals use them as their mean of transportation, quiet and efficient in the heart of the city.
We just have time for a slice of pizza and a panini, some quick shopping for the kids in the shopping district the windingwith its beautiful shops and we have to leave to reach Gaiole where the depart and arrival of EROICA 2010 takes place.

poufthecascadeur

The meandering and hilly roads give us glimps of what we'll be dealing with the next morning: plenty changes of altitude, hills and strade bianche,,,

The challenge to take up is huge and Melissa, the rookie is starting to assess the near 80 km challenge to meet...

Once in Gaiole, starting and finishing point of the race, i' m astonished by the countless bikes in this small town. The same bikes i damage my eyes on, staring at my computer screen during my web searches. Here they are, with mostly Italian designs jewels: Colnago, Cinelli, Olmo, Chessini... and, of course Bianchi and I at last, admire one of their Paris-Roubaix model from the 50's... i feel like a kids in a massive toy shop.
Some participants are already cycling on their bikes, some of them worth a little fortune, some get theirs authenticated by the staff(20e) and some are just hanging out with some truely beautiful vintage jerseys.
Here and there, some wear originals outfits from the 30's and you can also spot the rushed look from the show offs, but mostly what you notice is the meticulous work of the entrants to wear a outfit matching their most beautiful machine. It gives the event a true authenticity and a will to put forward the popular value of traditional cycling.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/poufthecascadeur/collections/72157625092499342/

poufthecascadeur

à suivre...