The Virtual Musette: A Road Cycling Blog

In an earlier post I wrote about the first running of the Monte Paschi Eroica, and shortly thereafter the race graced the cover of the December issue of Cycle Sport America, with its proclamation that “Italy’s Paris-Roubaix” had arrived. To give you an idea of why the comparison was made, check out this great gallery of photos from Road Cycling UK: Monte Paschi Pictures

For those who crave more, and want to check out some incredible video, see below. You will first need to install the DivX plug-in. You also better have a fast cable connection, plenty of RAM, and a decent video card. In other words, if you have an older system in need of upgrades, don’t waste your time; this is not your typical You Tube stream. It’s also quite long (over 20 minutes), and the commentary is in Italian. Having said all that, the footage, scenery, and racing are absolutely fantastic, and well worth your time.

Just in case the imbedded player does not work: Link to Monte Paschi Eroica Video, Part 1

If you would like to see the finish, it is also available, but does not include any action on the unpaved roads. You do get to see Alexander Kolobnev absolutely turn himself inside-out to fend off his own teammate on the city streets of medieval Siena. Here is the link: Monte Paschi Eroica, Part 2

All of this reinforces my initial assessment that the race was one of the highlights of the second half of the season, and should be granted immediate Classic status (whatever that may now mean to the UCI, and their screwed up Pro Tour ). The quality of the field should be even deeper this year, provided they (event organizer RCS) don’t mess with its place on the calendar. I can’t remember where I read it, but there was some bonehead ex-pro talking about moving it to the spring season. Yeah, just what we need, another spring race to compete with Het Volk, Milan San-Remo, Flanders, Roubaix, LBL, Amstel, etc., etc, etc. Part of the charm of the Eroica is that it takes place after The Tour, when we are so desperate for something interesting other than the Vuelta, Worlds and Lombardia. Please leave the race where it belongs, which is later in the season.

The pro race is based on the amateur cyclosportive event known as the L’Eroica, which was run two days prior and is now in its 12th year. The event is a celebration of the heroic age cycling, with plenty of wool clothing, tubular tires, and Bianchi bikes on display. These photos will give you an idea:

It looks like a blast, and I’ll have add this to the List Of Things To Do When The Kids Are Grown. Where else in the world can you drink Chianti out of a straw jug at rest stops? It would also serve as the perfect excuse to buy an old steel frame and spend a bunch of money on vintage bike parts and clothing. 

Pez Cycling News ran a nice feature, with plenty of photos: Top Rides: The Heroic L’Eroica

This one comes from Road Cycling UK’s reporter/participant Andy Kay: L’Eroica, The one to ride

Here is another from Angelo over at The Italian Cycling Journal.

I don't see that they have officially announced the date for this year's L'Eroica, but Blufreccia, an Italian touring company, should be able take care of all the little details and answer your questions if you want to participate. 

Lastly, the official event website (Italian, of course) can be found here: L’Eroica

Photo credits: Chianti Drinker, from the L'Eroica website; Crowd Favorite, from Flickr gallery of insidesport; Father and Son, also insidesport; Riding Though Town, from Blufreccia; Mechanic and Rider, also from L'Eroica website; Solo on Gravel Road; from Flikr gallery of gcbarga.