L'Eroica 2012

tonycon28

Myself and 2 mates did the L’Eroica 135km route this month. Unfortunately one of the guys didn’t finish due to a buckled wheel. Here are my lessons learned – these are from the point of view of a novice cyclist.

First thing is the bike. The Strade Bianche accounts for half the distance and is basically a gravel dirt road. It puts a lot of pressure on the bike especially going down hill. You need to make sure that your wheels, tyres and brakes are up to the job. I had 700c 28 Panaracer Crosstowns which worked well for me. I didn’t have any punctures. I had a 28-14 cassette and a Compact Chainset. I cheated a bit with the Compact but apart from that the bike was standard with period components. I had replaced cables, bottom bracket etc so everything was in good working order. The bike finished well just a bit of creaking around the crankset/bottom bracket.

Next thing is fitness. I wasn’t great on this front. I only started training in mid-May – hadn’t cycled in earnest since I was a teenager 30 years ago. I live in Firhouse so I did regular runs up to the viewing point and 2 runs across Sally Gap. I could have done with more training to tackle the gravel hills – ended up walking up a lot of the steep bits especially after Asciano – part of this was to protect myself as I wanted to make sure I finished. There are some videos on Youtube but they don’t do justice to how steep this section is – when I was passing this way approx. 80% of cyclists walked up the hills. You could try and train on rougher road, though you learn fairly quickly on the day how to ride rough roads.

The day before you have to register in Giaole, so you just need some ID and you can pick up your pack – cloth bag, number for your jersey and your bike, route passport (stamped at beginning, end and rest spots).

The day of the event you have to start off between 5 and 7am if you want to do the 135 or 205. We started at about 6.45. We were about half an hours drive from Giaole so we had breakfast shortly after 5am (4am Irish Time). It wasn’t too cold, I just had a jersey and arm warmers – the arm warmers came off after 5 or 6 km.

There were 3 of us. One of the lads got a badly buckled rear wheel at about 12k. We spent 45 mins trying to fix it with the help of 2 guys from Dublin (think one was named Dave) and an English guy (Angelo). In the end the wheel was too bad and he had to retire. The fun started then as everyone was gone ahead of us. We had to push on as we were concerned that the rest areas and checkpoints would be closed. Unfortunately the marshals had all left and we ended up getting lost in Sienna - this cost us about half an hour. Finally we arrived at the Rest Stop in Radi. Most people had left with just a few guys getting their bikes fixed with a mechanic. We stopped there for about 40 mins before pushing on for Asciano. At this point it was warm and dusty. Eventually we arrived at Asciano – at this stage we had cycled about 90km and I was suffering mostly from dehydration. Stopped in Asciano for probably an hour before tackling the hardest section. We had now linked up with the 205km riders. Got to the final rest point and started to feel better – evening was coming in so it was a bit cooler and pushed on to the finish in Giaole


Things to note.

• rest stops – 49km, 84km and 102km
• Water, food and wine available at each stop – cold meats, bread, cheeses, soup, biscuits, cake, fruit
• Mechanic at each rest stop – need to bring cash
• If you are running behind the main field keep a sharp lookout for the brown L’Eroica signs plus other temporary signs.
• Recommend starting as early as possible – if I was to do it again I would start at 6am for the 135km.
• You will need lights.
• Don’t have to wear a helmet, but I would recommend wearing one
• Wear Mountain Bike shoes as you will have to drag your bike up some of the gravel section
• Nobody officially examined the bikes.
• There were other cyclists on the route as it is open road with modern bikes.
• There isn’t any support if you breakdown – saw a lot of guys carrying bikes on their shoulders.
• You will need a vintage Jersey otherwise you won’t get the Bottle of wine and cake at the end of the event. Wear something that looks woollen and old fashioned.
• Make sure your bike is in good order – replace all old components – brake pads, bottom bracket, chain, cables etc.
• Carry spare tube, cables, cable ties, puncture repair kit, bike tool, electrolyte tables, rubber gloves, mobile phone, cash, pump, lights, sun glasses, sun cream if you are fair.

That’s it I think.

Tony

ednwireland

tonycon28 wrote: »

• rest stops – 49km, 84km and 102km
• Water, food and wine available at each stop – cold meats, bread, cheeses, soup, biscuits, cake, fruit

That’s it I think.

Tony

i wouldnt have got past the first rest stop, cheese bread and wine, that would be me done

seeing as noone examines the bikes
l'eroica frame for sale
circa 1985 rusty chrome

Daithi BC

tonycon28 wrote: »

• Nobody officially examined the bikes.

