Rising over 1200 meters directly behind our house in the Italian Dolomites are the northern slopes of the Plan de Corones, or Kronplatz. The giant hillside is completely covered in thick, lush forest with a massive network of dirt roads and singletrack mountain biking trails. Literally 2 minutes from our door, it is our playground.

This afternoon, much later than I would like with “extreme thunderstorms” forecast, I headed out for a training session. Shorts, short sleeve jersey, vest for the downhill – it’s summer, right?

As I neared the 3/4 mark to the top I began getting glimpses west, black is an understatement for what was approaching. I continued up having no doubt it would rain but with little concern as it is not so unusual to get a good soaking in the European Alps. A group of downhillers came bombing towards me. Through each of their face guards I could see little beady eyes looking at me with sick pleasure. Turns out they had seen something from up high that I missed being down in the trees. The fact that they were on the dirt road, and not the downhill course should have been a good clue for me to turn tail and get the hell down.

Minutes after they passed the first drops began to pelt me. But this wasn’t rain, it was like waterballoons coming down. And then, like the sun had been extinguished, the day went black as night. Here, those that know me will surely question my exaggeration level – the “Dan Factor” as Janine likes to call it. I swear it to be a zero. Had I have had a headlamp I would have surely considered the On switch. Creepy is a good term to describe how it felt as I now crept upward.

The disturbing silence was shattered by what sounded like a military aircraft coming in low, as it came closer the sound grew, I thought for sure something was about to crash into the hillside, and then I was driven sideways, nearly off the road, my left foot unclipping just in time to save me from plummeting down the steep forested slope. Wind so violent it was more like a wave of water than air, a nearby tree exploded and crashed to the ground, I barely stayed upright. Determined, I carried on, intrigued by what was happening; the blackness, the wind, and now the thundering explosions of what was right on top of me. Basically, I thought, “Cool”.  I heard an SMS come in and quickly pulled the phone from my jersey pocket, it was Janine, “Are you okay? Get home fast”.

Suddenly my little game changed when one word entered my head. “Hail.”

Immediately I stopped, pulled out the vest, and by the time it was zipped closed all hell broke loose, hail, like a sand blaster. Summer no more. Back on board the bike I was ripping down best I could given that I couldn’t see and my bare skin felt like it was being torn off . But soon the hail stopped and my tempo settled into something tolerable, I actually began enjoying my 700 meter descent in what was quickly becoming a torrent of brown, rushing water. I imagined myself Captain Dan from Forrest Gump, on my bike, hanging on, loving that feeling of being really so small in something so big and powerful.

The Passo Pordoi

In 2007 I did my first Maratona dles Dolomites. It was, without a doubt, one of the most rewarding days I have ever had in a competition. To stand on a Granfondo starting line with over 8000 other cyclists, at sunrise in one of the world’s most spectacular settings, with a massive day of riding ahead – and to feel the energy – is pure bliss.

Before the race I had been lucky enough to spend the six weeks leading up to the big day training in the very region – so, I was at a locals advantage of knowing the course inside and out. I had even ridden the course two times before race day. But still, I hadn’t raced it, I hadn’t pushed myself that hard yet, and I hadn’t done it with thousands of other cyclists around me.

A few friends had offered some advice, most of which I took, but one key piece I failed to act on cost me a top 100 finish. So, with this in mind, and with the Maratona fast approaching, I thought to share my thoughts on the event in the hopes that you will take something away of value. Keep in mind that after the race I had fallen so in love with the Dolomites and its rich cycling culture that I decided to call it home, I have been riding the same roads ever since 2007.

This advice is for those planning to push themselves as if it really were a race (and you’ll see, it is). For those looking to just survive, you get to simply enjoy the day, but you too must read on.

Stay in Front : This is basically impossible unless you have a starting number in the first 1000. But do your best to get by as many people as possible by the top of the second pass, the Pordoi. After the Pordoi it gets pretty tough although it does thin out. However, unless you have super climbing endurance, don’t blow up on the Sellaronda (the first loop and first 5 passes) as the Giau awaits – and it is the killer climb.

