Nutrition Tips to Prepare for Biking

Posted on February 25th, 2008 in Touring, Travel Guide by admin


[Italian Spaghetti - credit: Gio JL]

You need to pay attention to nutrition to train well and bike on difficult routes.

Italy has a great selection of typical foods. It could be a great idea to join the health benefits of fresh food wiith your nutrition requirements.

What to eat before a cyclotour?

  • Carbohydrates
  • Fructose
  • Proteins

These are nourishments that you should feed in the right measure also during training time.

The right diet consits in 5 meals a day

Don’t hope that doping is a real solution to replace a good training. This is a dangerous method that threaten your health. Anabolic steroid and other substances are dangerous and outlaw.? Protein supplements are the result of chemist elaborations such as freeze-dry of low quality milk, You can find good proteins in white meat and eggs.

Suggested Italian Foods to eat

Here an exhaustive list of the aliments: (Click here to read the Mediterranean food pyramid)

  • Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes
  • Vegetables: Spinach, Cauliflowers, Carrots, Eggplants, Tomatoes, broccoli, capsicum, capers, garlic and onion
  • Fruit: Olives, Grape, Oranges, Lemons, Apples, cherries, Strawberries, peaches, apricots
  • Legumes: beans, peas
  • Fruit: Walnuts, Almonds, Pistachio nuts
  • Oil of olive
  • Honey
  • Milk and cheeses
  • White Meat (chicken, rabbit, turkey, etc…) and fish (fish sword, sardines, tuna, clears)
  • Eggs
  • Red meat (veal, lamb, etc…)
  • Water

Guide to Travel Italy by Bike and Tour its Regions

Posted on February 25th, 2008 in Touring by admin


[credit: DBarefoot]

Here some answers to common questions most cycle tourists request Us.

Where are the best cycle tracks in Italy?
Florence, Tuscany. But there are other place with natural cycle tracks in the path of the coutryside of Tuscany, Sicily coast, Apulia inland

What places are worth a visit in Italy?

  • Sicily (link sicily generico)
  • Tuscany (link tuscany generico)
  • Campania (link campania generico)
  • Apulia (link apulia generico)
  • Sardinia (link sardinia generico)
  • Mortirolo (link the hardest italy bicycle routes)
  • Mount Etna (link north sicily bike tour)
  • Tremiti Islands (link apulia coast tour)
  • Historical Places (LINK scenica areas e historic tuscany cities and campania)

What’s the weather like in Italy?
The Italian weather is stable. You don’t need particular dress or other similar. You have to consider that during the winter the temperature is more hot on respect the other European country. It rains during November to March.

Consider also that each region has its typical climate. It’s not easy to find out a general pattern about Italy. The best way is to check the weather forecast fro the specifi region You want to travel in.

Take as example Mount Etna in Sicily. The Etna temperature: during a visit in the summer months it is easy to climb the Etna and find low temperatures cause the fast changement of the atmosphere conditions.

What is the Best period for biking in Italy?
Spring is the best period to avoid the hot summer temperature of south Italy, and the cold rained winter of the north

Who can do a bike tour of Italy?
Every people that is fit or healthy can bicycle in Italy. Consider your physical level before choosing a tour.

How to rent a bike in Italy?
Every place where is possible to bike has the proper bike rental service

How to carry a bike on train?
Most regional trains in Italy now take bikes. There will be a bike symbol on the list of leaving trains at the station and on the TrenItalia website (www.trenitalia.com). You’ll need to pick a destination and see which trains accept bikes.

As well as your train ticket, you will need to buy a ticket for the bikeof 3.50 Euro on regional trains. The ticket has two parts; one to attach in the handlebars of your bike using the adhesive strip and the other to keep with your train ticket. The ticket is 24 hours valid.

Suggestions: Remember in small-town stations the train stops only for few minutes, so you’ll want to be ready with your bike to get off.

Other solutions: An alternative is to put your bike in one of those vinyl bike carrier bags.

How much cost to book an accommodation?
Accommodations in Italy apply two rates:

  • High season (July, August) where prices increase.
  • Low season (the rest of the year) where prices are much lower

When is it possible to shop?
Usually in Italy all stores open for all the week from 9:00 to 13:00 and from 16:00 to 21:00 o’clock with a break during the afternoon. In the afternoon it is probable to find some bar or restaurants open.

  • Some shops close during the last two weeks of August.
  • Archaeological sites open from 9-13 AM and 4-8 PM from Monday to Friday.
  • Museums open from 9-13
  • Churches open in the morning from 8 till 12, and some open after 4 PM.
  • Most shops close Monday morning and on Sunday. In particular period such as Christmas they open Sunday too.