Powerful Pete's Pasta Trails

The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated...

2010-06-02T21:12:00.002+02:00

... indeed.

I am still of this world. Back from a significant amount of business travel to unmentionable places (including Vienna, this time around... but that was nice... but too much beer and weiner schnitzel...).

So this week I have gotten my rather fat a$# out for three rides. Coming from several months of no riding and continued eating, it has been painful and humiliating. Kids on tricycles now pass me on speed bumps. My lycra riding clothes are uncomfortably tight. But let's not go there.

It is good to be back in the blogosphere! It is good to be riding again. I have some good posts coming up, so stay posted. Equipment reviews and of course, my usual pithy commentary on the pro cycling peloton.

Oh, and congratulations to Ivan Basso, winner of this year's very exciting Giro d'Italia, honored by Cadel Evans (riding solo, as usual, can't the guy get a functioning team?), Arroyo and the Credit boys, minus our friend Valverde (good riddance).

Where have I been?

2010-04-18T08:16:00.002+02:00

Where have I been? Very busy. That's where. Life has been nothing short of hectic - we have recently moved to a new (larger and more comfortable) apartment. And as any of you with families know, moving four people and all their stuff is a handful.

Add in a busy work schedule with quite a bit of travel in the new year, and my complete lack of time to ride has resulted in my 'blogging hiatus'.

The good news is that, as of the second half of May I should be able to carve out some time for more serious riding. And that the new home has a fantastic garage so I now have a comfortable place to work and clean my bike... should I be able to ride it enough to warrant cleaning it!

So please don't give up on me and the Pasta Trails blog! Thanks for looking!

A rough ride...

2010-01-23T18:23:00.003+01:00

Hello there. Yes, I'm back, to tell you about my second ride of 2010. Yup, you read that correctly. Life getting in the way of things (actually, more like work, but the impact is the same) and cutting out my riding.

So, today I went riding with two of my good friends. And it wasn't pretty.

About 80 kilometers, on roads as flat as a pancake (the two biggest inclines were less than a km each). A sunny (finally, we have had miserable rainy weather here for what seems like weeks) but rather chilly day (temperature around 4 C when I left the house at 8:30-ish). But hey, no worries, a day of relaxed riding, shooting the breeze with friends and nothing to worry about. Right?

No.

I was in trouble right away, struggling to keep up with a relaxed pace (50x17 or thereabouts). And simply shelled of the back as soon as there was any incline at all.
Not even a pleasant slice of pie and great caffè espresso were able to help.

Oh well. I guess it can only get better...

On a more positive note, one of my friends was out on his first ride on his new bike - he just purchased an immaculate Colnago C-50 with full Record 10 speed. No paint, simple carbon fiber look. Fantastic looking, and (so he tells us) a joy to ride. Comfy, fast descender (not twitchy at all) and an all round solid performer.

Almost made me jealous, but I have my Cervelo R3, after all...

In any event, a bad day of riding is still waaaaaay better than a good day in the office, so I am content. Let us see what tomorrow brings. Hope you all had a more pleasant day out than I!

Vredestein Fiammante DuoComp review and other stuff...

2010-01-10T14:55:00.010+01:00

So, as we are beginning to get back into the swing of 2010, and at the request of what I assume is one of the many pastatrails readers (that's you, Carlos from Houston!)... a few quick thoughts on the performance of the Vredestein Fiammante DuoCompes that I installed a while ago.

Well... after about a month of use, I can state that... I like 'em. They have been ridden in what has been a very wet and windy Rome winter (a joke for some of you, but Siberian-like for us Southern Europeans!). The grip in wet and grimy conditions has been excellent. Absolutely no issues at all. They are holding up quite well (admittedly, I have yet to put a lot of kilometers on them) and I have had no flats, which is always positive.

Coming off cheap Vittorias (Rubinos) I must admit that they roll better (offhand I don't know the differences in TPIs though, so it is simply a sensation that I cannot back up with anything concrete). Ergo, I recommend them highly as a performance oriented training clincher. Although yesterday I did see a pair of the new Vittoria 320 TPI 'open tubulars'... oooohhhh.

On a separate note, I just received a set of Ciamillo Negative G brakes purchased slightly used from a fellow Weightweenies forum member. Ooooohhhhhh (yup, second time I say that in today's post)... beautiful.

And to prove just how light they are, I have added a picture. 192 grams (ok, without pads). Holy moly. Happy Pete... enjoy your riding!

The new arrival...

De Rosa...

2009-12-26T16:46:00.004+01:00

Bellissima!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas...

I had an extra special present. I contacted Marcello of Bikeadelic fame when I came across a website almost entirely dedicated to De Rosa bicycles... asking him if he was interested in pictures about my De Rosa Slx.

Well, he was. He actually dedicated an entire blog post to my beauty. Makes me feel extra special!

So, if you have a moment click on over to Bikeadelic and check out some of those beautiful De Rosa bikes! And yes, I have added him to my blog roll (I am not very subtle, am I?)...

Grazie Marcello!

Merry Christmas! Buon Natale!

2009-12-24T18:36:00.002+01:00

Just a quick post to wish all of you and your loved ones a very, very merry Christmas.

Or, as we say here... auguri per un buon natale!

May your holidays be filled with happiness and many wonderful kilometers, with a great wind pushing you along!

* Picture borrowed from www.trisanta.com... check 'em out, they have lots of fun stuff.

Family cycling...

2009-12-23T18:03:00.006+01:00

I have been neglecting my blogging duties lately, with work and life continuing to get in the way... sorry about that! Time for a quick 'catching up' post.

A couple of weeks ago we got the entire family out for a nice ride on a short circuit that we have that is more or less 'taken over' by cyclists each weekend. Nice wide roads, with good asphalt and very limited traffic (at least by Rome standards).

It was a lot of fun... riding with my eldest daughter on her race bike, along with my wife and second daughter on her Burley Piccolo 'half-bike'. We rode about 30km... then the complaints started and we headed home.

Daughter number one powering along... yes, she needs a new helmet!

The eldest really enjoyed herself - she is now comfortable on her bike (yes, I know, we will raise her seat a bit) and is getting the hang of working the gears. She is also quite competitive and strongly dislikes other riders passing us. Powerful Pete (that would be me) thinks this is a very positive sign.

Keeping an eye on dad...

Daughter number two loves the Piccolo - she gets to pedal her heart out, and yet when she is tired or distracted (as happens to any five year old) she stops pedaling and enjoys herself. Of course, my wife doesn't quite feel the same way on the light uphill on the circuit.

My wife enjoys the riding (or so she tells me!) and we all like the fact that it is a healthy outdoors activity that we are able to participate in as a family.

So, if you had any doubts as a cycling parent, just get out there and do it! The kids love it - just start easy and remember that a circuit is best, as this allows you to cut the ride short if the kids get tired... And I heartily recommend the Burley Piccolo... A solid, well made piece of kit that is easy to use, comfortable for the child, and very safe. Plus kids absolutely love the flag!

Training ride...

2009-11-26T23:55:00.000+01:00

Ok, trained on the Fortius last night. Not feeling too great from the flu and all that, so I did a short (and thankfully flat) bit of the Milano San Remo. Tried to keep it in lowish gears as the moment I tried to up the power the legs immediately fell apart.

Here are the stats (at least, the bits I wrote down)...

1. distance: 24.8 km
2. average speed: 32.2 km p/h
3. average watts: 151
4. average rpms: 93

Have to admit that I like the Fortius more each time I use it. Impressive how I am not considering suicide - the 40-ish minutes I spent on the trainer just flew by!

So, it ended up being a nice agility workout... good to get the heart pumping and keep the legs spinning. No soreness in the legs today. Always a good thing.

Should be able to go for a longish ride tomorrow (off work) if the weather holds (threatening rain)...

Planning for crazy ideas in 2010...

2009-11-25T13:30:00.004+01:00

Sicilia No Stop 2010 itinerary

No training last night due to feeling generally miserable, with a lagging earache that won't go away and a sore throat that made me sound like Godzilla when I spoke. Then my wife said it made me sound manly. My daughters giggled and nodded gravely. I puffed up my chest in pride, thinking "... cool, I am a manly sounding man". Fits with the Italian macho image and all that, ya know.

Then I pondered what the comment said about the way my voice must sound normally...

So, with that out of the way, let us return to more germane (or at least, slightly less embarrassing) issues. As I am not cycling today, I will do the next best thing. Plan epic rides with all of you out there on the intrawebz. :-)

Reading the Italian Cycling Journal, I came across the announcement of the 2010 1,000 km Sicilian Brevet ride. The website, still only in Italian, is here.

For those of you who are not familiar with Brevet rides (the ultimate ride in terms of participation and history being the 1,200 km Paris-Brest-Paris, first run in 1891). A bit more of an explanation can be found thanks to our wikipedia friends here.

Wow. 1,000 kms around the entire island, in September (should be fabulous weather, yet without the summer crowds as schools are in session). I must admit that the thought of challenging myself on these monster distances is something that I find increasingly fascinating. Maybe it's because I am no longer fast and don't have a hope in hell to hang with the fast young whippersnappers. But the idea of marathon-like slogs through days and nights is perversely appealing. Are any of you serious randonnée riders? Can anyone relate their stories of riding through consecutive nights, unsupported?

And the most important question... is anyone interested in participating?

Pain and suffering and... the Fortius

2009-11-23T22:47:00.004+01:00

Yup. My legs and my bum. On the Fortius.

Ok guys, I must come clean with all of you. I have let myself gain a wee bit... ok, way more than a wee bit, of girth around my midsection. Ehm... how do I say this in plain English? Well, I... errr... hmmm... Ok, ok.

I. Am. Fat.

There. I said it - it is out in the open and I can no longer avoid it. Funny, I had promised myself that I would never allow this to happen after working my rear end off to get into what was probably the best shape of my life about 18 months ago... but c'est la vie. No use crying over all that pasta, cheese, red wine, deserts, etc... well, you get the picture.