Careful on the Descents : Italians descend much closer together than Americans, it is pretty unnerving to have your leg hit someone’s handlebars at 75km/hr. Italians, being a vocal bunch, will be sure to let you know if you are screwing up. For the most part, people descend well in Europe, just relax and hold your line – practice the hairpin turns prior to racing, you’ll have the whole road on race day, use it.
The tricky sections in descent are:
Passo Pordoi : Long, fast straights into tight hairpins… just be ready for them.
Passo Sella : There is a right turn which will have flaggers standing as warning, who’s radius is longer and sharper than it looks. It is approached after a long and fast straight section after the initial turns off the Pass itself. This turn is so serious that there is an emergency medical team and helicopter on standby at the turn.
Passo Valparola : After the switchbacks on top, a long, straight section is descended at high speed. This is the approach to a tricky right turn that is sharper than it first appears, again, get to know it before race day. Though they are for motorcycles, there are grave markers in this turn for a reason…
Overall, the roads should be in great condition as many of them get re-surfaced prior to the Maratona.

The top of the Passo Giau

Aid Station food, not just bananas & bars. Buon Appetito

Eating : This was where I made my mistake. While there are impressively stocked aid stations around the entire course, you won’t be checking in for a panino crudo if you are in race mode. But, you may want to consider it, either that or have your own pockets filled with what works for you.
After the Sellaronda there is the day’s only flattish/moderate section of road, and it is here where you must get some food down. It is the section after the descent of the Campolongo, from Arabba to Andraz and then again to the Colle Santa Lucia where there is a great aid station.
After Arabba, get some calories and salt in you for the evil Passo Giau, then let it digest enroute to the start of the climb after the Colle Santa Lucia.
Now… where I made my mistake. A good friend who does the Maratona every year warned me to be sure to eat something on top of the Giau or risk bonking on the last climb of the Falzarego.
Locally, I have heard the Giau referred to as Monkey Hill, for when you are climbing it you are sure that monkeys ran out from the forest and jumped on your back. But on race day, my friend warned me it is more like Cow Hill, you’ll feel as if you have a heifer on board. Fair enough, I would agree. It is a suffer fest.
In 2007, my data chip revealed I was in 90th position on top of the Giau, I did NOT eat, I bombed down in a small group I had cimbed with. I would pay the price, for on the last climb up to the Fazarego 44 people would pass me. There I sat, crawling up the pass with visions not of finish line glory, just pizza and pasta.
Water is found throughout and will be handed to you roadside.
Eat on top of the Giau, let it digest on descent. There is an aid station.

Behave, you might be on TV, the race is televised

Gearing : I have embraced the Compact set up; 50/34 – 12/25. For me this is perfect. But I climb a lot in training and weigh 61kg (132lbs). Substituting a 12/27 could be nice.
Again, the Giau…. cows will be along for the ride.

Temperatures/Weather : Even if the day dawns clear and warm, you should be somewhat ready for anything. When riding in the Dolomites, I almost always carry a superlight rainjacket in my jersey along with a thin headband – they can save the day and weigh next to nothing. Afternoon rainshowers are pretty common.

Etiquette : Do your thing, but remember the Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you) as there are a lot of people around.

Do not throw your trash on the road – there will be trash cans after aid stations, use them. You are not a pro so don’t act like one, it is no big deal to put your wrappers back in your jersey. In 2009 the second place overall finisher was DSQ’d for tossing trash on live TV.

Things Not to Miss in the Dolomites

The week leading up to the race is a cyclists dream. There are daily group rides to both check out the course as well as to tick other passes not in the race. Much of the fun simply comes from being around so many nationalities; Italians, Dutch, Germans, Americans, Swiss… they are all in great abundance, making friends is easy.