Great write-up. I was there this year as well, and found it tough, but do-able if you have the right equipment. I had a 1982 Carlton Corsair, with a 52-42 on the front and a 34 on the back. Even in 42-34, the hills after Asciano are very tough, particularly because you have to weave in and out of cyclists walking, and your back wheel spends a lot of time spinning. Everyone around me was taking the gravel downhills cautiously, so good brakes are an essential. Most of the course seems to be about a 10% gradient, either up or down.

My wife was in Gaiole after I set out and said that she saw a couple of cyclists have their cards confiscated - one for having sti levers instead of downtube shifters. One of the lads I went round a lot of the course with didn't get his bottle of wine at the end because he was wearing a lycra jersey.

Food stops were magnificent. One word of warning. There was a lovely sweetened tea at the first stop. At the last stop on the 135km, I found a pitcher of something that looked similar, poured out a big glass, and took a big swig. It was grappa. It got me home though, so no complaints.

tonycon28

Daithi BC wrote: »

Great write-up. I was there this year as well, and found it tough, but do-able if you have the right equipment. I had a 1982 Carlton Corsair, with a 52-42 on the front and a 34 on the back.

My wife was in Gaiole after I set out and said that she saw a couple of cyclists have their cards confiscated - one for having sti levers instead of downtube shifters. One of the lads I went round a lot of the course with didn't get his bottle of wine at the end because he was wearing a lycra jersey.

I heard that a few people were not happy regarding the no vintage Jersey no wine rule. To be honest I don't remember seeing this rule in any literature that I read.

What Rear Derailleur did you use? BTW I was riding a Carlton as well - 1979 Carlton Professional (Reynolds 531).

Daithi BC

tonycon28 wrote: »

I heard that a few people were not happy regarding the no vintage Jersey no wine rule. To be honest I don't remember seeing this rule in any literature that I read.

What Rear Derailleur did you use? BTW I was riding a Carlton as well - 1979 Carlton Professional (Reynolds 531).

I remember reading that vintage clothing was encouraged, but I certainly don't remember a "no wool, no wine" rule. If it's flagged in advance, then no problem, but I'd have been pretty upset to be told at the end.

Here was me thinking I was on the only Carlton in the whole Eroica! The rear derailleur looks like the original Raleigh one. I bought the bike in a house clearance auction a year ago and the only changes are a new saddle and upgraded, but still vintage brakes.

tonycon28

My Carlton taking a break

happytramp

Did the 135K too and found it very tough. A fella I was with said it was tougher than any single day he's done on Raid the Pyrenees (he was recovering from some minor food poisoning so that may have had something to do with it ) I had 21mm tyres which were only mildly uncomfortable on the gravel. Although descending gravel hills in the pitch dark was terrifying.

Sure I'll throw up some photo's of myself and the others I was with while i'm here.









Got my wine and fortified bread (I think) at finish. Would have been gutted if they refused to give it too me.

happytramp

Also, just some of the amazing bikes hanging around the place. There were literally thousands of them just propped up against cafe/shop walls all over town.





A fancy curly stayed Hetchins





Fausto Coppi's bike from the 1951 Giro



A lovely early 50's Wilier with Paris Roubaix derailleur

happytramp

Some really nice old one's as well

tonycon28

I checked out the Rules and Regulations re the vintage jerseys and I presume this is why anyone with a modern jersey didn't receive a bottle of wine and a cake.

Art 16 – Prizes
Participants wearing vintage clothing who complete L’Eroica will receive a prize based on the route completed. In order to receive your prize, go with your bike
and stamped “passport booklet” to the designated area in the vicinity of the finish line.

le petit braquet

Thanks for the pics Happytramp. The guys riding some of those older models must have been really fit or did a lot of walking judging by your comments on the severity of the course. Love the lugs on that Hechins - work of art!

rodnic66

happytramp wrote: »

Got my wine and fortified bread (I think) at finish. Would have been gutted if they refused to give it too me.

Wearing a 'replica vintage' shirt that a friend had worn last year and had no problems with I stuck my hand out for a bottle of Eroica wine, but no, none for me. This guy, this year figured it was too modern. There were no warnings in the rules, but I didn't mind. It was an incredible day.

pipcob

That's a shame about the wine + circle-of-bread-thing. I got mine this year wearing a brand new red shirt I bought for a fiver at the market the day before, which had some seams and sewing that made it look a little older. Plus I was wearing the hat they give you in the goody bag, maybe that helped! And it was late (7pm), so it was dark and they had plenty of wine and whatever-that-thing-was ("is" actually, I still have mine!) left, so they probably were a little less fussy as the evening wore on.

