The Radavist

Like racing brakeless track bikes down mountains? Live around Biella, Italy? Head to the Ragnarok race thrown by the TBTW crew. See more details at the TBTW Facebook.

Montanus takes us on a journey shared by two friends while bikepacking on fatbikes in Italy.

This video is about a man, his bike, a challenging climb and the struggle against an illness. A story about Andrea and the Passo Fittanze, during both the warm summer and the frigid winter.

For Legor Cicli, building bikes for his team, the Legor Cicli Squadra Corse to ride in the Transcontinental Race was as interesting as it was challenging. A massive undertaking like the Transcontinental requires a bike that’s nimble on its feet, yet is comfortable for the long days.

This is the Nuiorksiti model in the randonneuring version. The tubing is Columbus Life with a 1 1/4″ fork steerer, fillet-brazed to the fork legs and internal cable routing for the Supernova front hub. As part of an experiment, Legor coated part of the frame with copper, so it would oxidize over the 3000km trek. The frame bags were made by hand by Pinza’t and other support for his team was supplied by Satan’s Coffee Corner, Right Side Coffee, Pedaled, Enve, Brooks and Columbus.

Check out more photos below.

Here’s a video from Italy, featuring a singlespeed cross race put on by Cicli Pigozzi and Legor Cicli Squadra Corse.

Photo by Daniel Valsesia

A reader from Italy recently encountered what appears to be an Asp Viper on his local MTB trail system. Immediately, I recalled my run-in with the Texas Coral Snake from a few years back. Personally, venomous snakes don’t particularly frighten me, they hold a crucial role in the ecosystem, I just don’t think I would have gotten this close…

Check out some more photos at Daniel’s Flickr!

… some videos just make you wanna get on your bike. In the Alps. Like, now. 48 switchbacks of fun! See more at Cani Sciolti Valtellina.

I always love seeing footage from this race in Italy.

I wish I spoke Italian…

This looks amazing! Count me in next year…

“What is Tuscany Trail? It’s an adventure, not a race, in other words an experience: an unusual, exciting and uncertain experience. A bikepacking experience. It’s unsupported: there’s a start and a GPS track, but nothing more. Everybody has to plan the course looking at their needs and attitudes or listening to what their body communicates. There’ll be who is challenging himself and who’s taking it easy, relishing the stunning view.

640 km (400 miles), with an elevation gain of 12000m (39000 feet), where half of them are on gravel roads and singletrack.

This is Tuscany Trail.”

San Marco is a brand with a lot of history in cycling and they’re not going anywhere…

I’ve always wanted to do the L’Eroica in Italy!

“The first weekend in October, now for the fifth consecutive year, le coq sportif is partnering with L’Eroica, one of the greatest cycling tours held in the Italian countryside. The event will give the French brand the chance to share its passion for cycling with the international community, in the enchanting, picturesque landscape of Tuscany.”

This is a great video profile on a frame builder many of us have never even heard of. Myself included…

“Lino Messori said of himself “I am nobody, but I did a bit of everything”.
Born in 1926, in Modena, Italy, Lino quickly became a local fixture both for his incomparable skills and his personality.

A master frame builder who also followed a myriad of different passions, spanning from singing with opera legend Luciano Pavarotti to never losing a single boxing match.
Lino Messori made 150 bespoke bikes over the span of his career, many of which were very special for the time and still today.”

As interesting as retro-inspired jerseys are, there’s very little quality to the run-of-the-mill reproductions you’ll find online. Unless you’re looking at DeMarchi’s offerings. These 100% made in Italy jerseys are either full merino, or a merino blend. They won’t itch or pill like other repro jerseys and some even have a unique story behind them. Take, for example that Cinelli jersey… It’s an exact replica of Doug Dale’s own:

“Doug Dale, a well-known American racer in the 1960’s and ’70’s lent us his original cycling jersey for the replica, one that he obtained from the legendary Kopp’s Cycles in Princeton, New Jersey USA.”

Such craftsmanship and heritage isn’t cheap, but then again, at least you know where it’s made!

See more at DeMarchi!

I met Luciano Berruti at the L’eroica Britannia and I couldn’t get over how rad he is. Seriously, mind blown…

… and here we are again, watching Italian men made beautiful Colnago C60 frames!

I feel like I haven’t had time to do much riding here in Austin this summer, but I did manage to get in a few rides in the new PEdAL ED garments I picked up in the UK while I was visiting during the L’Eroica Britannia.

PEdAL ED makes their wool cycling wear in Japan and their race-fit attire in Italy. Their look is quite unique, with some clever detailing, akin to Japanese clothing design and yet, it’s highly functional.

I’ll be putting some more miles into their Raku bibs before doing a proper review, but so far so good! Don’t miss that Okabe jersey or Kaidu jersey either – I wear my Kaidu on the cross or MTB. It’s one of the nicest jerseys I’ve worn…

At the end of the day, it’s not easy to make products domestically, yet PEdAL ED really nailed it. Check out more products at PEdAL ED!