But all is well in Powerful Pete's land of cycling nirvana. I now have fantastic equipment, am enthusiastic about riding again (mainly due to my riding with a fun group of guys on the weekends - something that I had rarely done in the last few years), and have read about people like the gentleman on the 100poundsago blog (check it out, well worth it), who has done a fantastic job getting himself thin and fit.

Exactly. Yes. Absolutely.

The moment has come to kick it up a notch. Watch what I eat (within reason, I am still Italian, you know). Exercise regularly. You see, it has finally dawned on me that leading a sedentary lifestyle, eating too much and riding only on the weekends will not keep me fit and trim. My expanding waistline might have told me the same thing, had I been paying attention, but again, no use crying over what has come and gone...

So, I have started doing the logical bits diet-wise. And have set up the dreaded torture machine.

That would be the Tacx Fortius (click to see a corny Tacx marketing video, but it gets the point across... I am, by the way, far more handsome and have way less hair than the guy in their video). Which now graces our living room (the joys of living in small European apartments... and it thrills my wife too as an added bonus).

What is a Fortius? It's like a regular trainer, but it hooks up to your computer, with an electric motor that replicates, in real time, the resistance of uphills and the speed of downhills of a set course that you 'watch' on your screen while sweating like a fiend and (at least in my case) making strange guttural noises that make your eldest daughter giggle (don't ask how I know this). Not like riding outside, but it sure beats staring at a wall with a little bit of paper on your stem indicating the number of minutes in the next 52X17 interval set...

So this was the inaugural night. I plan to post each and every training session from today on, as a way to keep myself honest (and use potential internet humiliation as a motivational tool).

So, this evening was the last section of the Milano-San Remo DVD. Not trying to kill myself (still sore from yesterday's ride in the real world) but the resistance works well, I would lie if I said I didn't finish the session a bit tired. The overall stats are:

Total distance: 33.9 km
Time: 1:20:39
Average speed: 25.2 kph
Average rpm: 82

Ok, enough for today. Over and out, time for bed (feeling hungry... must resist...)

Cervelo R3 follow-up review... 2000 kms later

2009-11-21T15:24:00.012+01:00

My Cervelo, just back and still dirty after 65km this morning. Bellissima.

As some of you will remember, I purchased my Cervelo R3 this summer (August, to be exact) and have now had the opportunity to put about 2000kms on it, so I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to provide my many readers with what could be called a 'long term review'.

Hopefully my review will be slightly less affected by 'new bike syndrome' which, I must admit, did color my initial review...

First the bits I really, really like.

The bottom bracket area. Fantastic rigidity.

1. The rigidity of the bottom bracket area is simply phenomenal. Every single nanojoule of energy (and, not to boast, but I produce several dozen in an all out sprint) goes to the cranks/pedals. Nothing is wasted in frame flex. I stand by the statement I made in my initial post about the bike; I climb at least one tooth harder thanks to this frame.

2. The weight. Or rather, lack thereof. We are talking about a sub-1000 gram frameset. I thought all reasonably light road bikes would feel more or less the same. I was wrong. You actually notice how much lighter (at least in my case) this bike is. It does go up hills easier!

The Funda. Does the job very, very well.

3. The 3t Funda fork. Quite frankly, the Funda did not inspire a great deal of confidence the first time I laid eyes on it. But I have to admit that the steering is very good and, once again, the rigidity is just fine - no lost energy up front. I also wondered if the width of the forks would be an issue on gusty days - sail effect and flighty handling and all that, but absolutely not. Rock solid. The steering is spot on.

Selle San Marco Mantra. Comfy for my bum and all the rest of the goods down there. Happy Pete.

4. The Selle San Marco Mantra seat. Fine, not strictly part of the frame, but hey, I purchased it with the frame, so... Very comfy for my rear end, with no numbness or other ill effects. The seat is graced with an absolutely massive 'prostate hole' which does its job quite well. The red highlights on the nose of the saddle have 'bled' a bit, which does not make me too happy, but if that is the price to pay for a comfy saddle, then so be it.

5. The Campagnolo bits. If you are here, you have probably figured out that I am partial to Campagnolo components. The bike currently has a hodgepodge of Campagnolo Chorus and Record (all 10v) bits. They are sublime. Perfect. Nothing to add there. And the Record Red bits are now on their way to being mounted on this bike. Heheh... what is better than perfect? Nirvana?

Now, the not so great bits...

Short stays.

How short? This short...

5. Short seat stays. I had read about this before purchasing the frame, but did not realise just how short they are. I have to make a conscious effort not to 'hit' the stays with my feet on the pedal upstroke. I guess that this is a result of the fact that the stays flare out quite markedly - it is not a deal breaker, but this is clearly something that riders with big feet (I wear a European 45 shoe) in relatively small sizes (mine is a 54) have to take into consideration. I know, I know, changing them would mean having to completely rework the geometry and handling, but hey, it is something that bothers me a bit.

6. Fork clearance. As I stated above, I love the fork. I do however, dislike the minimal clearance that it provides. I seriously doubt that I would be in a position to mount 25mm clinchers, something that I might like to do in the winter for a wee bit of extra comfort and puncture protection. For a bike that advertises its prowess in winning races like the Paris-Roubaix, I would have hoped for slightly more thought provided to light 'off roading' potential. Heck, they are even introducing bits of rough gravel road at the Giro...

So there you have it. Overall, I am extremely pleased with the R3 and find it to be a frameset that is fantastically above my capabilities as a rider. I can feel it yawning when I (think I) am hammering up a short steep hill. It handles well. It looks great. I get very positive comments at coffee stops (always a good thing).

So, if you have the opportunity, test ride one. I think you will end up owning one.

Tomorrow will be a good day.

2009-11-20T22:16:00.006+01:00

Nice, I like the large Vredestein logos.

Friday evening. Just finished replacing my clinchers (tomorrow will be the first ride on my new Vredestein Fiammante DuoComps) on my recently trued Fulcrum 7s.

Tomorrow I will ride with my cycling buddies. Nothing heroic, maybe 75km with the guys with a nice espresso stop halfway through the ride.

The weather is forecast as being wonderful, sunny, not too cold, just perfect. Probably will not even need shoe covers or heavy gloves.

Sitting by the door, ready for tomorrow's ride.

The anticipation is almost as sweet as the ride. I am sure it will be a very pleasant day. Hope your weekend will be filled with many fun-filled kilometers of riding with your friends.

8th Edition - Ciclolonga Piccolo Bar

2009-11-15T10:06:00.003+01:00

I had mentioned that, while I have recently been remiss in my blogging, I had continued to ride regularly over the past couple of months. One of the most pleasant rides I participated in was an informal 'cicloraduno' which is akin to a non-competitive benefit ride. The Albano Runner Bike

It is an 80km ride, which starts and ends in the hill town of Albano south of Rome, escorted by the road police to keep things safe and ensure that people don't start racing one another... a common problem with cyclists!

To make things more interesting, I decided to ride to the starting point from my home in Rome, so at the end of the day I ended up riding 145 km. The longest I have ridden in a number of years.

So, how was it? A lot of fun. Hanging out with a couple of hundred of other lycra-clad weirdos who share my passion is always pleasant... helps me overcome that feeling that I am beyond strange for loving cycling and my willingness to spend inordinate amounts of money and time riding!

I have embedded the video made by the organisers which helps give an idea of the number of riders and what 'regular Roman' guys look and act like on a bike.

All in all a great day on the bike, 145 km of riding on a gorgeous October day with friends. This is what makes riding so much fun.

And a big thank you to the Albano team for having organised the ride, which included a rest stop with mineral water and bananas, as well as a final porchetta sandwich and wine lunch (we are Italian, after all)...

You guys are all invited to participate next year!

Rough day...

2009-11-14T14:25:00.007+01:00

Today I had hoped to be able to post about a wonderful ride with my riding buddies, but alas, it was not meant to be.

10 kms into the ride I look down to see my front wheel 'snaking' all over the place. I quickly pulled over and realised that a spoke had popped on my Fulcrum 7 front wheel. And as we all know, these pre-built wheelsets with low spoke counts are fine until you break a spoke - the high spoke tension wreaks havoc with things, making the wheel almost unrideable.

So I slowly rode home and realised that I did not have an inner tube mounted on my spare wheelset. I quickly transferred the inner tube from the wrecked Fulcrum, and proceeded to pump up the wheel... and, due to my haste, pulled out the valve from the tube. After muttering a bit under my breath, I understood that this was a sign of displeasure from the cycling gods, took the hint and abandoned the day's ride.

Must admit that this decision was easy, given that I did not have a replacement inner tube, and riding a front wheel without an inner tube is... challenging.

A quick trip to my local shop resulted in a fixed and perfectly true wheel.

Always a thing of beauty to behold.

And, as I was short of tubes and my clinchers are on their last legs, I stocked up on things.

Five Vittoria inner tubes (should not run out for a while now, I hope).
Two Vredestein Fiammante Duo Comp clinchers (Hhhmmmm).
A cassette tool and chain thingie. Hate to have a clean chain and dirty cogs...

Helping the economy...

The weather is turning bad. So I will have my espresso and then settle down to some maintenance, or rather tender loving care for my beloved ride.

So, in the end, the day was not a wash. Got to spend some quality time at the bike shop. Checked out all the new stuff. And will get to lavish much needed TLC on the wheels.

I will let you know what I think of these Vredesteins over the next few days. A bit curious really, as I have been a religiously orthodox Vittoria man for quite some time now. Any thoughts?

Campagnolo Record Red Ergopowers

2009-11-09T18:54:00.008+01:00

Ok guys, Pete is back. And Pete is happy. Pete has been riding quite a bit. More about that later. But now for the important news...

Pete has been feeling vulnerable recently. And so, beyond eating pasta (coping strategy No.1), Pete looked on-line for cycling stuff (coping strategy No.2).

And opportunity knocked. Ok, not really. I googled and happened upon a spectacular find. At least for the Campagnolo aficionado. And then Pete spent lots of Euros.

