We're just back from a week-and-a-half in Tuscany, culminating in the L'Eroica weekend, and wanted to share some thoughts that might be of interest. "We" means Ken and Betsy Sanford, and Susan and Harvey Sachs. 1) Thanks to Bob and Rita Freitas, for encouraging us to come, and for all the arrangements they made to make the Wed - Monday in Gaiole-in-chianti so memorable. and to all the others of our community, with whom we variously rode, ate, and drank our fill of food and commaraderie. A wonderful time was had by all. Benevolent listmeister Dale Brown was in great form, and was never seen w/o a great smile.
2) The events. Ken and I, and most of the other Americans, did the 75 km. A bit less than half on the "strada bianca (?)". In English, this translates to "dirt road," with extensive washboarding and a coating of 1 - 2 cm ball bearings. Did I mention steep? The cynic would ask why sane people would fly to another continent, spend far too much, and then ride ~50 miles, half on dirt roads... The economist, I retort, knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. It was great! I think actual vintage bikes were a minority, but some were wonderful. An 1893 British something, ridden by a plucky gent of about the same age. Not quite. Bianchi after Bianchi, and even a celeste Cinelli. Lots of Legnanos, a good representation of Colnagos, but relatively few Cinelli or Masi. The show and dinners and stuff were fun. The swap meet had great depth from a few sellers, who had lots of antique shifters and stuff like Campy Cambios and rod-operated chain slappers. Quirkiest find: NOS early (FB-made?) 3-piece Campy road hub shells, in 32/40 pairs only. Clearly stripped for axle sets and QRs for keeping 36/36 sets alive. These hubs are drillium, and the big hole size and number vary with drilling: number of "big" holes per flange = 1/4 the number of spokes per wheel. Overall, it takes me a lot longer to walk around the "Cirque" swap meet than this one. 3) Equipment. I had taken my Austro-Daimler Vent Noir, modified with a triple crank (Stronglight 99) and long-arm derailleur, and fat tires. All worked well, except the Winner FW that wanted to back out its lock nut. Except for ignorant youth, folks who didn't have low gears worked hard. A lot was quite steep. You buy all this altitude, km of climbing in a low gear, and then blow it all off with a too-quick descent on washboard. Pity, but fun. 4) Food. We had kitchens, and prepared most of our meals. This was actually fun. Greatest surprise: bread comes in several shapes, but it's all crusty, white inside, and has a short shelf live. The tomatoes were incredible. Others will write more knowledgeably. 5) In logistics, a salute to Bob and Deanna Freeman (Davidson Cycles), for doing the tour the traditional way: "we don't need no stinkin' car" (but said much more nicely). They rode from the Firenze airport to Gaiole, meandering from town to town, on a really nice pair of bikes. We four took a different approach, primarily staying at "agriturismo" (?) establishments. Essentially working farms with rooms for rent. Three days outside Firenze on an organic olive farm, with day trips into town. Two days outside Siena, ditto. We rented a MB 9-passenger van with AC, and it was comfortable for the four of us, two bikes, and all our other kit. But, a wee tad wide for the older towns... We'd park on the edge, or take the trains in. We focused on seeing a few places, and it was fun w/ minimum travel stress.
We're all four glad that we went, and recommend it heartily to others. Still, Susan and I are novelty seekers, and suspect that we'll wait beyond next year before repeating this event. Maybe in the Br. Isles, where the weather isn't so good that you get spoiled (rained only once, after dark). But no regrets, and real gratitude to those who made it such a worthwhile and fun trip.
harvey sachs
mcLean va