Elena Martinello

I always love to cycling and walking in Trentino on the Italian Alps near home.

Folgaria e Alpe Cimbra

Levico Terme e Lagorai

Have you ever cycle in Gran Canaria? Have you ever trained with a real pro cyclist?

Last week end I had the chance to take part at one of the most amazing experience that a normal cyclist as I am would like to do.

Polartec, the american company well known to make innovative fabrics for the biggest outdoor brands is now going more and more into cycling world. Their collaboration with Fundacion Contador Team founded by the legend of cycling Alberto Contador gives them the chance to test and experience on real cyclists new materials made just to be confortable in any kind of atmopheric situation.

Polartec is supporting and sponsoring the organisation which discovers young talented cyclists and transmit them passion for this sport and values such as honesty, friendship, respect and sacrifice.

How it started

Three days with Alberto Contador

 It's the season of my "first times"!

Last time I told the story about my first gravel road challenge and my first time at the Vigorelli velodrome, now is the time to tell you about my very first L'Eroica.

I have been invited less than a month ago by Brooks England because I'm ambassador of the brand and I couldn't say another time "no" because normaly the first week end of October is very busy of any kind of events (Enduro World Series in Finale Ligure, Red Hook in Milan, etc...).

So this was the perfect time to go. The XX aniversary of L'Eroica, twenty years of this incredible event to celebrate.

Brooks England as partner and sponsor of this event has organized an amazing week end in Gaiole in Chianti to present new products, to let as taste local yummy food, wine and to make journalists and guest to take part at the Sunday ride.

7000 people were there to parteciate with so many different kind of old bikes which must to follow some rules to be accepted as vintage bicycle and to have the chance to ride the white roads of Chianti.

If you don't have anything for L'Eroica, no worries, you can find any kind of things you need once you get there: you can rent a bike, you can buy some vintage wool jersey and shorts and you can also get old cycling shoes or any other accessories that you can use for the ride.

At the beginning I wasn't sure with distance to choose, not for sure the 209 km (the longest one). I was almost deciding to ride the 135 km, but then I chose the 75 km. From this year there was also a new route: 115 km but with more than 2700 meters of elevation.
For who is not trained enough to deal with long distances it's possible to cycle the 46 km, also nice and spectacular.

So I started my ride at 8.30 in the morning and I didn't want to take with me much energy bars 'cause I knew already that there would be alot to eat at every feed zone. But the first stop was suppose to be after 45 km so it was a good idea to take something with me. You never know!

Most of the ride is on gravel road - I just love it - so be read for flat tires and some mechanical issue. Another thing to take in the pocket is a pit-stop like the Vittoria one, a foam ready to repair and pump your tire in case of puncture. I had it one with me so I could help another cyclist of my group.

The ride was awesome, every turn, every climb, every descent show you a different landascape on Chianti's hills. We were lucky to don't get the rain, actually we started in a light mist and we ended up with the sun.

At every feed zone you can find local delight from tipical bread and oil to grapefruit, from finocchiona (the local salame) to great Chianti wine.

A really incredible and hard ride which you can get the best of it if you ride with friends and which makes you live in the history of cycling.

At L'Eroica you can see over 100 years old bikes, typical characters, and a lot of ladies on their vintage bicycles.
I was so happy to be there, finally!

Hope you will have a chance once in your life to be part of L'Eroica.

Some L'Eroica rules are:

• the bike has to be made before year 1987;
• the brake cables must pass outside and over the handlebars;
• must have shift levers on the down tube of the frame;
• pedals should be with toe clips and straps or original pedals for older bikes.

Has been a full on week end the past one where I've been in Milano as a cyclist for the very first time.
I actually went for a cyclocross singlespeed race few years ago at the Lambro park but this time I had the chance to live Milano as urban cyclist.

I come from a small city called Vicenza an the traffic can be congestes in the rush time, but most of the roads that I normally ride are pretty free from cars. Milan is caothic at every hour of the day: trafic lights, trams, roundabouts, railways, pavè...

So a new experiece for me... And happy to had finally the oportunity to be there for few days.
The city it's easier if you go around with a bike so there's no much problems for parking, but for sure we need to take care at the bike every time we stop some where.

The Rapha pop up situated in Corso Garibaldi 117 has a bike rack inside the shop so the bicycle it's safe.

As ambassador Rapha I took part a the Women's night at the pop up where the Katusha team mechanic explaned us few easy things about "how to fix a bike problem while we are riding". Few girls took part at the nigth and at the conversation making the events nice.

I love to get involve in this kind of events anad make other women to take part.

But my experience in Milan had its best on saturday and sunday when the rides were on.


On saturday thanks to Iride Modena and the photographer Emanuele Barbaro I had the chance to ride at the Vigorelli velodrome for my very first time.
Some loops to warm up and get confidence with the bike and the start to push getting the speed to ride higher on the track. It was amazing, be at the storical velodrom of Milan at the special opening.

But my saturday was pretty full of things happening one after the other. From the Vigorelli velodrome I went with Emanuele at the Marco Aurelio Fontana event called Fuffenaffen about one hour from Milan. Time to change clothes, bike, have a smal plate of pasta and we were riding a mountain bike. The party was full of Fontana's fans coming from all over the north Italy, the weather was perfect and the place great.

I met Marina Romoli for my first time and Ia have a really nice conversation with her. She's a hero and a powerful girl full of life even if she will not ride a bike anymore. She's awesome. After her accident which paralyzed her legs she's now on a chair wheels. She used to me a great track and road cyclist. After six year living a new life she founded the Marina Romoli association as foundraiser for spinal injury research.

Well, my Saturday didn't finish here because in the evening we went back to the Vigorelli where the Milano Fashion Fixed Criterium was on.  The great show of fixies is so fascinating but it was also nice for to meet some friends of the cyclocross singlespeed.

It was a long, super nice and tiring day, but i want to go to sleep pretty early to be ready for the Rapha women's ride of the day after.

The women's ride are always a big surprise, can have a big partecipation or can have just few girls join the group. But helped by the weather and the type of ride we advertised (social ride) many girls showed up the ride.

Thanks to Mariateresa Montaruli of IoDonna.it to have planned the tour into teh Parco del Ticino, in the countryside of Milan. We cycled for 70 km and we stopped on the way back at Casina Caremma for some home made cakes and coffees.

Happy to have seen so many girls on the bike at the ride. It was a super experience for everyone!

The Rapha women's ride stopped at Casina Caremma for some coffee.