Back from my Italy Bike Trip

[ace]

Hi all,

Well, I'm back from la bella Italia...my cycling trip was better than I could have imagined, five days of riding with Ciclismo Classico through Tuscany. The cycling, eating, drinking and camraderie were amazing. The cycling was actually a bit harder than I expected, lots of climbing, which scared me because of my knee injury. But I handled it just fine, and did most of the extra loops they provided, so did between 35-50 miles a day.

Highlights-

1) sticking to my commitment to eat gelato and drink (lots of) wine every day

2) doing an extra loop around Lago Trasimeno in Umbria with 5 others, getting way behind them, cycling through miles of beautiful countryside on my own, and then having everyone cheer for me as I finished climbing the last hill

3) getting somewhat lost as I wandered around Arezzo (a beautiful city of about 100,000 in Tuscany) at 7 am looking for a cup of espresso before breakfast (I got up VERY early every day), meeting an elderly gent who spoke no English, chatting with him in my rudimentary Italian and having him take me home to meet his dogs in an 500 year old house, then sitting with me in the main square, buying me espresso, and introducing me to his cronies (and all before 8 am!).

4) spending 2 solid weeks with my oldest friend (we've been friends for 44 years, since we were two) who I never get to spend time with, and (re)discovering that we are perfect traveling companions. We took great care of and encouraged each other.

5) exulting in the knowledge that in Italy, even when cycling in the country, one is never more than a few miles from excellent espresso and gelato, and a clean bathroom. I'm thinking about moving there.

Here are a few photos to give you a taste. I'm going to post more somewhere on the web and I'll post a link for you guys.

Ciao!
Amy

[gnat23]

Wow wow wow! Look at that *food!* Oh, yeah, and the scenery too, I suppose. :D

Congrats, and jealous!! Did you bring enough gelato for the rest of the class?

-- gnat!

[Trekhawk]

WOW!!! Love the pics. It sounds like a fabulous holiday. Mmmmm wine and yummy food sounds like my kind of holiday.:D

[pastrypam]

Oh, I am so jealous. DH and I were trying to swing a bike tour in Italy this year but put it off until next year. The pictures are great and the food. OMG!
I can't wait to go. Would love to hear which company you went with or did you do it on your own etc.
Pam

[ace]

We went with Ciclismo Classico, I recommend them very highly on all counts. www.ciclismoclassico.com

I picked them because their focus is on Italy, their groups are relatively small, and they're seriously into cycling (they have daily clinics to teach you better skills, offer a choice of road bikes or hybrids, which some of the companies don't, offer lots of extra loops so you can ride a little or a lot).

[mimitabby]

gosh, i was afraid there weren't going to be any bike shots.

I'm so glad you had a good time!

[bikerz]

Wow!!! Welcome back!

How fun! Great pictures!

So you went with the road bike, not the hybrid? Looks like that worked out for you!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

FABULOUS!!! Thank you so much for posting it!

[Jo-n-NY]

What a wonderful post and great pics. Thank you so much for sharing. I cannot wait to see more!!!!

~ JoAnn

[Veronica]

Italy! Every time the Giro is on we talk about touring Italy. I want to go!

V.

[lauraelmore1033]

ooooooh!! I'm jealous! (says the spoiled brat who just came home from a tour of her own) Looks like you had a fabulous time.

[ace]

Yup, I went with the road bike. They gave me a Bianchi Dama, 48, which seemed awful small for me, but it had the right top tube length. They put the head tube extender that my bike shop guy sent with me on it, and it fit quite well (I showed our guide a photo of my Serotta so he could get an idea of the setup I needed). The handlebars were definitely a bit narrow for me, but other than that, I felt fairly comfortable. And it was great, because there were no cheaters, so I now will know where the brakes are on my new road bike (which I'd only had for 2 weeks before the trip, and was cheater-dependent), plus I got really used to the shifting, descending in the drops....it was a very positive learning experience for me, for sure.

I'm really glad I went with the road bike, given all the climbing there was. about 1/2 our group had hybrids, half had the road bikes, and the road bike people were definitely far ahead and riding longer distances.

And Melissa, I used that Bento Box and LOVED it....I kept my camera in there and got some great shots and movies while I was riding which I never would've gotten had I had to root around for my camera.

[pastrypam]

Thanks for the link for the trip you took. I checked it out and it looks really great. How were your accomodations and did anyone bring their own bike?

[pooks]

Oh, those pictures! Bella, bella!

Please post more, and soon?

[jobob]

Wow, I'm so glad it was such a great experience for you ! :)

[short cut sally]

What a great time you must have had. (thinking I must go there for a tour sometime). The pics were great, and the food, oh my gosh, how appealing does that look! Do you have more to share? If so, please do. Were the meals included on this tour or was that seperate?

[melissam]

Welcome back to the States, Ace!!!

I'm so glad that you had such a great time in Italy. It sounds like the road bike worked out well for you, and I'll bet you can't wait to get on your Serotta. Should we start a pool to see how long you're going to keep the cheaters on the Serotta? ;)

Glad the Bento box was such a help for you. Can't wait to see the pics & video. It's funny, but after I saw your post mentioning the Bento box, I re-looked at your pics, and by gory, there's my Bento box on the top tube. I haven't been to Italy, but my Bento box has! :D

See ya soon! One of these days we'll have to ride up Old Tunnel Road.

-- Melissa

[ace]

The accomodations were great. No one on our trip brought their own bike, but it was a fairly short trip (5 days of cycling). I think lots of their guests do. If I were doing a longer trip (and I think I'm going to do the bike across Italy trip next, it's 11 days), I'd probably bring my own bike.

The trip included all breakfasts, 2 lunches (one picnic and one in a restaurant), and all dinners except one, plus bike snacks. Wine wasn't included, but those who wanted to sample a bunch of wines contributed 80 Euros each to a "wine kitty," and our guides ordered several/many wines each night. The guides used to be winemakers, so they were very knowledgeable. Plus after dinner they ordered lots of delicious liqueurs for us to try, plus dessert wines....whew. I outdid myself- I have about 4 glasses of alcohol a year at home, but in Italy, I just really enjoyed drinking!

[kelownagirl]

Looks like an awesome trip Ace! I am particularly interested because DH and in the midst of planning the cycling part of trip to southern France. We were thinking about road bikes versus hybrids. Hmmm...

[aka_kim]

Wow, looks like you had a great time. Can't wait to see more pics!

[teigyr]

Forget the gelato, did you bring enough wine to share?!

I've heard the wine in Italy is incredible; you can drink lots and never feel tired or hung over.

Just.....wow! Is it difficult to adjust to being back in the states?

[margo49]

Just gorgeous!
I have been watching the Giro for years and the countryside is lovely and the commentators often comment on the local wines and foods. So it was lovely to se your pictures and read your impressions.
A lovely, pleasant story to read and I'm so glad for you. These things are what a holiday should be

[Jacki]

That is my dream vacation - biking in Italy! Thank you for sharing the beautiful photos! - j.