Due to the fact that we decided rather spontaneously to take part in Eroica 2015 apart from finding a suitable bike another challenge was finding the right accommodation. After a few enquiries I realised that this might be even more challenging than finding a vintage bike. Most B&Bs in Gaiole, Radda and other towns in the area are fully booked months before the event. With some luck we found an excellent accommodation in a small winery nearby Radda. We were offered a small cottage adjacent to the main building which is usually not available during the off-season. This turned out to be a great place and we enjoyed our short stay very much – especially the breakfast. For obvious reasons I cannot disclose the name of the winery 😉
We arrived on Saturday afternoon, the day before the big event. After checking in at the winery we went straight to Gaiole to collect the race pack and race number. The whole organisation of the event ist really great; cycling is a big thing in Italy and enjoys considerable status among Italian people. We soaked in the ambience of Gaiole and strolled around the vintage cycling market offering lots of parts, frames and vintage bicycles as well as vintage clothes and accessories. It was fantastic to meet so many like-minded people from different parts of the world who all share the same passion. There was a special spirit in the air and we started to feel very excited in the festival-like atmosphere. In the evening we went to Radda for a nice meal and for a glass of wine at La Bottega di Giovannino.
Race day started a bit stressful as we got up rather late and had to drive for about 20 minutes to Gaiole by car. For the 135 and 209km routes there is a determined starting time frame from 5am to 7am and riders are free to start within this time frame. We arrived at the starting line slightly late at about 7.05am and were urged to hurry. The weather forecast wasn’t too bad and it looked ok when we took off. Hence, we decided to leave rain protection at home in order to save some weight; this decision turned out to be a bad one later that day.
Our preparations for L’Eroica were limited to a minimum. I only got my bike a couple of weeks before the race while my colleague Markus, who joined me for the event, only got his bike on the day of arrival (!!!). He picked it up in Tirol on the way to Tuscany. This means the first time he actually sat on the bike was at the starting line of the 135km route of L’Eroica. Pretty insane, isn’t it? 🙂 It was a very nice Pinarello from the early to mid-80s which seemed to be in impeccable working order – at least at first sight. The only thing we knew about the route was the distance of 135km and the total elevation gain of 2300m. However, we had no clue about the elevation profile or where we could stop for refreshments. Nevertheless, we felt ready for the adventure.
Next chapter: Rainy day on a bike