La Langarola

La Langarola 2018

Can you have so much fun that you fail to take enough photos? Yes!

Above: The start of La Langarola was in Grinzane Cavour in the Langhe region of Piedmont. This is the land of Barolo and Barbaresco. Larry enjoyed the 1st edition in 2016 but was excited about the move from Barolo to Grinzane. Frankly, it didn't seem the folks in Barolo were all that keen on the event while the mayor of Grinzane was quite the opposite.

The local community seems to really support the new edition. The first ristoro was at a bike hotel (rival for our Piedmont Cycling Resort? Kind of) where fresh watermelon was served as well as the usual focaccia, pizza, bananas and lots of liquid refreshments.

Above you see photos of the ristoro at Fontana Fredda. This one featured their own sparking wine, salami, cheese and grissini as well!

The Langarola folks laid out a great route for us, one that included some challenging and scenic un-paved (sterrata) sections as well as not-too steep climbs, welcomed by the single-speed riders. Those old bikes tend to have fatter tires so they go well on the unpaved sections but are a lot of work to pedal up any sort of hill.

The pasta-party at the end might have been the best one we've ever enjoyed. Full Piemontese pranzo - roast beef with tuna sauce, egg noodles with ragu, roast pork and roasted potatoes, and a panna cotta dessert. Plenty of water and wine in a nice setting with wide-ranging views from Grinzane. It was a warm, but clear day but most were happy to have the ride completed by midday.

Buon lavoro tutti! La Langarola's a must-do on our calendar from now on. The nice organizers will let YOU ride in the event on one of our classic rental bikes so we'll see you in 2019!