L'Eroica Gaiole 2022 Check-in! Rain, Hail, Washouts Oh MY
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#28
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Great pictures and I am definitely jealous of the generous offerings at the rest stop
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Looks like Galmozzi was watching over the proceedings.
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Now we know what they do with all of the CA Eroica registration fees.
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EroicaCA is awesome! The good food is in PasomRobles. My understanding is that Italy won’t let old folks be heroic. And as much fun as an Italian vacation bike ride would be, I’m not doing it if Even with a doctors note, they won’t let me do the long route.
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Yeah, thanks for that guys!
Joking aside, I believe the big difference is that in Italy bicycle racing is, and always has been, way more important than in, for instance, California. One illustration is the story of Gino Bartali winning the 1948 Tour de France:
L'Eroica is very much a celebration of the days that the modern Italian nation was formed with the help of heroes like Bartali, and with that historic background it is easier to understand why there are so many happy volunteers in Gaiole, and why Il Canto degli Italiani is played at the finish line with such vigour.
Joking aside, I believe the big difference is that in Italy bicycle racing is, and always has been, way more important than in, for instance, California. One illustration is the story of Gino Bartali winning the 1948 Tour de France:
Bartali returned to the Tour in 1948 to find that many riders he had known had died in the war and that there were as many more who had started racing since he stopped. He was so worried that he spent an evening memorising two dozen riders he did not know. The Tour started in a rainstorm and Bartali found he could identify nobody because the whole field was wearing waterproofs. He took his chance and found he was with Briek Schotte. The two finished together at Trouville, and Bartali took the yellow jersey.
It was during that Tour that the leader of the Italian Communist Party, Palmiro Togliatti, was shot in the neck by a sniper as he was leaving the parliament building. The writer Bernard Chambaz said:
History and myth united, and a miracle if you like because that evening Bartali got a phone call at his hotel. In a bad mood, dubious, he didn't want to answer. But someone whispered that it was Alcide de Gasperi, his old friend from Catholic Action, now parliamentary president, who told him that Palmiro Togliatti, secretary-general of the communist party, had been shot at and had survived by a miracle. The situation in the peninsula was very tense amid the ravages of the Cold War. Italy needed Bartali to do what he best knew how to do, to win stages.
The communists occupied factories and radio and television stations, and angry rows in parliament came close to blows. A revolt was looming. Then Bartali won three stages in a row and led the Tour by 14 minutes. An obituary says:
Just as it seemed the communists would stage a full-scale revolt, a deputy ran into the chamber shouting 'Bartali's won the Tour de France!' All differences were at once forgotten as the feuding politicians applauded and congratulated each other on a cause for such national pride. That day, with immaculate timing, Togliatti awoke from his coma on his hospital bed, inquired how the Tour was going and recommended calm. All over the country political animosities were for the time being swept aside by the celebrations and a looming crisis was averted.
The former prime minister, Giulio Andreotti said: "To say that civil war was averted by a Tour de France victory is surely excessive. But it is undeniable that on that 14th of July of 1948, day of the attack on Togliatti, Bartali contributed to easing the tensions."
It was during that Tour that the leader of the Italian Communist Party, Palmiro Togliatti, was shot in the neck by a sniper as he was leaving the parliament building. The writer Bernard Chambaz said:
History and myth united, and a miracle if you like because that evening Bartali got a phone call at his hotel. In a bad mood, dubious, he didn't want to answer. But someone whispered that it was Alcide de Gasperi, his old friend from Catholic Action, now parliamentary president, who told him that Palmiro Togliatti, secretary-general of the communist party, had been shot at and had survived by a miracle. The situation in the peninsula was very tense amid the ravages of the Cold War. Italy needed Bartali to do what he best knew how to do, to win stages.
The communists occupied factories and radio and television stations, and angry rows in parliament came close to blows. A revolt was looming. Then Bartali won three stages in a row and led the Tour by 14 minutes. An obituary says:
Just as it seemed the communists would stage a full-scale revolt, a deputy ran into the chamber shouting 'Bartali's won the Tour de France!' All differences were at once forgotten as the feuding politicians applauded and congratulated each other on a cause for such national pride. That day, with immaculate timing, Togliatti awoke from his coma on his hospital bed, inquired how the Tour was going and recommended calm. All over the country political animosities were for the time being swept aside by the celebrations and a looming crisis was averted.
