Opening Weekend: Sourland Semi-Classic

At some point around mile 45 the sunglasses came off. Granted, they weren’t serving the purpose of UV protection as much as they were keeping the mud and a near constant rooster-tail of run-off water out of my eyes. In that moment, though, I had to see whether my vision was being obscured solely by splatters of dirt or if I was going cross-eyed from the effort of the day’s riding. Luckily it was just the dirt, but I mean this not as hyperbole: I was legitimately concerned for a moment. 

Kermesse Sport’s 5th Annual Sourland Semi-Classic rolled out under grey skies still dripping from the previous night’s heavy rain. In combination with a winter storm earlier in the week, followed by a dramatic warm-up, the precipitation and meltdown made for very muddy conditions on the six gravel/dirt roads peppered throughout the course. 

While the forecast may have kept a number of registrants in their warm beds that morning, those who braved the threat of further precipitation were rewarded with reasonably warm temperatures on what turned out to be an excellent day for a late winter’s ride. 

The 2019 edition of the SSC ran on an altered course, swapping the Hopewell start/finish for Flemington, courtesy of V5 Cycles, while still making use of Sourland Cycles as a mid-point rest stop. The new course added more dirt roads than previous editions and shuffled up the climbing, to make it a bit more front-loaded. Reviews of the change were generally very positive amongst those I spoke with and the consensus is that the SSC is an early season ride not to be missed. 

After a few words of warning and motivation from Brian, the organizer, the day started with a neutral rollout, lead out by Brian in his newly-acquired pickup truck. I personally was glad to see Brian relaxed and having a good time, in contrast to the stressed and exhausted state he must be in for his biggest event of the season, Hell of Hunterdon, which he puts on every March. I think his demeanor must have been contagious because when he started to pull away, none of the riders followed for quite a few seconds. Finally I said, “okay, let’s go,” and somehow found myself on the front of the group leading through the first turns, over the four sets of railroad tracks, and onto the first unpaved secteur. 

Over the first 15 miles, a sizable leading group formed, bringing us to the base of the first long climb, Zion Road. At that point, things blew up. Three riders gradually pulled away, with myself leading a small group in pursuit. We worked together on the ridge, tucked in and flew down the descent of Long Hill, and kept them in our sights as we began the second climb in too quick succession, Montgomery Road. The dirt section of Montgomery may have been the wettest of the day, as we slipped around the slick bends towards the top of the climb. Such conditions required a bit more power on the pedals than if it were dry and frozen, but made it a little more technical and fun. 

By the time we reached the top of Hopewell-Amwell, one of the leading three, who had been left behind in “no-man’s-land” was reabsorbed and our group swelled on the descent down towards Hopewell. A climb of (Dirty) Aunt Molly Road stung the legs a bit more, but the quick drop back into Hopewell on Carter Road lead us back to the leading two, who had very briefly stopped at the mid-way point aid station. Just as they rolled out, we rolled in, and a number of us decided it best to forgo the cookies and soft pretzels in favor of regrouping with the day’s strongest climbers. 

The back end of the new course was more undulating than hilly. Yes, we still had to get back over the Sourland Mountain to return to Flemington, and while the climb up Van Dyke hurt a bit, it was the tempo that we set on the flatter roads that really made the last 30 miles hard. With few exceptions, we went full gas. I enjoyed ripping down the dirt descent of Rocktown Road, leading the group on what is perhaps my favorite road on the course, putting my local knowledge to use, dodging crater-like potholes in what is practically an old farm’s driveway. 

With the exception of a brief reprieve when we were stopped at the traffic light at 202 and Wertsville, there was barely a moment to recover. In the last 15 miles, I kept reminding myself that no matter what happened, I could not let a gap open up for even a second. Especially when Geoff hit the front, it was pain and misery once we crossed back over 202 at Everitts. Likely due to the exhaustion, I somehow had trouble clipping in after another brief stop at the traffic light, and thought I would lose the group. I clawed my way back on the rolling east side of the road, just in time for the final run into the finish. A rolling Reaville Road, with its old farms juxtaposed with the sprawling suburbia of Flemington, caused the group to explode, and we shedded at least three strong riders.

