Archive for June 2010
Almond Milk: the New Protein Drink of Champions
Anytime we take on a new adventure, the mental stress can be overwhelming. In some cases, the idea of traveling to a foreign country for a week-long bicycle vacation can create more concern than the sense of relief it’s supposed to engage. If all of the unknowns were factored into the equation, and we were let loose to worry about them – the late planes, the lost luggage, the language barrier, the long hills, the physical effort – it’s surprising we’d ever get off the ground.
The beginning of Suzann’s holiday began in a similar fashion. She had never been on a bike vacation before traveling with Pomegranate Journeys to Sicily. In fact, she hadn’t been on a bike much prior to her time in Southern Italy, however she got off the ground and arrived ready for the adventure. She had all the right tools with her: an open-mind, a good spirit and a huge smile. In the following video you’ll hear her testimony about how the beginning of her adventure in Sicily was a bit of a challenge, but thanks to her perseverance, she had a wonderful time. In fact, the objective was no longer making it to the next hill, but looking for the next glass of latte di mandorla – or “almond milk.” As the trip unfolded, her cycling skills progressed and the fun rolled along with her wheels. At the beginning she considered herself the “least experienced” rider, but by the end of the trip she was clocking 100km days and 10% grades. For someone who had begun cycling just a few years ago, she quickly found herself at ease on the bike and rode like a seasoned cyclist.
And the trick is: don’t think about the bike as a challenge, but as a means to experience a “guilt-free” vacation.
But I’ll let the video explain that.
I’d like to thank Suzann for her patience with my filming and my constant questioning. I’d especially like to thank her for her open and sincere responses and her continuous laughter and good humor. Finally I’d like to thank her for her willingness to be broadcast to over 1,000 people (maybe more?) over the web.
Thanks Suzann, keep biking and we’ll see you again very soon. And the next round of latte di mandorla is on me. – Gabe
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Siracusa and the beginning of an Amazing Experience
The sun at 7:00 a.m. caresses the buildings along the pier in its morning splendor. These rays bring out the tannish-brown and gold in the Baroque architecture and Resurgence construction along the bay. The Aretusa fountain – a fresh water spring along the edge of the ocean – bubbles and sounds with the songs of swans and ducks among the thick papyrus reeds. The fisherman make their way off of the rocks to sell their catch at market, and the bigger boats have already docked and are unloading pounds of fresh swordfish and squid. The men laugh and smoke cigarettes as some of them fold up their nets while the fruit vendors unload the three-wheeled carts, stacked seven or eight crates high of beautiful citrus and vegetable produce.
The scene is so surreal, walking through the market place on a Saturday morning, that one could imagine this same scenario playing out 50 years
ago, or 100, or even 1,000. It is no wonder why the Greeks, Romans and hundreds of other conquering nations fell in love with Sicily. Strolling through Siracusa alone for 20 minutes in the morning is enough to inspire anyone to write, paint or sing. The Greeks had their mythology about Odysseus and the Cyclops at Aci Trezza; they constructed a great temple to Apollo on the highest hill in Ortigia (the ancient city in Siracusa); an ancient cave with remarkable acoustics was attributed to Dionysus’s powers. Still today, these same marvels within the ancient city are the source for artistic and literary inspiration.
Pomegranate Journeys takes you through the sights, smells, tastes and textures of the unknown (or more properly, forgotten) Siracusa. In a day where Hollywood has transformed the image of the Sicilian into 
something cynical and sinister, Pomegranate Journeys takes its guests beyond the celluloid imagery to a tangible escapade of Siracusa. It is the Sicilian people – in their beautiful and passionate interactions – that keep the real Sicily in the island. One trip through Siracusa will have anyone singing its praises and writing epic poetry. See for yourself.
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Modica: when in need of “Bonajuto”
The Antica Dolceria Bonajuto in Modica, Sicily is reputedly the oldest chocolate shop on the island. Pomegranate Journeys recently scheduled a visit of the Bonajuto chocolate laboratory during a pedal-through last week and the results were rich and delicious. There really isn’t anything better to help you up the hills on Pomegranate’s Sicily Bike Adventure than some raw chocolate and a cupful of Xocolic – their chocolate liqueur. It’s no surprise then that “Bonajuto” means “good help.”
But it’s also the name of the founder of the chocolate laboratory. In 1880, Franceso Bonajuto followed in his father’s footsteps and opened up a cake shop, which over the years has won critical acclaim with professionals in the sweet field. Of course, all of Bonajuto’s treats come from deeply rooted traditions native to Modica.
