l'Eroica vintage sportive, Italy?

Alain Quay
Alain Quay Posts: 534
edited August 2012 in Sportives/audaxes/training rides
Has anyone done this and if so what was it like?

Comments

  • doleboy
    doleboy Posts: 2
    Yep,rode eroica last year, great day out and going again in oct.
  • bigpikle
    bigpikle Posts: 1,690
    loads written on here about it if you do a search....
    Your Past is Not Your Potential...
  • john_wr
    john_wr Posts: 50
    doleboy wrote:
    Yep,rode eroica last year, great day out and going again in oct.

    Done it twice in 2008, 2009. I would also add, as you're on an old bike it's hard. Great fun, but treat it as a giant club run rather than a sportif as in this country. The Italian food is brilliant.

    John.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,317
    John Wr wrote:
    doleboy wrote:
    Yep,rode eroica last year, great day out and going again in oct.

    Done it twice in 2008, 2009. I would also add, as you're on an old bike it's hard. Great fun, but treat it as a giant club run rather than a sportif as in this country. The Italian food is brilliant.

    John.

    Yes, the difference is that in this event (and not only this) they manage to create an atmosphere, a sense of "I want to be there"... sportives in the UK are assemblies of people in shorts who meet up in a car park or in a field and follow some arrows as fast as they can... to be avoided at all costs.
    The Eroica is in a different league.
    Check out also the Anoju Velo Vintage and the Retroronde, if you get the vintage bug. I've done them all and they are all brilliant in their own way. The Eroica is a bit more special
    left the forum March 2023
  • term1te
    term1te Posts: 1,462
    I'm currently restoring an early 80s Moser with the aim of riding L'Erocia in a couple of years time. I might try and do something silly like riding down there for the start. Fortunately I live half way there, but have the challenge of the Alps on the way.
    The Master
    The Moser
    The VN
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,807
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    ... sportives in the UK are assemblies of people in shorts who meet up in a car park or in a field and follow some arrows as fast as they can... to be avoided at all costsl

    Never been to the Etape Caledonia I take it?
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,317
    thegreatdivide wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    ... sportives in the UK are assemblies of people in shorts who meet up in a car park or in a field and follow some arrows as fast as they can... to be avoided at all costsl

    Never been to the Etape Caledonia I take it?

    No, I have heard good things about it... but is the journey worth it? And how about the extorsion fee to enter the event? Most granfondo in the continent cost 15-20 Euro and have 5 or 7 food stations with local produce.
    Plus, A former club mate did it... averaging 18 mph... which suggests it's yet another of those events... If I go to Scotland for a granfondo, I want to go slow, I want food stations with warm soup and Haggis and some local ale and a brass band, not High 5, energy bars and portaloos... otherwise I stay in Surrey and go for a ride down Leith hill... :lol:
    left the forum March 2023
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,807
    There aren’t many brass bands in Scotland ugo – but you are guaranteed bagpipes, cowbells and many hundreds of cheering locals throughout the 80 mile closed road route.

    The Etape Caledonia is very much an ‘event’ with the town buzzing the day before for registration. Then you have 5000+ on the start line at the crack of dawn returning to the finish line to hundreds of cheering locals.

    I’m happy to pay x amount of money to ride on closed roads.

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