As we turned onto what becomes Case Boulevard, I just couldn’t hold the wheel any longer. It’s amazing how hard it is to get back on even when the group is only a few meters ahead. With a lucky red light and some much appreciated encouragement from an amazingly positive Sue, who was on the side of the road photographing the exhausted riders as they neared the end of a punishing day, I managed to get back with the leaders for the final mile and a half. 

Though the Kermesse Sport events are not races, they can be very spirited rides when you put the right combination of riders together, especially at the pointy end. I was very happy to finish with the lead group of five. It was a really hard day on the bike, especially for late February. When it was all said and done, we finished the day with an average speed of just under 20mph, certainly the fastest Sourland Semi-Classic I’ve ever done. It makes me tired just recounting it here a few days later... or maybe I am still tired from the ride. Probably the latter. 

Of course, all Kermesse Sport events are concluded with a post-ride meal and very much appreciated local craft beer. This year’s beer came from Weyerbacher Brewing Company of Easton, PA. While I didn’t partake, it seemed as popular as ever, after a very Belgian day on the bike. I was happy to have some hot pizza, and some chocolate chip cookies brought over from the aid station that we missed earlier, whilst having a chat with the riders responsible for my suffering as well as other friends left behind on the road earlier in the day. 

Every Kermesse Sport event that I’ve done has been a different experience, but never has the misery of suffering on the ride been more than a temporary state. The joy of completing these well put-together events with friends new and old is something I look forward to every season. These events keep me motivated through the winter when it’s easy to get soft and stay inside where it’s warm and there are other distractions. 

Of course, while these events are challenging, one of the greatest things about them is the variety of rider types and ability levels that come out and enjoy the rides. Fun is had by all, whether you set a punishing tempo or ride to enjoy the scenery and socialize. Everyone finds their personal challenge and while the courses do require a certain amount of toughness and physical ability, riding yourself ragged is certainly not required. 

The next Kermesse Sport event is Hell of Hunterdon on March 24th. It is sold out, but there is a waitlist for spots that may open up. The ride I’m most looking forward to is the newly improved and extended Fools Classic on Memorial Day Weekend, which now features what it sure to be a truly epic 100mi option. Find out more about these events and more at http://www.kermessesport.com/events/ 

Photo credits: David Gardiner, Joe Chahwan, Sue Wiedorn, Sue Wiedorn, Unknown, Sue Wiedorn 

See my ride here: https://www.strava.com/activities/2172970804

Milano

The final chapter of our trip brought us to Milano. Verbania is situated an easy hour train ride north of Milano, so the logical point of arrival/departure is Milano Malpensa Airport (MXP). Since our flight out was at 10:30am, getting from Verbania to Milano and out to the airport by 8:30, would have been near impossible, or immensely unpleasurable at the very least. We decided to spend a day in Milano (two nights) in order to make the trip to the airport easier and also to see some of the city. 

Milano is a really nice city. It’s perhaps not as scenic in some ways as Roma, but I like it a lot better. If you do nothing else in Milano, you can always spend the time shopping. The city is like one giant mall. I personally prefer shopping at the smaller shops in a place like Firenze but Milano has plenty to offer. It’s also a flat city so it’s very easy to traverse by foot. In addition, the subway and trolley system is outstaning and easy to navigate. Milano now also has at least three bike share options as well which adds to the fun of getting around. 

Our visit to Milano started with the longest short walk ever. With the bike bags, short walks can seem long, but in this case we actually made the 500m walk very long. We arrived in Milano at 11am and were not able to check into our apartment until 2pm. There was a thought of checking our bags at a baggage storage facility and spending that time seeing something, but the only place that could accommodate our giant bike bags was out of the way and somewhat costly. By the time we got the bags there and retrieved them to walk to the apartment, it wouldn’t have been much time to do anything, so we just walked that 500m from the station to the apartment with lots of breaks. 

It was actually quite fine, and although a bit of a waste of time, it turned out to be a nice chance to people watch. The highlight was an old Italian woman who was walking her dog. She needed to know what we were doing with these giant bags standing around. She spoke no English but we managed to talk to her for quite some time. You would have thought she was my grandmother. Italians know no boundaries. Of course when she came back towards home, we were still there. We talked some more, we learned a bit about her, she learned about us, we got to practice some Italian, and it was a really nice experience with a real Italian person who lives in the neighborhood we were staying in. That’s what I want out of these trips. 

