The Passionate Italian Weekend

Aprile 2018

Ciao a Tutti,

It has been a long time that I have not written something about Cycling Experiences to share with all our followers.

AYRTON SENNA MEMORIAL

I will try not to bore you too much.

Few weekends ago a group of 16 from the SaddleDrunk Cycling Friends Club ( join us on Strava via this link ) went for a long weekend in Faenza, Emilia Romagna, Italy, Europe, Planet Earth.

They flew out early friday morning from the beautiful London to Bologna, capital of the some of the best Italian food…Like Bolognese Sauce the way it is called outside Italy,  Ragu another good one, Cappelletti, Tortellini, Ravioli , Tortelli, la “ “Mortazza” (Mortadella) & much more…not to mention that Bologna host the oldest university in Europe….

Agriturismo La Sabbiona

SD staff & I pick them up from the airport and whisked them away to Imola to have an amazing lunch inside the tragically famous Formula 1 race track  where 2 pilots lost their lifes long time ago…RIP Ratzenberg & Senna where we visited their memorials. Really a big touch feeling for me as I saw it with my eyes that tremendous weekend…

OK!!..let’s get a grip and bang on Cycling…We got to the lovely Agriturismo La Sabbiona, after check & prepared out bikes we headed out to the lovely Brisighella a Medieval town.

Local Delicacies

After our lovely ride in the hills to get new fresh oxygen in our lungs, plenty of fun during the ride including a lovely crash in the first downhill.

We refreshed ourselves & headed out to Town for a meal in a traditional Osteria.

Osteria la Sghisa as usual made us feeling at home with their friendly staff and the astonishing food where we partied until late to celebrate Laura's Birthday.

Laura's Gluten Free cake

The Saturday, we woke up gently by the sounds of the "Galletto" in the farm.Followed up by an Italian & Intercontinental breakfast fuelling up for our day on the bike. 

We spent all day on a bike touring around the hills and preparing for the Granfondo Le Cime Di Romagna 2018 the following day organised by the Gruppo Sportivo Ciclistico Avis Faenza.

Local Art

In the evening we had another amazing meal at Casa Spadoni where everyone was able to enjoy more culinary delicacies from the area of Emilia Romagna. 

Italian Style Aperitif Time

A team photo at the feed station!!

The Sunday morning we had an early wake due to the 7:30 start of the event.The 3 various distances were perfect for the different group abilities. The distance covered were Corto, Medio & Lungo. 

Everyone had great fun,and we all enjoyed the “LOCAL’s” attentions, the friendly event’s staff,the well organised event and routes and the well stocked feed stations.

We were awarded 2 trophies due to be the furthest team. The trophies were a really long & thick      “ SALAMI “ and a big ceramic vase from one of the local ceramist in Faenza.

Faenza is very well known in the world thanks to be the home of Ceramics.

Prize Ceremony to be the farthest travelled Team.

The last day of our trip was a realxing day where we had a really slow where we enjoyed our breakfast.

Our local host Serena owner of La Sabbiona, prepared our class room with flour,eggs, rolling pins, chef’s hat & all other items needed to complete the cooking course.

At the end of the course all the “students” were able to eat the food made during the class & well earned after sweating.

As the weekend was more than amazing, we will make this an annual event for the club.Therefore if you like to be part of just join us at ride@saddledrunk.com

I hope you enjoyed the reading and remember to be safe on the road.

Ciao

SD 

Setting new best FTP's while making Pasta.

Ventoux

Our guest writer & friend Leigh send us few lines about his experience with us at Mt Ventoux a couple months back...

Firstly thank you so much for organising it Stef. Even when it went tits up with the airport strikes you managed to sort it all for us.

It was an amazing trip and I look forward to going on more with Saddle Drunk in the future. I was surprised how easy it was to get to Ventoux from London with the bikes on the plane and train. It was great that you had booked everything for us. Made the journey very straightforward, even after I went to the wrong terminal to begin with.

The accommodation was perfect. Plenty of space for us, very near Ventoux and came with great chef 😉. I loved the warm up ride to the very snazzy bar on the mountain. Excellent way to prepare for the next day's ascent(s).

From a cold grey London in the morning I was now sitting on the mountain in the afternoon, enjoying beautiful views with great beer and greater company. Who could ask for more. I absolutely loved climbing Ventoux.

I couldn't have asked for better weather and better climbing companions. Apart from obviously reaching the top twice the highlight really was the hybrid pain au chocolate/almond croissant (most delicious pastry I have ever had).

I will definitely be back to climb the mountain again. I need to bag the 3 ascents now. It is an addictive climb which really is legendary. Thank you to yourself and Dave for making the weekend such a joy.

Thank you very much Leigh & if you like more informations for our next trip across the continent please email us at ride@saddledrunk.com.

Merry Xmas.

Leith Hill NO DRILL...

Ciao a tutti,

Few weeks I was at the Leg of Steel cycling event organised by Ful On Tri and I have some people from the community of Leith Hill,a cycling mecca for Londoners & non Londoners...but for those HILL CLIMBERS....

This what they say about the drilling at Leith Hill.