Pete is now the proud owner of a set of Campagnolo Record Red Ergopowers, with matching QS front and rear derailleurs. This means nothing to you? Vade retro satana!

Well, let us say that they are special. Very special. Really, really special (hint, click on the link to learn more...).

Euro. Pro. Shifting. Let me repeat that for you.

Euro. Pro. Shifting.

They are beautiful. They are wonderful. They were taken off a bike with fewer than 200 kilometers (I can confirm this given their condition).

Absolutely gorgeous. I can, and do, stare at these for hours.

Functionally. They. Are. New. Nuovo. Nouveau. Нови. Nuevo. Mpya.

And the are mine. Yup.

Did I mention that Pete is happy?

As these are QS (that's Quick Shift for those ignorant in The Campagnolo Way amongst you), the kit included a derailleur set to match. Oh yeah.

Are you impressed? I know I am.

Jokes aside. I am astounded by the attention to detail and the quality of the parts. Worth every cent. Although my wife, for some reason, does not agree...

A parting sexy shot... I solemnly swear to post pics once they are on the bike.

Can you hear the cycling angels singing? Trust me, even the cardboard box is beautiful!

Lagging behind...

2009-11-05T14:36:00.002+01:00

Sorry everyone! I have been remiss about posting, but as it often does, life has gotten in the way of my free time.

I have had some decent weekend rides (no weeknight riding now, with the time change, it's dark before 18:00 now)... and there are some new bike bits that are arriving to upgrade my Cervelo.

So I promise to begin posting regularly again (not sure if that is a good thing or not... heh!).

Powerful Pete. Lackadaisical? Absolutely, but still worth reading!

Just a nice ride...

2009-10-11T19:49:00.005+02:00

Looking South to Monte Cavo in the Castelli Romani area

I have not been posting lately due to a huge amount of work in the office... but I have been riding - just not letting you guys know about it!

Yesterday was a horrible day here in Rome, with absolutely awful thunderstorms that wreaked havoc with traffic throughout the city. But not today. This morning I woke up to cloudy but sunny skies, with the temperature eventually reaching 26 Celsius.

A country road parallel to the beltway... this is actually formally within the City of Rome

So I went to a short circuit just outside of town (right beyond the beltway) and rode about 75km with a friend. Enjoyable day. Great riding. Happy Pete.

Clouds are getting a bit menacing, but still a great day.

Just felt the need to share...

How was your ride today?

Credit where credit is due...

2009-09-29T22:45:00.005+02:00

Cadel Evans, 2009 World Pro Road Champion, Mendrisio, CH

He may not be Italian, and has occasionally been known to be a bit of a whiner, but he shut everyone up with a stellar performance on Sunday. Cadel Evans is the new world champion (a double whammy, if you consider that he is the first Australian WC and that the WCs will take place in Oz next year!).

He did it the old fashioned way, riding away from everyone else on what was, by all accounts a tough course. Congratulations Cadel, may this finally be your consecration in the pro ranks. I honestly hope you will be able to beat the WC curse and am sure you will win important races in the coming year, all while wearing the rainbow jersey.

A few thoughts on the race... yes, apparently a rough circuit. The way most teams melted away (especially the Italian one!) leads me to believe that some underestimated the circuit. or got their tactics wrong. We Italians did what we usually do, trying to control the race from start to finish, but you win some and lose some... although I was less than impressed by Garzelli, Ballan, Pozzato and Basso. Cunego was alone in the last 10km (when the break went) but so were most others, with the exception of the three Spaniards who, in my humble opinion, threw it all away by not 'taking things in their own hands'. With three riders, they did not really attack, but kept one man (Valverde) on Cunego and another (Samuel Sanchez) on Cancellara. Why not make a move with one of the these two captains? Why leave Rodriguez out front to end up with a bronze. They definitely did not look good this time around. Meh...

The guy I do not get is Cancellara. A man that until recently was a top notch time trial specialist is now dropping people uphill. I hope we won't be getting any bad news from him in the future... but I digress. How about his fantastic attack which scared the holy heck out of everyone? To be followed by... nothing when it really counted. Hhhhmmmm... time to sit Fabian down and explain a few things about cycling tactics.

So, with the exception of the Paris-Tours and the Giro di Lombardia, we are heading for the end of the season. Time to wind things down in pro cycling and consider what happened this year and what next year holds in store. How about the Astana/Contador story for starters... LOL.

Grazie Tatiana!

2009-09-26T22:59:00.005+02:00

Tatiana Guderzo, campione del mondo, 2009 Mendrisio (CH)

Just a short, ultra-nationalist post. Italy won its first gold medal in the Mendrisio (CH) World Road Cycling Championships, with a solo victory by Tatiana Guderzo. Completed by a bronze medal won by Noemi Cantele. Bravissime! Grazie ragazze!

Let us hope that this is a good omen for tomorrow for the elite men's race!

Both photographs from the www.corriere.it website.

Grand Tour Racing...

2009-09-25T01:49:00.002+02:00

So, what else bothers me about the recent Vuelta? And Tour, for that matter? The team tactics, that's what.

Now cycling at the pro level has always been a team sport. You don't win a grand tour simply because you are the strongest rider. After all, these days there are at least a half dozen guys who start a grand tour with the legs to win it. The guy who has the strongest team, with the DS (direttore sportivo - coach) who reads the race best and decides what to do each km of each stage, who is 'protected' on rough or windy days wins. Fine then.

No.

You see, the way teams are interpreting the races is slowly ruining pro cycling. It is becoming increasingly boring. Especially at the Tour (and to some degree, this also happened at the Vuelta this year) teams will put all of their eggs in one basket and risk everything on silly gambles. A case in point - a team has a decent (note, decent, not world class!) sprinter. They are up against a Cavendish or Griepel or Petacchi. There is a long flat stage where a break might have a chance to stay away.

The DS chooses to not risk having one of the strong riders attack. Along with another 1~2 desperate teams, the team hammers all day at the front to make sure no breaks stay away. And then the champion sprinter from another team wins the stage. Why not risk it and get one of your guys in the break? The end result is a race where nothing much happens for the first 150 km, followed by 50~75 km of motorcycle like speeds. And the usual winner.

I see, and am increasingly concerned, by the same kind of attitude amongst the general classification riders (translation - the guys going for the win). No one will attack the guy with the yellow jersey. Everyone is simply riding to protect their second, third or fifth place in GC. Logical? No!

For whatever reason, the Giro d'Italia has been less affected by this, and everyone I speak to who follows cycling agrees with me that the recent Giros have been far more exciting to watch than other grand tours. The design of the race has been good, not presenting the usual two weeks of boring flat/hilly stages before the mountains, mixing things up with short nervous days followed by decent mountain stages very early in the Giro. But also because teams are unable or unwilling to shut down the race. And there are a lot of 'suicide' attacks which keep the race interesting, maybe just to get some air time for sponsors, but it still keeps things interesting.

So how do we get back into the true spirit of grand tour races? Any thoughts?

Vuelta de Espana victory for Valverde... hhhmmm...

2009-09-20T18:23:00.004+02:00

Alejandro Valverde won the Vuelta today, one of the three Grand Tours (along with the Giro and the Tour). He was clearly the best rider in this year's Vuelta, supported impeccably by his Caisse d' Epargne team. Impressive riding and, for the first time, Valverde never suffered from the 'off day' that he has always had in grant tours. Chapeau. I think...

This Vuelta victory bothers me for two reasons. The first is the good old doping story, Operacion Puerto (click here for the background information), and the second relates to the increasingly boring style of racing in the grand tours (which I will touch upon in another post).

The first part of the story, Operacion Puerto, is simple. A bunch of athletes, ranging from soccer players, to tennis stars and obviously to pro cyclists, were apparently (or should I say allegedly) involved in a blood doping ring run by a Spanish doctor, Eufemio Fuentes. Over the course of a long investigation that was poorly handled (rumor has to protect some of the big stars involved), a number of pro cyclists were caught and suspended, with some ending up in retirement, including 'Kaiser' Jan Ullrich, and Ivan Basso. Ullrich retired over the scandal, while Basso returned to professional racing this year following the conclusion of his two year suspension.

Why all this talk about OP (as Operacion Puerto is affectionately known)? Because there is every indication that Valverde was also involved. To the point that, in an independent investigation, the Italian Federation has suspended Valverde from racing on Italian soil for two years (hence the impossibility for Alejandro to race in this year's Tour, as it came over the border). This, to put things mildly, bothers me to no end. Here is another guy who allegedly got caught with his hands in the cookie jar walking away with no penalty because his national federation refused to investigate the case... But given that Basso is back this year and only placed fourth in the Vuelta, I could be accused of writing all this as sour grapes that my man did not win. That may be, but OP casts a shadow on Valverde's victory which will be difficult for him to every overcome.

It says something that this year's Vuelta winner was unable to race either the Giro or the Tour de France. It bothers me. I hope it bothers enough people at the UCI to do something about it...

Si è spenta la luce...

2009-09-19T18:19:00.005+02:00

Yep, this is exactly how I felt today.

Heck of a day today. Yesterday I had the opportunity to ride, and as it was a gorgeous day, I took advantage of that opportunity... 95 km worth! I arrived home tired, but very satisfied with the ride. And then Saturday arrives. I figure I would be a bit sore, but decide to ride more or less the same route as yesterday, as it is another glorious day here in Rome. Sounds like a plan, doesn't it?

Well, apparently it was a bad plan. Riding out from home I felt that things were not quite right. No problem, just need a few kms to work the kinks out my legs, right? I could not seem to get comfortable pedaling, but on the outward bound bit of the ride, things were not too bad. I was able to keep a decent speed, pushing a 50 x 16/17 on the flats. Ergo, nothing fantastic, but riding along at a decent clip.

I would eventually understand that this was only due to a very stiff wind that was pushing me along... yes, you can all see where this is going.

