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Availability Update
This is the time of year we get the calls asking "What's available, did I wait too long?"
As of right now we can still add a few to Taste of Tuscany, More Monferrato, Vineyards to the Sea, Best of Piedmont and Legendary Climbs - if you act quickly.
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Blog, blog, blog.
We're still living in Sicily and plan to stay until the cycling tours begin in May. Keep up on what we're doing here via this LINK.
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Featured Tour:
Vineyards to the Sea
Want to join CycleItalia and see the sea? Vineyards to the Sea is your only chance for 2012. Read more here and reserve NOW!
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What's in your toolbox? 
This issue's topic is workstands. Even if all you do to your bike is clean and lubricate it, a workstand is essential. Larry's a bit of a fanatic when it comes to workstands, with a vast collection. Different types work well for some tasks and not so well for others. Back-in-the-day the clamp type dominated, whether they were bolted to the floor types from Park Tool or folding versions of the same thing to offer more portability. The most popular portable clamp type is still most likely the one by Feedback Sports. Larry has one from a previous incarnation of the company but uses it less and less these days because so few bicycles can safely be clamped. His current favorite is made by Tacx and is shown in the photo at right. The Spider Team not only folds but rotates, which makes it great for washing bikes too. Bicisupport of Italy, imported to the USA by our friends at Albabici, make a variety of workstands including this one, a basic design that works well for simple work including washing your bike. Their Pro Team Portable is nice too, but Larry wishes it rotated for easier access, though this may not matter to you. In the shop where portability matters less this model is a good choice, offering serious stability. Larry has an earlier version of this one as well. Whatever you use, even if it's nothing more than a hook and a length of chain, getting your bike up off the wheels and held securely will make working on it and cleaning it much easier and more enjoyable.
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CycleItalia's philanthropy
We're extremely fortunate to be able to make a living doing what we love. Each year we distribute some of our profits to worthy organizations. We also offset the greenhouse gases our tours create through Native Energy. Find out how you can offset the carbon effects of your airline flight here.
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Recipe:
Pasta con Pesce Spada
(pasta with swordfish)
2-3 T extra virgin olive oil
2-3 gloves garlic, chopped
2-3 T salted capers
2 small white or yellow onions, chopped
4-5 small tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2-3 T chopped basil or parsley
1 lb swordfish
1 lb package dry pasta (paccheri are best)
.5 C white wine
salt and pepper to taste
Larry made this the other night so it qualifies as "so easy a bike mechanic can do it" but of course he did it in Sicily where excellent ingredients like fresh swordfish and salted capers are easy to find and compensate for his lack of skills at the stove.. If you use frozen fish and pickled capers it won't be as good but if that's all you can find, give this a try anyway, it will still be good.
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Rinse the capers in water, then soak in a half-glass of white wine. Heat the oil in a large skillet while your pasta water is boiling. Add garlic and onions, cooking until soft. Chop the fish into pieces, set aside. Add the capers, wine and tomatoes, cook until tomatoes are breaking down, then add swordfish and cover. Cook just until fish is cooked through. Cook pasta just to al dente, then add to sauce mixture, heating for a few minutes while stirring to coat the pasta. Garnish with basil or parsley and serve. Goes well with a Siclian Grillo or even better, Insolia.
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No connection to or endorsement by Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport is expressed or implied. All rights reserved CycleItalia LLC
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