During my weeklong trip to Northern Italy I visited some of the companies that are synonymous with cycling and more importantly: cycling passion. Pinarello, Pegoretti, DMT and Giordana are within an hour of each other and all have storied histories in the sport. As enlightening as the visits were, they paled in comparison to my true motivation behind the trip: the Eddy Merckx Gran Fondo. Before the Fondo, Eddy Merckx Cycles had a preview of their 2012 line and dialed me in with an EMX-5 Quickstep Edition bike for the ride. And of course Eddy was there for his namesake ride to show everyone that true talent has no age limit. 

I was invited to a pre-ride dinner party the night before the Gran Fondo that included many cycling stars. In attendance were Mario Cipollini, Italian National Champion Giovanni Visconti, and the man himself Eddy Merckx. Eddy was joined by a handful of his former teammates, including three time runner-up at the Giro d’Italia, Italo Zilioli.

After I had packed in every last bite of the four-course meal that had been served, Eddy came and sat down with us and started talking about a trick to having good legs the following day. He said, "You have to go to bed a little hungry, otherwise your body has to work hard digesting the food instead of recovering”. But he added with a smile, “Wine is ok". Thanks for the advice Eddy, but it came about 5,000 calories too late.

I’d never done a Gran Fondo and wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, was it a race or a ride-I was about to find out. The full course consisted of 9,000 feet of climbing over 95 miles, while the medio distance was 53 miles with 5,000 feet. I had been planning on doing the full distance, but after not being on the bike for longer than I care to admit, I decided the shorter distance would suffice—as did 2,200 of the 2,500 registered riders. Eddy Merckx led the ride out, but it didn’t take long before attacks were flying and the front group pushed the pace on the narrow roads that meandered through small towns that were scattered throughout the Verona countryside. 

The first climb came at the 20-mile point, taking us high above the vineyards that make the oh so delicious vino the area is famously known for. Once on the climb I found a rhythm and settled in; unfortunately my pace was that of a recreational rider rather than someone hoping to stay with the leaders. Oh well, I decided not to fight it and just embraced it. After descending back into the valley, the course made its way toward the big climb on the 53-mile route: a 2,500-foot, 6-mile grind that became more stunning the higher it took us. Instead of suffering and trying to minimize lost time, I enjoyed each and every switchback up the mountain; and trust me, there were a lot to enjoy. Once atop the summit, the views were incredible. You could look down on Lake Garda or to the top of the rugged, cloud-veiled mountain peaks. The descent off the mountain was one of the more hair-raising ones I’ve done in a long time. The road was about 8 feet wide with 17% grades and off-camber corners. My adrenaline had my heart beating faster going down than coming up, hitting speeds in the 40-mph range, before grabbing a handful of brake to scrub speed as the road turned back on itself. By the bottom I had a smile from ear to ear, thoroughly satisfied that I pushed the envelope enough to find my own limitations, while still keeping all my skin. A quick five miles through the valley floor took me back to the start/finish town of Rivalta. I finished the ride in just under two hours and forty minutes, putting me a good 15 minutes down on the fastest riders; but I have no doubt I enjoyed the ride more than they did. Eddy Merckx came in a little while later, looking as fresh as when he had rolled out and still surrounded by his former teammates—all with beaming smiles.