To Do List

Passo delle Erbe (my personal favorite in all the Dolomites) loop: From Alta Badia; Climb the Passo Gardena, descend west to the autostrada, climb the Erbe, descend back to Val Badia via San Martino (100km, difficult)

Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Tre Croce Loop: Less than an hour (in a car) from Alta Badia is the famous posh village of Cortina. Sitting right amongst many of the Dolomite’s iconic peaks, it is well worth a day to explore. If you want to ride, check out the Tre Croce loop from Cortina that takes you through Misurina and the most famous of all Dolomite areas, the Tre Cime di Lavaredo. From there descend to Carbonin and then back to Cortina (about 50km, moderate).
Post ride, eat a Pizza Fantastica at Ristorante Ariston in Cortina – my vote for best pizza in all of Italy.

Walk up to the Rifugio Santa Croce above Pedraces (Badia): This is kind of a rest day activity, or something for the family – quite possibly the most peaceful, beautiful place in all the Dolomites. And good food… There is also the option of taking a lift nearly to the top from the village of Pedraces, or it is a one hour uphill (easy) walk through the beautiful forest.

People watching/bike gawking is as good as it gets. Grab a Gelato or Radler (beer and limonata) post pedal and soak in the fun sitting roadside in the village of Corvara. Better yet, do it daily in each village and decide which is best.

Note: in Alta Badia, the focal point of the race, all the famous villages where most racers stay (San Cassiano, La Villa, Corvara, Pedraces, San Leonardo) are just a few kilometers from one another, so getting around on a bike is actually about the most efficient. At some point in the week prior to the race, the area will be so thick with cyclists that being in a car is slower than walking or riding.

For more information about the area, and for guided events, visit our partners at Holimites.

For more information about the region, including hotels & guides, visit our own DolomiteSport Network

Also, visit : The Official Maratona Website

This is where you want to end up; healthy, happy and hungry

To see more of our images from the Maratona dles Dolomites, visit our PatitucciPhoto professional page

Maratona dles Dolomites Photography

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In the coming weeks we will be photographing the course conditions as well as some viewpoints along the way, please be sure to check back in.

We want to hear from you : Others who have done the race, or after you do this year’s – share your experience, please chime in using Comments.

For a complete Gallery of our images from the Stage, visit: 2010 Plan de Corones Time Trail

Thomas Voeckler, always at 100%, always fun to watch. Proud.

Alexandre Vinokourov; Love him or hate him, the guy goes for it.

Cadel Evans. Class Act.

David Arroyo proudly defended his pink jersey ...and bike

Alberto Contador in the Maglia Rosa during the Plan de Corones Time Trial in the 2008 Giro d'Italia

Cycling Photos from the iPhone

DolomiteSport posts have been thin lately. Ski season is over so my attention has turned from backcountry skiing each day to getting my cycling fitness to where it should be. A sore butt, poor form and rainy weather makes for rather dull stories. So I take time for myself, train, and see if anything comes to mind before the summer crazy season.

Today it did. With the Giro starting this afternoon I was particularly enthusiastic about the bike. During my ride I made an iPhone photo from high above the Val Aurina of the agricultural fields far below – then, as I pedaled uphill I quickly applied an effect to the photo that I thought would add to it. And so it came to me, all these little scenes I run across while on the bike, for 20+ years now, countless beautiful scenes, have always remained in my head, but now with the iPhone and onboard camera I can snap pics and share what I see. Hours each day, sitting there looking around, one is bound to witness some special things. Or, just capture special feelings that perhaps only another cyclist can appreciate. Not everyone gets the whole bike obsession thing so maybe this will help explain what it is we cyclists love; life slowed down to our own speed, the feeling of fitness, power when needed, and the aesthetic movement – all these things, beautiful.

Therefore, I thought to make a post with a collection of favorite photos from life on the bike. For me, this is pure joy, combining what I love. As a professional photographer, using a big, bulky pro camera is my life, (for photos like Contador, right). The iPhone is freedom, always on hand, and in some ways the most creative and challenging with all the many apps for effects.