I've written up my own experience on facebook, I'll edit it and post it on boards and leave the link here.

cheers!

Phil

pipcob

A truly beautiful weekend spent in the rolling hills of Tuscany, October 5th - 8th. My very first time in Italy, but certainly not my last!

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Our main motivation for going there was to participate in l'Eroica, a fantastic vintage-only bike "race" for ancient bicycles and even more ancient gentlemen (as well as some young ladies, inevitably!).

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I went out with two colleagues, each aged..."39" years, who saw it as a rite of passage into the "young old" age category. Me, like a man who just shaved off a dodgy beard, I had to prove that I had nothing to prove!

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Good things and bad things along the way:

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Good: Finding and buying a "brand new" 1979 Motobecane 10 speed that had never been used. Exclusively in baby-poo yellow! And for that bike's first serious voyage to be this splendid event...!

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Bad (but fond!): The teeth-chattering cold of a dark October morning, 6.50am, setting off from Gaiole in Chianti, about to embark on the 135 kilometres. I'd spent a week filling myself up with pasta-calories but I could feel them being sizzled away by the body's attempt to stay warm. Note to self: drink more whiskey, maybe grow some leg hairs!

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Good: The first hill up! Finally we got to put a bit of pressure on our ancient bicycles and everyone started to warm up a bit. We got to the first "white road", full of holes and gravel and already lads were stopped at the side with tubes hanging out of their tyres! Only 6 kilometres in! It was going to be a long day!

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Bad: 12 kilometres in, of the three of us fat Irish lads, the guy that had been the inspiration behind our voyage had to retire! His back wheel buckled to such an extent that it would no longer spin around. We got help from a few passers-by, including one very kind Anglo/Italian man (Angelo!) who was on the 38km course, who fought the wheel heroically, pressing his knee up against it, a bulb in his face turning a scandalously bright red and sweat dripping from his eyeballs, as he tried to straighten out the wheel. All to no avail :-( Liam got a lift off an official who was putting up signs, then back to the town and out of the race. He was totally heartbroken :-(

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Good: Despite being made over an hour late by the mechanical catastrophe and by getting LOST (AGAIN!!! my soul is trying to tell me something here! Find yourself, you coward!) myself and Tony made it to the first pit-stop in time to get our books officially stamped, get some biblical bread and water into us, and have the joint-longest pisses in the history of willy-kind!

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Bad: All the way to the next pit-stop, my mate Tony was starting to suffer quite badly. Praying for the same sort of mechanical meltdown that eliminated Liam from the race so early, his old Carlton racer held stubbornly on, and in fairness to the equally stubborn lad, so did Tony!

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Good: At the middle pit-stop, situated just before the steepest climb of all, they had these massive fish tanks of Chianti wine! I drank about five glasses of the stuff - the first three were for tasting purposes, then I decided I wanted to steal some of the actual "glass" glasses so I had to go back for more! I had approx one tonne of cheese and several cakes at this stop also. Tony was talking about quitting but his eyes said..."grrrr! I'm a tiger!!"

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Bad: The climb IMMEDIATELY after this, the Asciano pit-stop. Jesus Christ!!! JESUS CHRIST!!!! I'd been told about it but had laughed off the tales of Satanic Slopes! Ha! I used to climb 10 foot walls as a kid (granted without a bike on my back)...how hard can it be?! Answer: Extra-bloody-ordinarily belly-bashingly hard! It wasn't so much a climb as a wall. 95% of the guys were walking up the hills with their bikes, and the worst thing was just when you thought you were at the top, around the next bend, an even steeper hill, and even longer more gravelly ascent. I thought I could smell God's feet (although I did have a lot of cheese at the previous stop) we were so close to the sky! The very last section of the hill was so steep that not even the gravel would stay on it. It was just bare stones held together by white muck, and ridiculously slippery. My own personal challenge was to ride the entire thing, not to walk up any slope. But there, listening to the wine and the food swirling in my belly, hearing the burping, farting, squelching noises my body had never made before, I had to give up...just after the next push of the pedal...so push, push, PUSH! And from somewhere, maybe the sum of all of the years I've been riding, going back to the first days when my old mate Shane Crowley took me on crazy journeys on his brother's single speed high nelly, something spiritual came and shoved me in the back and my eyes half shut, man against the mountain, I forced my heart to what felt like 300 beats per minute and squeezed a few last puffs out of my exhausted lungs and suddenly...over the brow of that hill, I had reached the top of my own tiny world right there. Monte Sante Marie: I will never forget how I broke you, you impossibly hard hearted bitch!! Next year I will be back and you might murder me then, but never forget that I had you once!

