The DRIVEWAY.

You may ride your bicycle or come visit by car. Some people have horses and go for a ride passing my house on Sunday morning. When walking you see the most. Is relaxing and nice chatting to the people working along the road.

On the way to my house you may ask for directions and you may find people who do not know my name, but they will ask: "Sì, il ciclista? Sì, sempre fin lassù" ("The cyclist? Yes, just all the way up there"). 

When I moved here for good, many of my neighbors were delighted to have an ex cyclist here. Some like to talk about cycling, some even do ride a road bicycle, others did when they were younger or they praise cycling, the Giro d'Italia and its gladiators from past and present. A few soon have offered me that I can store my bicycle down in town at their garage. “When you go for a ride or coming home you could overcome the descent or the ascent with much less effort with your car, but you can do all the nice bike riding along the coastal road or in the hinterland with your road bicycle. But you don’t have to make life hard on that DRIVEWAY." Yes, you don’t have to.

the descent

When descending the first thing comes to your mind is: “Who rides my road bicycle back up there when coming home”. The surface is not really bad, some rifts along the ride direction, steering without seeing what comes after the corner, kind of steep, even in the turns. I do not take chances. No it is not dangerous. But as a cyclist you have to pay attention, like on all roads. For different reasons. Here it is the rural environment. The driveway asks for a perfectly maintained and adjusted bicycle. A test if all is good for the next roads to come. Make sure you don’t lose your bottle on the bumpy road, you will need it further on the way. Descending many times you are alone, but an apecar or a dog may cross. Sometimes a brave truck driver comes up here and delivers what we need for building our houses, maintaining our private road and all the fences.

the ascent

The numbers are not really impressive. Basically it is only a 250 meters climb. Well vertically 250 meters. You have 4 kilometers of road to gain that altitude. But it is not all asphalt. Most of the road surface is concrete. That makes it unlovable, maybe even unpleasant. Hard to push the pedals. On the first steeper slope you will get out of the saddle. Sometimes there is some moisture on the road. When getting out of the saddle you will learn if the marketing noise about the tire grip is all ok or bullshit. Second will be more present. Some climbers skill is needed to get over that little obstacle. You will learn a bit about bicycle quality and about rider quality on the slope. However once on top after all it is lovable, that feeling of conquering. They say it can be addictive. I don’t know.

This road is not the only way to our house. We have 3 more roads arriving here. But they are a bit more demanding. Well. One day I may switch to a horse. When I am too old to ride my bicycle back home.

1972-1974

see newsletter form early 70's / le grandi opere / building the driveway

Realizzazione della strada interpoderale "Fullavin-Luvaira-Gumba" (1972-1974)

strada Fulavin Soldano