A few months ago I posted on Ragusa, and Modica is simply 15 kilometers to the south and equally as beautiful. The first
documentation of Modica comes from Roman documents dating to the year 212 B.C. They describe a village called “Motyka” which was defiant to Roman rule (as most Sicilians still are today). It was in 844 A.D. that Modica began to flourish agriculturally after the Arab conquest of the island. Then in the fourteenth century, Sicily passed under Spanish rule for a few hundred years. Like the rest of the island, Modica has been consecutively conquered by different nations. However, it’s within this “layering” of foreign nations over thousands of years that Modica retains its own rich traditions and culture.
Thus the aranciata and cedrata are sweets of Arab origin with orange peel and citron, purified with water to remove alcohol and then baked with honey. The orange and citron have the consistency of nougat and should be eaten in slivers. Meanwhile the ‘Mpanatigghi (the cookies you’ll see in this video) are biscuits typical to the city of Modica and were introduced by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century. The local name of these biscuits is probably derived from the Spanish empanadas-empadillas, where the unusual combination of meat and chocolate is frequently used in Spanish cuisine. In past centuries game meat were used for the preparation of ‘Mpanatigghi; these days beef sirloin is employed since it is less sinuous and easily acquired.
Regardless, Bonajuto needs no help in the chocolate department. This visit was one of a number of great discoveries along a magnificent bike adventure through Southern Sicily.
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Bike Racing and EPO: Every Professional’s Obsession
Erythropoietin (commonly known as EPO) is a performance enhancing drug that controls red blood cell production. First discovered in 1906 by a French professor of medicine in Paris, it was suspected in cycling throughout the ’80s and ’90s, but no test had been invented to check for the drug in vivo until the year 2000. Recently, Floyd Landis admitted to using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), and I wrote these lines in reaction to his statement, but never posted it until now. I have no official documentation suggesting whether or not any cyclist uses doping agents to enhance their performance. The opinions here are my own, made watching these events unfold over time (having followed professional cycling for a long time, having witnessed the major races first-hand, and by knowing a number of semi-professional racers).
Recalling Landis’s 2006 Tour de France win, by the end of stage 16, Landis not only lost the yellow jersey to Pereiro and the stage to
Rasmussen, but was out of the top ten in the General Classification. The next day, he won stage 17, tackling the Col des Saisies, Col des Aravis, Col de la Colombière and the Col de Joux-Plane to finish third in the GC. A few days later, he snatched the yellow jersey, and won the Tour. During that stage 17 performance, he seemed like another man; in fact he seemed almost super-human. It is at these moments of extreme comeback (and no pain) that I raise my eyebrows. If it is looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck (thanks to Marc for that one). Apparently someone in the organization was raising eyebrows as well while watching the race. They tested Landis as a protocol on the second to last stage. By that time he was back in yellow, and victory started slipping away.
Now that Floyd’s career (and his reputation) is in the toilet, he has admitted to using drugs. But he’s also indicted Hincapie, Leipheimer, and Lance Armstrong. Since he is going down, he’s decided to bring the house down with him, which is poor form on Floyd’s part and that’s how CNN feels about it as well. A desperate man’s move in a desperate time in his career.
I am a cynical cyclist, and some of you know my opinions concerning Armstrong and PEDs. Again, I have no proof that any cyclist is doping, but I am of the firm belief that most of the top athletes in competitive sports are doing it. I personally know a few semi-professional bike racers who are either on drugs or have been offered them to improve their performance. Basso, Heras, Beloki, Mayo, Rasmussen, Sella and Hamilton are just a few who have had their past marred by doping allegations of varying degrees (some worse than others).
But not Lance.
This new scandal has given me a new appreciation of “Le Texan” (as the French call him). If he isn’t taking drugs, then he’s the most amazing bike racer that ever lived. With a VO2 max off the charts and a larger lung capacity then the normal human being, it’s no surprise he’s such an incredible athlete (notice I left out his battle with cancer – point of controversy but remarkable none the less).
If he is taking drugs, then he’s still the most amazing bike racer that ever lived. He is the “Teflon Don” of the cycling world (Teflon Armstrong). How much controversy has he been the focus of over the past ten years? How many bullets has he dodged? How many blood tests has he taken and passed? How many press conferences and public statements has he given before, during and after the race? How many friends in high (and sometimes low) places have given him a hand? If he has used PEDs, then Lance has won the race both on and off the bike better than any other cyclist of his time. And as a result, he deserves to win the Tour de France (which, by the way, is the only race he seriously applies himself to winning every year).
Regardless of who gets nabbed and who avoids the nabbers, I will continue to watch the race from the hillsides and from my favorite bar. Incidentally, the French Bistos not only have wide-screen televisions, but also the best tasting EPO: Eau, Pastis, Olives.