Grippine, a Pedal Solution for City Bikes

Italy's first crowdfunding site, Eppela, is promoting a project that brings a solution to improving the grip of city bike pedals. The solution is name "Grippine". The goal is to raise 10,000 (10000) Euro by the end of July. For more details visit www.eppela.com/ita/projects/830/grippine (in Italian). The video above is in English.

Content for the Italian Cycling Journal is now based upon contributions from readers. Please contribute. Stories about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, racing, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. 

Corsa Cleat: A Modern Bicycle Cleat for Vintage Pedals

Thanks to Robert who writes, "Thank you for creating a fun blog about riding in Italy. I have enjoyed two L'Eroica rides 2011 & 2013, and plan to ride again this year. Also I hope to move to Italy for a few months or more depending on the visa, in a couple of years.

I have started my first Kickstarter to fund the initial cost for injection molding a new version of the old cleat. My new cleat has 10 degrees of float and works with vintage toe clip pedals. I came up with the idea a few years ago while training to do the L'Eroica ride. It is just something I created for all the people that love to restore and ride their old bikes but don't have the knees to ride toe clips.

Here is a link to my Kickstarter: http://kck.st/1oB0R9n"

Coincidentally, the next blog entry will be about an Italian solution for making city bike pedals more friendly for shoes (and high heels)....stay tuned.

Content for the Italian Cycling Journal is now based upon contributions from readers. Please contribute. Stories about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, racing, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com.

Monte Grappa Cycling

The calendar of granfondo races is being enriched by a new appointment at the end of the summer: the Monte Grappa Cycling, a challenging race that on Sunday, September 7, that will take cyclists to face the climb of the Monte Grappa, tackled this year by the Giro d'Italia with an up-hill time trial.

The two routes proposed in this edition are extremely challenging: the long route of 114 km and the short one of 57.9 km. Both routes, starting and finishing in the town of Seren del Grappa (BL) will make you discover, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, some of the most significant sites of this historic, sacred, mountain.

The Monte Grappa Cycling connects great cycling with the history of Italy: the climb to Monte Grappa, which features hard and spectacularly challenging climbs as that from the Valley of Seren up to Col Buratto (18,7 km with a maximum gradient of 20%), will remember the heroism of the soldiers that here, on the border between the provinces of Vicenza, Treviso and Belluno, sacrificed themselves to stop the advance of the enemy troops.

After the race, all the participants can relax and enjoy a full meal, from appetizers to dessert, based on typical dishes of Belluno at the Palagusto stand that will be set up in Seren del Grappa. In the race package, as well as different gadgets, there will be a Castelli garment, sponsor of the event.

Info and registration on www.montegrappacycling.it

Photo: the mausoleum at the summit of Monte Grappa holds the remains of 22,910 (identified and unidentified) soldiers who lost their lives in the war.

Content for the Italian Cycling Journal is now based upon contributions from readers. Please contribute. Stories about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, racing, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com.   

Chiappucci, Poli, Pantani, 20 Great Stages from the Modern Tour de France

Étape
20 Great Stages from the Modern Tour de France
by Richard Moore

What if all the best Tour stages happened in one race? In Étape, critically acclaimed author Richard Moore weaves first-person interviews with cycling’s great riders to assemble a “dream team” of the best Tour de France stages in modern history.

Featuring exclusive interviews with the Tour’s legends and scoundrels about their best-ever day on the bike (and their most heartbreaking defeats), Moore unravels lingering mysteries and recounts strange tales from 20 great stages of the Tour: LeMond’s impossible return from near-death, Schleck’s primal scream atop the Galibier, Merckx’s self-described toughest Tour, Cav’s mind-bending victory in Aubenas, Hinault’s hellish battle with Fignon. Italians Chiappucci, Poli, and Pantani are also part of the “dream team”.

Étape assembles the greatest days of modern Tour history into a Tour de France of incredible victory, glorious failure, shocking revelation, and beautiful memories. In the words of those who were there, Étape recreates each day vividly and reveals the beauty and the madness of cycling’s greatest race.

Table of Contents:
Chris Boardman, Lille, 1994
Bernard Hinault, Lille, 1980
Claudio Chiappucci, Futuroscope, 1990
Lance Armstrong, Limoges, 1995
Marc Sergeant/Frans Maassen, Montlucon, 1992
Crosswinds, Saint-Amand-Montrond, 2013
Mark Cavendish, Aubenas, 2009
Mark Cavendish/Bernie Eisel, Pau, 2010
Urs Zimmermann, Rest Day, 1991
Lance Armstrong, Luz Ardiden, 2003
José Luis Viejo, Manosque, 1976
Freddy Maertens, Narbonne, 1981
Eros Poli, Mont Ventoux, 1994
Eddy Merckx, Orcieres/Marseille, 1971
Luis Herrera, Alpe d’Huez, 1984
Claudio Chiappucci, Sestriere, 1992
Marco Pantani, Les Deux Alpes, 1998
Andy Schleck, Col du Galibier, 2011
David Millar, Annonay, 2012
Greg LeMond, Paris, 1989


Paperback with b&w photographs throughout.
6″ x 9″, 256 pp., $18.95, 9781937715304
AVAILABLE JUNE 2014
Where to buy:

• Amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble
• Chapters/Indigo
• IndieBound
• TriSports
• VeloGear

Content for the Italian Cycling Journal is now based upon contributions from readers. Please contribute. Stories about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, racing, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com.   

