It's not just because of my new passion, it's also the heat that makes you not want to turn on the oven.
Since a week or two the sun heats Como up till 32 degrees C! Baking is not an option in these temperatures so I tend to buy the delicious home made cakes from the bistro at work to stock up on calories for the weekend.
I have a new computer on my bike and it tells me exactly how much calories I burn and how much fat.
And the weird thing is that it just makes me want to eat more...I had no idea you could burn twice your daily allowance of calories in a day, cycling up some mountains!
So eating carbs is not just a way of comforting body and mind but became a real necessity.
After my first ride on the Cornizzolo, I've been trying to get myself trained for any future races and rides with the group that my Love rides with since a long time. A varied mix of younger and older man and one woman, but she rides just as fast as the men and inspires me to get faster so I can keep up with her.
One good training was the Gran Fondo (amateur race) Felice Gimondi in Bergamo. We drove to Bergamo the night before because the start was at 07:00...Why so early??
And stayed at this strange 'do it yourself' bed&breakfast, without breakfast. We were all confused by the codes on doors, no keys, which means that you have to remember the code when you go to the bathroom in order not to lock yourself out. I'm better with old fashioned keys, but it seems this is an upcoming thing in Italy.
Weather forecasts have always been unreliable since I moved here, only when you don't want it to be reliable it is....like the day of the Gimondi. It said thunderstorms on meteo.it and as soon as we opened the shutters at 5am big fat drops of rain came from the sky.
The rain never stopped that day and I rode for 4 hours, soaked until the inside of my Giro d'Italia socks, to make it to the finish after 101km.
Still it's one of the best rides I did. What an adventure to leave the start with so many people at the same time, all with one goal..to finish first.
I finished second in my category and ninth overall. But seeing my name halfway the list of all participants made me even happier, I beat about 500 men went through my head. I was a bit shocked about the competitive side in me that raised to the surface.
I even started a list in excel with all my rides, just to keep track of what I've done and to see any progress....
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| At the foot of the Mortirolo. We were there just before the Giro d'Italia did the same climb. |
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| My 'rides' file |
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| Sunny day in Toscana |
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| Tuscan tagliere di salumi |
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| Breakfast |
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| The hills of the 'Crete' south Toscana |
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| Gelato in Siena |
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