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Good: I had by now left Tony behind, as we agreed that every man had his own battle and the fight was internally personal now. The next pit-stop was shortly afterwards, so even more wine, cheese and bananas! From there it seemed it would be plain sailing down to the finish line. Amazing how 45 kilometres can seem like a walk in the park!

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Bad: With about 20 kilometres left, I was on the last white hill (gravelled road). I kept passing these two guys out on their really ancient red bicycles, then stopping to take photos of the Tuscany hills, and seeing them pass me out again. It began to get dark and I had just (barely, I was wrecked!) completed the last hill, and a little bit of rain began to fall. I arrived at some castle, and the " EROICA -> " sign pointed directly at the middle of a V-junction. Very feckin' helpful. The guys on the red bicycles caught up with me again and said "Go Right!" so I said "thanks!", went left, and took a couple of photos, then off to the right and down the last white road. At the end of that, the same crap...the signs were absent, and only 12 kilometres left. ****e!

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Good: I was going quickly enough to catch up with the red cyclists so I said to one "Do you speak English? Do you know the way?!" And he replied to me in what I thought was a cool efficient German accent "Yes, why don't you tag along with us!" Fantastic! The guy was wearing number "3438" (whoever you are, I thank you most sincerely sir!) and as we were bombing along the tarmac roads I asked him how old his bike was. 1957! And where are you from, you uber-efficient Kraut? "Finland!!" "Ah, Finland, I knew this lovely girl from Laaheetee", I proudly told my new nordic friend! It took the usual 5 minutes to decipher my rubbish way of pronouncing that town, but of course he knew of the place - Lahti!

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Best: We got into the town where the finish tape waved in the wind, quite late, quite dark, and I said thanks and goodbye to my Finnish saviours, and me and my 1979 Motobecane, each wearing number "3788" - symbolic in itself...I was in my 37th year when doing the race, and my cycling craze started in 1988 when I first met my good friend Shane Crowley - we crossed that line together to generous applause from the onlookers and were forever recorded in the folklore of L'Eroica. And because I was wearing an "Old Style" outfit (or so they thought, in the dark, it had actually only cost me 5 euros and was brand new but stitched to look old!) I was presented with a nice bottle of Chianti Red and a sort of a cake thing with a best before date of next May but which I wager will never be opened!

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Brilliant: Italy, Italians, the amazing day that was in it, and the longing self-promise to come back to do the Ultimate Eroica, 205kms of pebbled madness, and hopefully with mechanical assistance this time in case of any breakdowns, although I am considering doing next year's event on a tandem, on my own, so that there's room on me horse for two, just in case!

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All in all one of the great experiences of my life and a chance to feel young and immortal for one of those increasingly rare moments.

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Worst: Not long after I finished, Liam told me that one guy had died on the route that day of a heart attack. Those hills are dangerous my friends, and they do not forgive and are not beaten easily. Peace and courage to him and to those who love him.

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Phil O'Brien

pipcob

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/111014603636155981053/Eroica2012?authuser=0&feat=directlink

I have a couple of videos as well, but they're a bit on the big side for hosting on picasa

migmag

Hi, I myself have registered for the race this year. Anyone know if camping is a possibility in Ghaoile?Difficult to find such info, Also as my partner has pulled out due to injury are there guys out there doing the 75 km who wouldnt mind me tagging along with them, Regards

migmag

Hi Im a new user to Boards. I am looking for info re camping in Ghaoile if anyone has any. Also as I am doing the race this year I was looking for contacts who may also be racing and would not mind me hanging on to their wheel

tonycon28

There is a campsite in the town in Giaole. It looked fairly packed any time we went by it. I think there may be a second campsite on the outskirts of the town. As you say it is hard to find any info on it. We just stayed in accommodation about 20 minutes drive away.

The Ging and I

I am interested in doing this event but find it hard to find accommodation near the town.
Any suggestions ?

migmag

Thanks for that info Tonycon. I will be there a few days early to get a place in the campsite, hopefully. Does anyone know how to access a profile of the routes. I assume from my knowledge of Tuscany its undulating but whats the height gain for the hills and whats the longest pull up?
Also will they scrutinize the bike thoroughly as although my bike is definitely heroic, complete with rust! salvaged from a skip, there are one or two components of more recent vintage.