Mangia, Beve, Bici.
Eat, Drink, Ride.
The itinerary has long been set. Flights have been booked. Legs and lungs are as good as they are going to get. There is no more fitness to be gained.
Chianti, Italy here we come.
My great friend, Phil Bond and I are heading to Italy for some riding, food and wine. A fully supported bike tour put on by inGamba. Phil and I will be treated like professional bike riders. For the cycling all that we need to bring are our shoes, a couple of spare jerseys and shorts everything else is provided.
Before linking up with the inGamba tour Phil and I are going to spend a couple of days in Florence for some site seeing. I hear there is some art and big churches there.
For the tour we will base out of the town Lecchi. We will be basing out one hotel for the entire tour and all rides start and finish in Lecchi.
Our days will start with a team breakfast. Then we will gather for the days ride. The mechanic will have our SRAM equipped Pinarello F8 bikes ready for us. Recently retired pro rider Ted King will be joining us too as a tour guide. Another tour guide will be Eros Poli. Again another former pro rider. Eros is a Tour de France stage winner. A tour stage that featured Mont Ventoux. We might be in over our heads. We are just a little bit nervous.
Each days ride will vary in length. The country side looks to be rolling hills. We will have café stops and some rides we will stop for lunch. As we finish each days ride we hand our bikes over to the mechanic for maintenance and TLC.
After the ride we shower and relax and then get a massage. And YES I have shaved my legs!! And I like it!
We next get ready for dinner. Dinners will either be at local restaurants or at the hotel with our own private chefs.
This trip is all about experiencing the local culture and the local culture is big on wine. We will be taught about the local wine and that should involve a lot of sampling.
If I know Phil Bond NO grape or vineyard stands chance. Their supplies will run low! Of course I will be just observing.
I’ll try to put some updates out on facebook but I promise nothing.
If by chance you meet up with or talk to Mr. Phil Bond after we are back stateside please remember that any and all tales of our trip will be great embellished. I think the only people I know that would embellish a story more than Phil are Chuck, Fish, Stewart and Jeff Kolberg, .
If you want the real story it can only be had by me. And remember photos can lie!
If you want more information about the trip here is a link to InGamba’s site.
From the InGamba website:
“We’re passionate about riding, food, wine and culture — and ensuring that our guests share in those loves so thoroughly that your trip will not be merely the best cycling vacation of your life, but the best vacation you’ve ever had, period.
How do we accomplish this? It’s pretty simple. All we have to do is be perfect.”
Arrivederci,
Louie
