"La Bella Italia" Palermo

In May and June 2013 my wife Kathren and I undertook the challenge of "La Bella Italia", a cycling tour of Italy run by Dutch company "Bike-Dreams". After 3000kms and over 40,000 metres of elevation gain pedalling like crazy we have survived our journey on the "strada" of Itay from Palermo to Como. A great adventure for us and filled with many memories. Biking through this country of many contrasts; physically and culturally, gave us a unique insight into the Italian "way of life". From the olive and citrus groves of Sicily, the poorer rural areas in the south, the beautiful hotels and resorts of the Amalfi Coast, the antiquities and breathtaking architecture of the famous cities (Naples/Pompeii, Rome, Florence, Venice) to the awesome profile of the towering peaks of the Dolomites; we were treated to a truly memorable experience. We probably will never undertake another journey on this scale, but we are pleased we did it, despite the effort and saddle sores! Losing over 10kgs in weight between us is evidence of the calories required to spin those pedals over 100kms every day for 5 weeks! In this blog I will share some of the photographs and impressions of our journey, along with details of the GPS course and elevation profile of each of the 28 stages.

I this the first page of the series, I have posted a number of pics taken during our first few days in Cinisi (near Palermo) before the departure of the tour on May 11. There are two links provided here for rides we did during this time - Piano Margi - Capo Rama

Milan

Milan Duomo Square

Milan Duomo Square

Bobbin Head Cycle Classic 2013

Sunday 24th March 2013 was the date of the second BHCC. This year the course was changed due to Police concerns about descents on major public roads (like Pacific Hwy) and road closures were also employed more extensively than last year. The route covered a loop from Turramurra (Karuah Oval) through Wahroonga and along Pacific Hwy to Bobbin Head. The second section along Mona Vale Road and through Duffys Forest tested the legs with a number of short but quite steep climbs. The final section took riders through McCarrs Creek to West Head Rd out and back and the return trip to Turramurra via Akuna Bay and Mona Vale Rd.
The support for this years event seemed considerably stronger than 2012. More riders (over 1700 registrations) and more volunteers. Starting at 7am, I rode the first 25km with Easyriders and when that bunch started to separate I decided to go it alone. Kath started at Mt Colah 0830hrs and did the short course (58km) which took in Duffys Forest and Terrey Hills. I cycled the full 105km course and managed to finish at approx 1230hrs. The North Sydney riders rode well in a group, and I had a chat at the finish. I stopped for food and coffee at Akuna Bay Marina. Conditions in the early morning were excellent but became quite hot and humid after 1000hrs. Below is a series of pics taken enroute. Garmin Connect link Bobbin Head Cycle Classic 2013

Instagram link

Bright Vic Alpine Classic weekend

Kath and I at Tawonga Gap

top of Tawonga Gap looking down Keiwa Valley

Bright event centre

Neil, and his brother Gavin with Jill and Lorraine at Bright

Dingo Dell (top of Mt Buffalo climb) first ascent

Water stop at 7.5km from top of Buffalo

Tony cranking a low gear on the final climb to Mt Buffalo

Tony Gasparre and I at Dingo Dell after final Buffalo climb

view from Buffalo towards Falls Creek and Tawonga Gap

Lake Buffalo (Mt Buffalo and The Horn in background)

Wandiligong Valley

Wandiligong Valley

Wandiligong Valley

3 Mile Dam near Kiandra

Black Perry lookout near Blowering Dam Tumut

Tumut main street

the fast flowing Tumut River

Goobragandara River picnic area erosion

Goobragandara River Tumut

buried picnic tables Goobragandara River

Goobragandara River

Goobragandara River

Lacmalac

This is the Audax Alpine Classic one of the major long distance fixtures on the annual cycling calendar. You can ride your bike on Sunday 27th January for 50, 70, 140, 200 or even 250(??!!) km over the peaks of the Vic Alps. Always a great atmosphere for cyclists in Bright over the Jan. long weekend, as over 1000 riders come from all over AU and even NZ to participate. With a selection of rail trails and alpine roads, there are plenty of rides to choose from, and also a fine selection of coffee shops (our choice "Bright Velo"), and eating establishments. A popular spot is the Bright Brewery with its array of beers and cider, close to the centre of town and just a short walk from the riverside park, where a welcome dip helps soothe aching muscles after a long stint on the bike!

