So the Big Tour, the 150 Celebration of the Italian Unification Tour, traveling for over a month from the south to the north along Garibaldi's route was in need of some mechanics, and some fresh duds, so Me and the Sleepy Italian...
Loaded up a van full of spares and tools and parts and headed to Napoli, to meet the tour, grab some bikes and head off to our secluded hideaway for a day of bike cleaning and fixing.
Sara who was joining the tour as a fresh tour leader was also on board...Sara A Bordo!
Buckle up its a long ride of miss spellings...
Napoli looks a little like mexico and I really dug what little I saw.
Once at the retreat near Trentinara, we were able to set up an efficient little work area outside with killer views,
a safe place for bikes, and a little wine cellar.
old tractor for a work bench...
disturbed only by green lizards and bright roses...
... and of course Igor's phone and a mild allergy attack in the afternoon which I managed by catching the drippy nose in a bandanna - Che Scifosso!!! The amazing Lisa, pictured here with a look of utter disgust at my snot...
slayed some amazing regional lunch for us on a whim and a budget!
and stocked the fridge with beers for the afternoon. Shes what you might call a "keeper"
literally translated Nasto Azzurro means "Blue Ribbon" Its Italian Pabst but way better!
finished and loaded on vans to return to the anxious riders the next day
Papa as Garibaldi, and the Garibaldini Cyclists
Below is the ancient church that was our meeting point.
Once they were off, so were Igor and I! With about 20 minutes and an iPhone, we planned a fantastic little clandestined weekend retreat on our loaded bikes.
nothing says roadside capitalism meets christianity like these two opposing road attractions...
We rode to Capua, had a much needed salad,
caught the train to Caserta, home of the second largest palace garden in the world,
and trained on to Salerno where we hit the Costa Di Amalfi and started riding north...
Without a real plan and only a village recommendation we started to scout places to camp as it got darker and darker. We finally rolled up on Agriturismo Serafina just after dark and were greeted by an anxious and friendly host and his family, who hooked us up with a room, an amazing authentic dinner, a small tour and late nite chat over another lemoncello and half liter of his amazing wine.
every farm has top have some animals...
Seriously the man is one of those guys who can do it ALL. And he is farming a most incredibly steep piece of land along an arid coast to turn out amazing wine, olive oil, friuts and meats. A truly amazing experience, despite another romantic night's sleep in what the italians call a "matrimonio"...
In the morning we ate well (again) and headed back down the coast thinking that with the pending train strike we might have better luck riding a route we knew, to a train station we knew could get us back to the van with enough time to get back to the Farm before too late. We still had a big ride and a long drive. But enough time for some more photos, and a few laughs.
coastal fish markets
the village of Amalfi.
a perfect spot for another round of pastries, and a refill on water...
We killed some hills, overtook some other fancy riders in stretchy-pants and pegged 60kmph on the way down the coast back to Salerno to catch a train back to the van...
But not before running into a bike parade! How can I not love the coincidences here!?
Trained back to the more ghetto town of Caserta, where we hauled ass back towards the van, got pretty hungry and decided to try for another salad at the same spot as before, this time with a story and familiar faces (and clothes) they hooked us UP!
We joked along the way about how we actually saw some of the comapnies signature arrows during the trip, to be so far from home, and not on a tour but to see the eivdence of all the work these guys put into making a tour happen was pretty cool, made me feel part of something much bigger than I feel when Im in the bike shop for several days in a row. All in all it was a RAD weekend! The drive back was easy, good tunes, a little rest, and more laughs.
Heres a quick inventory I did while unloading the van...
32 bike tune ups in 14 hours
18 rags
6 big beers (4 nastro, 4 Moretti) 0.66cl
6 pairs of nirile gloves
1\2 liter concentrated solvent
7 tubes
10 pairs of brake pads
1 wheelset
130.41KM of coastal riding
1 mild allergy episode, and 2 really nasty handkerchiefs
2 pizzas
2 melafurca shots
2 liters of vino
a sprinkling of Jesus statues, and a couple of hookers spottings
a helping of really kind generous strangers, who shared their homes, beers, and battery chargers
loads of laughs
the realization that this is so much bigger than I thought.
S
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