Cycling in Italy
Roger Stawasz
Cycling in Italy
Hi Everyone, recently a friend of Echelon, Brian Hennessey, sent us this invitation to join him for some cycling in Italy. Brian is a really sweet guy and a talented cyclist and some of you might have met him on our club ride about a month ago or at the birthday party we had at my house right before covid shut everything down.
At least a few members are already planning on taking Brian up on his offer. I’m sending this out to the whole club to see if there might be any interest. Myself and hopefully at east a couple other echelon members will be riding with Brian from 9/10 to 9/18. Brian will be in Italy from 7/11 to 9/24.
Please let me or Brian know if you have any questions. Brain is at Bhenn...@gmail.com
Here is the email from Brian;
Hey Guys/Gals,
Great seeing and riding with you earlier this month. As I mentioned, I'm leading cycling groups (for free) to Europe (which just opened up officially yesterday!) this summer. I would like to invite Echelon, either the individual members I count as friends and/or informal groups or as an official club trip.
I'll be based in Italy (which is what this email is about and easiest/best tour options) but will also do a bike tour of Ireland and then the places I've previously lived to see old friends (many who are local cyclists) in South of France (base: St Tropez) and Southern Spain (base: Granada). I'll also bikepack throughout the rest of Europe. I'd be happy to include anyone/everyone who's interested in those too.
But the crown jewel and my base will be Trentino Italy where everyone is welcome.
I've travelled through 130 countries and biked in most of those and while I dislike nowhere, I have to say that Northern Italy in the late spring/summer/early fall is the best road cycling I've ever experienced . . . and that's why I've kept going back for 25 years . . . and taking friends with me (last time 60 in three groups of bike clubs from the Bay Area - many of whom are coming back this summer).
Between Milan and Venice near Romeo and Julietta's Verona (so it's romantic too - you can tell your wife/hubby that's the purpose of the trip!) at the tip of Italy's largest and most majestic lake, Val di Gresta is the gateway to the Dolomites and the last gasp of Mediterranean climate (where olives grow) before becoming snow-capped high-altitude Alps. The storied climbs of cycling, like Stelvio, are here.
The village of Ronzo-Chienis is 1000 souls living 1000 meters (3300 feet) above Garda Lake. The past mayor (like his mother and grandfather), Mirko (in cc:) is a dear friend (godfather of my daughters) and owns the only hotel there (with a bar and restaurant).
https://www.hotelmartinelli.it/en/
Please independently google the hotel (any other other hotels in area) to see the reviews and the normal price (without dinner and drinks!) to see this is a one-in-a-lifetime deal/steal. This will certainly be the cheapest way to bicycle in Europe . . . ever. 59 Euros +/-$69 a day with full-board (breakfast & dinner at his excellent restaurant with wine or beer included) with SAG van and trailer (no extra cost). All you need is airfare or book with miles. There are cheaper (no drinks or no dinner etc) and more expensive (private apartment) options. But that's the basic price.
So we get to do this for a fraction of the cost:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVdvHcNDTqg&feature=youtu.be
And we'll be riding with local cyclists including one of Sagan's teammates (Cesare Benedetti, currently on the Giro, which passes through our valley twice this year).
That's just the cycling and it's paramount but the air, the people, the culture, the views, the food (organic valley since time immemorial). It's also world class mountain and gravel biking. And famed for windsurfing/kiting and climbing. Tons of stuff for everyone to do esp kids. It's a major vacation spot.
There's also lots of racing. Pro cycling you can watch (Euro Championships in Sept) or amateur you can race in or gran fondos (some of the most important in the world like Legendary Charly Gaul and Maratona di Dolomiti and many more).
I know not everyone loves hills (but there's plenty of flat-landing in the valleys and around the lake 100miles that can easily be done in less than 5hrs because a magical tailwind that turns around at noon). It certainly has the best cycling infrastructure in the world with a new bike path and literally a cycling superhighway running through it.
As this isn't my first time to the rodeo, everything's been worked out including bike rentals (very cheap if needed) and transport (free) etc. Also as many of you know, I work in public health and don't take this virus or safety lightly and so we've devised protocols and precautions to have a bubble and work within the local transmission conditions. On that note, Mirko will not hold you to a booking for any reason and you will not have to pay anything before arrival (or after) unless you do make the trip and stay. Most airfares are like that now too. So you take no risk planning this trip now. Certainly no money down for anything on our end.
Tell me anything I can do to make this a reality for you. If you don't go you may get FOMO so turn off your Strava this summer
:-P But please come, it's an immense pleasure to share this special plot of land with fellow cyclists . . . as you have done with me there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hDj23a9y1c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjz_cTiKRq8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NizDHsqblcA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYDvatuTml8