Community. We all need it, crave it, and seek it out deliberately, or it serendipitously occurs in the overlapping moments of our lives. At Cornell, when we hung out at the Willard Straight Hall to connect with our friends at noon, we called it "Facetime."  In Italy, herds of Italians stroll to the nearest piazza before and after dinner to savor gelato and discuss politics, food, and family affairs.

The classic TV show Cheers even turned hanging out in a bar into a theme song "Where everyone knows your name." Our Ciclismo Classico tours are all about creating community in new and very special places with your fellow cycling friends.  On every tour our guests share memories and experiences that launch friendships for life. Unfortunately, the vast distances between us combined with our busy lives produces a human gap, a community deprivation, and a void that is not easily filled until the phenomenon of Facebook entered our culture. Granted, Facebook cannot take the place of hanging out and savoring gelato in Piazza della Signoria, dining on an amazing Italian meal in a castle, or the collective exhileration of sharing a stunning coastal ride, but it can keep the juices, ideas, and connections flowing until the right time, place, or magic brings the community together live again.


Like many, I cautiously entered the Facebook world assuming that it was a waste of time, that I would be bombarded with more information than I needed. I am now in my fifth full month of Facebook updates, sharing stories, links, and photos and creating my world of "friends." I have thoroughly enjoyed my daily fix of my expanding online community. For naysayers who are still resist "friending," I have experienced some unexpected benefits that might inspire a change of heart (and status). There has been the obvious fun stuff like reconnecting with old friends, long lost family members, and Ciclismo cycling pals, and reading their inspirational, funny, provocative posts, as well as viewing pics of their worlds. The surprises have been the variety of interesting dialogues that I get to "listen" to and chime in on, as well as really getting to know and connecting with people (and lots of Ciclismo Alumni) more holistically. I have shared real-time insights and support about a shoulder injury, my amateur guitar strumming, my trip to Denmark, my local bike advocacy, and my 19th Pan Mass Challenge ride for cancer.

Email is flat, linear and one-dimensional, particularly in social correspondences. Just like a quick stroll to La Piazza or a packed cafe, Facebook makes the virtual world of communicating come alive with photos, videos, bulletins, diaries, chatting, and private messaging, thus filling a variety of social needs simultaneously. Facebook's most unique characteristic is that we are each live witnesses of each others' virtual piazza, a circle of friends and community that is distinctly their own. The fact that "posts" are in full view of so many keeps everyone's posts a bit in check while still allowing enough provocation, humor, and mystery to make each friend's unique voice as well as their community of voice come alive. As one friend put it, "Facebook is global citizenship at it best".

Here in Ciclismo Land, we have been having so much fun connecting with our new and alumni guests via Facebook (and other social media) that we have dedicated this Pasta Times issue to this new national pastime that I call The Virtual Piazza paired (nostalgically) with Mr. Roger's classic "Won't you be my neighbor? " as its theme song:


- Lauren Hefferon
www.facebook.com/people/@/648862127

Ciclismo alum Margaret Mayo McGlynn watched the Giro d'Italia and posted wine-food pairings for each stage on her Facebook page because she "loves cycling, Italy, food and wine, and because Italy is such a foodie paradise, and each region has its own set of wines and grape varietals, teroir."

Photographer and world traveler Ellen Barone is posts great travel deals and destinations daily.

Boston-based Luna Chix tells Lauren when and where she has to be to go riding each day.

Alum Betsy Dalbeck is always sharing really cool links like a Ted Talk by Yann Arthus-Bertrand who captured the fragile Earth in wide-angle.

Painter Robin Sierra shares remixes and original paintings and photos from her travels.

Ciclismo Guide Andrea Marchesini shares pics and experiences from his most recent Ciclismo Classico Austria and Czech Republic Tour.

Alum Marion Boomer Hauser is always sharing nutrition and training tips as well as lots of good cycling karma.

Local favorite restaurant and cyclist hangout Redbones posts stories and photos from its recent Bike Party and Benefit event.

Alum Lynda Beaulieu shares her training tips for the PMC and pics of the prepping of her gorgeous bike, Anita.

Social media isn't all about Facebook, of course. Did you know that Ciclismo Classico has its own TV channel? It's actually our channel on YouTube, which you'll find at ciclismoclassico.tv. We've had lots of fun this year creating short videos, in addition to posting videos created by others.

Some of what you'll find on our channel includes:

• An interview with Andrew Krulewitz, Ciclismo's newest tour consultant - learn all about his travels and his extensive background as a competitive cyclist
• Interviews with three "wheel women" that accompanied our bumper Mothers Day 2009 issue of the Pasta Times
• A vintage video from the early days of Ciclismo Classico - Lauren's perm steals the show!
• Two videos from last December's epic Jingle Ride (including one produced by our local FOX affiliate)

There's soon to be lots more video appearing here - we hope to have at least one video to accompany every issue of the Pasta Times. Plus, we're inviting this year's guests to capture the essence of a Ciclismo trip for the chance to win a free trip next year.

Connect! Fancy yourself a budding Bernardo Bertolucci? Produce a YouTube video about your travels with Ciclismo for a chance to win a free trip for next year! See below for details, or go to our website for complete information.

Tech tip: Most of the videos Ciclismo produces are in high definition format, but YouTube often defaults to its normal, highly-compressed and fuzzy resolution. To see a nice crisp picture, click the "HQ" button at the bottom of the viewing window.

