Ciclismo Classico - Assaggio Toscana Tour - July 1-6, 2007

[alpinerabbit]

Awesome report... looks like the tennis shoe/flat pedal fraction needs to train some to keep up with you. Glad you got to eat real pizza. And yes, 2-3 hour dinners. Idiots in Germany - everyone is supposed to know what a saddle is, it's not like bikes are a rarity there (although we do joke about how germans consider their automobile a body part).

Have any links? I want to cycle in tuscany (it's not too far from where I live....)

Higher end Campy shifts blissfully. I can shift front and back at the same time (have Chorus).

[Crankin]

I have found the people you get on a tour tend to be the luck of the draw. Our first one (just a weekend in Vt.), most of the people were not as strong as we were. There was only one person besides my husband who climbed Mt. Mansfield (I had crashed the day before and could barely move!). In fact one guy, started saying that his bike must be "broken" when we were going up a steep climb and he had to stop. Plus, there was a group of triathletes from the South, who ah, let's just say were making comments about political things like abortion. My husband had to kick me under the table at dinner, so I would keep my mouth shut. Our tour in the Czech Republic and Austria had mostly really strong riders. They were fast. Well, I made it up all of the climbs in my own way and my husband stuck with me. They were really nasty climbs, too. But, 10 out of the 20 people were friends and very cliquey. And they drank like crazy. Even at the lunch stops. I love wine and beer, but I can't have more than one glass the night before riding. And, I have to go to bed early when I'm doing that much riding. The tour we did last summer was more even keeled. We went with another couple and we purposely chose a flat (easy) tour in Quebec. Yet, even though this tour was listed as easy, most of the people were pretty good riders. Since mostly everyone had driven there, a lot of us had our own bikes. The drinking still was an issue, but they mellowed out and it was fine.