Once we checked in and made a quick stop at the grocery store around the corner for water, we were off, on the subway to downtown to go to the Duomo. The Duomo is the largest church in Milano and is one of the most ornate and spectacular basilicas I’ve ever seen. I’ve been there a few times, but it was Kristen’s first time seeing it, so we were sure to get tickets to go inside and up to the terraces and roof. Besides that we stopped at Princi Bakery for some pre-dinner snack of focaccia and the most incredible chocolate tart I’ve ever had in my life. From there we walked and did a little bit of shopping until finally heading back to the station area for dinner. 

On our second day in Milano, we walked more than I think I’ve ever walked before. After taking bikeshare bikes to the subway and taking the subway to the center, we didn’t get off our feet until much later that evening, even having to stand at the extremely busy Princi Bakery for lunch. We visited Castello Sforzesco which besides being an old fortress style castle, is now an incredible museum. The part that most interested us was the musical instrument museum that houses a seemingly endless collection of antique instruments, mostly of Italian origin. 

Probably the highlight of Milano was our visit to Bianchi Café and Cycles. As many of you may know, both Kristen and I ride Bianchi bicycles. Bianchi is the oldest still existing bicycle brand in the world. A few years ago, Bianchi opened a café-restaurant and concept shop in central Milano. The café and restaurant must be quite good as there were lots of non-cyclists in there while the bike shop was not particularly busy. Nothing there was exorbitantly expensive either which was really nice. The whole place was decked out in Celeste, Bianchi’s signiture color and it was thrill to be there. We spent some time down in the shop and talked with the guy running it that day. There were some very good deals to be had there on team bikes but ultimately we couldn’t bring back any more bikes to the US. I bought a t-shirt,Kristen had an espresso at the bar, and we went along our way.  

We also stopped in La Scala, Milano’s famous opera house for a tour of the museum and a quick peak into the theater itself where rehearsal for opening night was going on. We stopped at GROM for our final gelato of the trip before heading back to the apartment by subway. 

After taking a quick break, refilling on water, and using the bathroom, we headed back out towards Corso Buenos Aires, which is one of the longest shopping streets in the world. While the center of Milano based around the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, features super high-end designer stores, Buenos Aires has many of the mass-market shops that I can afford. I was on a quest for a pair of European-style sneakers, but it seems like Italy is on this trend of white Adidas Stan Smith’s right now and I ultimately ended up coming home without any shoes. In fact, the only thing I came home with was a T-shirt from the Bianchi Store. It was a low budget trip and we stayed right on budget. Low budget definitely doesn’t mean unenjoyable. While I love shopping, this still was one of my favorite trips I’ve make to Italy... yet. Hopefully many more to come.

And that was that. After an early alarm to get to the station by 7:00 we were on a plane home to New Jersey. The flight was quick and easy despite a rocky descent, and even customs getting back into the US was unusually fast and easy. All in all, I’d say it was an excellent trip. I can’t say I’m glad to be back. I’d much rather be there. I always experience a culture shock when I come back to America. For so many reasons, Kristen and I really belong in Italy. Our current political climate aside, I still feel like a foreigner in this country and I’ll be very glad the day I can finally expatriate. 

Going forward, I am going to try to write more on this blog. For the cyclists reading, I’ll write about notable rides or events as well as product reviews. For everyone else, maybe I can write a bit about food or something similar. For now, I’m signing off for a little bit. Ultimately my goal will be to collect the best photos from the trip and write up a more consise piece that I hope can get publish in cycling media somewhere. I’ll keep you all updated.

Also if you would like any advice about traveling to Italy, or traveling with your bike, etc please do not hessitate to contact me at dscifell@gmail.com

Thanks so much for reading! 

Final Days of Cycling

Towards the end of the trip, I got a bit too busy with cycling, cooking our remaining food to avoid wasting anything, laundry, and making the most of our few remaining days in Verbania to have enough time or energy at the end of the night to write on this blog. 

After our giant ride on Friday, and the rainy rest day on Saturday, we were left with two days to ride before packing up and heading off for some time in Milano before flying home. After that giant ride, every other ride seemed short and inconsequential by comparison. 

