I'm sure he'll appreciate it being the bon viveur he is
I'll mail the Epica site asking them to jib the salame next year for an extra bottle of vino !
*raises a glass to the Marco Pantani looking barman in Acqui *
EEEEEEEVA-TOOOHN!
As requestd the article I write You can write the 2011 version if you want So many parallels !
But first this ditty just about sums Sundays efforts up perfectly "We can beat them gravel paths just for one day "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgcc5V9Hu3g&ob=av2nL’epica : Follow that Car (thaginian)
Last Saturday found me making the 55 mile train ride to Piacenza to “compete” in L’Epica (following in the footsteps of Hannibal ) hence the title It’s more a celebration of the bike , rather than a race as will shortly be explained . My own prize , that of “Mamella del giorno “ or “Tit du Jour “ as you say back home was won on my arrival at Piacenza station .. Should I ever produce a phrase book , it will contain “Guard , I have secured my velocipede to the bicycle rack by means of a locking device and have neglected to bring the keys !” A hastily produced saw saved my embarrassment and prevented my bike being doomed to travelling all the way back to Turin . I , then made my way to the hostel like a salmon swimming against the current , this particular current being the early Saturday evening “Passeggiata “ in full swing . Still a sight to behold after all these years. The main drag in Piacenza is truly wonderful from an architectural point of view . Once in the hostel , I thought I’d watch the land of my forefathers play the land of my wife and daughter , but it wasn’t to be , as the hostel telly was on the blink , so I retired to bed with a book ,. I was up at 5 .30 and at 7.00 cycled the 8k to San Nicolò the starting point of the race . Race is a somewhat erroneous term , there were three categories 30k , 65 k and 105k It was a throwback to a gentler pre -doping era The competitors were encouraged to bring vintage bikes and clothing and it was amazing to see bikes from the 40’s 50’s 60’s and 70’s . There were also modern state-of .the .art bikes and mountain bikes . My steed of choice was a 12 year old steel frame Legnano rather than my carbon/aluminium Scott for reasons which will become obvious. Mid 80’s hits such as Simple Minds and Tina Turner were blasting out from the makeshift refreshment area . In a Proustian way , it brought back memories of our last great side . A makeshift exhibition of vintage jerseys had been set up I handed over my Renault mid 70’s woolen one I had thought about riding in it , but decided I did not want to hand over my already meager savings to a dermatologist !In tribute to the upcoming game in Estadio da Luz a Blue and white Berg jersey purchased in Lisbon in August was worn .
9 o’clock arrived , and the line up was like the previous evening’s passeggiata , truly a sight to behold . It was amazing to see such a variety of bikes I decided to go for the long haul 105k In keeping with cycling’s more innocent days, no chips , just a card to be stamped at the various feeding stations along the way . The race itself , more or less followed the River Trebbia . which Hannibal and his elephants had followed on the way down to Rome after crossing the Alps . Another feature of the race was that 30k , in intermittent sections , were along so called “strade bianche “ rough country gravel paths . You could tangibly feel the envy towards the mountain bikers on those sections . The first station was reached after 35k ,water , wine , energy drinks , fine wines , salame and cheeses all there for the taking . The bright sunshine added to the festive feeling and cards were stamped . My inner ale- fiend was tempted to hit the wine . but decided to refrain until the finishing line . The route then hit the hills and low mountains and I found myself with a couple of 60 year old ex semi professionals It was really interesting to hear their tales , and made the steep uphill sections less tiring , the beautiful scenery added to this as well , After 60k came the worst section , a 2k uphill climb on gravel at an average of 9 per cent (16 per cent at its steepest ) The highest feeding station at 500 m was reached , cards once again stamped , food consumed and everything was like that classic David Bowie LP featuring “Life on Mars ” My trusty Legnano was holding up , then on a swift downhill section , the ominous sound of a blowout , pretty scary at that speed . 10 minutes of cursing and swearing saw the tube in my front wheel replaced , only for the back wheel to go 2 minutes later , which meant parting with the second and ultimate inner tube ! On the way down , the race passed through a village called Statto This was manifestly obvious as the inhabitants all wore anoraks and NHS specs and would come out with such gems as “Burnley fielded a side in the 1912/13 season completely made up of Saggitarians “ The final station was reached , I reached for what I thought was energy drink it turned out to be Prosecco wine ,! “Ah well , if Buddha so decrees , so be it “ and helped myself to another glass and a salame bap . The last 25 k to San Nicolò passed quickly , the finishing –line was reached and goody bags were given out Two bottles of the areas finest wine (Gutturnio /Malvasia) The final cherry on the cake was the Polenta Party and all the free wine that went with it in the glorious sunshine. It was truly a privilege to take part in such an event . A real celebration of the two wheeled sport . A reminder of a more innocent age . Similar to the beautiful game in the 70’s before Sky defiled its pulchritude .