At the end of September I made my annual pilgrimage to Chianti .

I choose the 1985 Colnago Kwantum Decosol , ex Adrie Van Der Poel Cyclocross bike. I rode it before back in 2016 at my first L’Eroica .

I built with a Campagnolo Rally rear derailleur , Stronglight 86 bcd crank arms , 42/30 chainrings and a 7 speed 14/32 freewheel cassette. Better for the climbs , I don’t like walking up loose surfaced inclines .

Once I arrived I assembled the bike, and entered it into the 2023 L’Eroica Concorso Eleganza…

The bike didn’t win any awards , probably because it had a few modern touches ,( cassette and cable tensioners), so not period correct , but it was a nice experience , and I was happy to see my friend Carsten win a prize…

I started the ride late , one of the last. Everyone had gone by 7.00 am , I rolled into Gaiole around 7.40.

Just as I was heading out on the route, another late rider appeared . My friend Franz from Austria , who attended the late Queen of England’s Royal Pageant Eroica event…

We had some catching up to do , once I hit the Sienna fuel stop there were more riders…

The bike was an amazing climber with the set up I used . Down hill was not as fast as I would have liked , but with nobbly cx type tyres , better slower than crash on the tarmac .

Always good to catch up with friends too…

Looking forward to 2024 already !