Ciclismo Classico Sardinia Bicycle Tour 2007

Mental Winter Wanderlust to La Bella Sardinia

Even though here in Lake Placid on winter break with my family, I am immersed in the world of snow sports (and winter Olympic history) a trip to Lake Placid's premier bicycle store, High Peaks Cyclery gets my imagination quickly spinning towards spring cycling and my plans to ride again this summer Sardinia with my family on our Mediteranean Multi Sport (join us!)

My guests and cycling friends inevitably always ask me what is my favorite place to ride and although I am reluctant to respond (as if I had to choose a favorite child), my answer is alway Sardinia. We currently have three Ciclismo Classico tours there ( Swept Away in Sardinian, Mediterranean Island Hopping and Mediterranean Multi Sport). We plan to expand our offerings and with the guidance of our Native Sardinian expert, Simone Scalas, who can also create a custom tour for you. Backpedaling for a moment, I love cycling almost anywhere as it pedaling outside always puts me in a better frame of mind no matter where I am. It's a fact that, for the record, I have never had a bad bike ride ANYWHERE!

Having made that grand proclamation, there are cycling destinations that simply make my heart, soul and body soar and our focus at Ciclismo Classico is to take you to the world's absolute BEST cycling destinations such as Italy, France, Ireland, Austria and Spain.

So why do I pick Sardinia as my ultimate favorite place in the world to pedal? It fulfills the following TOP TEN list on what makes a premier Ciclismo Classico cycling destination:

1. Smooth, untrafficked, varied network of roads with many terrain options
2. An abundance of gorgeous views and scenery
3. Abundant opportunities to connect with the local culture
4. A balance of pristine nature and indigenous culture, a high local respect for sustaining both
5. Friendly, welcoming locals who respect cyclists
6. Gastronomically delightful. Delicious fresh food, markets, local eateries, enolologically intriguing
7. Abundance of historic and cultural options
8. Adventure options in addition to cycling (swimming, hiking, kayaking, caving)
9. A nice variety but not overwhelming choices of accommodations
10. A tourist culture that is affordable, friendly, sustainable and professional

Sardinia passes every one of this TOP TEN list with flying colors. Here's how:

1. Silky Smooth Roads: Sardinia's tourism is mainly in August and on the Northern Coast which means on the rest of the island for the rest of the year, Sardinia's silky smooth roads are cycling heaven. My favorite ride in the world is the descent to Cala Ganone (one of my favorite places in the world) and the gradual 20 mile ascent from Dorgali to the Barbagia Mountains with the sea on one side and the mountains on the other. My favorite cycling is along stunning coastline and Sardinia has more than anyplace I have been.

2. Gorgeous Scenery: Sardinia is is defined by its abundance of gorgeous views and variety of scenery, especially abundant are a wonderful blend of mountain and seascapes. Unlike the rest of Europe, Sardinia is rural, and underdeveloped. One of the last off the beaten path destinations Europe has to offer. It is like Wyoming surrounded by an amazingly beautiful blue waters. If you love to swim or simply experience some of the world's most gorgeous blue water than Sardinia is the place for you.

3. Culturally Fascinating: The Sardinian indigenous and native culture is alive and thriving. Sardinia with its own unique language, many distinct cultures and rich craftsmanship offers the cyclist Abundant opportunities to connect with the local culture. It is difficult to find a musical heritage so varied and full of expression as the one you can find in Sardinia. Sardinian traditional music is in every sense one of the richest and oldest in the Mediterranean. The expression of this heritage can be found in polyvocal or monodic songs and in the use of instruments, some of which are typical of the island. Undoubtedly one of the most original forms in the island's polyvocal heritage is the CANTO A TENORES (Tenors song). http://www.sardi.it/sardinia/artig1.htm

4. Natural Wonders Abound: Sardinia has the cleanest waters and most pristine natural areas in the world and is working harder than most of Europe to preserve and protect them.

