When Galen found out we were in Genoa Italy, he insisted we visit “the multi-coloured fishing village” but didn’t say why.  It wasn’t until we arrived that we immediately recognized it as the beautiful setting for the animated film Luca (fish boy grows legs, rides bike, defeats the town bully…) On the earlier bike ride…

If you were raised in North America in the 70’s, you might remember eagerly plunging your dirty hands down to the bottom of the Kellogg’s cereal boxes to pull out the “Seven Wonders of the World” cards.  Tony the Tiger at the Taj Majal or Egyptian pyramids, the Fruit Loops bird nosing a Greek acropolis…

A week of bikepacking “The Wolf’s Lair” in Italy to celebrate a friend’s 60th birthday?  YES!  Do I know where the Abruzzo region of Italy is, or who are the other 3 Rugged Men I’ll be sharing meals and beds with, or how to say “Flat Tire” in Italian, or how to ride a bike…

Day One of cycling through the stunning Italian countryside ended at the fairy-tale “Rocca Calascio,” which has been declared one of the 15 most beautiful castles in the world by National Geographic. The first day of any ride is always hard as muscles and mind take time to toughen up.  Leaving L’Aquila was particularly gruelling…

For the next 8 days I’ll be cycling way up in those Abruzzo Mountains of Italy.  For now, here’s a quick photo dump from this beautiful city of L’Aquila. It took 6 hours and 3 trains to get here, but oh so worth it!  After a devastating 2009 earthquake destroyed much of the town, and…