As I am not really enjoying the ride (and not that dumb, or so I like to think), I decide to cut things short, and about 34 kms from home I decide to turn around and head home. That is where things went downhill very fast... in short, it sucked. I rode home at maybe 20 kph, struggling on the flats (not able to keep on the wheels of any riders who passed me) and absolutely falling apart on the very short, not very steep climbs on this particular ride. All the while riding into a taut wind which sapped what little my legs had in them. I freewheeled on any downhill (I am talking millimeters here). I was all over the road, zig-zagging on any uphill. Really, really embarrassing. I barely made it home, taking about an extra hour to finish a 68km ride.

In other words, an utter, total bonk. Or, as we say in Italian, si è spenta la luce - which translates as 'the light went out'.

Got home and was barely able to pick up my bike to take into the house. Fortunately a dish of fantastic pasta was waiting for me... followed by a two hour nap (no, I am not kidding). Now I am alive again and will go clean my bike, so that tomorrow's ride can, hopefully, be a bit more positive!

Fusilli with zucchini, parmesan and buttah. Fantastic.*

A few things I learned today:

1. Not even a fantastic bike like my Cervelo is able to make up for bad legs. As a bike equipment geek, I often forget this fact. Days like today exist to point out the obvious in this respect.

2. Corollary to point 1 above: as Alfredo Binda would say... «Per vincere ci vogliono due cose: la testa e i garun» - [to win a bicycle race] you need two things - to think and to have legs. And remember, this is from the only guy ever paid not to race the Giro!

3. Starting a long weekend with a long ride after an entire week of not touching your bike is not always a great idea.

4. Listen to your body and especially your legs. If they are telling you that today is going to be a very bad day, plan accordingly.

5. With reference to point 4, if it is going to be a bad day and you intend on riding anyway, check the wind direction so that you will have it pushing you on the way home. Trust me on this one.

6. My wife and family are lifesavers. I was served a wonderful dish of pasta and allowed to take a nap undisturbed. And then given a coffee with some brownies. What more do you need from life?

Please note, picture borrowed from Rachel Eats, the recipe for the pasta is here. Check it out, other great recipes... just remember to go for a ride when you are done eating!

A new adventure...

2009-09-12T21:50:00.004+02:00

I have been neglecting the blog over the past several days, as I have just joined the moderators' team on weightweenies. No, nothing to do with weenies or weight loss, at least of the human kind... Weightweenies is arguably the most in-depth site about light bikes and components on the web.

As I have lurked there for some time and begun posting quite a bit over the last year or so, I was recently asked to join the moderator team. I jumped at the chance - moderating a bike forum is something that I knew I would enjoy. And I believe it would be a great opportunity to get to know other bike freaks, learn a bit more about forums and the web, and have more exposure to cutting edge cycling stuff.

So what can I say? I am very, very excited. Pop on over to the forum if you have a chance. Well worth it... it is actually about a lot more than lightweight parts. I have learned an enormous amount hanging out there... you might too!

More yummy stuff...

2009-09-09T21:55:00.007+02:00

Fresh mozzarella, pomodori, fresh basil, olive oil and some bread.
Yes, I am spoiled.

So one of the pleasures of being Italian is our food (I realise it's not fair, but it's not my fault if I am an Italian, male, only child, and a cyclist... ). One of the reasons that I ride... So I thought that, as I have not been riding much (read... at all... it's that work thing getting in the way of my free time!) I would share with you a few of the pleasures of Italian life.

Sometimes, especially in the summer, I really enjoy a dish of mozzarella with basil and olive oil with some nice bread (as you can see in the picture at the top of this post).

Other times, I need pasta. Preferably with something to make it even yummier. Like seafood...

Spaghetti with vongole... I really like this action shot...

At other times we get adventuresome and decide to make some homemade pizza. The daughters love being able to roll the dough and add the toppings...

Tried to take a picture of the whole pizza. I was not quick enough...

And while, as any good Italian, I am a wine drinker, sometimes I enjoy a beer. In this case, along with the pizza I had the opportunity to drink a wonderful Pietra, a Corsican beer which is flavoured with chestnuts.

Heheh...

Yes. A mindless post. Hope that you found it pleasant. Actually, makes me a wee bit hungry...

Have a great meal all, wherever you are!

Riding in Rome

2009-09-06T14:56:00.012+02:00

Ahh... a bucolic ride in the Rome countryside.

If you recall, in a previous post or three I had mentioned that riding in Rome was challenging. And not that picturesque. To prove my point, I decided to take my handy point-and-shoot camera on my ride this morning.

I live in southern Rome, relatively (about 17 kms) close to the beach. Unfortunately, the only convenient and relatively safe road for me to get to the sea and on to better riding is a heavily trafficked two lane road called the Cristoforo Colombo (yup, the guy who discovered the Americas, although the place was then named for a guy named Amerigo but I digress). Unfortunately the Colombo is one of the major thoroughfares to Ostia, a major neighborhood of Rome.

Yes. That means lots of traffic.

She is wearing a cool helmet...

Keep in mind that, while the asphalt is in pretty good shape and there is a safe emergency lane to ride in, the traffic is constant and pretty quick... in the 70~100 kph range. But hey, it's the quickest way to get to the sea road (that goes from Ostia all the way to Anzio). And once you are used to the cars zooming by (as all cyclists in Southern Rome) it can be pleasant.

Minus the cars it would be a nice ride!

Once I hit Ostia, after a ride of about 17km, I then turn South and start riding along the sea towards Anzio, which is about 40 km from Ostia. Today I was surprised to find that I had stumbled upon the Rome sprint triathlon. So I took a couple of pictures to show you that this blog is not just about road riding!

These guys were really moving... isn't riding in a swimsuit uncomfortable?

After all that excitement I rode about 20 kms down the coast, turned around and came home. Nice pleasant Sunday morning ride, got in about 75 km total by the time I got home (have yet to install the bike computer on the Cervelo yet!). The sea road (litoranea in Italian) would be fabulous if it wasn't for... the cars.

Yes. Those cars are parked along the shoulder. I ride in the middle of the road.
People are used to it (both riders and car drivers). Surprisingly few accidents.

The picture above shows what the sea road looks like after about 10AM during the weekend in the summer. The line of parked cars stretches for about 20km on this stretch. To the left, over the guardrail and the dunes, is the sea. Not more than 100 meters.

Occasionally the sea is unreachable along a stretch.
Then the road becomes, magically free of cars.

Then again, there are bits and pieces where there is no easy sea access. So people completely ignore that particular stretch of road. And the riding becomes wonderful again. Happy Pete.

This was not a very deep or insightful post, but I just thought it would be nice to show you what riding in southern Rome means. The good bit (not shown in the pictures) are the literally hundreds of riders who use these roads. So car drivers expect to come across cyclists, and that contributes to our safety. Not much, I know. But the best I can do without taking too much time away from the family on a Sunday morning.

I just liked this picture. Shows my Campagnolo ergos, Deda bars, and the fact that my bike is a...
Cervelo!

Oh, there are wonderful roads to ride on around here. Those will come in other posts, do not despair!

Ouch.

2009-09-03T22:51:00.005+02:00

Administrative issue: youtube has taken down the video due to a copyright claim. Even if the version I posted was from Dutch TV. Dog gone it. So you will have to google it... sorry!

This video is very, very sobering. Jakob Fuglsang, a strong Saxo Bank rider, overlaps his front wheel with another rider's back wheel while hammering on the flats in a Vuelta stage. Loses control, swerves (thankfully not taking any other riders down with him) and slams into the back of a tanker truck parked on the side of the road.

And the guy walked away relatively unscathed and is attempting to continue riding the race.

So learn the lessons from this... be careful out there. And show anyone who says cyclists are wimps in lycra this video... the guy got a cut in his leg down to the bone, stitches and intends to continue riding...

Work and life...

2009-09-03T09:54:00.003+02:00

Well, I have yet to get around to fixing the Schwalbe on the Kona. And I have not been able to ride my Cervelo all week. Following a relatively quiet August (everyone was on leave!) things have really kicked up a notch at work, with a huge meeting scheduled for tomorrow that is eating into my riding time (ergo, cancelling it).

So, for the second day in a row I have had to drive into work. I take the quickest route (about 6km) and get to steal the wife's new Fiat 500 (yup, that exact color too). so it is not bad... or rather as good as a car commute can be. Traffic has yet to reach full Rome craziness, but it has become almost 'normal' - turning a 6km commute into a harrowing 20~30 minute driving experience.

The wife notices that I become more irritable when I don't ride, and I end up sliding into bad habits - staying up late, snacking, etc. Funny how virtuous activities lead to virtuous cycles, and negative actions lead to... vicious downward spirals.

I guess this is just a quick post venting some frustration about juggling act we all have to deal with, trying to ensure that work, family and riding priorities all balance out. Of course, it never works that way. Kind of like a marriage. Ok, forget that, no need to go there now.... ;-)

I constantly tell myself that my job is not riding, I do not ride for a living. I have an office job, and the rest of my precious little time should be spent on family and a wee bit of exercise to stay in shape. But I must admit that I feel guilty about not riding enough and beat myself up about it. Not logical, I know.

So what's the point of this post? Not sure, needed to vent a bit about reality. How that work thing gets in the way of my free time!

Ppppssssssssssssssssssss...........................

2009-09-01T21:05:00.009+02:00

Grrrr... hey! Check it out! Beta tools... only the best for Pete!

This evening, I am annoyed. Really annoyed. Saying lots of bad words annoyed. Grrrr.....

Why?

If you recall my review of the Kona Jake the Snake I mentioned the fact that I am now riding on Schwalbe Marathon Plus clinchers. I chose these heavy beasts after a string of flats at rather inopportune times (which raises the question whether there really are opportune times to deal with a flat?). These flats stemmed not from the quality of the clinchers (usually Vittoria) I was riding, but rather terrible Rome roads as well as the heavy load the bike was carrying... especially with the two panniers filled with work related material and clothes.

