Riding with the Carbonari

I’m living the dream. As a lover of mountain bikes, pizza, and great wine, I couldn’t have it any better. Two thousand nine found me moving half way around the world to Naples, Italy where I’d be working the next three years. I was excited to live in Europe, and as a cyclist, interested to find out about biking opportunities in Italy.

il gruppo di Carbonari

Before moving to Italy, I discovered some interesting videos created by a Neapolitan bike group while searching the internet. These videos were created by the Carbonari, a mountain bike club based out of Naples, Italy. Their videos featured Urban Assault on full suspension mountain bikes through the mean streets of Naples. They also had numerous videos of them riding in the mountains in/around Naples, including Mt. Vesuvius! Needless to say, I was excited to ride in Italy. 

Without much difficulty, I found the group’s website, and sent an email asking to become a member. Marcello and Salvatore, the group’s founders and organizers readily accepted me. I looked forward to meeting them, and as I began the long process of moving to Europe, I continued to follow the group’s rides through the photos, maps, and videos they posted.

Upon arriving in Italy it took me a few months to get set up, at home and on the bike. During this time I got to explore southern Italy a bit, enjoy the Italian food and wine, too. I got out mountain biking on my own, locally on the volcanic island of Ischia, and further north in the Dolomite Mountains around Lago di Garda, and the Alps near Garmisch, Germany. The Carbonari weren’t riding as a group during the summer, to avoid the heat. By late summer, though, the Carbonari had put together their fall riding schedule.

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Mondragone

My first ride with the Carbonari was along the Mediterranean coast in Mondragone. We rode for over 7 hours, climbing up and over the mountain twice that day. While the heat and the mountain took its toll, I was invigorated by the awesome view of the Mediterranean Sea.

The first of many climbs at Mondragone

The trails were mostly jeep trails, with one exception: a strip of singletrack about 4 km long that traced downhill toward the Mediterranean below. Oddly enough, the trail was also being used by a boy on a Vespa scooter, despite the rough conditions of the trail. This single track descent lead to the far side of the mountain range. Once there, we took a short break at a small coffee bar. I grabbed some water, because I thought it was better to be safe than sorry, as I didn’t know if we were in for much more riding. And were we ever!

We climbed Monte Mondragone for the second time. We waited for over a half hour for the group to reassemble at the top, giving me an opportunity to try to get to know some of the folks. I had trail mix with me, a simple mixture of dried fruit and nuts that I put together before the ride. As the group started collecting at the top of the mountain, I soon discovered that the trail mix was very popular, as there were quite a few riders in need of an energy boost.

I was able to gain the respect of my fellow riders, not through my ability to converse, as my Italian was still very basic, but instead through positive attitude and good deeds on a particularly hot, hard mountain bike ride. The organizers, Marcello and Salvatore, seemed to appreciate my positive attitude. The beautiful Mediterranean, visible from the various points of our ride, helped keep a smile on my face.

Once the group reassembled, we were off. We continued along some winding trails, many of which appeared to be high altitude pasture, judging by the clumps of dung lying around. We had to cross a series of barbed wire fences, passing the bikes over the top and walking through the small pedestrian gate. Quite the adventure! There was a great sense of community and team work for the entire route!

The final descent back to the trailhead was a mad dash, with the entire group starting all at once. The crowded, fast descent mimicked the automobile traffic of Naples. Needless to say the downhill was fun and fast, and riding in a massive pack heightened the challenge. What a blast!

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Cassino

My second ride with the Carbonari was at Cassino. The mountainous terrain around Cassino was the site for a tremendous battle in WW2, and provided excellent terrain for a great mountain bike ride. The ride was on a beautiful fall day. It was perfect riding weather--a slight breeze brought the scent of sage and pine to the air.

That ride found us climbing for about three hours up pine tree lined gravel roads. As we climbed we passed a series of technical ‘stunts’ that a couple of the riders successfully negotiated. These stunts included ladders and jumps hidden just off the fire road in among the pine trees. Once we reached the top, we took a short lunch break, and pointed downhill into some of the best singletrack I’ve ever ridden. We descended for over an hour on the fast and technical singletrack, twisting our way down the mountain. We eventually started seeing more civilization, riding through small Italian villages--a sign that the ride was coming to an end.