5. International Cycling Destination: Although Sardinia is still emerging as a cycling destination for Americans, this amazingly varied island attracts thousands of pedaling Europeans who flock to Sardinia every year.

6. Delicious, healthy cuisine: Howard Hillman's in his World Cuisine Guide calls Sardinian cuisine "the most distinctive of Italy's regional cuisines, mainly due to the island's geographic isolation from Italy's mainland." That's why Ciclismo alumni and master chef Micheal Romano of the Union Street Cafe chose to join our Swept Away in Sardinia tour. For a cyclist Sardinian specialties such as Pane Carasau, Culingiones (fresh stuffed pasta) Bottarga (spaghetti with a tuna roe sauce) and so many other delicious others make all those miles worthwhile!

7. Historically Intriguing: Sardinia is a living museum! While there is not the abundance of museums as on the mainland, any Sardinian itinerary historical Abundance of historic and cultural options including roaming around ancient nuraghi villages or stopping to explore a romanesque church.

8. Sardinia is Europe's Adventure paradise: The second largest island in the Meditteranean, with thousands of mile of pristine coastline and gorgeous protected natural areas, there is plenty of adventure for non-cycling days. Kayaking along Sardinia's gorgeous coastline, hiking through the lush barbagia, sailing around La Maddelena, snorkeling, rapelling and caving are a sampling of this outdoor paradise.

9. Charming, tasteful, historic accommodations. The Sardinians have been very careful in developing their tourism as a result most hotels are small, family run and connected to their local culture. My favorite hotel in the world (and used on our Sardinian tours) is Sul Gologone nestled into the the Barbagia mountains near the famous muraled village of Orgosolo. Literally a gallery of Sardinian fine art and crafts, the rooms, cuisine, and spa make this a family-run hotel a place you'll want to call home!

10. Welcoming, friendly and caring! On my first bike tour around Sardinia in 1992, I was welcomed into the Fonteduus home in Siniscola (northwest Sardinia), treated for three nights to abundant local specialties and even dressed up in the traditional wedding clothes of our hosts! I could tell that I had landed in a very special place where I would be honored to bring cyclists. We have been running tours there for over 15 years and have expanded our guide team to include Sardinian specialist, Simone Scalas

As one of my favorite Italian web sites, Italy Online writes: "Small enough to be classified as an island but big enough to be a universe unto itself, Sardinia lies about 120 miles west of the Italian peninsula. Its coastline is probably Europe's most spectacular. Its waters teem with fish and shellfish. Its broad valleys turn into golden oceans of wheat in summer. Its rugged mountains, pocked with caves, are home to large flocks of sheep that feed on pungent wild herbs and produce a cheese your palate will never forget. Nestled into its silent olive groves are some of the continent's oldest archeological remains, dating back to 1700 BC. Its people speak a language incomprehensible to all other Italians, celebrate more saints' days than anyone else in the nation, and love to dress up in elaborate costumes at the drop of a finely-embroidered hat. ' "

Interested in joining my family and I for a very special week in Sardinia this July? email me at lauren@ciclismoclassico.com

Favorite Sardinian Links:
Best overall Site: http://www.mondosardegna.net/index.php, http://www.sardegna.com
Sardinian Photo Album: http://www.initaly.com/regions/sardinia/sardinalb.htm
In Italy Online: http://www.initaly.com/regions/sardinia/sardinia.htm
http://www.sardi.it/indexuk.htm

Women Cross Country Ski Day Slide Show

Women's Cross Country Ski Day

This past weekend my 8 year-old daughter Valentina and I headed to Central Vermont to participate in our first Women's Cross Country Ski Day at the gorgeous Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden, VT. On Super Bowl Sunday, while millions of fans were getting their parties and kegs rolling, 200 intrepid and active women of all ages and abilities were focused on learning and improving their cross country skiing techniques. My daughter and I decided to make it a special mother-daughter weekend and pull out all the stops. After a two hour drive we made a "tasting" stop at the fabulous Vermont Country Store with really cool and hard to find stuff that I have not seen since I was a kid. Another two hours and a wrong turn onto Route 100, we arrived at Mountain Top where we checked in had dinner and toasted, Valentina with a Harpoon ROOT beer and I with my own local draft, to another great mom-daughter weekend. We listened to a couple of folksingers play James Taylor and other Irish tunes and since I am now 2 months into "learning the guitar" I watched the chords carefully. "Someday you'll play like that Mom" Valentina says smiling and boosting my guitar spirit. After dinner we took a horse drawn sleigh ride and enjoyed the jacuzzi in our wonderful room with a porch and a snowy white view of the lake and the distant Green Mountains.

