I believe it would be appropriate to share some photos of the recent L'Eroica ride in Italy. It took place on the 28th of September, therefore one week before and therefore virtually in conflict with Chuck's Pasadena velo rendez-vous.
Go to the webpage
http://www.parcociclisticodelchianti.it/
once there, go to the galleria fotografica and click on avanti to thumb through all of the photos of the bikes. As the photos will attest, it is a living display of vintage bikes and camaraderie between their riders. While there are many fascinating bikes on display, there are just as many being ridden hard on the course. There is also plenty of Chianti wine and uncountable Italian gastronomic delights. I must recommend that you all take a look and seriously consider including participation in the 2004 edition. This year they held a Friday evening get-together with the participation of journalists and writers to discuss the period of 'heroic cycling'. On Saturday, they then had a swap meet and static display of noteworthy bikes, followed by a 'minieroica' for children around the local castle, which in turn was followed by a film retrospective of past runnings of the Eroica, with a dinner closing out the evening. The start of the ride for the two longer distances of 200 km and 135 km was scheduled according to the rider's own timetable from 5 AM onwards on Sunday morning. For those chosing to instead concentrate on the shorter distances of 75 km and 38 km, the departure time was from 9 AM onwards. In all cases, a good portion of the distance was covered on 'old-tyme' unpaved roads to give a true feeling for the conditions encountered by the pros in the past. Just right to permit you to daydream about following Coppi during the Giro.
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Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