April 8th and 9th marks the return of Eroica California, a particularly fun event taking place in Paso Robles, California. The event was born from L’Eroica, a vintage cycling event in Northern Italy. The popularity of the original event inspired the creation of nine other Eroicas in locales as far flung as Japan and South Africa. The California version is on its 3rd year, and this edition promises to be even better than the previous two very successful runs. There will be a concours on Saturday, and the rides on Sunday – four routes ranging in length from 40 miles to 127 miles. I’m hoping to do the 73 mile route, and have lined up a beautiful bicycle to do it on. Pictured below is a tease of the bike borrowed from Velo Pasadena. For the uninitiated, Velo Pasadena is virtually a museum of beautiful bikes, frames, and wonderful vintage parts. Many of the vintage bikes are for sale, and definitely worth the look if in the market for something from a different era.
I attended Eroica California last year, but was unable to ride. This year I plan on being a participant, and will embrace my old school self to do the ride, down tube shifters and all.
