Sheep in History

Sheep have been a popular pet for centuries. So popular in fact that they kept showing up in marble sculptures in Rome. Thought Joel and Carleen would appreciate the historical affection given to these pets.

Italy

I traveled to Italy with Brooke because she was racing in the Giro de Italia and would have some time to travel after the race. We flew into Pisa airport and were picked up by Andrew and Chris of USA cycling who took us to the US team house in Lucca, Tuscany. The team housing is a refurbished party hall that's been modernized into several apartments. The party house was built next to an Italian mansion? that is now owned by SRM, the company that manufactures the power meters and computers that all professional cyclists now use. There was a few days before the race started so I had the opportunity to spin around Lucca with the US team as well as olympic Gold medalist Kristen Armstrong (no relation to Lance). Because the US team was a bit short on staff for the race I was invited to come along and help out. The race was 10 stages and took us from Tuscany to Napoli. The US team was successful in taking a 5th place sprint finish and a 2nd place stage win against the worlds best riders. After the race Brooke and I spent a week in Rome before heading back to Lucca for our home base. Here Brooke could train and make day trips to Florence, Pisa, and Cinque Terra. I could have stayed in Italy with B forever. 

The movie is a sample of what the riding in Lucca is like. Brooke is responsible for the lousy camera work.

California to Lucca, Italy

Rio to California

Brooke flew me home to California and it was so good to be with her. We saw my folks in Santa Rosa and then headed up to Nevada City for the Nevada City Criterium Race. We camped out, road bicycles, went swimming, and partied at Dick and Gwen's beautiful house before the race. Brooke took 2nd in the Pro Woman's race and earned a spot on the podium right before they announced the Pro Men's winners. This turned into pandemonium because Lance Armstrong won the mens race and everyone seemed to want to a piece of him. I escaped without getting trampled and caught up with Brooke after Lance was done telling her how much he admires her riding skills and had her autograph his jersey. We spent the next two weeks riding bicycles in the bay area and hanging out in Pescadero. Brooke's parents Dallas and Janet came up to watch Brooke race in Burlingame and we had fun drinking coffee while Brooke peddled fast.

 I can no longer ride my bicycle with Brooke. She is too strong and I am too weak. I can still beat her at arm wrestling though.

Notes about Rio

The coastal road between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro is one of the most epic motorcycle rides that can be experienced. Almost the entire road is part of a National Park and has been declared a UNESCO heritage site. The road weaves along the coastline and is boarded by crystal waters on the ocean side and steep cliffs to the north. The road climbs steeply up and drops down like a roller coaster and every turn brings a new and exciting view of the mountains and the ocean and it's islands.   A perfect vacation could be to fly to Rio in the summer (winter in USA), buy a 250 cc motorcycle and drive down to Florianopolis to surf for a week before driving back to Rio to sell the bike and fly home. All you would need is a back pack with your bathing suit and a change of clothes.

I don't have a ton of photo's from Rio because I was cautious about taking my camera with me and being robbed. It's pretty common to be robbed with threat of violence although I have no experience with this. Others I met had been robbed or seen others being robbed. The outskirts of Rio are extremely poor and the houses don't really look like houses at all. Almost every building along the highway is covered in graffiti and none of the buildings paint over it, there is no maintenance. The thought of growing up in this part of the world makes me feel lucky to call Northern California home. 

The contrast of extreme poverty vs the mega developed beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema creates an ever-present tension between the haves and have-nots. All of this, however, is outshone by the shear natural beauty of Rio. It's mountains, jungles, beaches and islands are truly amazing to see. 

Long time no post: Sao Vicente to Rio de Janeiro