Today (Sunday) was the 4th anniversary of my Mom's passing away. I still miss her dearly, not a day passes by when I don't think about her and how much she meant to me. My Mom loved the ocean and my Mom loved cycling--yet she never learned to swim and she never owned a bike in her entire life.
But when I got the idea that I wanted an Italian racing bike, she did not hesitate for a single instant and generously opened up her purse to buy me the Bottecchia in this picture. I have owned that bike for nearly a quarter of a century--if I was ever forced to own only one bike, I would gladly give up the C59 and the Infinito just to keep the Bottecchia.
To honor my Mom's memory I rode the Bottecchia out to PCH. It was a typically cool, foggy morning, but on the return leg of the trip the fog cleared and the sun briefly shone. I know that up above, she was smiling. Thank you Mami!