A Gallery will go up on the DolomiteSport Facebook Page called “Life from the Bike” that I will add photos to while on the go – others can do the same, let’s have a look at some moments as seen from the bike.

And the Giro d’Italia……  Predictions anyone?

1. Cadel Evans  |  2. Vino  |   3. Sastre

Today's photo that inspired the post. The Val Aurina from Acereto, Italy

Jos Van Aert on the Sella Pass, Italian Dolomites

Spring on the Michaelskreuz, Udliginswil, Switzerland

Cyclists… Now admit it, you want to feel like a European based pro. You want to ride those perfect, twisting switchbacked climbs, descend amongst towering walls, and fly through villages on cobbled lanes. When your ride is over, you want to pull into a luxury hotel, park your bike in a work room, march into the hotel, grab a fresh juice and proceed to the showers. You want to know that the hotel is designed around your exact needs as a cyclist.

Want to spoil yourself? Check out the services of a Certified Bike Hotel in the Italian Dolomites. To qualify, the hotel must meet specific requirements to cater to a visiting cyclist, road or mountain – in other words, be prepared to be pampered, which really means that you’ll live like a professional cyclist while staying at one of the hotels.

This is a blatant plug for a friend’s hotel as he has just become an official Bike Hotel in the Italian Dolomite’s Alta Badia. I was completely impressed by the set up; bike shop, wash area, special food available, daily guided tours upon request, GPS rentals, laundry service and even a full wellness center. This is an ideal way to show up to the Dolomites and ride without epics, well… at least on the logistics end of the program. It’s up to you on the fitness.

The Hotel Melodia del Bosco is situated in the village of Badia (Pedraces), the absolute ideal location in which to base yourself as a cyclist, road or mountain. In fact, this is the staging village for arguably the world’s finest Granfondo, the Maratona dles Dolomites which starts just 5 km away.

For mountain bikers, the region is known for big tours on both singletrack and dirt roads. From the door of the hotel you can hop on trails that will get you high into the mountains with stunning views and access to the famous mountain huts.

For cyclists traveling with non-cyclists and trying to make it all balance – the hotel will provide ideas for other ways to enjoy the Dolomites; Hiking trips, Via Ferrate, Cultural events, Wellness Center time or ways to enjoy the region’s famous Cuisine.

Are the Dolomites the ultimate cycling venue?

This summer may prove that they are – the region of Trentino is looking to close the Dolomites (now a UNESCO site) most famous passes to motor traffic. While not confirmed, this idea has been in the works for some time and looks to be nearing reality. With the tremendous success of events like the Sellaronda Bike Day, which draws over 15,000 cyclists to the area for a day of closed roads, the local state and tourism offices are realizing the good that comes from non-mechanized tourism. I can think of no better cycling experience than having these passes to myself.

Contact Melodia del Bosco for more information

For additional information about Dolomite trips and itineraries, visit the locally owned and operated Specialty Tour Service Holimites

Post courtesy of Bruce Hendler at AthletiCamps: High Quality Coaching and Performance Cycling Camps, based in Northern California. Bruce is an old cycling friend of mine with whom I spent many hours pedaling and racing alongside. He has become a legend of cycling wisdom thanks to his vast experience and passion for the sport of road racing. I know as fact that he can help prepare the aspiring road racer who dreams of personal results at a Granfondo. With AthletiCamps training program or cycling camp education, you will be well prepared for endless uphill kilometers in granfondos such as the Maratona dles Dolomites.

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Rubens Bertogliati

Its time to bring back a Pro-shop edition with two new guest professionals; Rubens Bertogliati (Androni-Diquigiovanni) and Vladimir Efimkin (AG2R.) I had the pleasure of working and riding with them this past couple months and was able to have some good discussions about their training and racing. Rubens is the current national Swiss time trial champion and has worn the yellow jersey in the 2002 Tour de France. Vlad has finished 11th in the Tour and won stage 9 in 2008. He won the Tour of Portugal in 2005, and has numerous professional accomplishments. Both are looking forward to having good seasons and are super friendly and outgoing.