Part 1: Mottarone Reverse

On Sunday, we knew our goal was to do at least 50 miles to make a 300 mile week. We decided to head out through Gravellona Toce and Omegna and do Mottarone in reverse. With the rain blew in slightly cooler weather, and as we departed for our ride even from the slight elevation of our street Via Monache, we could see that the rain was snow up in the high mountain peaks. Luckily where we were going it was not, but certainly the peaks above Cheggio, which we rode to only three days prior, would have been snow capped. 

The ride through Omegna wasn’t anything special. Omegna is a larger town with quite a bit of industrial area. It’s right off the major train lines and autostrada so it’s ideally situated for industry. We chose a more direct path since I didn’t have a route programmed on my Garmin, which while perhaps less scenic, ensured that we wouldn’t get lost in the maze of roads that is Omegna. 

Once we cleared Omegna, we were on a nice quiet road along Lago d’Orta. From there we made our way though a series of little towns, finally deciding on one to use as our launching point for the climb up Mottarone. There is one road up the south side of Mottarone, but to get to it, it seems there are endless options. I have no clue how we got there, after weaving through several little towns overlooking the smaller lake, we finally got onto the main road. 

The climb up the back side is interesting. The road is wider, two lanes, but because it’s not a private toll road, like the Borromean road on the northeast side, there is more vehicular traffic. The beginning of the climb is quite steep, lots of 14-15% sustained sections, but once you get beyond that, it flattens out and is really enjoyable. I still prefer to do it in the opposite way because the quieter climb and wider descent are more enjoyable, but no less it was still a good ride. 

As I said, it felt a bit anti-climactic after our giant ride on Friday, and although this ride featured over 4000ft of climbing in 50 miles, the Mottarone felt really easy. The ride felt short and while it was really chilly even while wearing our vest on the descent, it was a nice enough ride. We got back to Verbania with time to eat lunch, gather our things and do laundry for the last time. 

Part Two: Final Ride

For our final ride, we planned to do something short in order to ensure that we had time to get back, pack the bikes, and spend some time walking to Intra to visit a few shops. On paper, the ride was easy enough. Just under 30 miles with 3600ft of climbing might sound hard, but after everything we’d done, it didn’t seem too overwhelming. The ride covered most of the vertical feet in the first 12 miles, as we climbed, gradually at first, from the moment we went out the door. 

Heading out toward Ponte Nivia again but this time not turning up towards Intragna, we heading towards Aurano and Piancavallo, which we had visited on our first real ride of the trip. It was a nice way to bookend things, but I grossly underestimated the climb. I seem to underestimate the climbs in that area. They are all quite steep. I hit out pushing the pace to Aurano and then chilled from there. Unfortunately it was just past Aurano that the climb got steep. After many kilometers of steep grade, much over 13%, we reached the top and were treated with some incredible views of the snow-capped peaks on the Swiss-Italian border to the northwest and Lago Maggiore spread out to the east. We stopped for a while, took some pictures, and that it was a chilly but roaring descent back into Intra. 

Once you get past Pian di Sole, where there is a slight climb, the descent is one of the most fun around. The road is mostly wide, the turns sweeping, and there are some really fast straight sections to get up to maximum speed. Despite our windcapes flapping in the breeze, we roared back down to Intra in no time. By that point, we were hungry, went back to the apartment for lunch, showered, and went about the day. 

The remaining part of the day consisted of packing and a ton of walking. The walking we did that day was only to be outdone by the immense amount of walking we did in Milano, but still it was very considerable. We first visited Ciclomania Barale’s Verbania location, which was really cool. Lots of great bikes and cool inventory, and not as messy nor crazy as what is likely the original location in Domodossola. 

We walked into Intra from there, visited a few shops but didn’t buy anything, and eventually found our way back to Pallanza. It was a good day and a nice way to sum up our time spent in Verbania.