Campagnolo Announces Chorus Level EPS, New Crankset Design

Campagnolo has announced Chorus EPS, their newest electronic groupset. The gruppo includes a new crankset design using a four spider arm that allows the installation of both standard and compact chainrings (ex. 53/39, 52/36, 50/34).

Visit www.campagnolo.com for more details.


Content for the Italian Cycling Journal is now based upon contributions from readers. Please contribute. Stories about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, racing, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com.  

In Numbers: 2014 Giro d'Italia

An unforgettable edition of the Giro d’Italia has just ended. Here’s the story of 97th edition, in numbers:

0 – Europeans wearing the Maglia Rosa. For the first time in history, a grand tour event has not had a European rider leading at any point during the race
3 – nations crossed: Northern Ireland, Ireland and Italy
5 – continents in which the Giro was followed on TV
6 – counties traversed in the island of Ireland
21 – days of competition
24 – years of age of Nairo Quintana, winner of the Giro d’Italia 2014
30 – different nationalities of riders at the start of the Giro
33 – business partners who have contributed to the success of the Giro, showing their brands on this edition of the Corsa Rosa
42 – vehicles in the Giro d’Italia caravan
43 – Italian provinces crossed by the Giro
156 – riders who finished the Giro d’Italia in 2014
171 – countries in which the Giro was broadcast daily
198 – riders starting at the Giro’s Grande Partenza
1,200 – people traveling daily with the Giro d’Italia, between members of the organization, teams and media
1,805 – media accreditations awarded at the 2014 Giro d’Italia
3,444.4 – the Corsa Rosa race distance in kilometers
5,000 – daily tweets with the hashtag #giro (on average). #giro was often the main trend in Italy for the duration of the Giro and the main trend in the UK before and during the Grande Partenza from Belfast
25,000 – followers on Instagram
52,000 – streaming video viewers (daily average)
90,000 – copies of the Giro App downloaded
100,000 – new Facebook fans during the race
180,000 – followers on Google+
252,000 – followers on Twitter
500,000 – Facebook fans on the official page. The number reached by stage 20, featuring the Zoncolan
2,400,000 – page views (daily average) on the official Giro d’Italia site and the Giro App combined, an increase of 67% compared to 2013
3,500,000 – views on the Giro’s YouTube channel

Content for the Italian Cycling Journal is now based upon contributions from readers. Please contribute. Stories about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, racing, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com.    

Nairo Quintana Wins 2014 Giro d'Italia in Trieste

In beautiful sunshine and before huge and enthusiastic crowds in Trieste today, Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) was confirmed as the 2014 Giro d’Italia champion. He finished the stage safely, the General Classification remained unchanged, with Rigoberto Urán (Omega Pharma - Quick-Step) second at 2’58” and Fabio Aru (Astana Procycling) third at 4’04”.

In the sprint finish beside Piazza Unitá d’Italia, Luka Mezgec (Giant Shimano) became the first ever Slovenian stage winner in the Giro d’Italia, to the joy of the Slovenian fans, who had crossed the nearby border in great numbers. Second in the sprint was Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Fractory Racing), while Tyler Farrar (Garmin Sharp) was third.

JERSEYS
Maglia Rosa – Balocco: Nairo Quintana (Team Movistar)
Maglia Rossa – Algida: Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ.FR)
Maglia Bianca – F.lli Orsero: Nairo Quintana (Team Movistar)
Maglia Azzurra – Banca Mediolanum: Julián Arredondo (Trek Factory Racing)


After the final presentations Quintana spoke to the press:

A dream come true: “I dreamed about winning the Giro. but every rider dreams. Last year, after I finished 2nd in the Tour, my dream seemed much closer. It was a precocious dream, and I’m still very young, with my 24 years, but I’ve won the race that I dreamed of.”

No words: “I feel great happiness. even if I don’t have words to express it. I feel huge emotions inside. To see so many people celebrating - Italian, Colombians, my family - it’s really wonderful.”

Dedication: “The podium was emotional. I dedicate my victory to my team. Without them I’d never have reached Trieste as the winner. And when I say team, I mean everyone: the soigneurs, the mechanics, the press officer, everyone who was close to me. I also dedicate it to my family who came from Colombia to support me, and to my Colombian compatriots. I hope they enjoy this win.”

Colombia: “I hope people will see now that Colombia isn’t what it was 20 years ago. It has changed a lot. Life is peaceful and good now. Small steps have been taken towards peace: a process is going on now, and I hope in my heart that the progress that is happening now will come to fruition.”

Content for the Italian Cycling Journal is now based upon contributions from readers. Please contribute. Stories about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, racing, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com.