After we made it back to the trailhead and packed up the cars, we drove down into Cassino for pranzo, or lunch. We met at what initially appeared to be a small coffee bar. It turned out that this small place could really put on a spread! We enjoyed a wonderful meal of mozzarella di bufala, pasta, french fries, a plate of assorted meats, and dessert followed by café (espresso). The ride took about 4 hours; the meal took about two hours. What an excellent way to finish the day: calories replenished!

KML and GPX trail files of Monte Cassino
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Parco di Ulissi

The third ride with the Carbonari was in Formia, just up the coast from Naples. Our course took us through Formia and Gaeta, in the area known as Parco di Ulissi, or the Park of Ulysses. The riding featured singletrack, fire roads, and the paved streets of Gaeta. At the trailhead we started a short climb, weaving through the some great singletrack in the forest. After taking a short break at the top of the hill for the customary group photo, we started downhill toward the Mediterranean coast. Half way into the descent the trail emerged from the shady forest into the expansive green hillside with an amazing view of the sea. My eyes were filled with the expanse of blue in every direction--and all this while riding some great singletrack! Awesome!

Our next stop was at an old Roman port located in the park. The piers and steps are still intact, and we took some photos of the ruins. It was interesting to see that the local Italians that I was riding with were as impressed as I was with the Roman antiquities. After the port, we continued riding through the park on the various single and double tracks that were scattered about. We eventually reached a sheer cliff along the sea, where we stopped at an old Roman fort for another quick photo break.

The ancient Roman Port at Parco Ulissi

After the break, we continued through the park toward Formia and Gaeta. The pace really picked up on the road. Despite what many think about Italian drivers (they are a bit crazy), they are actually very respectful of cyclists. Needless to say our large group successfully navigated the streets of Formia and Gaeta without mishap. Once we passed through the center of Gaeta, we started climbing Monte Orlando, a large mountain in Gaeta that rests on the end of the peninsula that creates the town harbor. As we climbed the paved route to the top we took a couple of photo breaks, taking full advantage of the terrific view of Gaeta and the Mediterranean Sea from the heights of Monte Orlando. We continued on and took a lunch break on the top, where we all enjoyed whatever picnic we had packed. I noticed some of the riders eating traditional mozzarella di buffala and prosciutto sandwiches, which looked a lot more appealing than my peanut butter and jelly. We took another group photo in front of the large circular Mausoleum of Lucius Munatius Plancus, who I later learned was an advisor to Augustus Ceasar. All sorts of Roman history on this ride!

After lunch and the group photo, we pointed our bikes downhill to enjoy the singletrack that lay just off the paved and gravel road that lead us up to the top. We weaved down a couple technical sections, only to head up the mountain again to enjoy a couple more routes. Monte Orlando has plenty of trails, and we explored almost all of them, with the resulting GPS track looking a bit like my favorite pasta. Eventually we wound down the opposite end of the mountain on a gravel fire road. As we rode the switchback downhill, it was hard not to take in the view below of Gaeta, Castle Angioino-Aragonese, and the Mediterranean. As we continued downhill, the landscape soon changed from forested mountain to the old city landscape of Gaeta, with the gravel fire road turning to cobble stone street. Once at the bottom, we took another break: for gelato, the Italian ice cream. I love riding in Italy!

After the gelato, we hit the road back to Formia and Parco Ulissi, where our cars were parked. An excellent ride, and I left looking forward to all the future rides and good times with the Carbonari.

KML and GPX trail files of Parco Ulissi and Monte Orlando

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Italians are some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet, and the Carbonari are no exception. I’ve reflected many times on how quickly the group accepted me, a foreigner, into their club. I suspect that a foreigner would not be so quickly welcomed in any social club in Northern Europe or the US. I’ve learned a lot from living and riding with the Italians, and I believe the Italians are onto something by being so loving and accepting of others. While I’ve experienced many cyclists in the US being judgemental about performance, type of cycling, and type of bicycle, it’s interesting to ride with the Carbonari, a cycling group of differing skills and equipment, and to see them all get along, even on difficult rides. It’s clear that Italians focus on enjoying life, and the Carbonari are about having a good time on their mountain bikes. Not only has the Carbonari shown me quite a bit of Italy, but they have reminded me of the basic joy that cycling brings. And that this joy can be shared, even without a shared language.

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Carbonari

Be sure to check out the Carbonari’s website for group information, ride schedule, trail information in both Google Earth and GPS files, as well as photos and videos of their exploits at:www.carbonaribikers.com. Even if just to see how great the riding in Italia really is! Ciao!