Q: As we go into the new 2010 season, what types of things are you doing to prepare for the long and very difficult season? Are you changing any of your preparation?

RB: Normally the season in Europe or Italy starts at the beginning of February. As usual I start training on the bike about two months before. In the first month I do free body exercises, swimming, and a little bit of running as well. Then I will

Vladimir Efimkin

increase the number of hours on the bike. I arrive in January prepared to do 6-hour training rides. Normally on the bike I concentrate on 3 important factors: force, rhythm, and endurance. Force is to develop power; rhythm is to have a good spinning frequency and endurance is to have a good capacity for long distances. Of course, balancing everything with specific structure is the trick that we focus on.

VE: For me, from a training standpoint, I am pretty much doing the same things I have done in the past, as they have been successful for me. The season is long and hard and I must separate myself by not “getting too serious” too early. It’s funny, you see me on our rides only eating simple food like bananas and small sandwiches. The reason I do that is I will be eating “race food” for about 8 straight months! We also talked about massage. Pretty much all race season, I am on a table getting massages, before a race, after a race. With a schedule that includes 80+ races, I need a break right now, so the timing of getting serious is important and that point usually happens at the team presentation and training camp. During this part of the year, I still train, but more as a prep for the more difficult training.

Q: How do you define success for yourself this upcoming season? Do you have individual goals, team goals? How do you as an experienced athlete measure your success?

RB: First of all it is important to arrive at the races well in form. Then my goals are absolutely the Swiss championships and the Giro d’ Italia. The team goals are important (maybe you have to help one of your team mates in the general classification of a stage race.) I can say that the team goals are focused around all the races in Italy. Surely my individual goals are to win as many races as possible, concentrating on the time trials and on the breakaway stages. I think that first of all you have to be happy about what you have done in the race and before the race, then the results are secondary.

VE: I think for me, it’s about improving on results from the past, as knowing my previous accomplishments allows me to set realistic and attainable goals for improvement. Of course, team goals are very important, but as individual riders, we must look for our opportunities and a good director will help guide an individual’s effort that blends with team goals. But first and foremost, we are professionals and we must respect the team. Being a professional on the same team for a couple years, we already know the big goals for the year, mainly the Tour, which I am very excited about after having bad luck in 2009.

Summary:

Rene Pitscheider and Luca Tiezza

We have been working with some friends to create some tourism marketing material to promote the Dolomites for trail running and mountain biking. A collaborative video project showing off the region’s offerings is in the works and will be ready to post this coming winter. Our goal with this new image collection is to really show off the Dolomite’s trails, landscape, and exactly what awaits the visiting mountain sports athlete. Stay tuned for upcoming new services from friends and partners of DolomiteSport – much is in the works.

For now, PatitucciPhoto’s stills from the last week. Follow us on Twitter at DolomiteSport

Oskar Irsara

Raffaella Rungger and Oskar Irsara

Raffaella Rungger and Oskar Irsara

Raffaella Rungger and Oskar Irsara

Raffaella Rungger and Oskar Irsara

Rene Pitscheider and Luca Tiezza

Rene Pitscheider and Luca Tiezza

Rene Pitscheider and Luca Tiezza

Rene Pitscheider and Luca Tiezza

Rene Pitscheider and Luca Tiezza

L’Eroica: Chianti’s Vintage Cycling Event

Tuscany’s L’Eroica bike race in Italy is a regular occurrence, for races are everywhere, every weekend. But each fall since 1997, Tuscany’s Chianti Region is host to a special kind of race, L’Eroica, a vintage Cycling event. Italian roads are typically silky smooth pavement represented as yellow lines on maps. But the map’s white lines, or “Strade Bianche” in Italian, are dirt roads, sometimes worn smooth, sometimes hideously bumpy and potholed – and most certainly always full of surprises. These are the roads for L’Eroica, the same cycling roads used for the professional Eroica course in the spring. But instead of carbon fiber, lycra and race radios – the L’Eroica of the fall is a game of steel frames, lugs, vintage wool and hairnets. It is a celebration of the sport, its rich history, and of the heroic efforts made by those who have raced in what may be the most grueling of all sports.

