A L'Eroica winter project

You tube has a lot to answer for, a quiet moment searching cycling stuff  had me looking at videos of Chianti in Italy  watching films of past L'Eroica sportives and dreaming of bikes I lusted after as a teenager. A thought began to develop and idea about taking part in 2013 had me trawling the internet looking at vintage parts and searching for a suitable frame.  The beauty of L'Eroica is that there are rules and very specific rules at that.
Your vintage bicycle must have all the following characteristics:

• road racing bicycle, built before 1987 (not cyclo cross or time trial bike)

• steel frame (the only aluminum frame bikes permitted are ALAN or VITUS with either screwed or glued joints)

• gear shift levers on the down tube of the frame (exceptionally, only pre-1980 bar-end gear shifts are allowed)

• pedals with toe clips and fitted straps (quick release pedals are not allowed, except Cinelli M71 pedals)

• the passage of brake cable outside the handlebars

New bicycles with steel frames can be used but they must be assembled with vintage components (gear levers, handlebars, pedals, etc).

The adjustment of the rear wheel gears to suit the difficulty of the route is permitted.

So you get the idea, this ride is for vintage bikes only. The key thing that distinguishes L’Eroica from other 'sportive's is the road surface. The event combines tarmaced roads with "Strade bianche". Unmetalled roads or roads that haven’t been tarmaced  they’re naturally chalky hence their name white roads. They can be gravelly, dusty,  sandy,  smooth and occasionally bumpy.

I want to take part but entry's are limited to overseas riders and I will have to be quick when the 2013 enrolment opens. In the mean time I can have great fun searching for vintage Campagnolo parts to build on to my recently acquired frame. Its a special build Raleigh Ilkeston Frame with the serial number SB3836 which puts it at 1980. It came from a chap in Netherlands which is quiet fitting as the Raleigh pro team was in its hey day during that period with its main riders coming from the Netherlands. The second picture shows the frame following its repaint in Team colours and now its waiting patiently for some lovely vintage parts. The icing of course will be if it gets to ride the Strade Bianche in October next year.....well we can all wish can't we 

SB3836 prior to repainting

SB3836 Repainted