On Sunday, we bounded downstairs holding hands and excited for the buffet breakfast with our fellow female skiing friends. We then walked up the hill to The 7th Annual, sold out, New England Women's XC Ski Day, "for women, by women," inspired by similar events in Norway (the Inga Lama) and Alaska (the Anchorage Women's Ski Day).

Event organizers, Olympiad Trina Hosmer, of Stowe, VT, and Anne Donaghy, of Meriden, NH, started this special ski day to share their love of the sport with other women. "To teach women of all skiing abilities the joy of gliding that lies just beyond the plodding walk usually taught to new skiers" said Trina Hosmer, a member of the United States' first women's Olympic XC Ski Team in 1972.

Mountain Top is a beautiful location with well groomed, easy terrain just outside the door of the resort. It was a perfect facility for the extended lunch hour with speakers and a well-stocked raffle table including several items donated by Ciclismo Classico; Olympic Marathon Gold Medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson, an avid and accomplished cross-country skier was the featured guest speaker at this delicious lunch, which was included in the $25 registration cost, an amazing deal for an outstanding day of learning, exercise and bonding!

The instructors provide three clinic periods through the day, ranging from Beginner classic or skate technique, Intermediate classic or skate and Uphill/Downhill classic or skate. Valentina and I participated in the intermediate skate clinic and learned a few new tricks about V-1, V-2 and V-2 alternate...does anyone have a V-8? Why didn't they just call these techniques, power stroke, glide stroke and glide and speed stroke?

The instructors (all women) included former Olympic, National team, and collegiate skiers such as JoAnn Hanowski, winner of the Birkiebeiner, Trina Hosmer - first women’s US XC team, 1972 Olympics, Olympiad Leslie Krichko -was in two Olympics, Kathy Maddock a Top Dartmouth Skier, Top Harvard skier, Anna Mcloon, Mary Osgood who started the Dartmouth women’s xc ski team, Amy Patenaude a masters racer and politician, Janice Sibilia -NENSA’s program director and ex bike racer, Liz Stephen -who won at US nationals this year, masters champ Sally Swenson and Cami Thompson -head coach at dartmouth.

What united all of these super women athlete is that they knew how to make skiing fun. An optional, fun 1KM relay took place in the afternoon with prizes for sister-sister, mother-daughter, relative-relative, friend-friend and oldies divisions. Since Valentina opted to sit on the side-lines, I connected with another skier and we raced in the "oldies" division and came in second place, right behind Olympiad and organizer Trina HosmerJoan Benoit Samuelson, what an honor, what a thrill!! I had a moment to talk with Joan who said that she will be starting to bicycle more after her "swan song" and marathon retirement at the 2008 US Women's Olympic Marathon Trials the day before the Boston Marathon on April 20th.

At the end of the day we all raised our poles, let out a HOOT and a cheer for a great day. Ski author and photographer Kris Dobie, who throughout the day captured all the best moments on camera (while on skiis) snapped us all for a final group photo. Every year New England Women's Ski Day also raises money for a local women's charity. This year the event supported the Rutland County Women's Network and Shelter, a non-profit, community-based organization serving victims of domestic violence and sexual violence in Rutland County.

After spending the day learning, bonding and exercising, I got the idea, why not start a Women's Bicycling Day. Ladies in Lycra? Interested? Comment here, let me know & Stay tuned

Thanks Trina, Anne, coaches and Mt Top for a very special day!