Our Second Italian Job Commences in Tuscany…

by Chris Geiser

Like many sequels, some cast members return, some sadly will be unable to join us. We will meet new friends that we are know are coming from all over the USA, see friends we have met as part of GFNY from Italy, Portugal, Puerto Rico, and Belgium, and no doubt, continue to make new friends as we did in the first Italian Job.
As a diversion to the packing I should be doing, I am here penning the first in the series about what will, no doubt, prove to be another epic GFNY Italia adventure. (Not to worry, I have a REALLY GOOD checklist — https://gfny.com/checklist.pdf ). Some of the group have arrived in Rome already, and some of us travel this evening, some over the weekend. Doing all or part of the camp leading up to the race.

Tom’s morning espresso in Rome. Luis, Jenny, Aleksandra, and Kathleen ready for departure in Newark.

Montepulciano, in the heart of Tuscany, will be the home of the fifth edition of GFNY Italia. Less than a 3 hour drive, Northeast of Rome, we will gather with riders from 36 countries. From the USA, we will be coming from all over the country, Northeast, South, Southwest, and West, converging on Rome over the next 24–36 hours, to start the Saturday afternoon caravan North to Toscana. This is where the Wolf and his Gruppo Sportivo — GFNY Italia, await to guide us on a week long camp leading up to an epic race through vineyards, and over the fabled strade bianche, or white roads of Tuscany.

The anticipation will make it feel like a long drive — but it won’t be.

Percorso Unico (One Course)

Along the rolling and “postcard” view of the roads of Tuscany part of the GFNY Italia course.

Pursuing, as always, the purest possible format in the tradition of Italian granfondo, as is the mission of GFNY, the 2019 GFNY Italia will be a Percorso Unico — one course. While racing season has already gotten underway in Italy, many from outside the area are only now #ridingintoform. With that in mind, the course has been designed to combine the challenges of steep and rolling climbs, three strade bianche (white roads) sectors, and a course length that will place the ratio of climbing to distance at a very tight ratio. WOW — what does that mean? Basically, that while the course is shorter than, say the GFNY NYC Championship course, there is almost as much climbing. “This course is amazing! Most of the roads are very smooth, and the white roads, are not super technical, so you can roll very fast” say Mirko D.P. the GFNY Italia ambassador, and leader of the GS-GFNY Italia ambassador team. “The scenery, though, it feels like a postcard all the time. But listen, there is a lot of climbing, there is not very much flat on the course. It’s climbing and descending. A challenging, but amazing course.”

The course length itself, while not super-long, is the perfect length for those that are just ramping up their racing season, and those of us who have been dealing with what has seemed to be an endless Winter here in the United States, the perfect length course. For those that have already been racing in Italy, and all over Europe, it provides them the chance to go “a tutta” or “all out” from the start and try to form groups to get away from the pack.

The GS-GFNY Italia (Mirko D.P. on the right) “It feels like a postcard all the time”

Keeping it Real, and Short…(to start)

While I had traveled for cycling trips before the first Italian Job in at the 2017 GFNY Italia, that was the race that drove home what a life-changing experience traveling for cycling is. While the cast changes a little bit for the sequel, the story remains the same — new friends, cycling challenges, new experiences, and amazing places. What more could anyone want.

And so without getting too gushy, maybe I will leave you with some photos. I will be taking a long an SLR, a GoPro, and of course my phone to provide lots of photo and video along the way. If you are unable to join us, I hope you will follow along. If you follow along, I hope it will inspire you to get a bike box, pack your bike, and get on a plane to see the world, and race one of 20 GFNY races all over the globe!

We will be missing #Toto, Professori Michele, Don Vito, but making new friends as we go.

Until tomorrow night in Toscana — CIAO!