Steel Is Real

Whenever I'm riding and I pass a cycling shop I stop in and chat, look around, and ask if there are any "interesting" older steel bikes for sale. I must say I have a soft spot for steel bikes, especially beautifully crafted ones. My modern aluminium/carbon Pinarello is a very functional tool but it doesn't particularly inspire me.

So in November I was cruising in the hills and stopped at a shop. Asking if there were any interesting bikes available the owner began wheeling a series of bikes out. The first few were nothing special, then he rolled out THE bike.

It is a custom made MALAGNINI, an artisan builder from Verona province. It's made of Columbus SLX steel, has chromed lugs, fork and chainstays/seatstays. All 8 speed Dura-Ace. The bikeand components, are in as-new condition and the frame has a funky paint job that I like. It also has some nice touches such as a chainrest that is brazed onto the chainstay, and there is no seatpost collar as the seatpost uses a wedge that is driven from the side of the Dura-Ace seatpost. Nice!

I took it for a long test ride (2 hours...hey, things are different here!) and the ride was so great I was grinning ear to ear. The fit was perfect. After some negotiating I purchased the bike for a ridiculously low price as steel bikes have quickly fallen out of favor as the alu/carbon bikes, and now all carbon bikes, have taken over the market. Speaking of which, it strikes me that Italian cyclists are even faster adopters than Americans of the latest cycling technologies and advancements.

My Pinarello is probably 2-3 pounds lighter but this bike is the BOMB. The gearing isn't suitable for the steeper climbs but I've decided to leave it all original for now and use it on looooong, sunny, ride days.

Milan, EICMA, 2006 Part II

Photos of the exhibition center complex.

Me and ......WHO??? Milan, EICMA, 2006 Part I

On September 15th Eros Poli, Paolo from Chesini and I headed to Milan from Verona. The occasion was the very big international EICMA bike show.

It was a surreal experience. Here I was meeting Eddy Merckx, Felice Gimondi, me and ....WHO??, the Pinarello and DeRosa families, and some friendly representatives. It was over the top!

Tour of Corsica (2006) Part II

More images: moon-like rock formations, a lunch stop, me, most of the group, sunset in Porticcio.

Tour of Corsica (2006) Part I

The Gruppo 1 week long club ride last year was in Corsica 4 to 10 June. 17 club members made the trip.

We departed Verona on Sunday, June 4th at 0700 for Livorno. The caravan included the Gruppo 1 club van, and personal cars. The cars were left in Livorno at a long term parking lot near the ferry while the club van was driven onto the ferry. We departed Livorno at 1330 and arrived on the east coast of Corsica, at the port of Bastia, at 1730. We had a fabulous sunny day crossing the Canale di Corsica which connects the Mar Ligure and Mar Tirreno. We checked into our hotel and prepared the bikes for departure the next morning before heading off to a seaside restaurant for dinner.

Our tour consisted on 5 consecutive days of riding in a counter clockwise direction around the coast of Corsica:

Stage 1: Bastia to Ile Rousse (around Cap Corse)

Stage 2: Ile Rousse to Galeria

Stage 3: Galeria to Porticcio

Stage 4: Porticcio to Porto Vecchio

Stage 5: Porto Vecchio to Bastia

Total: approximately 450 miles

June 10th we returned on the ferry to Livorno and then onto Verona.

If I were a good writer I could perhaps capture what a fabulous trip this was. The riding was great, we had great fun every night at dinner and the lunches were out of this world. The real purpose of the van was to have a sumptuous lunch every day. It was quite an operation: we would find a delightful place to stop, we would set up tables and benches, the pots would come out along with propane burners and fresh pasta would be made. And we would have vegetables, bread (good French bread), cakes, wine, cheeses, salami, and on and on. It was a feast.

Photos: Corsica map, steaming towards Bastia, Bastia in the evening, 2 views of Corsica (there was a lot of climbing!)

2007 Giro d'Italia Teams Named

The wildcard teams have been announced today; 18 ProTour and 4 wildcard teams have been invited for this year's Giro d' Italia:

Ag2r Prévoyance (Fra)

Bouygues Telecom (Fra)

Caisse d'Epargne (Spa)

Cofidis (Fra)

Crédit Agricole (Fra)

Discovery Channel (USA)

Euskaltel-Euskadi (Spa)

Française Des Jeux (Fra)

Gerolsteiner (Ger)

Lampre-Fondital (Ita)

Liquigas (Ita)

Predictor-Lotto (Bel)

Quickstep-Innergetic (Bel)

Rabobank (Ned)

Saunier Duval-Prodir (Spa)

Team CSC (Den)

Milram (Ita)

T-Mobile (Ger)

Wildcards

Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo (Ita)

Astana (Swi)

Ceramica Panaria-Navigare (Irl)

Tinkoff Credit Systems (Ita)

Stopping for Espresso

The Wednesday morning club ride started out with sunny skies and a temperature of 12C (54F). We knew that the weather was going to turn colder with rain so we made a good pace to Bardolino. Frequently we stop at the same place in Bardolino for an espresso, at a coffee bar owned by Rosanna.

Making good espresso is serious business in Italy. Water heated to a precise temperature is forced at a precise pressure for a precise period of time through beans reduced to a precise grind. The liquid that emerges should be very dark, thick and rich, with a tan layer of emulsified oils and proteins on top that the Italians call crema.

More scientifically, the water must be heated to a temperature between 194 and 203 degrees Fahrenheit, then forced at nine bars of pressure, or about 135 pounds a square inch, through a quarter-ounce of finely ground coffee for 25 to 30 seconds, creating exactly one ounce of espresso.

Think of it this way, the 4 M's necessary for a good cup: Miscela (the blend), Macinatura (the grind), Macchina (the espresso machine), Mano (the skill of the machine operator).

In Italy, making espresso is a profession and an art.

After a good cup we rode to Boscomantico for lunch. The temperature was 48F when we arrived and it was getting colder by the minute. That didn't prevent us from having a long lunch in the Italian tradition.