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Posted by on Jun 10, 2013 in bikes, gear and gadgets, training | 2 comments

Teaser training video: cycling in Sicily, riding with Don Bici

Teaser training video: cycling in Sicily, riding with Don Bici

The RLV Sicily – Don Bici is now available! Buy it here. I’ve been tweeting about Jaap Wagenvoort gfe (GoPro filmmaker extraordinaire 🙂 ) and myself filming in Sicily for the upcoming (Tacx compatible) Real Life Videos. We are working on the following titles: Bike ride to the medieval town of Erice (*) The Bosco di Alcamo climb Riding with Don Bici (*) Shorter versions, to the temple of Segesta or the Garibaldi monument at Pianto Romano, will also be available. In the RLV “Riding with Don Bici” we’ll be taking you on a ride through the towns of Balestrate and Trappeto to the climb of Carini and the descent at Montelepre. After this warming up ride with me, I’ll leave you to finish the ride on your own. Expect a lovely climb to the Santuario di Romitello and the antenna on the top of the mountain (highest gradient 15%). The first part including the climb at Carini and the descent at Montelepre is a route I take most of...

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Posted by on Jun 7, 2013 in cycling and bike pics | 0 comments

A photo op with the Carabinieri

A photo op with the Carabinieri

I did a short bike ride today and was on my way back home when I saw a couple of Carabinieri near the town of Trappeto. One of them had just stopped a car and was talking to the driver, while the other was just standing next to their car, looking like a real bad-ass with his black leather boots and impressive uniform (something like this). The car the carabinieri use is black with red stripes and has a white logo, just like my Ridley Helium SL. I slowed down and approached the carabiniere standing next to the car: “Good afternoon sir, maybe a strange question, but is it okay if I take a picture of my bike and your car?” -“No, I’m sorry, that’s not allowed.” “No problem, it’s just that the color schemes are similar, which would make for a nice photo. Anyway, sorry to bother you, have a nice day!” -“Hang on! Please wait until we send that lady over there on her way.” I waited...

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Posted by on Jun 7, 2013 in bikes, gear and gadgets, miscellaneous | 10 comments

Caption contest: win a Polar Bottle!

Caption contest: win a Polar Bottle!

Riding your bike in Sicily means for most part of the year riding in hot, sunny weather. With the high temperatures water in your water bottles will be lukewarm in no time, but with a Polar Bottle you can keep your water cool for 3 to 4 hours! Here’s how: Fill your Polar Bottle up about 80% and put it in the freezer the night before you go on a bike ride. If the bike route is less than 50 kilometers, then you should take the bottle out of the freezer at least one hour before you leave, otherwise you can leave the Polar Bottle in the freezer until the moment you start your ride in the Sicilian hills and mountains. If you go on a bike ride with me or one of the other local guides, we will lend you a Polar Bottle so you can test it yourself for free. But you can also win one! How? Very simple: leave a funny caption for the following photo...

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Posted by on May 31, 2013 in cycling and bike pics, miscellaneous | 0 comments

Garibaldi and his “mille”, a ride to the Pianto Romano near Calatafimi

Garibaldi and his “mille”, a ride to the Pianto Romano near Calatafimi

I love riding my bike in the area near Segesta, but even though I’ve been there countless times, there are still some roads left to discover. So yesterday I decided to go in the direction of Segesta and explore a new route. I took the SS113 in the direction of Trapani and crossed the railroad close to the train station of Calatafimi – Segesta : and followed the road in the direction of Calatafimi. I passed Calatafimi and turned left on the SS188. This road (5.6% average with max. 10/11% gradients) leads through the hilly countryside with many vineyards to the small village of Vita. When in Vita, there are several options to go back in the direction of Calatafimi. I chose the SP61, which is a smaller country road (asphalted though). On the descent you can see the town of Calatafimi in the distance: The SP61 leads to the Pianto Romano, a hill where on May 15th 1860 a great battle between Garibaldi and his “mille” (Resistance Army)...

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Posted by on May 29, 2013 in training | 4 comments

King of the mountain

King of the mountain

Now that I work with a coach, I regularly do some low HR zone rides. I never did a lot of those easy rides and when I did, there was always another cyclist in the distance that I decided to start chasing down… Now I really try to stick to the HR zones mentioned in my workouts. Staying below a certain heart rate has became a nice game, especially when climbing in the warm Sicilian weather. A few days ago coach Rob had a low HR zone ride planned for me, so I went out and slowly made my way from the beach of the coastal town of Balestrate through the lovely town of Castellammare del Golfo in the direction of Segesta. I usually stop a lot on these low HR zone rides to take some pics I can post on Twitter or this blog and this day was no exception: I wanted to update a photo I once took near the temple of Segesta when I did a...

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