We decided to spend the afternoon at the finish line enjoying the many characters who came to participate. L’Eroica is not just a race, it is an opportunity to show off all things around the history of the bike. If you love cycling, this is something not to be missed. There is little doubt that next year I will return to Chianti, Tuscany, but I’ll be lined up in wool kit, hairnet and straddling a 12kg bike.

The magnificent top of the Passo Giau

Thanks to our Guest Contributor Alex Newport-Berra for his description of riding the famous Dolomite passes and his cycling adventures.

Editor’s note… Alex was connected to us through a mutual friend after he expressed interest in spending time riding in the Dolomites. He arrived with his bike and little else, checked into Alta Badia’s Ustaria Posta for 4 weeks, and became a legend on the roads for his power, endurance, and incredibly long days climbing, climbing, climbing. After his rides he would sit in the ice cold river behind the hotel for long periods, letting his legs go numb for the recovery benefits. As it so often does in a small town, word spread amongst the locals of this crazy American sitting Buddha-like in the river. It was also noted how strong he was. Come summer 2010, I bet we see some Italian cyclists sitting in the river. For me it was a joy to meet Alex and get to show off the roads of the Dolomites. He left me with some training to do.

Alex and Dan riding the Dolomite's Sella Pass

Alex Newport-Berra

There are enough passes in the Dolomites to keep your legs busy for weeks, and when you realize you can climb them from either direction you’ll simply want to double your daily mileage, and when you think about it, why not?  A 140 kilometer ride is going to be at least 70 km of downhill, so you’ve really only ridden 70 km, and with the next espresso always less than 10 km away.

My first trip to the Dolomites was a four week paradise during the month of July 2009.  The roads, people, scenery, and culture had a profound effect on me.  I encourage anyone to find their own time cycling in the Dolomites, whether it be for a few days, a few weeks, or, for my friend Dan, a few months that turn into a few years.

The Passo Giau

I remember the first time I climbed the Giau.  Actually, I remember every time I climbed the Giau.  Probably similar to the way a mother never forgets childbirth, not the most pleasant feeling during the act of it, huffing, puffing, grunting, red-faced, but when it’s all said and done there’s a big smile followed by the words, “Isn’t it beautiful!”

The Passo Giau waits confidently in a narrow canyon, pain disguised amidst the beauty of cascading waterfalls, towering forests, hundreds of year old farming cottages and rolling green hillsides.

My friend Matt had loaned me his iPod and I was listening to Metallica and as I approached the base of the climb. As if on cue, the song “One” started to play in my ears.  “One” is a song about a Vietnam war veteran who awakes to find that he has lost all of his limbs in war and is now merely a torso on life support.  The song starts with sound effects of an army helicopter and gunfire rallying in the background.

Alex Newport-Berra ear to ear

A simple triangular sign with an exclamation point, “29 Tornanti!” seemed to serve as a sort of warning that I was in for something serious. Already the climb had a reputation in my mind when Dan and Igor both gave me their thoughts on the climb.

The combination of music and mystique had me feeling I was going to battle, entering the front line.  Which, was almost the truth, considering the Dolomites were home to many epic sieges and battles during World War I.

Subsequent ascents were “easier”, thanks to me learning the value of a well timed espresso and knowing a bit more what to expect.  Maybe maternity wards should start administering espresso shots for the mother to be.

Still, the final two kilometers, winding exposed up a high alpine meadow, the summit hut in view, you can’t help but feel you might be picked off by a lactic acid sniper on the cliffs at any moment.