Why the Marathon Plus model? Well, everything I read indicated that these babies had the ride qualities of a tank tread, and weighed slightly more than that. BUT, every review I saw indicated that this was the closest one could come to puncture-free nirvana. You see, as is obvious in the diagram below (straight from the Schwalbe US site), not only are these heavy clinchers with a LOT of material, but they also incorporate a special protective layer (Smartguard in Schwalbe marketing speak) which is meant to offer '...particular resistance to shards of glass and flints'.

The Marathon Plus clincher diagram. Notice the blue Smartguard protective layer.

As the Marathons are well nigh impossible to find in Italy, I ended up ordering a set (at significant expense I might add) from good 'ole Germany. To my wife's question regarding their price (well in excess of the higher performance clinchers I mount on my road bike) I responded informing her that flat would now become a thing of the past for me. Never again. Mai più. Plus jamais. Nunca más. Well... you get it.

When they arrived, I was amazed by how rigid and heavy the dang things were. I felt slower just looking at them. The Schwalbe marketing blurb assured me that they would roll as smoothly as any other clincher. They lied. They are heavy with awesome rolling resistance. No chance of dropping anyone when riding with these!

But that's not why I had purchased them! I began to commute on them every day. I declared that I was flat-free. And so it was. And it was good. Jokes aside, I was actually impressed. Nice investment, Pete. Puncture free Pete. From June till... this evening. Pete is not so happy anymore.

This evening, as I was riding home at lightening speed (as always, of course), less than 1 km from my front door, I hear the dreaded 'ppppppssssssssssssss' at each wheel rotation. I make it home with some pressure left in the front tire. Dejected and depressed. To discover this....

Can you see the shard of green glass in the tire?

Yup. A shard of glass in the tire. Looks like it sliced straight through the Smartguard. Hhhmmm. Let's pull this sucker out and see what has defeated our mighty Schwalbe-ness.

Yup, needed the pliers. Gratuitous sexy hairy leg shot. No racing this year, no shaving. Deal with it.

After a couple of minutes I am able to pry the shard out. It is quite large and very sharp - probably it has been stuck in the tire since the start of my ride, slowly working its way through the Smartguard...

There it is. Dog gone it, that is a big shard of glass...

Later this evening I will see if I can still ride this tire (I suspect so) - if the gash is not too wide.

Of course, on a 'normal' clincher this would have blown and the tire would have been a throw-away. Hopefully our Schwalbe investment has not gone down the drain. Any comments on the size of the hole? Is the tire still good? Experienced Marathon riders, what do you have to say?

Can you see the hint of blue? That is the puncture-proof Smartguard layer! ;-)

Disclaimer: I am really rather annoyed at having had a puncture. So when I wrote this post (I meant to take the night off, need to ensure that all you pastatrail readers don't get too used to regular posts!) I slagged Schwalbe, which is not fair. No clincher is 100% puncture proof. The Marathons are a great set of commuting clinchers, and the puncture protection is well worth the significant weight and comfort penalty that is part of the trade-off. I also love the reflective band on each side of the tire - I commute year-round, so I love all the reflective bits that I can get. Better dorky than dead!

So, if you commute/ride on rough glass and debris strewn roads, get 'em. They work... almost always!

Ordered...

2009-09-01T10:28:00.005+02:00

Yes. Ordered yesterday. Can't wait (the black 2009 is very nice, but it really isn't that cool for summer weather riding, no matter what Fatty says).

Things to love about Italy...

2009-08-31T16:58:00.004+02:00

Ok, sometimes I get annoyed by problems in my country, but then I have to admit that I love it, and the good far outweighs the bad, for me at least!

Of course, the greatest compliment that can be made needs to come from an unbiased source.... for example, an American who has cycled in Italy as a pro cyclist. Interestingly enough, I just came across this entry in the Italian Cycling Journal (one of the blogs that I follow) about just how nice Italy and cycling here are.

Yes, this post put a smile on my face. Especially the bit about the Giro! Nice to see that Italy and our cycling being appreciated!

Mille grazie!

De Rosa Professional SLX

2009-08-29T22:38:00.013+02:00

De Rosa Professional SLX. My original 'specialissima'.

So ladies and gentlemen, today I would like to take you for a ride down memory lane. Yes, indeed, that is a 1993 De Rosa Professional, Columbus SLX tubing, built up with a mixture of Campagnolo Corsa Record (8 speed), Super Record and a wee bit of Shimano.

She (all my bicycles are females) has a rather interesting history. I was attending graduate school at the time, and British Airways bent the back triangle of my previous bike to the point that a wheel would not fit into it. This De Rosa was therefore purchased at a bike shop in Manhattan, NYC, where I was living at the time, with my components switched over from the previous frame (a very nice Rossin SL). Yes, an Italian specialissima bought by an Italian in the United States. A bit complicated, but you get it.

Columbus SLX. Wonder-ride...

So, for the ignorant (or the very young) amongst you, Columbus SLX tubing was the top of the top in terms of steel (really the only serious option, beyond some funny 'beer can' alu frames by some American company called Cannondale... or a French Vitus not to be taken seriously by roadies at the time) and far better, in my humble unbiased Italian opinion, than the similar high grade stuff being made by Reynolds. The peculiarity of SLX tubing was that it was quite light for its time, but without losing its rigidity. This was accomplished by making the tube walls thin, but strengthening the 'high stress' sections with helicoidal (spiral) reinforcements inside the tubes. The ride was (is...) very nice, with little power lost to frame flex.

The geometry was classic pro for the time, and this was rumoured to have been developed by Ugo De Rosa for some Belgian guy named Eddy who won a few races here and there on De Rosa frames (occasionally rebadged)... Which translates into a relatively relaxed frame on which you could pedal all day with no aches or pains. And that was stable at any speed, although probably not the quickest steering bike around (criteriums, what are criteriums? we raced road races!).

Yup. Flat-head fork, along with some dirt and Dura Ace brakes, 1994 vintage, if I recall correctly.

Although there were some sleeker, 'modern' designs coming out at the time, this frame came with the flat-head fork, which was more rigid and never gave anything but the greatest feedback downhill (I descended the Iseran on this bike and hit speeds in excess of 90 km per hour... I was also younger and more reckless then).

Corsa Record derailleurs, 8 speed set-up, with 53x42 Super Record cranks. Look pedals

Components? Well, as I hinted in the introduction to this post, the bike is a bit of a mish-mash - remember, I was a grad student, and had to ask my dad for the cash to buy the frame. I was not exactly in the position to pick up a ful C-Record groupset (although I desperatly wanted to!). So 8 speed C-Record seatpost, derailleurs, hubs, freewheel and chain. Plus the Super Record cranks and bottom bracket that I already had.

Super Record cranks. Still a thing of beauty today.

I then opted for Shimano Dura Ace brakes, which were far cheaper than Campagnolo, as I was hearing rumours about trouble with Delta brakes, and the last thing I wanted riding in Central Park was trouble with my brakes (BTW, are the NYC yellow cabs as homicidal today as they were then?). I had regular Campagnolo friction shifters, which were replaced at a later date with Synchro II (Campagnolo's second attempt at index shifting, works ok, not great).

The original seat was a San Marco Rolls. Replaced by a Flite Titanium and later by this Flite Gel when I became old and fat and worried about my prostate. Hubs were mounted on Mavic GP4 rims and Clements. Replaced four years ago with a set of Open Pros (the GP4s were beyond truing salvation by that point).

The chromed chainstays are suffering...

The bike needs a bit of tlc, and I should probably contact De Rosa about repainting it (the chromed chainstays are starting to rust).

So, you ask, how was the ride. Yes, that good. Still is, matter of fact. I keep this bike at my parent's house, in hill country about 90 kms north of Rome. Quiet country roads with quite a bit of climbing. The bike is wonderful to ride. Really nice. Very comfortable. Descends on rails. A pleasure to look at. Takes a few minutes to get used to the levers on the frame, then you are fine.

My only complaints are the weight (clearly, it weighs a LOT more than my Cervelo) and the gearing - I don't remember, but I think my bailout gear is a 42x25? But that has more to do with my legs and fitness. Or lack thereof.

Still puts a heck of a smile on my face each time I ride the bike (which is not often enough!).

Ok so, tell me about your classic bike (only if it is still regularly ridden)!

Yummy...

2009-08-27T21:48:00.008+02:00

Today I would like to discuss one of my favorite topics. Probably the thing I most like to talk about excluding bicycles... food. Being enthusiastic about food is useful in that it makes it possible for cyclists to interact with non-riders... after all, they don't understand how we could be excited about carbon fiber frames and riding for hours in lycra. And we don't understand how their lives have any meaning with cycling and salivating over new Campagnolo parts...

But I misled you with that intro. Because I will not beguile you with wonderful pictures and tales of Italian food. That will come... as the weather worsens and my desire to ride decreases, I have this sinking feeling I will post about Italian lunches, but that is still a few months away... hopefully!

Today I will discuss on-bike food. Clif bars, to be exact. You see, I have just discovered these little bundles of joy during my time in the US this summer. I had, as many roadies, a very traditional approach to these things. Riding food consisted of some combination of the following:

honey or nutella micro-sandwiches wrapped in tinfoil;
apple slices wrapped in tinfoil;
micro prosciutto sandwiches with a touch of olive wrapped in... yes, you guessed it;
pre-packaged apple sauce (a French brand, no, actually it is yummy); and/or
stops at bars for a pastry and coffee.

Yes, usually it was number five. I am a great forward planner, no really... but could you resist this after 50 km:

Ahhh, caffè e cornetto...

But then a terrifying problem rears its ugly head when you plan your riding in rural South Carolina. They do not have Italian espresso bars on every street corner. As a matter of fact, they do not have them anywhere. This is the closest thing I came across. I am not sure what the opening hours were, though:

I stayed away, a bit of a 'deliverance' feel to the place, wouldn't you agree?

So what is an increasingly hungry Italian cyclist going to do to stave off hunger... especially before his 45 million calorie lunch that is waiting for him when he returns from his ride?

