Ride Report: Jules Midsummer to Milano
Earlier this year, we sent our friends at RPM Souplesse off on their Italian adventure with a selection of our finest Nemo Tig bikes. Once all of the fun was over, instead of shipping this steel masterpiece back to us, Jules decided to hand-deliver it—all the way from Belgium.
Here, he shares the story of his midsummer adventure. Read on to find out more.
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"RPM got some test bikes for a recent trip we did with our team. So, I had a Cinelli Nemo Tig that I had to return from Belgium to the factory in Milan. This was going to cost me 120 euro and would take about 4-5 business days to get it to Milan.
I made a plan to ride the bike back from Belgium to Milan, for less than 120 euro and shorter than 4 days. I would take the train to Luxembourg and ride 450 km, 2000 m. ascent. As it was the 20th of June, it was going to be midsummer night. The night with the least hours of darkness. I left Luxembourg at 11 pm at night hoping I would do the 450 km’s before the next day ends. Destination was Lausanne, Switzerland where my sister lives.
This was going to be the first and only stop for sleep and rest. In Swiss, I would rest for one day and then continue for my final 300 km and 4000 m. ascent .
Unfortunately, after 160 km, I got caught in a thunderstorm after I cycled through the night. Completely wet and cold I decided to take some trains to reach Switzerland. I also felt that I hadn’t recovered from the Trans Balkan Race I did one week before. The weather was so horrible, it killed the mood to still ride 300 km’s.
After reaching Switzerland, I stayed the night. The day after, I took the long way from Lausanne to Milan. I skipped the quicker Simplon pass as I wanted to do Grinsel-Furka-Godart. Riding through the most scenic road climbs of Switzerland.
After the climbing, I descended toward Como and later rode into Milan. Reaching Milan in 3 days but spending more than the 120 euro I planned on. I blew the budget because I had to bail my first route and pay for the trains from Nancy to Laussanne.
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While riding the Trans Balkan Race, this idea had formed in my head. If you’re riding these kinds of distances day after day, you think it’s normal and easy to ride 15h -20h rides. And in May, when we visited Italy, the passes were still closed. So they were still on the to do list.
I rode it alone. Trying to push myself further than before.
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The Nemo Tig felt amazing. I was a bit worried to put a tailfin on a bike with this kind of race geometry. The Nemo Tig is quite aggressive as it has the same head tube angle as my Cinelli Vigorelli track bike. Super nimble for racing, but less stable than the MTBs I ride.
But I felt fast, stable, and confident descending the wet and snowy roads of the Swiss Alps. Even so, I could record myself doing 60 km an hour. For ultra distances, I think this high-quality steel is the perfect balance between comfort, stiffness, reliability and weight.
I kept the bags light. Just packing lights, batteries, rain gear and other essentials. As I would only stay the night in Switzerland, there was no need for a tent, sleeping bag etc.
The thing I liked the most, is that this whole adventure felt like it was meant to be. It felt like I was bringing the Nemo Tig back home. As these frames are made in Milan, it felt like it was just to cycle it back. Like the bike wanted this! It was also fun because I was riding Fulcrum, Campagnolo, Pirelli, and with Alba optics. It was the full Italian package and I LOVED IT!
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The main difficulty was on the first day. Giving up or failing a goal I set, is usually not an option for me. But I sat for two hours at a bus stop, trying to get warm and dry, rethinking my whole life. The deciding factor was that if I’d get sick, I couldn’t ride the second route anymore. One that I really dreamt about to ride.
The first route I planned, was just the quickest way to Switzerland. Riding alongside state roads, through industry with a lot of cars pushing you off the road. It was dangerous and felt like a long commute. As this was my holiday after the TBR race, I didn’t want to ride anything that wasn’t worth it. Especially if it could get me sick.
So instead of making myself go through cold and wetness for the next 300km’s, I took some warm and dry trains. So I could put myself in a different form of suffering a day later, on the climbs of the Swiss alps."
