Cyclist: Italian Flyers (Sportive Report)
In the rolling hills of Tuscany and Emilia Romagna , the Gran Fondo del Capitano provides beauty and pain in equal measure.
Euro-dance blasts into the historic streets of Bagno di Romagna for The Wild Edition of the Gran Fondo del Captiano. A sun-bleached Alfa Romeo reverses towards us to begin a controlled start into the main streets as a DJ shouts “su le mani!” and everyone dutifully raises their hands in the air. Spirits are high beneath a pure blue sky broken only by the occasional flutter of tiny yellow birds and regular bursts of confetti. It’s 8am and it’s already 25-degrees.
As a media representative, I’m ushered into the front row with the other guests. It’s a real mixed bag of riders, from professional cyclist, Matteo Montaguti of AG2R La Mondiale, to a 69-year old female rider from Germany. It’s a good representation of the breadth of the 1,250 riders lining up behind me.
Before I know it, the countdown is in effect and the riders behind are tapping at my back wheel. I presume the DJ has said “go” as the car pulls away and the riders behind practically ride over me. There’s UCI gran fondo points to be had here.
Italian gran fondos are known to be as spicy as a homemade Arrabbiata, and sure enough there’s a flurry of macchiato-fuelled riders jostling to get close to the control vehicle. One rider blasts up the inside between myself and the curb with all the gusto of a new Ferrari owner and squeezes into a non-existent gap in front of me. Marshals stand on traffic islands franticly whistling and waving flags, giving a feel more akin to an AC Milan football match than a sportive.
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