Consumerism to the rescue! For 99 cents you too can purchase a Clif bar, which comes in about 300 different distinct flavors, from your local Trader Joe's (I like to show off and drop American store names, just to show how hip I am regarding the Americana shopping experience). These are in environmentally friendly wrappers that ensure that even in 40 centigrade heat in your sweaty jersey pocket for several hours there will be no effect on the contents.

Nothing left. Only the nuclear proof packaging.

When you open the package, the actual contents look like something that your dog might leave on the footpath during your (his? her?) daily walk. The consistency is a wee bit chewy. And you do need some water to get them to go down well.

Having said that, they are really, really yummy. As in, I wish I had brought a second one on the ride. The regular Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch (the only two flavors I tried) were both absolutely great. And I had no trouble eating them while riding...

Wow.

A happily refueled Powerful Pete riding along in his Fat Cyclist jersey!

Now if I could only find them in good old Italia. Carrying 1~2 on long rides is definitely an option.

Highly recommended. 4 out of 5 stars on the Happy Powerful Pete rating scale. Minus one star for the way they look when you pull 'em out of the package. So, if you get a chance, try 'em.

I am curious. Let me know if you like them, and what other fake cycling food you enjoy partaking while riding. And, for the American readers of this blog, I am curious about Clif Shot Bloks. So be nice and send me a few to sample. Mille grazie!

In the meantime, I will go back to my caffè e cornetto until I can locate a decently priced supplier here in the Old World.

What did he say?

2009-08-27T15:37:00.003+02:00

I was just re-reading my Italian post, and realised that I had not provided an English synopsis for my rather significant (no really, hundreds... LOL) number of English language speakers. The post is about traffic and courtesy, or rather lack thereof, that I have noticed since coming back from my recent vacation in the US.

Now, as a European, I realise that it is my duty to complain about America. That's what we do! But one plus week of riding back in Rome, notwithstanding the fact that the city is almost deserted for August break, has me disgusted. The roads are in horrible shape, the way people drive is downright dangerous (especially for pedestrians and cyclists!) and there is litter everywhere. Maybe it's the big city mentality, but people simply are not courteous to others.

The exact opposite to my experience in South Carolina. The road infrastructure was fantastic, there was little or no litter by the roads (and Americans have volunteer adopt-a-highway programmes - something that is completely foreign to the Italian mentality), most drivers were quite courteous and extra cautious when passing me. It was a real pleasure to ride in the US.

I don't know if I was simply very fortunate, if Aiken is actually a cycling hotbed and everyone rides (if they do, I did not run into the cycling hordes), or if I have some kind of 'foreigner: be polite to him' mark that was secretly placed on my cycling jersey that all Americans take heed of.

So, as an Italian I am a bit sad and annoyed by this state of affairs, which is, unfortunately representative of the 'state of nature' which we Italians seem to have accepted here (at least in Rome).

Oh well. Time to get excited about another ride. No matter how others act.

Traffico? Civilta'?

2009-08-26T23:15:00.007+02:00

Traffico senza speranza... altro che vigili, chiamate la Folgore!

Avendo notato che molti visitatori del blog sono italiani, presumo che ci sia anche qualcuno che non se la cavi tanto bene con l'inglese. Allora oggi vorrei scrivere un post in italiano - comunque una buona cosa, visto che sono un italiano e che vivo a Roma!

Forse avrete notato i miei post 'americani' e le fotografie - strade deserte, asfalto liscio come un biliardo... poca sporcizia ai lati delle strade. Quest'estate ho avuto la fortuna di passare le mie due settimane di ferie nella Carolina del Sud, in una cittadina a due passi dalla frontiera con la Georgia. Il sud, insomma. Non proprio una zona rinomata per la sua grande tradizione ciclistica (ok, lasciamo stare Lance ed il Texas). Tengo una bici da corsa (la Specialized rossa che potete ammirare in un post precedente) li che uso per allenarmi. Due settimane di uscite, niente di particolare - dai 40 a 70 km al dì. Sempre solo (anche se conosco una squadra locale, dopo un anno lavorativo difficile ho preferito uscite solitarie molto 'zen') sulle strade intorno alla città di Aiken. Percorsi per lo più rurali, visto che bastano 5-6 km per uscire dalla città.

Qualche considerazione...

Infrastrutture fantastiche. Strade perfette. Quello che loro considerano strade messe male per noi sono il meglio del meglio. A quanto pare sanno anche fare manutenzione. Ciclabili dappertutto. E dove non esistono, cartelloni che esortano gli automobilisti a 'share the road' , ergo fate attenzione ai ciclisti - hanno tutto il diritto di utilizzare la strada con voi!

Pulizia... pochissima plastica e solamente qualche lattina (gli imbecilli ci sono dappertutto) a bordo strada - il tutto che viene comunque pulito regolarmente da volontari di ditte e/o scuole locali. Si avete letto bene, volontari. Proprio come in Italia.

E poi, il comportamento degli automobilisti lascia esterrefatti noi ciclisti italiani. In una decina di uscite nessuno mi ha mai 'stretto' o sorpassato in modo pericoloso. Alla guida nessuno è aggressivo, e a quanto pare sono consci della responsabilità che ha il conducente di un'auto. Mi sono trovato con gruppi di 5-6 auto che attendevano, pazientemente, il momento di potermi superare (quasi sempre evitando del tutto la corsia dove pedalavo). Proprio come qui da noi...

E come ho fatto notare. In una zona dove non ci sono moltissimi ciclisti. Dove non sono per niente abituati ad incontrarci per strada.

Allora, perché si comportano cosi'? Forse perché sono in gran parte persone educate. Esiste ancora un livello di coscienza civica che noi non abbiamo (forse... mai avuto).

Poi uno torna a Roma e per andare in bici in ufficio, od allenarsi dopo l'orario di lavoro viene visto come: (i) un problema; oppure (ii) uno stravagante... (per usare un'eufemismo) dopo tutto, potrebbe stare bloccato nel traffico per ore in auto come 'una persona normale'. Per poi arrivare a destinazione e cercare parcheggio per un'altra mezz'ora.

Credo proprio che il concetto stesso del public good - del bene pubblico, non esista. Peccato.

Mancanza di civiltà. E come italiano, questo mi fa un po male.

Riding in Aiken... part II

2009-08-24T22:03:00.007+02:00

Proof! I really did ride there!

This evening I raced home from work to be able to squeeze in a training ride on the R3 before dark. Made it home, changed into my cycling clothes (I ride in mtb shorts and a t-shirt for my work commute on the Kona) and hopped on the R3 for the ride.

Rome - Ostia - Rome - about 32 kilometers on a high traffic road. Why would you ride on that kind of road, Pete, especially with Italian drivers, zooming by you at high speed in cars and scooters?

Well, dear pastatrails blog reader, it is the quickest way for me to get a quick training ride in! All I have to do is exit the front door and start riding. Reach the sea (Ostia), turn around and come home. There is a decent (kind of) emergency lane both ways, so cars usually (occasional morons excepted) leave me alone. Not so the motorcycles and scooters, but we'll leave that to another day...

It's not beautiful, quiet, smog free. And has crap asphalt too.

My, I am painting a pretty picture here, aren't I?

So, riding this evening while trying not to breathe too deeply, I began to think about my Aiken, SC rides again. I returned to Rome from the US on Sunday the 16th. So it's only been a few days. And a universe away from rural South Carolina...

So I though I would share with you what it's like to ride there... with another few pictures.

Enjoy.

Toolebeck Road. I took this while riding, which brings us the weird effect. Whatever, I think it's cool.

Wire Road. Cotton, or so I am told. As a Euro, I found this fascinating... first time I have ever seen it!

Old Dibble Road. Just look at all of that traffic. Unbearable, really.

Wire Road. The best for last. This is my favorite picture from the entire vacation.

Oh, by the way. The Cervelo is wonderful. A hot knife through buttah. Superlative. Smooth. Tight. Fast. Click, click, change a gear. Stand up. The bike jumps instantaneously. I found myself giggling on a longish downhill. The problem are the legs...

Cervelo R3... the first ride

2009-08-23T11:49:00.013+02:00

Just back from her first ride...

Yup, there she is. Just back from the inaugural ride. So, what's my first impression?

Wow. It's that simple.

I am coming from a seven year old De Rosa Planet, a nice frame in its day, full alu with a carbon fork and upper chainstays. While pretty light when it was produced, the tradeoff was rigidity, or lack thereof. This was noticeable when riding out of the saddle uphill or in a sprint, and unfortunately also made itself felt downhill, where it was quite skittish at speed.

'Squoval' downtube. It's huge.

Not the R3. The massive bottom bracket area does not flex. Not even with all of my (not inconsiderable) weight and (rather minimal) power. It. Does. Not. Budge. Which means that I was able to climb the small hills on my inaugural ride one to two gears higher than normal.

The bottom bracket area. And first grease stain... ugh.

The handling is also excellent. It is much more stable than my old De Rosa on downhills (I have yet to reach massive speeds, only reached about 60 km/h today) and the best thing I can say is that by km 30 in the ride I was no longer conscious that this was on a new bike and my first ride. I was perfectly comfortable riding no-hands, drinking while at speed on downhills, etc.

Having said this, after years on a noodle frame, I did feel the rigidity when riding on Rome's miserable roads. The seat stays may be carefully studied by a super engineering team to be rigid yet vertically compliant (or so the Cervelo marketing spin tells us) but you do feel the road. This is a race bike, so that makes sense. Caveat emptor to potential buyers who want comfort. Look elsewhere for a plush ride.

The components are straight off my old bike. Modifications will be forthcoming (this bike is screaming for carbon Record 10 speed levers, black Record brakes and, if I can sneak them past the wife, a Neutron wheelset). So I have little to report beyond the fact that Campagnolo 10 speed continues to impress with its awesomeness. So let me wow you with a few pics of bike porn... (at least, for me).

Deda Newton stem and bars. Note the Cervelo cap on the stem. Nice touch.

San Marco Mantra saddle. Comfort for my bum and prostate, all in one! Happy Pete!

Tecno Tubo Torino (that's 3T to you) Funda fork. Delicious.

