Friends: Our co-worker, friend, brother, rider and racer Patrick Means is on the trip of his lifetime in Italy. Please enjoy his words and images. Have fun and be well, and we can’t wait to have you back!

-Erik

The riding here is insane. There’s zero flat. It’s hard to describe, but I could say it’s like living at the base of a dozen Mary’s Peaks, each with a small hut and restaurant on top that serves all kinds of food and espresso. Every road goes down the other side: there aren’t many “one way” passes. The first two days here I barely rode 120 miles combined, but I climbed close to 17,000 feet. Without trying, that’s what it’s like. Thursday was a rad day: under 90miles and over 12k climbing. Unreal, it’s so damn good.

The descents are nothing like ours. They’re super technical; roads aren’t in great shape, with switchbacks so tight you must dump all your speed just to get through them without falling over.  Add a bunch of opulent Italian tourists driving all over the place, and there’s zero “rallying” the downhills–it’s pointless!

I hope you guys are enjoying the sweet Oregon summer with bikes, friends, and family. Good luck and have fun with the Dirty Sellwood! Sorry I’ll miss it!

//Patricky