We travelled to the event via the Snowy Mtns, coming via Jindabyne on Wed. 23rd Jan and returning via Tumut on Monday 28th Jan. This made for a relaxing journey, with a couple of bonus country rides in both locations. This year participation was down due to re-routing of the Alpine Classic 200/250km rides. This was because of bushfires burning to the east of Bright in Harrietville and Mt Hotham. The Audax organisers advised on Wed 23rd that rides would now be redirected up Mt Buffalo instead of taking in Falls Creek, Mt Hotham and Tawonga Gap. We were staying at Bright Chalet where 40x firefighters were accommodated from Friday evening. After several days of severe fire conditions, brief storms and cooler conditions at night meant that the fires were still burning but under control on Sunday.

Goodbye to Jindabyne

Scammels Ridge lookout between Dead Horse Gap and Geehi

view at Scammels - Kosciuszko hidden behind Abbotts Peak

with John Aitken at finish

Kathren and I met up with a number of friends and acquaintances at the Bright Brewery; some from my cycling trip to Europe last year and some riding mates from Sydney. In addition to the 200km Classic, there were plenty of opportunities to enjoy the rides to different climbs and localities around Bright before the Sunday event; including Tawonga Gap, Lake Buffalo, Myrtleford and Wandiligong. This was a memorable and enjoyable weekend and one we will definitely pencil in for next year. I have listed each of the Garmin links for these rides below; Jindabyne Porepunkah Tawonga Gap Wandiligong Lake Buffalo Alpine Classic Tumut

In Search of Hills 2012

Riders prepare for the final section from Mt White to Hornsby

Cottage Point check-point

Cottage Point

This event is a leadup training ride for the Audax Alpine Classic 2013. 200km and 150km course were the options.  A total of 68 riders entered this event (40 for the 200km course). The morning started cool for the run down the Pac Hwy. The serious climbing started on Powder Works Rd. First check-point was Church Point at approx 10.30am. The section from Church Point to St Ives was the most enjoyable of the ride. After stopping at St Ives to have my Brevet card signed I rode on to N Turra for lunch at Corner Cafe. The temperatures started dropping as the southerly change blew in. The next stop was the Road Warriors at Mt White for a coke and energy bars. After returning to Berowra light rain kept things cool for the final section via Arcadia. A well run event and a challenging course with 8x solid climbs. Thanks to Audax and ride leader Gary Armsworth, Garmin link here In Search of Hills 2012

Dougal Hunt AKA "Grinderman"

Check out Dougal's account of his epic one day ride from Mt Gambier to Melbourne earlier this year (2012). Given he had only just returned from the "Gong" Ride (Sydney to Wollongong) the week before, not by car but on a bike over 5 days, this is an amazing feat of endurance cycling. His description of the ride is here Dougal Hunt AKA "Grinderman" Mt Gambier - Melb ride 460km

JetBlack 24hr MTB Mt Annan 2012

Matt Caffrey and Mike at start

Team "Go 4 It!" at start

Team "Grumpy Old Men" at start

Mike sets out on first lap in 40deg!

homebase camp

Dorian completes a lap

Spencer and Peter "hosing off" after a lap

celebrating with a few beers after the race

24 hour solo champion Chris Hanson - 40 laps on his own!

cooling off!

"got enough air in those tyres?"

"Grumpy Old Men" 2nd in Male Masters 24hr Team of 4

500+ riders started this event which included 24hr solo, teams of 2x, 3x, 4x, and 6x, mens, womens, mixed, single speed plus the 6hr+6hr. Mike, Spencer, Peter and myself were in Male Masters 24hr Team of 4x category. We were "Grumpy Old Men" and were very grumpy to ride in the 40deg + temperatures on Saturday! We pulled out all the stops and completed 45 laps of the course. We made 2nd placing and were beaten by a team who completed the same no. of laps but in a faster time. In the teams of 4x male overall we placed 5th. Spencer produced the lap of the day (29mins) to give us a serious chance of getting a final lap started before the cut-off time of 12 noon. Mike came in at 3 min to midday to give Spencer the honour of completing the 45th lap to equal our rivals. Very challenging course made more difficult by the track traffic. Our strategy changed to "doubles" at night to allow riders a longer rest. After the heat of the first 4 laps, I found it difficult to recover enough strength for 30+min laps for the rest of the race. 10x laps of this course was my limit and I pleased to be able to back up my team mates. Peter did 11x laps, Spencer and Mike each made 12x laps with some exceptional times on their final laps. Pierre, Jonesy, Dorian and Neil put in a great showing as Team "Go 4 It!", especially as they were giving away up to 15 years in age difference to other riders in this category. They kept up the pace right through, and completed 26 laps. We now have the benefit of 3x 24hr events behind us and results have shown that we are definitely improving! Garmin Connect link here JetBlack 24hr 2012 More photos to come from MarathonPhotos.com