Ahh... Campagnolo Record Titanium. Bellissimo.

Front view. Very Euro Pro, in my humble opinion.

Just to prove that there is silliness in the best families... look at the service sticker on the top tube. Yes, white text on white paint. A wee bit difficult to read. LOL.

So, my overall first impression is that this is really, really great performance package. It is a fabulous race bike, well above my limits at the current time. On the basis of ogling and one flat ride in traffic choked Rome, I strongly recommend this to anyone looking for a high performance frame, one do-it-all bike.

I will do a full, bore you to death review in a few weeks when I have a few more kms under my belt...

A parting beauty shot. Simply gorgeous.

New Cervelo R3...

2009-08-20T17:28:00.005+02:00

Hello there... just needed to quickly post the big news... my new frame has now been set up with the components off my De Rosa (the one you see in the header of this site). First ride will be Saturday. I will be posting pics in a few days and providing you with my impressions.

For now, I was just really excited about the new arrival in my stable and felt the need to share the good tidings with everyone out there!

Quick and dirty build list: 2008 Cervelo R3, white. Campagnolo Chorus/Record mix. Deda Newton bars and stem. Selle San Marco Mantra saddle. FSA seatpost. Fulcrum 7 wheels.

Smiley borrowed from wikipedia... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Smiley.svg... thanks to Pumba80!

Kona Jake the Snake Review

2009-08-17T19:26:00.004+02:00

2008 Kona Jake the Snake

Ok guys... now that I have owned and commuted on the Kona for the better part of a year, I feel that I am in a position to review the bike. And yes, before you ask, apparently August is review Pete's bikes month. So deal. :)

The pictures of my bike are here, on one of my first posts on this blog. No reason to clog up bandwith posting more pics of the same thing, so click the link (or scroll down the page) if you want to see what she looks like! The full specs (I have a 54cm) can be found on the Kona website here.

The Kona is, I am ashamed to admit, the bike that I ride the most. On average five days a week, to and from work, on either an 11 kilometer route or a shorter 7 kilometer one... occasionally, when I have the daylight hours and the weather is good (and I sneak out of work around 17:00), I will extend the home leg of my commute. So this bike does get its fair share of riding, around 80 kilometers a week if I stay on the conservative side. The bike, as any commuter I suppose, is ridden in any weather, and in the fall and winter, spends most of its time riding after dark with lights. Subject of a forthcoming equipment review, I suppose, but I digress...

My commute is not very challenging either in terms of road surface (all paved, Rome pavement, which is pretty bad, but paved) or in terms of hills - I have a couple of short grades in that can be used to add some pain to the ride, but nothing serious. Having said this, with two panniers full of clothing, a laptop computer and assorted odds and ends (sometimes 10 kgs of stuff), the cyclocross gearing (46/36 chainring up front) comes in handy. The frame is heavy (compared to a road bike), but very solid, and the ride predictable. This is no downhill carving uberbike, but you will have no nasty surprises in handling terms either. The frame comes across as a very sturdy, and with the included eyelets for a rack, is an ideal (IMHO) light commuting bike...

The bike comes with Shimano 105 components, FSA Gossamer crankset, Avid Juicy cantilevers (good braking, hard to avoid some brake squeal, but very low maintenance), Mavic Aksium wheels, and rather gnarly Maxxis tires.

The Mavic wheels, contrary to what I have read on the net, were very poor performers. I apparently got a bad set, they creaked to no end (seriously, people in Rome traffic could hear me from 500 meters away) and the only way I could fix'em was to get rid of them. Replaced with a set of cheap Shimanos, not much better in performance terms, but at least no noise!

After rather poor experiences with the stock clinchers in rainy conditions on asphalt (very exciting... in a bad way) I went through several different sets of clinchers. All poor performers for what I needed. I have now settled for a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus... they are expensive, weigh a ton and are not exactly speed racer tires, but punctures are now a thing of the past. And they appear to not be wearing at all, which is also a good thing!

The Gossamer crank is absolute crap. The allow appears to be soft butter. The shifting is only just acceptable, and the rings are not even very true out of the box. I am simply using it because the gearing's right for commuting, and because trashing it will not hurt my inner cycling self...

The 105 components are ok. Very clunky shifting, as I have mentioned in other posts, but maybe there is a bit of lack of love for maintenance on a commuter that affects their performance. They are light years behind my Campagnolo Chorus in feel as well as in ease and speed of shifting. Then again, that is the way it should be, as we are obviously comparing apples and oranges in the two component lines. In any event, the step down in performance from Ultegra (please see my review of the Specialized) is noticeable. If you can possibly spare the cash, go for the better group. And I will be substituting the 105 bits for a hodge podge of Campagnolo parts once I have the chance.

So, along with a set of Arkel T-28 panniers (they are great, by the way), that is the set-up. To sum things up, this is a very capable bike, which is a bit let down by some components (obviously
the spec is built to hit a price point). I recommend the Jake the Snake for light touring, commuting and I cyclocross (I guess, never used it for that, though). The frame is tough and made to last. The components, as you can surmise from my review, can all be changed out for something better.

Hope you found this review helpful!

Specialized Allez Review...

2009-08-15T02:44:00.010+02:00

The Specialized...

I have a number of different road bikes, but the Specialized Allez here is probably the most unique bike in my stable. Why? Well, the frame material is similar to my other 'main' bike - a De Rosa Planet - Alu main triangle plus cf fork and rear stays, but the similarities end there. The Allez is very much a criterium machine, IMHO, being a very compact frameset (it is extremely compact in the 54 sloping size pictured here), and set-up with a full Shimano Ultegra Grey group, Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels, FSA bars, and Thomson seatpost and stem. Essentially a no nonsense racing frame (preferably for shorter, nervous races - I suspect that the previous owner used it as a criterium machine).

Yes, previous owner. This bike was purchased through ebay as an occasional use bike that I keep in the US (I regularly vacation in the US, but rarely more than 2-3 weeks a year in total). So I was not really looking for the latest and greatest, but rather a solid dependable bike that would give me little trouble. And indeed it satisfies my needs and more.

The business end...

I was a bit nervous when I unpacked the bike - I suspected that the position would be rather less forgiving than my De Rosa and the stout alu frame (especially the aero downtube) would give an effective but bone-jarring ride. Especially coming from the De Rosa, which is built with U2 tubing... about as noodly as it gets! Well, I was mistaken. This bike, with Elite wheels (as opposed to the 32 spoke handbuilts I usually ride at home), is quite comfortable. While I cannot say that I have ridden extreme distances, it is good for rides up to 80~100 kilometers (or at least, that is the most I have ridden it) without any serious aches and pains. I am not certain whether this has anything to do with the 'zertz' inserts that Specialized marketing types hype up, but I have no complaints comfort-wise.

Columbus Squadre Corse... a little bit of Italy!

This does not limit the power transfer of the frame - it is quite rigid and I have felt no power (not that I have much power!) loss while attempting to power-sprint up the short rolling hills that I ride in South Carolina. And the bike feels even more composed on the flat, where it is simply a joy to pedal hard, reach and maintain quite high 'cruising' speeds in the high 30s to low 40s (kph) with little effort (this is all relatively speaking, of course!).

Now about the groupset. As a proud Italian I am a Campagnolo man through and through. And must admit that I find the Shimano 105 group that came with my Kona to be inadequate the more I ride it... the shifts are clunky, the groupset is heavy and does not stay well regulated (maybe it's me, but this is not a problem with my Campagnolo groups) and... well, the aesthetics are nothing to write home about either.

The Ultegra drivetrain... where all the magical 'go fast' power transfer happens!

So... I was taken aback by how well the Ultegra group on this bike functions. It works the way a high quality group should - effortless shifting, no trouble making it work right, easy to maintain. Really nothing negative to say, beyond the fact that the STIs are huge, but then again, that is coming from a Campagnolo man, and it is the design characteristic of the entire Shimano line. And I do find them quite comfortable (apparently I am one of the few people who have no trouble riding either STIs or Ergopowers, both in terms of comfort and functionality). So, kudos, nothing negative to report on the group front.

The rest of the component set is also without fault. The FSA bars work fine, the massive Thomson stem and very elegant seatpost are excellent, and the Elite wheels have stayed true and spin well. The only complaint I have is the aftermarket Scott seat. I am sure it fits some people well, but any ride over one hour becomes torture. It will be replaced on my next visit with a Fizik Arione to protect my delicate posterior.

So, to sum it all up, if you have not already abandoned reading this post out of boredom: this is a great budget road bike, which will definitely not hold you back at all should you choose to race on it. A fantastic machine that you will enjoy riding many thousands of kilometers, should you so choose. Just remember to get a seat that you can live with!

She's actually quite striking, isn't she?

P.S. Apologies for the pictures - two days of training in the rain will do this... but I preferred to show you what it looks like 'in reality' as opposed to pictures taken following a 'showroom' cleaning session!

Cycling in Aiken, South Carolina

2009-08-10T19:28:00.009+02:00

Words to live by!

Hello everyone! I only just realised that I have not blogged since May! Finally have some time to blog again... it has been truly hectic with work and life. Sorry about that...

Ok, on to the good stuff... I am currently in Aiken, South Carolina, for a two week family vacation. So this was a wonderful opportunity to get some riding in - I keep a Specialized alu roadbike here to ride when I am in town... having a nice bike, wonderful roads with little traffic make the riding here a true joy. So I thought I would impress all of you with a few pictures of the roads around Aiken, along with the 'heavy' traffic I have to deal with (this will make all the Europeans reading this laugh - remember this is early August!).

Beautiful. Just beautiful.

Yes, this is normal traffic here... and the road surface is that good.

Wonderful legs... not shaved, I know. And check out the gleam on the frame...

In any event, hope that you are all having some good riding time out there. I cannot wait to get back to Italy for rides on my usual training routes, but definitely cannot complain about rides here in Aiken either. No real climbs, but lots of very pleasant rolling roads where you can ride as far as you want. Just be aware that there is the occasional rabid dog out there...

