photos from my big ass ride.

i am really not a fan of posting pictures on this thing b-c i always seem to delete a photo or two, and i can't easily caption them.

but anyways...

the most epic ride that i actually did!

I left my house on Sunday morning shortly before noon.
i returned to my house at 5:35pm.
i did about 2000 feet of climbing in the first 28 miles. (this is going to be rather brief b-c i have to help shoot a movie at 1pm):
list of towns (in case you want to trace my route on google maps or something): Roccafluvione, Comunanza, Montefalcone Apeninno, Santa Vittoria in Matenano, Montelparo, Sant'Elpidio Morico, Monsampietro Morico, Grottalozzina, Campiglione, Fermo, Porto San Giorgio, Pedaso, Cupra Marittima, Grottomare, San Benedetto Del Tronto, Porto d'Ascoli, Centobuchi, Stella, Zona Industriale and back to Ascoli.
Ride time (HRM) = 5 hours 24 minutes 54 seconds
Ride time (cyclometer) = 6 hours 5 minutes 18 seconds
100.68 miles at 16.74 mph avg
4155kcal

and when i got home, back to my apt., my computer said 99.37 miles! so i put my helmet back on and went back out; rode up the street and back to get an even 100!

i will give more of a play by play later, and post pictures.

the most epic ride ever.. that i will probably never do.

this post will truly define my cycling-nerd status.

the hometown of Danilo Di Luca is Spoltore, which is about 90km away from Ascoli.
i, in theory, could ride there.

i could take SS81 south toward Teramo, then SR151 south/East, then SR16bis into Spoltore.

i am not a die-hard Di Luca fan but that would be kind of cool to go to his town and snap a photo.
(like i said, solidifying my nerdhood).

then i could take SS16 all the way back up the coast to San Bennedetto Del Tronto, turn right on to Via Salaria and head back to Ascoli.

the catch is, this ride would be about 131 miles, with some serious climbing on the first half (about 75 miles) of the ride. the second half of the ride would be flat, coastal roads with hopefully a tailwind. but how many times have you wished for a tailwind and recieved the opposite, in abundance!

elevation data provided by mapmyride, at a snail's pace;
min = 184 ft
max = 1709 ft
total ascent = 4272 ft
total descent = 4255 ft

Angus and mine's ride of 120 miles was flat, fairly fast and completed in MAY!
i dont think i've done an honest-to-god-century since mid june.... this is a scary prospect as well as one that shouldnt be tackled alone.
This would truly be the most grueling, miserable, epic, spectacular ride of my LIFE!

this weekends plan.

so this weekend most of the gang is going off to travel.
alex is going to Bologna, a pack of four is going to Firenze, and Ben is going to Roma for a day or two.
so that means it is just Cameron and me holding down the fort here in Ascoli.

the weather is suppose to be nice which i am not bragging about b-c i heard that it was suppose to be rather miserabel back home.

tomorrow at around 2pm i am helping to shoot Cameron's movie with Jessica and Adam. Jessica Hecht and her husband Adam are the visiting cinema professors from Columbia. Jessica was Ross' ex-wifes new wife on friends many years back and Adam directs... stuff. mostly tv shows he said, or currently, not quite sure. but if you liked The B-52's "Love Shack" video, he is the man to thank, b-c he directed it.
anyway, i am lending some man power for that.

then riding.
probably all three days, friday, saturday and sunday.
i was thinking cruising for picture taking oppurtunities tomorrow morning.
a huge loop that combines Vince/Bros and the first Brian ride on saturday, with maybe some hill attacks thrown in for kicks. i might as well incorporate some actual training while i am here.
then on sunday, generally picking my way from Ascoli to the Adriatic, which i have not seen up close yet. i was thinking about trying to pick my way from Ascoli to Force, then toward the beach. then maybe just take the Salaria back to Ascoli b-c by then i will probably be wrecked from so much climbing.
so, check back on monday, when i promise to have pictures!

bummed b-c of the language barrier

every day is a new battle around here with this language barrier.
sometimes i think things are going well and then i take a demoralizing blow.

i had tea with Dianna, our multi-talented secratary, yesterday at a local bookstore and we started to chat and then a friend of hers joined us. then i just sat and tried to listen to thier conversation; tried being the opperative word in that sentence.

we still dont have conversation partners. which sucks but i'll tell you a story about that.
on some doors in Ham'Smith there are flyers requesting conversation partners for foreign students at UNH. everytime i walk past them, i thinkto myself, that would be great, i should do that, when i have time...

people are the same the world over. the italians, the young students and young professionals, are just like their peers in the states: they dont even have enough time in their day to wipe thier asses. any one that tells you that the pace in italy or in europe is slower, is full of shit and was definately on vacation when they visited.

Dianna's friend, a different friend from the bookstore, her friend Sara (maybe) said that we could get togehter and caht but that we would need to schedule something, b-c it would be too easy to say "oh maybe tomorrow", for weeks straight.

so thats the deal for today. i just sat in the school allday, mostly in front of this damned computer; looking for flights, hotels, buses,e tc.
when i should have gone for a ride or read more than what i did(my crim.just.course).
but it has been cold and grey here for the last week. about 17-20 degrees C, which is what the Meteo for central italy has been telling me. so i have not been too motivated to ride. i am also denying the fact that i might have to start wearing tights soon! no!

oh well, tomorrows another a day. and a test in italian!

classclassclassfriedcalzone

i had class today. two in one day! ah man! what a rough life!
before our strongly suggested and cordially mandatory weekly italian film began, i had to go get lunch. i bought two fried calzones.

i bought two b-c i have resloved to eat more so that i do not waste away to nothing, as i am sure i have lost some weight since i arrived here.

however, while i was cramming the second calzone down my gullet, i remembered the dire consequences that accompanied two porchetta sandwiches.

i think there will be hell to pay tomorrow.

in any case, today was boring. class class class.

i am going to try to ride tomorrow, and do the same wretched climb that Brian and i did on sunday since i forgot my camera. i dont know why this sounds like a good idea, but i think it will have to be done. if not, i'll do it this weekend. Chissà? (who knows?)

i helped tourists order their lunch!!!

the subject line says it all!
an english couple was trying to order a cup of tea with cold milk, and they were struggling abit.
now tea in italian is only "the" (t-ay), but the girl behind the counter wasnt really getting it.
so i gently stepped in, and said to the young lady that takes the order, "Sì, the, con un po di latte freddo." she got it, and i told the english couple that i was from the states and that i was studying here. and they thanked me. and i felt ten (10) feet (not meters, never meters!) tall.

it was small but i was excited that i could help.

then i ate two sandwiches, like a fatty, and am going to read.

alex thinks that i must have sleep-bulemia b-c i eat alot but still dont gain weight. actually, i think i have lost a little bit of weight.... so therefore i must go purge in my sleep.
i suggested that riding was the culprit but he was not convinced.
oh well...