Saliscendi?

"Saliscendi (SAH lee SHEN dee)- literally 'raising-falling' refers to hilly roads where one is either going up or down all of the time, visit Tuscany to live it for yourself"
- PezCycling News: Italian for Cyclists

So, that's what I'm doing. Experiencing the saliscendi for myself! In a week, I will be on a plane with my Bianchi bicycle on my way to Italia for a month of cycling, eating, some shopping (not as big of a budget for that this year), and of course spectating at some of the greatest and most scenic bike races of the season. 

When I first realized that the UCI Road World Championships were going to be in Firenze (Florence) while I was visiting for the first time last year, the seed of the idea was planted for my return. I was enjoying my time in the town-like city immensely and could imagine that seeing a bike race in this wonderful place may be a once in a lifetime experience. So, with that in mind, I started planning my trip to cycle in Italy. 

Throughout the month that I will be on this adventure, I will be immersed in Italian cycling culture. Aside from daily rides that I have planned through the saliscendi of Chianti and Tuscana, I will have the opportunity to ride two granfondi, the Granfondo Mondiale Toscana Franco Ballerini and the Campagnolo Roma Granfondo. I will get to watch the World Championship races, before traveling up to a little town on the mountain above Lago di Como to take in Il Lombadia, the "Race of The Falling Leaves". There I will be tested with some serious climbing in the "lower" Alps (4500ft above sea level). From there, I travel back towards Roma, staying in Orveito for a few days as well. I also hope to attend Expobici, Italy's largest bike trade show in Padova (Padua).

Saliscendi in this year's Giro d'Italia

Those are the basic plans. I'm doing this on my own, no organized tours, etc so every day is bound to be an adventure, hopefully in the very best of ways. In many regards it will be a relaxing time, with the pleasure of waking up every day in Italy with nothing else to do but ride my bike. Though the riding will be challenging, I hope the beautiful scenery and new experiences will power my legs a little further, not to mention the amazing food!

My intentions in writing this blog are to chronicle this amazing journey for myself and anyone else who wishes to follow along. Expect photos of beautiful scenery, amazing food and anything else that Italia has in store for me. I hope you'll follow along. 

-Dave