What is Twitter, anyway? Even some experienced users of this service have trouble answering this question. It's known as a "micro-blogging service" that allows users to publish brief (140 characters or fewer) updates to anyone who cares to listen. And what's interesting about that? There are those, like Andrew C and architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who would say that Twitter is interesting because "Less is more." Sure, Twitter doesn't allow you to send pictures, and you have to be very brief. But it's that simplicity that makes it easy to use and understand, both by the "tweeter," the person publishing the updates, and the subscriber.

As with any of these new tools, it's easy to get overwhelmed. We know people who follow hundreds of others on Twitter, and that can be a bit much. But if you seek out and follow only the tweeters you're interested in, the information coming your way can be quite fascinating. A few of our favorite tweeters are listed below:

Lance Armstrong is one of the Twittersphere's big poster boys. He has over a million followers, but he follows fewer than 100 himself. His tweets are fascinating because they provide real insight into his life. On any day, he tweets about the music he's listening to, what his family is up to, which of his friends he's been spending time with, how he's feeling about an upcoming race, and how a cancer survivor he knows is doing. Andrew Conway (@velofellow) began using Twitter when he was representing Ciclismo at the Amgen Tour of California earlier this year. During that weekend, he started following Lance. So when the Astana van was broken into and Lance's time trial bike was stolen, Andrew was one of the first people in the world to find out about it. Andrew may be a bit of a geek in this respect, but he thought that was pretty cool.

Of course, we can't all have as many followers as Lance. Andrew was curious about how others were using Twitter at a recent conference he attended in New Orleans, and he shot this short video in which other conference attendees describe how they're using the tool.

Andrew and others are also now tweeting on behalf of Ciclismo Classico at @ciclismotours. Follow us and you'll get updates about events as they happen, developments at the Ciclismo office, new trips, contests  and competitions, and new content added to our website.

Connect! Follow @ciclismotours on Twitter! Sign up for a Twitter account at www.twitter.com, then go to www.twitter.com/ciclismotours to sign up.

Tech tip: If you're following lots of people and having trouble keeping on top of your tweets, try using a free application like Tweetdeck, which helps you organize and make sense of everything.

 

Lauren and Andrew C are both prolific bloggers. One of the interesting conundra that social media has introduced is how - or whether - to draw the line between personal and professional communication. For both Lauren and Andrew, their personal and professional passions overlap, so there doesn't need to be a big distinction. Both blog about cycling and travel, with a strong emphasis on family as well - Lauren has 3 kids and Andrew has 2.

You'll find Lauren's blog at www.laurenhefferon.com. Recent posts include her dedication of this year's PMC ride to her mother, and a detailed account of her efforts to make cycling a way of life at her son's elementary school.

Andrew's blog is at www.velofellow.com. The earliest posts date back to 2005, when he was living in London. Subsequent posts chronicle life in London and the increasing popularity of cycling there, the move to Boston, and the challenges of living on top of the tallest hill in town with an 80lb+ cargo bike which he uses daily for the school run with his daughters.

Connect! Both blogs allow comments, so if you find something you like - or don't like - or have questions about, log in and leave a comment!

Tech tip: If you want to follow Andrew or Lauren's blogs, you can sign up to receive updates right on the front page of each blog. Or just befriend them on Facebook, since all their blog posts are published there automatically.

Ciao, Pasta Times readers! My name is Andrew Krulewitz and I am very excited to be joining the Ciclismo Classico team here in Arlington, MA. Having recently graduated from Colgate Universty, it was not so long ago that I was "studying" abroad in Florence, Italy; my father aptly called it a "semester long cycling vacation." When not learning about Western Europe's political woes or how to print photographs in the dark room, I spent much time on my bike exploring the Chianti region and finding great climbs in the Apennine Mountains. Back in the States for my senior year, I spent my time finishing my degree in frigid upstate New York, touring the the country with my collegiate a cappella group, and racing with the Colgate University cycling team.

Though the others in the office do not know it yet, I plan to impose upon them my love of tight, four-part harmony...and Ciclismo colleague Joe thought I was too quiet! Being the third Andrew in the office, I figure this is a good way to distinguish myself from the other two.

Please feel free to drop me a line, I'd love to talk about your Ciclismo experiences or any upcoming trips that you may be planning! One small request: since there are currently 3 Andrews in the office, please ask for "AK!"

To learn more about Andrew K, have a look at his video interview! You'll find it - and lots of other good stuff - at http://ciclismoclassico.tv.

These days, you don't have to be Federico Fellini to produce a great film. Sure, the videos you watch on YouTube and Facebook might not give Spielberg a run for his money, but many of them are still really entertaining, informative, and tons of fun. Best of all, you don't need a multi-million dollar budget to produce your own video. In fact, most pocket digital cameras can also record video that's perfectly acceptable for a Youtube or Facebook video. Visit www.ciclismoclassico.tv to see how easy it can be!

If you're going to be traveling with Ciclismo this year, why not capture your memories in full-motion video? We're prepared to make it worth your while: We are offering a free Ciclismo Classico trip in 2010 to the producer of the best digital video this year!

Plus, top entries will be considered for the Boston Bike Film Festival (early submissions only)!

All you'll need is a digital camera that records video or a dedicated video camera. (We love the Flip Mineo HD - it's tiny, easy to use, inexpensive, and the built-in software is perfectly adequate for a basic video!) Then, produce a video between 3 and 5 minutes long and upload to YouTube. The video that best captures the essence of a Ciclismo Classico trip will win. You may choose to include voiceover, a soundtrack, or fancy titles - but none of that is necessary. All we're asking for is fun, excitement, and lo spirito del Ciclismo! Most of the video on our Youtube channel was shot using a Flip Mineo HD and edited using the Flip software. If we can do it, anybody can! If you need help or advice regarding the technical ins and outs, please contact Andrew Conway.

For more details about this competition, please see info on our website.