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Posted by on Feb 6, 2016 in bikes, gear and gadgets | 0 comments

A day at Ridley Bikes in Belgium

A day at Ridley Bikes in Belgium

Before saying farewell to my trusty Ridley Excalibur in November of last year, I already knew what my new winter bike would be. That is, I knew I wanted the Ridley Fenix SL frame and the same 4za handlebars I have on my Helium SL, but I was still figuring out with what parts to complete the new bike. I visited my friends at Eurobici in Partinico and chose the following items: Shimano Ultegra groupset Selle San Marco regale carbon saddle Ritchey stem and seatpost Speedplay titanium pedals Zipp bottle cages Cinelli cork ribbon And with the Fulcrum wheels that came with the Helium SL (which I never used after I bought the FF powertap wheelset) the bike would be complete. A few weeks later all parts had arrived, so all I needed was the frame and the handlebars… I contacted Ridley to see if I could visit the factory in Belgium and whether it was possible to have my bike assembled by one of their mechanics. After a...

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Posted by on Nov 4, 2015 in bikes, gear and gadgets | 0 comments

Farewell Excalibur!

Farewell Excalibur!

Even though I started cycling on a MTB and the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed it, I always wanted to try a road bike since I watched the epic mountain stages of the TDF and I fell in love with the sport. By accident – even though my gf finds this hard to believe… – I came across a small bike shop in the town of Partinico. Even though the square footage wasn’t impressive, the choice of bikes, bike clothes and accessories was. I was approached by Giuseppe, who ran the store and who asked me whether he could be of service. I told him I was just wanted to take a look at their road bikes and maybe get some advice on which type of bike would suit me. Giuseppe showed me around and we talked for over an hour about cycling, bikes and possibilities. We came to the conclusion that the Ridley bikes Excalibur would be an excellent bike to start. I thanked him for his time...

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Posted by on Sep 18, 2014 in bikes, gear and gadgets | 0 comments

Thank you Ridley!

Thank you Ridley!

After a long tourist season I finally have some time to write on my blog and properly thank Ridley Bikes. Why thank this bike manufacturer from Belgium you might ask? Well, here’s why: My first road bike was as Ridley Excalibur, a really nice carbon bike with Ultegra groupset. I bough a size L but after many kilometers on the bike and a bike fit I came to the conclusion that a size M would be better for me. So what should I do, just buy a new frame and use the hardware from the current bike or buy a new bike? I quickly concluded that a new bike would be the best solution (for so many reasons :D), so I started to look at the Orion, the model that replaced the Ridey Excalibur. While surfing on the Ridley website I saw the new Helium SL. My friend Giuseppe from Eurobici in Partinico already told me about it when he came back from Eurobike and he was as enthusiastic...

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Posted by on Dec 16, 2013 in bikes, gear and gadgets, training | 0 comments

Tacx Real life videos Sicily

Tacx Real life videos Sicily

In June Jaap Wagenvoort gfe (GoPro filmmaker extraordinaire 🙂 ) and myself have been filming in Sicily for three (Tacx compatible) Real Life Videos. I’ve already posted the trailers, but now I can present you the finished videos! Video 1: Sicily – Erice This RLV brings you to the archeologic park of Segesta, to the Garibaldi monument (Pianto Romano) and through a hilly landscape to the town of Valderice where the climb towards the Medieval town of Erice  (750 meters above sea level) starts. The Erice RLV includes 4 serious climbs totaling over 1.500m vertical ascent, but the maximum grade is ‘just’ 9%, so very trainer-friendly! Erice guarantees at least 2,5h of pure indoor training fun and you get to learn the beauty of Sicily along the way! The trailer: Order here Video 2: Sicily – Bosco d’Alcamo This Bosco d’Alcamo RLV is 18,6km long. It includes a nice warm-up in the valley near the town of Alcamo, a tough climb towards the Bosco d’Alcamo and a nice cooling down....

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Posted by on Sep 24, 2013 in bikes, gear and gadgets, training | 1 comment

Tacx Real life video Sicily – trailer 2: Bosco di Alcamo

Tacx Real life video Sicily – trailer 2: Bosco di Alcamo

The RLV Sicily – Bosco di Alcamo is now available! Buy it here. in June this year Jaap Wagenvoort and I have been filming for several days in Sicily. The material will be used for three training videos that you can use on a Tacx trainer: • Bike ride to the medieval town of Erice (click to watch the trailer) • The Bosco di Alcamo climb • Riding with Don Bici Today the second trailer is released: Bosco di alcamo. A ride through the countryside and the town of Alcamo to the Bosco di Alcamo, a nature reserve 750 meters above sea level on Monte Bonifato. The climb of this trainig video is also included in next year’s Giro dello Scorpione 2014. So check it out and see what you can expect in sunny Sicily!...

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Posted by on Sep 3, 2013 in bikes, gear and gadgets, miscellaneous | 0 comments

A Polar Bottle traveling around the world… (caption contest update)

A Polar Bottle traveling around the world… (caption contest update)

On June 16 this year Tricia won the caption contest, so I sent her a Polar bottle, which 11 days later arrived safe and sound in Canada. I just found a @PolarBottle at my front door! All the way from #Sicily! Grazie @Don_Bici! pic.twitter.com/Pbc77fWvyx — Tricia Eggeling (@Trish_Eggeling) June 27, 2013 This summer Tricia went on a (cycling) holiday in France and took the Polar bottle with her. Here are some pics she just sent me: Thanks for the lovely pics, Tricia. It looks like you had a great holiday in France! I hope that Polar Bottle will travel some more and maybe finds it way back to Sicily, say somewhere around May 31 2014…;-) Looking forward to welcoming you on this lovely island. Cari saluti dalla bella Sicilia!...

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