RISK TO WATER SUPPLY

Drilling through aquifer – Sutton & East Surrey Water objected on grounds of “risk to water supply” (BBC News)

RISK OF SERIOUS AIR POLLUTION

Gas aring “permitted between 7am and 7.30pm except in an emergency”

IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO ANCIENT SUNKEN LANE
Coldharbour Lane is hundreds of years old, near unique and only 3.8 metres wide in places – a recent survey shows landmark trees at risk

TRAFFIC CHAOS & ROAD SAFETY

Over 1,000+ HGV movements up and down Coldharbour Lane, including a massive self-propelled oil rig 19 metres long and 60 tonnes crane. Safety concerns for cyclists, mountain bikers, walkers and joggers

WIRED-OFF COMPOUND ON PUBLIC LAND

3 metre high security fencing around C. one hectare of natural forest woodland supporting threatened species of ora and fauna – the area will be clear felled

35 METRE HIGH MASSIVE OIL RIG

Nearly twice the height of Leith Hill Tower, it is so tall it needs an aircraft warning light and 24 hour oodlit compound

DESECRATING YOUR AONB & GREEN BELT

Proposed drill site in Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a place of great landscape heritage in the Green Belt. The impacts
of the development could not be wholly reversed - it’s estimated it would take 25 years to replicate the appearance of the site.

RED LIST SPECIES ON SITE

Birds that frequent the site are on the
RSPB Red List as globally threatened with severe decline (up to 50%) in UK breeding population and loss of range in last 25 years

LOCAL DEMOCRACY OVERRULED

A sustained community campaign won a public inquiry in 2012 but was overthrown in 2014 by a High Court ruling in favour of drilling “in the national interest”

EXPLORATORY DRILLING OR FULL SCALE PRODUCTION?
Planning permission to date is for exploratory drilling but the oil company refuse to rule out full scale production

METHOD OF EXTRACTION

Conventional drilling may give way to novel extraction methods through ‘acidisation’ – toxic chemicals pumped deep into the earth to loosen the so-called ‘tight’ oil

MASS INDUSTRIALISATION OF THE WEALD

Referring to ‘tight oil’, Stephen Sanderson, CEO of UK Oil & Gas Investments (UKOG) says “This type of oil deposit very much depends on being able to drill your wells almost back to back so it becomes very much like an industrialised process”

SURREY HILLS AREA OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY OIL PRODUCTION

Other sites in planning, preparation or production include Brockham, Horsehill, Albury, Broadford Bridge, Palmer’s Wood (Godstone), King’s Farm (South Godstone), and others. Brockhamoilwell.co.uk

NEGATIVE IMPACT ON PROPERTY PRICES

“There is no compelling need for oil site in Surrey Hills” public inquiry told.

THIS NEED NOT HAPPEN BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP...

Share this with story with your friends & family.....Save the Cyclists & Non Cyclists...

Save your Segments,KOM,PB

SAVE YOUR LIFE FROM LORRIES

La Vacanza e' Finita!!

Ciao a tutti,

Now the holidays are over and we will be getting back to the normal life,routines, activities.

We will spent the next few rides chit chatting away about the amazing holidays we had & peoples we met..

Photo Credits of PA-Cyclism

Brain cells will start to plan for your next trip,goal.target or PB's...Always remember to stay concentrate on the road while talking on the saddle.

Therefore if you let me, I would like to give you few cycling events which are worth taking part:

1. The Road World Championships 2017 Granfondo in Bergen,Norway just less the 4 weeks away;
2. Leg of Steel 2017 in the Surrey Hill it say on the tin..good riding.Amazing event organised by Ful On Tri (30th of September); 
3. Our few days trip around the Mount Ventoux, 8th to the 10th of October email us at ride@saddledrunk.com for more info;
4.  The stunning KOM in Taiwan ,for real climbers not for the faint hearted (October 2017);
5. The Granfondo China in November ,multi stages event in the stunning Yunnan (November 2017);
6. We also have another little trip away to Majorca from the 6th to the 9th of November, email us at ride@saddledrunk.com for more info;
7. Ethiopia Wild Bike organised by a good friend Willy at PA Cyclism (December 2017);
8. Another one is the Patagonia,Argentina & Chile ride, for real wilderness (December 2017);
9. Finally my favourite...The Mongolia Bike Challenge....Mongolia is a stunning country,people are amazing and this is the best way to see the true colours (August 2018);

The beautiful Colours of Yunnan.

Those ones are my favourite that I would like to share with you. So now is time to shape up, to keep dreaming or start dreaming.

Be determine and you will reach your destinations, push your limits.Don 't create barriers that are not needed.Just do it.

SD Team.

London 2 Paris 2017

By great demand our annual ride to Paris has been decided. Those are the date to pencil in your diary 16th to 18th of June. We will ride just over 300km of lovely rolling roads at an easy pace giving the opportunity to stay altogether.We will maintain throughout the journey the  "NO DROP" policy.

Dates of departure is 16th June from Ealing to Newhaven Ferry Port,approximately 105km.On the way there we will have a pit stop before reaching a nice restaurant to refill before jumping on the ferry.

The ferry ride to Dieppe is about 5 hour.As soon as we land in France we will ride along the famous "Avenue Verte",the old Paris to Dieppe rail track.

We will ride nearly 200km that day with stops along the route to refill and chill.

On arrival in Paris at Eiffel Tower we will do our photos before heading to the hotel.A quick shower to get ready for a lovely meal & a bit of socialising in the Parisian Suburbs.

Around Paris!!

We will return to London on the 18th of June with Eurostar.

The price is for £ 250 which include:                                                                    

• 1 x Driver/Mechanic to accompany the group 
• Support Vehicle to provide mechanical and emergency assistance as required
• Baggage transfer from UK to France
• Bike return from Paris to London
• Hotel 3 star (twin/double occupancy) on B&B basis
• Ferry outbound including private cabin(twin occupancy)
• Eurostar
• Special Edition SaddleDrunk Jersey 

If you like more info or you would like to join us please email us at ride@saddledrunk.com.

SaddleDrunk Team.