The Tre Cime di Lavaredo

You’ll notice this climb lacks the “Passo” lead-in of the others.  And this is because the road does not go up and over, just up, and then up some more, and then stops with the most spectacular panorama you will get from a road in the Dolomites.

The meat of the climb is seven kilometers, and don’t worry about filling your water bottles at the bottom, in fact, you’re better off just emptying them. 1) you won’t want to be thinking about the added weight  2) you’ll need every inhale for oxygen.

About halfway up the climb, spray-painted on a barrier after an intense switchback, you’ll see written, “Al rifugio del Pirata”, an homage to the late Marco Pantani, one of cyclings most beloved pure climbers.

After the Passo Duran and Staulanza

The Giro d’Italia used this climb up the Tre Cime di Lavaredo a couple years ago and if you need inspiration you’ll get it from passing over names of famous cyclists who ascended en route to a stage finish.  (One year they used this climb after an epic stage that included an ascent up the Giau earlier in the day.)

The climb up to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo is the steepest (note – sustained 19%).  On most climbs the switchbacks are less steep than the straight bits, however, on the Tre Cime the switchbacks are steeper.

The view at the top is amazing and worth the extra half kilometer at your max heart rate to get to the top-most parking lot above the hut and lower parking area.  From here the horizon opens up in every direction with the towering Tre Cime di Lavaredo behind, patting you on the back for a job well done.

The Passo Duran

Ascending the Passo Duran from the town of Agordo is the recommended route.  A couple kilometers into the climb you’ll notice painted on the road, the words, “Once in a lifetime”, nobody claims to know the exact who or why behind the words.

One possible explanation Dan and Igor offered is the descent.  Most of the descents in the Dolomites are smooth, well paved, swaths offering plenty of cornering space.  The Passo Duran however requires a bit more attention to the front wheel and speed.  Narrow, rough road, wheel-eating cracks, tight turns, but don’t let this description detract you from the climb, it just means you’ll have a good reason to take the descent slowly, giving you time to enjoy the view of the forested surroundings.

The first time I climbed Passo Duran and saw the words written at the bottom I made a pact with myself to defy them.  And in keeping the promise I like to think my two ascents up the Duran meant I lived two lifetimes during that first trip.

Alex Newport-Berra doing what he loves, riding his bike uphill

For the last 22 years of my life, I have spent cumulatively about 380 hours a year on a bike… each and every year. Come spring I want to be fit and fast for racing, summer is for multi-sporting where cycling plays a huge role, fall is easy time and winter is prep for spring. Thus, fall allows for me to enter Bench Season.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved few things more than pulling off the road and sitting on a bench. Leaning my bike against the backrest and just stopping everything to do nothing. Away from home, away from distractions, in my element and knowing that once I am ready to go, I get to climb onto my bike and pedal away. It is the most comfortable of experiences.

This love affair with benches began in 1987 in Sacramento, California and a job at REI. I was part of a large group of bike commuters who met each morning, all with thermoses full of the richest, strongest black coffee we could tolerate -and charged posse-like along Sacramento’s American River Bike Trail. Each morning’s ride included a stop at a picnic table to swill our brews and get huge, sweaty caffeine buzzes going.

Years later, as I became a bike racer, I would return to Sacramento on that same trail and stop at those same benches – just to stop for the sake of stopping and to watch life go by. Those pauses remain with me to this day, for there have been few more reflective periods of life. Bench time is for my soul what hill repeats are for my fitness.

In 1997 I spent a season commercial fishing in Alaska. Life was hard, we were offshore for a month at a time and sleep time was numbered not in hours, but minutes. I vividly remember falling into these zombie like states where my mind would flash back to more peaceful and relaxed periods of my life – even on the Alaskan seas, I would go to my benches and they would feel as real as if I were there.

Now, living in the Italian Dolomites, I have a lifetime of bench locations. With fall approaching and the season nearing its end, I am already finding the time to spend on my favorites.