|
CycleItalia celebrates 15 years!
|
|
CycleItalia Guided Tours 2013
While we're still working on updating the website, the reservation form and TOURS page is now current. Below is our schedule for next year, our fifteenth of "pedala forte, mangia bene! " We'll begin accepting reservations September 1, 2012.
Join us!
Grande Ciclismo Series
May 14-21 La Primavera - trace the route and history of Milano-San Remo
May 26-June 3 La Corsa Rosa - see crucial stages of the Giro live
June 22-28 Grandi Alpi - Val d'Aosta, GS Bernardo, Cervinia and more
June 30-July 11 Salite Leggendarie - the Giro's legendary climbs
Classic Road Vacations
May 21-27 More Monferrato - Sublime fixed-base cycling in Piedmont
June 2-11 Vineyards to the Sea - Monferrato, Appennines, Cinque Terre
June 10-18 Best of Piedmont - Monferrato, Gavi, Langhe, Barolo
|
Get your retro-wool trainer/sweater - FREE!
CycleItalia's celebrating 15 years, but YOU get the gift! Just reserve your place on a 2013 guided tour before December 1, 2012 and receive this retro-styled, 100% merino wool trainer/sweater at no charge. Lightweight wool with a full zip front and small zip pocket in back make this perfect for cool days both on and off the bike.
|
Featured Tour:
La Primavera
Milano-San Remo is known by both of these names. Join us on this new tour as we trace the famous route and recreate the passion of the past along the course of the pro peloton's longest single-day race - one of the five "monuments" of cycling. Indulge in the food and wines of both Piemonte and Liguria on this unique itinerary. We'll celebrate the history of this iconic event during this eight day/six night vacation, including visits to Castellania, birthplace of 3 time MSR champion Fausto Coppi as well as the Museum of Champions, where 6 time MSR champion Costante Girardengo is honored. See and ride portions of the route rarely seen on TV. Imagine the thrill of emerging from the tunnel atop the Passo Turchino into Liguria, then taking on the challenging climb (and descent of course!) of Le Manie as well as the famous Capi along with the Cipressa and Poggio, before your final run into San Remo. 8 days/6 nights May 14-21, 2013
Please note: this is not a viewing package of the actual event, traditionally run in March.
|
Campagnolo triple news 
It's official folks! Click here for more details. As many of you know, our standard rental bikes are equipped with Campagnolo's triple 9-speed Mirage groupset while our personal bikes have Veloce 10-speed triples. If you've been on a tour with us you've heard us sing the praises of wide-range gearing. With these new versions there's now ZERO excuse not to take advantage of a triple yourself, especially with 10 or 11 speed options at Veloce, Centaur or Athena levels. With around 10 tooth differences in the chainrings, front shifting will be excellent and with a 12-30 cassette option and 30 tooth small chainring you'll enjoy a true 1 to 1 ratio for the steepest climbs. Add in a lower "Q" factor and revised front derailleurs and ALL of your reservations about triples should vanish. A triple is far more versatile than any compact setup can be - we ride triples even when we're "home" in Iowa! While we rarely use the inner chainring there, having it in reserve while enjoying the benefits of closer ratio front chainrings is worth it, along with the knowledge that no climb will be too steep. As we always say, "it's far better to have a lower gear than you need compared to vice-versa."
|
|
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 like OXFAM and urge you to contribute as well to help those less fortunate. GRAZIE!
|
Recipe:
PESTO
In 2013 we'll visit the region of Liguria, famous for its basil sauce, during our La Primavera tour as well as Vineyards to the Sea. Heather delights in getting a sackful of fresh basil from her friends at summer's end. Here's what she does with it-
4-5 C loosely packed fresh basil leaves
3-4 cloves of garlic
.5 t salt
.5 C nuts (pine nuts are classic but try almonds or walnuts too)
.3 C extra virgin olive oil
Truly classic pesto is made with a mortar and pestle but for this kind of volume production most cooks cave in and use a food processor. Our friend Simonetta at Palazzo Fieschi
cautions cooks to cool the receptacle of the food processor, as you don't want things to get warm while processing as it ruins the basil. Don't add any cheese until you're ready to eat, instead add a few tablespoons of pesto and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to the hot pasta, stir to coat, then serve. Pesto is of course great on pasta but try it on pizza too! Some cooks like to add green beans to their pasta dish as well.
|
|
No connection to or endorsement by Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport is expressed or implied. All rights reserved CycleItalia LLC
|
