Newsgroup: it.hobby.cicloturismo
Titolo: Articolo interessante

leggete quest'articolo interessantissimo 
scritto da Zapata Espinoza .....sapete chi e'?
sul BikeFest....il discorso vale per tutte le tipologie di biker
per esperienza personale...se volete restare come siete...restate a casa
se andate al bike-fest-----tornate con un altra maniera di vedere la
bike !....come direbbe un amico...MUTATE !
Bye Mao...fatevelo tradurre !
Bike Festival: Hard-Core Heaven
The Riva del Garda Festival will redefine what it means to have the time
of your life.
By Zap 
From Trip, January 2002  
I'd heard about it for years, mostly from the lucky few in the industry
whose job it is to trek around the globe looking for the latest parts
that will get consumers excited. The story was always the same, though,
no matter who I heard it from-the mountain bike festival in Riva del
Garda is the greatest festival on the planet. That bold statement was
always followed with an equally bold directive: "You have to go!"
Well, after years of getting the same earful, I finally ventured to the
mountains in Northern Italy last spring to participate in my first Garda
Fest. It didn't disappoint. It was simply the best festival I've ever
attended. Part festival, part bike show and part marathon race, the
four-day event is a virtual celebration of the Euro mountain bike
spirit.
Why Garda?
The Garda area first showed up on the mountain biker's radar when it
hosted a World Cup XC race back in 1990. Five years later, European
mountain bike event pioneer Uli Stanciu founded the festival, which is
now the biggest of its kind in all of Europe. Garda also acts as the
finish for the grueling eight-day Trans Alp marathon, which Stanciu also
created. Besides all the freeriding going on, the festival is also known
for its marathon XC races that attract up to 6,000 riders every year.
The shortest of the three courses is in the 50-mile range; the longest
is double that. Everything at the festival is run out of a central,
lakeside park that also doubles as an open-air bike show with test
rides, food, drink and music.
And what about the trails? All it takes is one quick look at the
gigantic rock edifices that rise up from the lake to let you know what
the riding in Garda is all about. The trails are steep and extremely
rough. In fact, the region is home to a fascinating, complex and
centuries-old trail system. From the early trails cut by shepherds and
traders, to the paths taken by the competing forces in both World Wars
as they traveled through the mountains, the area surrounding Garda is
chock full of historic trails that provide the adventurous mountain
biker with incredible views and challenges.
Not In America
As soon as you enter the lakeside towns of Torbole and Riva del Garda,
situated on the northern shore of Lake Garda, you'll find a mix of
roadies, freeriders and XC racers-they're everywhere. And the beauty of
it is that the noncycling locals are comfortable with the pedal set,
even as they vie for the limited city space. Then again, it's part of
their lifestyles-much more than it is for us here in the States. The
Euros are so casual about being surrounded by bicycles-bicycles on the
sidewalk, bicycles on the road, wheelie contests down the center of the
shopping district, parked bicycles filling up restaurant patios,
bicycles freakin' everywhere-that no American city could dream of
creating a similar atmosphere. In Garda, fully padded downhill grommets
use old ladies as a moving slalom course. In America, there are car
alarms that blare, "You've invaded my perimeter!" when you walk too
close to some wanker's treasured automobile.
The most frequently asked question I heard from my American counterparts
while we rode through town was, "How can we make something like this
happen in America?" The answer is simple, we can't. But that's what
makes experiencing the Garda Fest even more spectacular-it's something
you'll never see in the States. That's why you have to go.
Travel Tips: Plan to fly into either Munich or Milano. There's no
shortage of hotels and bike shops in the area, and there are also some
well-stocked campgrounds. Remember, Garda is located in the Alps, where
the weather can be wet and cold, so dress accordingly. Besides mountain
biking, sailing and rock climbing are also popular in the area. One of
the best shuttle services is Coast to Coast Shuttle
(
www.coast-to-coast.it
). To register for the Bike Festival, which is
held around May 1st each year, e-mail:
bike-fest...@veith-marketing.de
. For information on the festival
and the area, visit 
www.veith-marketing.de
.
 
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[...]
Ciao
Roy Batty
(30,AL,130,120,BS)
http://roy.batty.too.it