It really makes me sad to leave a place like that, especially after spending so much time there. I feel like after two weeks in that apartment, it really started to feel like home. You start to know the neighbors names, mostly from them yelling at their children, and everything starts to click. From the way you prepare meals, understanding the trash/recycling system, to knowing your way around the maze of old street, we started to feel at home in Verbania. It’s perhaps the perfect place for me. There is tons of great food, the culture is wonderful, the values about recycling and sustainability are in line with mine, plus it’s the perfect balance of medium size town versus being in a big city or out in the middle of nowhere. It’s a nice place to live. Oh, and the cycling is outstanding! I’ve visited a lot of places in Italy and I love them all, but a town like Verbania really speaks to me. I am sure there are tons like it all over Italy, but from what I experienced, I’ve felt that Verbania strikes that perfect balance. I think somewhere in the south of Italy might be more favorable in the winter, and I do love the south and the culture and food there, but from a practical standpoint, Verbania might be perfect. 

Photo Update

Today has turned out to be a great day to update the blog and post photos. We went out this morning to the grocery stores, returned for lunch, and soon after the sky opened up! It’s currently raining here. It was pouring harder than I’ve ever heard before and hailing as well. Luckily we didn’t go out for a ride. Our intention for today was to do laundry as well, but unless it dries up out there, we won’t be doing that. 

As promised, here are lots of photos and captions from the past three days. 

Isola Madre is home to the original 16th century villa and botanical gardens. Here is a view of some flowers with Verbania Pallanza as the backdrop about one mile away.

The whole island is immaculately groomed. Here is a view of a staircase up to the villa from besides the chapel. Today this area also includes some more modern buildings that house a snack bar, book store, and bathrooms. 

Geckos are everywhere here. They’re very hard to photograph since they are small and very fast.

A view from Isola Bella across to Isola Madre and Pallanza. 

The landscaping on Isola Madre must take a lot of people a lot of effort, as it has for nearly 500 years.

Just look at all of those vine flowers growing up the side of the villa. 

The palace at Isola Bella housed a music room which featured a few harpsichords. This one was the most well displayed, likely the most ornate. 

The mosaic tile of the floors in many of the rooms is unbelievable. It is very hard to capture especially with people and furniture in the room, but the scale and detail of these designs all made up of tiny cm2 tiles is incredible. 

Isola Bella also has amazing gardens, but the main feature is this landscaping with the sculptures. The best way to get a good photo of it is to get a post card. Then there will be no people in it. Otherwise, it’s a very popular tourist destination. 

We ate a wonderful meal at Osteria del Castello. The kitchen is upstairs with a dumbwaiter to transport everything to the wait starff.

Green Eggs and Ham

One of the most beautiful views all trip. I love the view from the top of the mountains, but this valley view is equally as incredible. 

The cow has just given birth to her calf moments before we arrived. 

The view from the dam at Alpe Cheggio. 

The color of the water at the mountain lake at Alpe Cheggio was unreal.

Cows chilling out in Cheggio/

The flies didn’t seem to phase this young cow. 

A calf feeding from his mother. 

A well earned plate of Risotto Funghi Porcini, and we didn’t even have to go out. 

Italians, and in this case Swiss, do love their signs. There are signs for everything, but especially hiking trails. Everywhere we’ve ridden here has tons of hiking trails. This must be one of the best places in the world to hike. It think you could hike for weeks, only visiting small towns and mountain shelters to take refuge and get supplies.

Recycling is very important to Italians and Swiss. This sign was at the top of the Alpe di Neggia in the middle of nowhere. They are trying to stress the importance of not littering on the trails. 

On the steepest slopes of the north side of Alpe di Neggia. 12% grade for a long time. 

Kristen arriving at the top of the Alpe di Neggia from the north side. Incredible and dramatic view of Locarno, Swizterland  with a backdrop of the Swiss Alps. 

Here are the goats we ran into once we re-entered Italy. You can see how many of them are just chilling out in the road. Further up the road where most of the 20 or so goats were situated, a many was try to get them out of the road so he could get to his parked car. These goats became our friends for while.

This was the first goat to approach us. She led the other goats to us but quickly lost interest in favor of eating some brush and then relieving herself in the road. 

Once these goats realized how salty Kristen’s bike and cycling shorts were for all the sweating and drying they wouldn’t stop licking her and her bike. It was adorable.

And it tickled. 

These goats were so friendly and so cute!

We could have stayed there all day with them but they probably would have eaten our clothes and our bikes and we would have been left to wander the mountains of Lombardia like naked gypsys.