Italy, the home of excellent coffee, amazing fresh pasta, super cheap homemade icecream, great red wine, big mountains and warm sunny weather in October – everything a cyclist could want from fueling great rides through to good quality recovery. Given all that it’s reputation for having a big cycling culture is no surprise but you really have to see it to believe the extent of it.
I recently spent two days road biking between Lugano in southern Switzerland and Lake Como (where the Tour of Lombardia takes place). The area itself is incredibly beautiful, a huge lake lined with countryside villas of the likes of George Clooney and surrounded by semi tropical high mountains. I’ve never seen so many groups of cyclists out on the roads. But these were no goobers, oozing euro-style, they didn’t just hand over a wad of notes and buy the most expensive bike they could see, they were all cyclists. All dressed impeccability in matching club kit, riding very nice and stylish selected bikes, with perfect pedalling technique and cadence. Everyone from young kids to old grandads. No rocket launcher saddle bags or wing mirrors. No hairy legs and lycra. No Tri-bars for hill climbs. No Pro-team replica jerseys.
The riding was amazing, undulating roads swoop around the shores of the lake passing through old stone tunnels and pretty villages. Cars beep encouragement rather than running you off the road. As soon as you turn off the lake you are into proper mountains with long, steep climbs and fast fun descents. We made a detour up a steep 8km climb up to the impressive Madonna del Ghisallo a church for the Italian patron of cycling filled with the bikes and jerseys of some of the biggest names in cycling.
It’s not clever to eat icecream at the bottom of a big hill…