Italian Singlespeed Champs Report spins a tale of speed and adrenaline against the backdrop of scenic beauty.
The Italian Singlespeed championships took place last weekend in Sovico in Northern Italy. Alpkit had been invited by Paolo Zorloni of Zeta Bike Components, a local company that designs and machines it's own components.
I rolled up Friday evening, had a beer placed in my hand, my chainring swapped over, a light strapped to my bike and before I knew it I was joining a group of 25 geared and singlespeed riders for a night ride through Parco Lambro. Of course we had to wait for the rain to start before we could set off.
There was food and drinks ready for us when we got back around midnight and it was a good chance to meet some of the other riders. I was sure out of all the participants no one would have driven further than me, but it was a close call. a pair from Sicily had driven just 200 fewer kilometres.
Sunday was race day and the atmosphere in the 'area spettacoli' had changed noticeably. People were making last minute adjustments to their bikes, incredibly of the 80 or so competitors I don't think I saw 2 bikes alike.
We set off around the 8km loop. There was no obligation to do more than one lap, but those taking it a bit more seriously did the full 3 loops. The team on a tandem retired after one, failing to make it past the fully stocked beer tent, refuelled I think they continued on single bikes. The course was undulating, comprising of gravel tracks, singletrack, grassy paths, muddy descents and slippery climbs. I was feeling strong after lap 2 but by the third the power had been drained from my legs and I was struggling to keep up with the small group I had been lapping with. The finishing line finally reappeared lined with a small group of smiling faces, waving hands and cheering calls.
Returning to Sovico the organisers provided food and drink for all. The 'winners' were presented with their awards and the proposals for the location of next years event were made. We had our very own presentation - the ASS Award to see who would win a Stingray framebag.
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