And also let me thank all of the drivers out here. Very, very polite (so far!), and they have always given me plenty of space when passing. A highly recommended area for riding.

Apologies...

2009-05-12T15:54:00.002+02:00

Just a short post to apologise for having disappeared lately, but work has been really crazy and it has a bad habit of getting in the way of my free time!

I will be back soon enough! Thanks for your patience!

2009-04-05T18:39:00.002+02:00

The new bike...
Last Thursday we picked up a new bike for my eldest daughter. And today was the big day... the first ride!

She is now the proud owner of a slightly used (it was raced for one year) Vicini all aluminum road frame, rebadged with our LBS' name. We decided to change the handlebars to a set of flatbars, as daughter 1 was unable to reach the brakes on the drops. And, to my great jealousy, she is riding tubulars. Very stylish and comfy! Euro pro! The bike is very smooth... as is confirmed by daughter 1, who tells me it is 'very fast' and 'way better than her old bike'. But then again, it might just be that 'new bike smell'...

In any event, today was the first 'real' ride, which she handled very well. Have to say, she is a very good rider - holds a line, has more than enough power for her age, and is clearly comfortable riding. So we started the ride in a car free park right by the seaside, and decided to go out on roads with car traffic. All went very well... including Mom and daughter 2, who rode on their mountain bike - Burley Piccolo contraption (more on that in another post).

The proud new owner...
We are all thrilled - this bike was purchased in preparation for a forthcoming Easter vacation trip, during which we hope to spend a lot of time riding as a family in Puglia (southern Italy)... and by this we mean at least a couple of hours - 30~40 km per day. So we are very happy and proud of the new 'real' cyclist in the family. Now I am beginning to develop secret visions of a future racing career, but I guess I should be a bit more conservative and hope that she becomes a lifelong cyclist. That would make me more than happy enough!

So, on a wonderful spring day (first day we were able to ride in short sleeves this year) I had a wonderful cycling outing with my whole family. And we are preparing for a five day vacation in southern Italy, with even more cycling, in a week's time. It does not get much better than this!

The other Euro Pro cyclist...
And just to prove we are Euro Pro cool, here is photographic evidence of daughter 2 in her 'I am ready to roll, what are we waiting for' pose. She is a bit peeved that she didn't get a new bike, and even more importantly, that her bike does not have a water bottle. But she is another strong rider... although she does occasionally stop pedaling altogether and looks at the birds and the trees... No worries though, it just means more intense training for mom, who is pulling her along!

So bye for now! I hope to post more next week during/after our forthcoming cycling vacation! All the best from sunny Rome!

Wild and crazy and... worthwhile *

2009-04-01T00:26:00.004+02:00

If you are reading this, chances are you are a fellow cyclist. As you know, we are not really considered to be 'normal' by our non-riding friends, colleagues and family. Face it, for those who have not seen the light, we are a wee bit weird. We spend huge amounts of money on our bikes. And our idea of a pleasant day is a 100 km ride in the baking heat, wearing tight-fitting lycra. And most importantly (this is actually sacrilege in a number of 'developed' countries) we shun driving cars. Which makes us positively, certifiably loony in the eyes of the majority.

Having said this, there are occasions when our propensity for... ehm, weirdness can be both entertaining and worthwhile. Many of you will have heard of Fat Cyclist. Heck, he is one of the reasons that I got into this blogging thing. And my view on his posts changed further when my father went through a serious bout of cancer about a year ago.

So, when Fatty proposes something fun and at the same time useful in the fight against cancer, I pay attention. And if it also absolutely ridiculous, well then, I seriously consider participating.

So, if you are serious about cycling and fighting cancer, please consider signing up for the '2nd Annual FatCyclist.com 100 miles of Nowhere'. The proposal - to ride 100 miles on your home trainer while pledging money for the fight against cancer - is ludicrous... Well, at least the cycling bit is. Of course, if you do not have the trainer, you are given the option of riding 100 miles up and down your driveway...

I don't know about you guys, but anything over 45 minutes on the trainer is absolute hell for me. So paying money to do it for about 7 hours straight is something that takes some gumption... well either that or a severely limited intellect.

I am signing up.

So what are you waiting for?

*Picture borrowed from www.tri247.org... I hope they don't mind!

A perfect ride...

2009-03-30T20:33:00.004+02:00

Today is the first weekday following the change to daylight savings time here in Europe. I always look forward to this. It is the 'official' sign that the short, dark, dreary days of winter will soon be a memory. It signals the arrival of spring. And more daylight. Nicer weather, and more riding time. What more can a cyclist ask for?

So, this afternoon I left work at about 17:30 (as opposed to staying later and getting more work done) and... ended up extending my commute a wee bit... OK, a lot. Instead of a ~8 km ride home, I raced to the seashore (18 km from my office) and back home. A 36 km ride. By the way, did I mention that it was wonderfully sunny and the temperature was about 16 °C?

It was perfect. The kind of day that reaffirms everything we love about this sport.

Home in time for a quick shower and dinner with the family. And when we sat down for dinner there was still sunlight outside. Spring is almost here. And we can ride.

Happy, happy Powerful Pete.

My commute...

2009-03-27T20:42:00.008+01:00

While I have a number of potential routes, my standard commute is about 7.5 km each way, through my neighborhood in southern Rome to my office. As you may or may not know, traffic here in Rome is absolutely hectic. At rush hour. Actually, all the time. Always. As an Italian and Roman I am used to it now, but I notice that whenever family or guests visit us from the United States (or anywhere in Europe), they are absolutely terrorized.

You see, the whole concept of heavy traffic and safety distance is different here... notice the beautiful weather (last week) and... what is normal traffic on my way to work!

Remember, there are 60-odd million of us in a country the size of a rather small American state. And a road network that was designed by Roman (as in the Roman Empire) city planner, oh, about 2-odd thousand years ago. And chariot size and traffic density is not the same as a whole lot of Fiats on the road at the same time! Which of course means that things are rather tight. I read U.S. blogs trying to enforce a three foot minimum distance when passing. If I am right, that is about a meter, and let me tell you, I am shocked when I get that much distance in rush hour traffic...

In any event, I am not trying to present myself as a hero. The roads in this part of town are relatively new and modern (Mussolini's city planning, built after the war and finished for the 1960 Olympics). So I cannot complain. And, as I may have mentioned, I absolutely love the commute... it gets me to work (traffic, red lights and all) in less than 25 minutes on a slow day - about half the time it took me in a car on a good day. Combine that with the rush, and after my shower and changing into my work clothes, I always feel like I am getting away with something for the first few hours in the office every day!

My first real ride...

2009-03-25T01:22:00.007+01:00

I was never the cool and athletic kid in school. Rather pudgy, as a matter of fact. No hand-eye coordination (I blame my mom for that!). No real ability to play team sports. Something of a tragedy for a growing pre- and early teen desperate for acceptance by his peers (and for the interest of the other sex!).

Then my father introduced me to cycling.

It all started on a glorious spring afternoon in Rome. I believe I was 12. With my dad we went out, purchased an Atala SL frame (the original Atala, made by Rizzato in Padova - the picture above is from ebay, but that is what my frame looked like), set it up with Gipiemme components (great stuff, cheaper than Campagnolo, but really the only option if you were not willing to pay top Lira for Super Record - what was Shimano? the Japanese make components? no way!). We then went digging in some cabinets and my father produced two pairs of wool cycling shorts. Deerskin padding included. Apparently unused for the better part of the last quarter century (any idea how 25 year old deerskin padding feels?). We donned them, along with equally old wool jerseys (I still remember my mother, who was very concerned by all this, making me wear a flannel checkered shirt to protect me from the wind - it's an Italian mothers' thing - you wouldn't understand) and immediately set off. Powerful Pete on his Atala. My father on his specialissima made to measure about 25-odd years beforehand. Yes, it was a beautiful afternoon.

Random thoughts, yes?

The first ride was 32 kilometers. Once I began to gain confidence in the (for me) twitchy steering on a racing bike, I was transformed, a catharthis. I cannot begin to describe the emotions. I was free. I was moving what felt like immense distances at breathtaking speeds (ok, they weren't, but it sure felt like it). I was no longer the last guy left standing when teams were picked for a football (soccer to you Americans!) game. From that moment, somewhere around kilometer 18 or so, I knew. This was my sport, my pastime, the activity that would help define me. No matter what I did, where I ended up, how successful or popular I would become, cycling would be a part of my life. It is my little secret. It is a very important part of what makes Powerful Pete.

And to this day, through all the vagaries of life, riding is still a part of me. Sometimes I barely ride for a month or two. But I always crane my neck when I see another rider on the road. It is my dirty little secret. And I always start riding 'seriously' again. Grazie papa'. This is truly a lifelong gift. I only hope that I can pass on the passion to my own children... but that is the sweetest of challenges.

The Kona...

2009-03-22T22:41:00.012+01:00

I love to ride. To the point that I decided to sell my perfectly good car and purchase a... Kona Jake the Snake to commute to work. Added on a set of Arkel panniers on an Old Man Mountain rack, started commuting in August 2008, and have never looked back.

She is a beauty. Handles crappy Rome roads (and crazed drivers) with ease. And although I am a Campagnolo man through and through (more on that later!) I cannot complain about the Shimano 105 equipment (the shifting is fine, albeit clunky in comparison to the Campagnolo Chorus kit on my De Rosa). Although the FSA Gossamer crankset is another issue altogether...

I do believe she would look even better with full Centaur kit (yes, the carbon ergopowers would look really, really nice on this Kona!), but that is for another day, when there is a wee bit more cash available for less than necessary upgrades. Now if I could only get a set of Boras past 'the chain'...

My first post...

2009-03-22T21:27:00.000+01:00

Well, here goes. The first post. I must admit that I have been playing around with the idea of blogging about my cycling passion, along with the many other bits and pieces of my life that I feel an urge to share with friends and family.

I have great ideas and plans for this blog. As always, I am excited by this new adventure... I hope to be able to keep things entertaining for all of you out there!

Please wish me luck!