“And thence we came forth to see again the stars”. No, we weren’t in hell but it’s been a pretty busy time, full of planning and behind the scene work to do. Finally we are almost there to see some light and if you thought you got rid of us…well, you just have to think twice!
Of course we kept riding our bikes all winter long – now it’s almost time to start cycling together again! During the past months many asked us for advice and what events we would suggest for the upcoming season.
Truth is that it’s a pretty big mess! There are just so many new events and many others confirmed among the ones we enjoyed last year – choosing the best ones is not an easy task for sure. And then there are the competitive one day races, the ultracycling appointments, the multi day adventures and the social rides: this year we would like to be in three different places at the same time every weekend!
Nonetheless after meticulous research and massive selection summits, here we are. Our (almost) final calendar reflects our styles and it’s comprehensive of any kind of events around the world. Here some highlights to sum it up:
As always we like to do a bit of everything, from granfondos to weeks long adventures. We tried to make some order and group together our appointment down below, just to try and keep track of everything, otherwise it might end up being a giant mess.
Strade Bianche
Back in Tuscany, as soon as possible. This year the GF Strade Bianche racetrack is revisited and will include Monte Sante Marie. We couldn’t miss it, but don’t expect us to be there “just” for the race: we might have a surprise ready for you…
Granguanche Audax Gravel, Transbalcan Race, Basajuan, Badlands, Italy Divide
The adventure races we like: from 650 to 1300km, off-road through crazy places. There would be another millions of those, but we picked the ones above for many different reasons.
The first appointment will be the Granguanche Audax in the Canary islands – a run to who will catch the ferry for the next island first, followed by the Italy Divide which is always a pleasure to ride.
June will see a big new entry for us: the Transbalcan Race, which is definitely one of the most awaited events, offering everything it takes to be a breathtaking jurney: wonderful places, a punk route and an intriguing culture living in a not super mainstream region. Nothing more needed!
Then there is Spain with the new Basajuan in the Bascan and Badlands – which is still a not settled challenge for some of us. We know David is working on fine tuning the route and we can’t wait to see what he has in store.
Silk Road Mountain Race
Not much to say here. Other than the fact that we can’t wait to land in Kyrgyzstan and at the same time we are already feeling the apprehension of being in a snow blaze 4200 meters high in the mountains. We are still pretty confident it’s going to be fun and finally, after staring at it for a while, we are so excited to get the chance to be there.
Unbound Gravel, The Rift, Nova Eroica, Migration Gravel Race, Evolution Gravel, Belgian Waffle Ride
A lot of traveling involved here! It’s about time to catch some planes and go check out how it’s rolling on the other side of the world. With Unbound we have some open business (actually we have it with the American embassy which didn’t let us go last year) and we hope to close them soon. The rest of the events are pretty cool too: from the Tuscany hills (Nova Eroica) to the Icelandic volcanos (Ther Rift) and the endless fields in Kenya (Migration Gravel Race) we have it for every taste. These are all one day or multi-stage events but also the best excuses to go discover new outstanding places. Will we meet up there?
Jeroboam Series
Let’s take a minute to talk about our home event or the first step towards the world of cycling adventures, as we like to define it. The format is still the same, from 75 to 300 km: from a fun first experience to a solid two days adventure with a good amount of climbing and a mean ass route. Save this date: May, the 22nd, Asiago. With a renewed track for you to try we are pretty confident it’s going to be a blast.
Veneto Gravel, Tuscany trail
The classics- no introduction needed here. We’ll be there! Well, since at this point we know the Veneto Gravel in-and-out, we’d love to come say hi and do just the 400 km this time, if no one gets offended.
BAM! & Pavè
Where bikes are the pretext to meet but then what really matters is just hangout together, get into good talks and make new friends.
We can’t miss Bam! because at this point we would get sick otherwise, while Pavè is a new and amazing thing we are pretty excited to join. It will be a festival – we like those – where biking is talked about in each of its shades, from urban mobility to adventures and cycling communities – exactly what we love to see and hear. Also it will take place around Venice, where Enough moved its first steps and has a lot of friends to ride with. Get to know Pavè and meet us there for chats and rides around the Venetian lagoon.
That’s all for now…and of course, if the UCI has something to tell us we are ready to listen. For now it’s just a mysterious silence but that’s okay, we have already a good chunk of fun to handle.
When are we meeting then?