Veneto Trail Deep Dive
I do these events & races as it allows me to see more of the world, these rides take me off the beaten track & to places I’d probably never otherwise visit. The Veneto Trail was another example of that; another awesome adventure in a beautiful art of the world.
Logistically it was easy. Rail transport links, start/finish a the same place, bag storage & a place to sleep, meant it couldn’t have been easier for someone looking to do their first ‘big’ bikepacking ride.
I mentioned earlier about how challenging food can be in these rides, when racing it often becomes an ‘eat what you can get’ approach, relying on 24hour gas station crap. Not here. Food is revered in Italy, something they take pride in producing. I spent a lot of time in restaurants & cafes, eating high quality nutritious stuff. This idea of pasta for a ‘primi piatti’ course & the protein/veg for a ‘secondi piatti ’ course was ace! I found myself eating lots of healthy green fibrous produce & yoghurt. The kind of things that help to maintain a healthy gut. Protein wasn’t an issue & obviously carbs weren’t. never once did I end up bloated, or feeling the urge to turn to chocolate, biscuits or any kind of high sugar nonsense.
I chose to aim for campsites each night. The nature of my brain injury means I can perform sustained effort on consecutive days, providing I get enough sleep & recovery in-between. Campsites eliminate the ‘being moved on’ aspect of wild camping. It also provides water & a shower.
Ultra-distance racing means riding as much as possible, often in the dark. Here, I intended to do the opposite & take as much time as possible to enjoy the views.
As for the terrain, some of the descents were tough. Even on a mountain bike. I ride with enduro mountain bikers at home, so I’ve ended up pretty handy on a mountain bike. I was grateful for those extra skills & had so much fun going downhill. Others not so much – a lot had to walk downhill!
I was a bit concerned about being ‘underweight’ before the event. I knew I would have to ensure I never got into a deficit on the ride. It was a conundrum of eating to gain/maintain weight, but not overeating to send HR even higher. Thankfully I was never pushed out of my comfort zone, therefore was never really challenged by this. I’ve learned to listen to my body this year & tune into to what its telling me
Countries like Italy make you realize just how f*cked the UK is. Stuff works in Italy; food is such high quality, no rotting fruit and veg, culture actually exists and people are respectful. People understand their place & sense of community, none of this ‘as long as I’m alright’ attitude that has become so prevalent in the UK.
Wealth in Italy is defined by health, not bank balance. If your body isn’t low fat and muscular, you could learn a thing or two from the Italians.
I realize now as I’m getting older and the way injuries/life push you around actually are the things shaping you. During this injury, I learned & understood the importance of sleep, nutrition and all the other things that make a healthy, balanced life. I now live according to those parameters; doing what’s good for me and avoiding what’s bad. Italy showed me & reinforced the importance of this healthy lifestyle.
I’m going to miss Italy – because of what I’m going back to. I hate the UK, hate it more now than ever. Having fallen in love with Italy’s faults and culture, I dread going home. High-quality, low-cost – now going back to high-cost & poor quality country, where no-one gives a shit about anything or anyone, zero culture and chaos everywhere. Everything broken and all about money making. Rant over. Thank you Italy for reminding the world is still a nice place.
