Lost and Found in Italy

If you’re like me, life on the bike is an essential ingredient for emotional balance. Nowhere was this more critical than in the last couple of years. In a world full of uncertainty, my bike provides escape – from crowded places, agonizing news, masks, and the occasional darkness of my own thoughts and feelings.

For many of us, isolation comes at a cost. I struggled desperately in ways I’m still trying to figure out. We’re meant as people to connect, to enjoy a meal, to improve our communities, and to share our passions with each other. While cycling provides some solace, equally important is regaining the balance I lost over the last months by connecting with other kindred spirits.

Enter Italy.

I’ve visited my friends at Italy Bike Tours for several years and have formed indelible friendships with Clive and his ever-growing team. Seeing IL Lombardia, the “Race of the Falling Leaves,” has always been a desire, as it represents the change of season. Perhaps more importantly, though, it represents the optimism that a new season will soon arrive.

That season is now.

I arrived in Italy from California at the beginning of October. Now, you might think I immediately got on the bike to savor the cycling riches of Lago Iseo. While I did some of my favorite rides and local climbs, I also spent time with the IBT team at Il Lombardia at the finish line in Bergamo, a city of historical, architectural, and cultural significance that suffered immensely over the last two years.

Bicycle racing possesses an ethereal quality for me; that even during the worst times of brutal suffering, the human spirit prevails – often in spite of itself. Being at IL Lombardia was intoxicating, for what I saw in Bergamo that day was the grace of our best selves in full relief. To see people celebrating each other seemed almost more important than the race itself. The emotional malnutrition I had suffered in the last months was given life sustaining sustenance. And, the celebrations continued.

I was fortunate to be invited to a local festive in Clive’s commune, the first such gathering of the last two years. A small group of families convened to roast Castagna’s (chestnuts) on an open fire, share spiced red mold wine, and humbly celebrate each other. Another night, I walked across a cobbled mountain ridge by moonlight to a pizzeria in another commune and introduced moon shadows to my friend’s school-aged children.

My time in Lago Iseo ended with Clive on a social ride to share a caffe and cake to say goodbye – for now! The next day I was in Milano for two days, because – shopping!

While life on the bike is essential, this time in Italy, life off the bike was critical.

Grazie mille IBT!