"Now there are seven kinds of Coke, 500 kinds of cigarettes, This freedom of choice in the USA drives everybody crazy" -- John Doe and Exene Cervenka, "See how we are"
We arrived home one week ago, Sunday night, 25 May. The long leg from Copenhagen to Newark was on board a half-empty Continental jet with great coach seats: individual flat screen displays, a choice of 25 movies, shows, games, etc, and a power outlet. I watched "Dr Strangelove" and "Fraulein", a Bosnian movie with English subtitles. I worked on the text for the last few entries of this blog, played a few games of chess against the video console (won one, lost two, with one unfinished because we landed). I pondered the potential negative reaction of the passengers if they had been forced en masse to watch "Dr Strangelove", and I celebrated, in my own way, the illusion of choice in modern capitalism. It's good to be home.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Stopping by Copenhagen on our way home

Last ride and last night in Italy
Then we descended most of the way down at 10-12%, only to climb again to the peak of the day at Montescudo (elevation, 1230 feet) where we enjoyed the amazing view, and saw a giant, rock-lined hole in the ground which, when filled with snow, served the ancients
Overall, we rode in four guided rides, covering a total of about 160 miles, over 10000 feet of climbing, and a multicultural experience non pariel.
Olive Oil and Wine Tasting Tour
Aside: The wine made it all the way back to Newark, NJ and through US customs in a checked bag before the sloppy bag handlers at Continental Airlines broke two of three bottles.
Visits to Republic of San Marino and to Rimini
The architecture, however, is often amazing, and well worth a stroll through the moneychangers. After climbing the steep pedestrian-only streets to the top of the mountain, we spent an hour or so wandering around the towers preserved by the Musei de Stato, some of which were built in the 11th century. What a view!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
First two rides in Italy
The rides at Hotel Dory are organized into weekly programs, with everyone being offered five group rides over six days. The riders are divided into four groups by experience and ability. Not knowing what to expect, we decided to start with the slowest of the four, the "Borghe e Castelli" (Villages and Castles) group. This turned out to be a good decision since, unbeknownst to us, this was also the week of two major Italian bike races: (1)the Giro D'Italia and (2) the smaller Nove Colli. A number of people at the hotel were actually racing in the Nove Colli, so we were severely outclassed, cycle-wise. Nevertheless, everyone was very nice, and it was nice to meet so many people from all over the world.
Having biked around Charlotte and the surrounding rolling hills, we thought we were ready for the climbing we would encounter. But the terrain around Riccione is significantly different than Charlotte. The area near the coast is mostly completely flat, but if one rides inland for 12 miles or so in any direction, mountains are encountered.
All of the rides we went on were about 40 miles long and involved climbing at least one, and usually more than one, mountain at least 1000 feet high. The climbs take place over distances of 6 miles or so, so that the average grade is around 3 or 4%.
We found the climbs to be more than adequately challenging, the views breathtaking, and the descents exhilirating. The other three groups (Cappochino, Cappochino plus, and Limonchino) rode longer distances (60-80 miles) and climbed more and taller mountains, not for us, not this time anyway.
On Sunday, we rode the "Strada Panoramica" route with our guide Edy, two women from Germany (Gudrun and Heiki), and a man and woman from Sweden (Ivan and ???). Between the two climbs (1000 feet and 500 feet), we enjoyed a cappochino at a seaside cafe in Pesaro.
On Monday, the group changed a little bit, a recurring theme. The Swedes moved up to one of the other groups, and were replaced by John from Australia. The route was entitled "Falciano-Mulazzano-Montescudo-Vecciano". After the first climb (about 1000 feet), we stopped for cappuchino, another recurring theme, in the village of Ospidaletto. After another 1000 foot climb and a very hairy (for me) descent with some 18% grade and some Flintstone braking, we stopped again for a well-stocked barbecue at Hotel Dory's farmhouse in Vecciano.
Even though the climbs were challenging for us, I cannot stress how much we enjoyed and appreciated the services at the Hotel Dory. The food was constantly fabulous, with extensive breakfast and lunch, and full multi-course dinners every night. A bike mechanic was on duty every day with expert advise and whatever tools were required to do whatever needed to be done. Bike clothing was laundered every afternoon and returned in the mid-evening, well in time for the next ride. The promenade of Riccione and the Mediteranean beach were both a few steps away from the front door. Loaner "townie" bikes and motorscooters were available for running errands around town. There are many other services, too numerous to name them all: jacuzzi, ping pong, swimmming pools, workout room, aromatherapy, massage, etc etc. So even though we were sometimes physically spent from riding and climbing, we were always extremely comfortable, if that makes any sense.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Arrival in Italy
First, our driver Mauricio met us immediately at the gate with a sign that said "Hotel Dory". No luck involved here; Hotel Dory is a very professionally run operation. The hour drive to Riccione was without incident. When we arrived at Hotel Dory, we found our rented Cannondale tandem bicycle waiting for us, along with the helpful staff from the rental agency Bike Rentals Plus.
We changed, took the bike out for a quick spin, and encountered the first snafu of the trip; a rear blowout. The tube was changed, and voila, immediately another blowout. It turned out that the back tire was totally worn out. No worries however, since a new tire was quickly installed by the rental agency staff.
With our bike ready, we took a short stroll around Riccione, bought a few items at the grocery store, and headed off to bed to get some rest before our Sunday morning ride.
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