there is no "I" in cyclyng

The Dutch girl at the reception of the hotel told David and me that the Giro D’Italia had a stage this year finishing at Ravenna. 


Once home I checked the official site and Youtube to find a video about the stage with some landmarks we might recognize. It seems that David and me unwittingly rode a portion of stage 12 when we headed out for dinner from Ravenna to the Adriatic coast at Punta Marina. Cool. Somehow I noticed that special feel and magic of the road when riding there. I guess.

This photo captured the precise moment in Urbino on July 5th, when David considered seriously for the first time to purchase a Canyon frame. Although I cam very satisfied with my disguised Canyon bike, I think it is only fair and appropriate to ride Paris-Brest-Paris on the Cervelo bike that did all the qualification work for the event.
To use more reliable wheels than the Rolf Vector paired spoke ones might however an idea worthwhile to consider.

After Ravenna David and me went to two of the most cycle unfriendly cities in Italy.

The first one was the medieval town of Urbino, located inland of Rimini on the Adriatic coast. It is not that the inhabitants of Urbino have something against cyclists. Most of them are young, as an university for the fine arts is located within the walls of the city and they are most friendly to every visitor. It is just that the town was built on the top of a hill and almost every road has an gradient of 20% or more. Unfortunately I have deleted by mistake all data from my camera SD card, so I have to take a photo from the net to provide the necessary impression.

But I guess that will give the general idea of the city’s layout. Once a child was presented a bicycle in the town by its parent for his birthday. He leaned it against a wall to thank his father. When he turned his head again it was gone and some seconds later one could hear a strange sound beyond the city wall far below. So the legend goes. It is the Mortirolo of the cities. David and me indulged in arts and culture there but our time was cut short by the deadline for the rental car return in another town in Northern Italy.


When we arrived there I thought that the tarmac of the major roads might be a little bit too wet for my taste. Also no cyclists were seen in the streets. Later we learned that cycling is indeed not allowed within the city. As is roller skating, skateboarding and scooters. Instead the town has two major themes if you look at the buildings:
Ground floor: Decay, mould and mortality
First Floor and above: Art and culture.


Yes, David and me went to the town to select the Positivo Espresso Art Prize Winner 2011. And we are proud to announce that the winner is:


CHRISTIAN MARCLAY


For his groundbreaking artwork: THE CLOCK. which is displayed at the Bienale 2011.
If you would like to have more info about THE CLOCK, please check out these Links:


The Clock at the Bienale
As explained by the BBC
As shown (excerpts)
The Artist at Wiki