The former prime minister, Giulio Andreotti said: "To say that civil war was averted by a Tour de France victory is surely excessive. But it is undeniable that on that 14th of July of 1948, day of the attack on Togliatti, Bartali contributed to easing the tensions."
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#35
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Europe and in this case, especially Italians are genuine true believers, its in their blood for what is approaching a Century and a half.
Cycling for them eclipses all of our sporting excess combined and far more of them seriously participate, not just "fans".
That said, I also firmly believe that the supporting vendors, sponsors, businesses and volunteers are all in at a level we can't get to.
We're a footnote in the grand scheme of things, if it weren't for a precious few turning themselves inside out, our currently pathetic version of this would and may become no more.
Cycling for them eclipses all of our sporting excess combined and far more of them seriously participate, not just "fans".
That said, I also firmly believe that the supporting vendors, sponsors, businesses and volunteers are all in at a level we can't get to.
We're a footnote in the grand scheme of things, if it weren't for a precious few turning themselves inside out, our currently pathetic version of this would and may become no more.
#36
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I could not find an announcement of a 2023 California event.
I would assume it has concluded.
I would assume it has concluded.
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#39
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Was early May last year, so if a similar time frame, 7 months out?
No website updates on the 2022 event, only 2019.
I submitted an offer to volunteer about three weeks ago, No Response.
Color me skeptical.
Italy seems to be thriving.
The UK event was a bust too at Goodwood.
No website updates on the 2022 event, only 2019.
I submitted an offer to volunteer about three weeks ago, No Response.
Color me skeptical.
Italy seems to be thriving.
The UK event was a bust too at Goodwood.
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Thanks for posting non-fixie, your pictures and captions paint a great story of what it was really like instead of the site's gallery of wonderful faces and moments in time. I like your version better. It would be great to see your slide Caraselle full of pictures from "your trip to Italy".
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#41
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Eroica California can never come up to the level of L'Eroica Gaiole. It's like expecting a high school football game to equal the spectacle of the super bowl. We should just be thankful that we can do a ride that tries in its small way to emulate L'Eroica Gaiole, which itself tries to emulate the Giros and Tours of the past. It's all good and if you attend any of these events you will have a good time IMHO. On the plus side for Eroica California, the weather and scenery has always been good. In contrast, the weather when I rode L'Eroica Gaiole was miserable and I ended up covered with mud and with road rash from crashing on the route. That said, I still enjoyed both routes immensely.
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Eroica California can never come up to the level of L'Eroica Gaiole. It's like expecting a high school football game to equal the spectacle of the super bowl. We should just be thankful that we can do a ride that tries in its small way to emulate L'Eroica Gaiole, which itself tries to emulate the Giros and Tours of the past. It's all good and if you attend any of these events you will have a good time IMHO. On the plus side for Eroica California, the weather and scenery has always been good. In contrast, the weather when I rode L'Eroica Gaiole was miserable and I ended up covered with mud and with road rash from crashing on the route. That said, I still enjoyed both routes immensely.
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#43
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Heroes^
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#46
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Gotta admire Italian style; we ***** and moan about the lack of food in California and they’re contemplating handing out free women. I might want more information before checking that box though.
I’m more about people and experience, so not much pix of bikes but I have to say the experience was excellent and all the riders were great. I’ll post a few photos when I get to my PC. Meanwhile the official site already posted tons of professional photos. I’ll supplement a few more thoughts when I get home.
https://eroica.cc/it/gaiole/gallery-2022-8
Talk about a top notch accommodations. For the single guys out there, Check out the accommodations for the future below.
https://eroica.cc/it/gaiole/gallery-2022-8
Talk about a top notch accommodations. For the single guys out there, Check out the accommodations for the future below.
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#47
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Be aware that they are like old Jaguar cars: you really, really want one, acquisition is surprisingly cheap, but the upkeep, oh boy!
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[QUOTE=chune;22685971]Did you make the cut?
Did you? Of all people, I thought i would make the cut but no such luck. I checked various postings and have been disappointed time and time again I singlehandedly fixed the organization's diversity image but i guess it is Italy not US. I'll try again next time with more attention getter getups....
Did you? Of all people, I thought i would make the cut but no such luck. I checked various postings and have been disappointed time and time again I singlehandedly fixed the organization's diversity image but i guess it is Italy not US. I'll try again next time with more attention getter getups....
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