Delawhere did all these hills come from?

   I drove out to The First State a few days ago to meet up with someone who does the same thing as me, at least as far as building up project bikes for resale. Paul, however, works mostly on modern machines and also stays away from the repair work. He had a couple of bicycles I wanted to check out, and I was also hoping he might have some parts I was having trouble finding to complete some of my own builds.

   I had brought along my Colnago, with the plan of taking a ride around Hockessin after visiting my new bicycle connection. My sister-in-law Sandy used to live west of this area, just across the border in Pennsylvania, so I was well aware that this part of Delaware, unlike the majority of the state on the Delmarva peninsula, is quite hilly. In fact, it has some absolutely brutal inclines!

   It did not help that it was a windy day (we've had very few days in 2022 that haven't been), and shortly after leaving the library lot onto Southwood Road, I was smacked in the face by a stiff breeze and a long drag that was an unwelcome wake-up call for my legs. The idea of "every downhill means an uphill" quickly crossed my mind as I turned right on Route 7, crossed Gap Newport Pike and rode along Red Clay Creek, which winds clockwise, roughly around the perimeter of Hockessin.

   I later mentioned to some friends that there were some really pretty sections of the ride, which were unfortunately very difficult to get to, and I referred to a particularly leg-busting triumvirate of nasty climbs. The first two were on Mount Barley Road, near Mt. Cuba Center and then before my righthand connection with Centerville Road. The other was an exhausting 2-1/2-mile drag up Lancaster Pike and through Westgate Farms.

   There were very few flat sections of road anywhere on this route so far, and I actually yelled out, "Enough of the hills already!" as I made my way west on Graves and Mendenhall Mills Roads and met up with Route 7 again. I turned left and eventually linked up with Papermill Road, which had a nice wide shoulder/bike lane most of the way to White Clay Creek Park.

   It seems some of this trail area had been newly paved, because it was yet to be marked on GoogleMaps, but it roughly followed the old Whitley Farms Trail west from Smithmill Road. I really enjoyed weaving through the forest, sheltered from the winds that had picked up even more as the afternoon wore on. I eventually reached Nine Foot Road (Fairhill School Drive) and then rode northwest on Thompson Station Road. This was a really cool place (literally and figuratively) to ride, as the upper section was closed to traffic, and I can't imagine this densely-forested gorge gets much sunlight any time of the year!

   I pedaled through the small community of Corner Ketch and took on (thankfully) the last couple of short, punchy climbs as I zigzagged over to Star and Valley Roads for a wonderful flat out, big-ring spin back to the library lot. I laughed to myself later as I saw the course I had plotted on MapMyRide and clicked the "delete" button, knowing I would not be returning to this grueling route!

   By the way, I picked up two bicycles that day, which made for a crowded cargo area of my Honda Fit, but I had brought along some padding just in case. The first is a 2006 Giant TCR C2, a lightweight carbon bicycle equipped with Ultegra components. The bike is intended for a friend's daughter to try out, but if there is a change in plans, I'll alert you to its availability:

   The other is a 2004 Cannondale R800, featuring a classy looking aluminum frame painted in blood red, white and sparkling gold. This machine has been upgraded with modern 105 and Ultegra parts:

   Another project I neglected to mention earlier is a 1980s Vicini. The company shop was in the city of Cesena, in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, just to the northwest of San Marino. Granted, Mario Vicini did not have the level of racing success that other legendary builders like Merckx, Bottecchia and Moser experienced, but Vicini did win the 1939 Italian championship, finished second and sixth in his two attempts at the Tour de France, and won three stages of the 1939 Giro d'Italia, placing third overall.

   The frame had been badged up for the O'Neill racing team of that era, but I have removed those decals and will be applying the appropriate vintage Vicini replacements. I will equip the bike with mostly Campagnolo Nuovo Record gruppo.

   Speaking of Italian cyclists, I heard recently that Vincenzo Nibali plans to retire after this season. Nibali is an absolute LEGEND, being one of the select few to have won each of the three Grand Tours, including the Giro d'Italia twice. He claimed titles twice at Tirreno-Adriatico, the Giro di Lombardia and the Italian Road Championships. Perhaps his favorite victory - and one of the most exciting bicycle race finishes you'll ever see - was at the 2018 Milano-San Remo.

   ...and if you didn't know, Nibali is a big reason for the presence of the Cannondale SuperSix 5 (in the colors of his former Liquigas team) among my bicycle collection. 

   I have only two regrets about the career of "The Shark of Mesina", one of which is very personal. I was attending the 2015 World Championships in Richmond, and at a pinch point in the course, the peloton came to a halt. The Italian star, fresh off his Tour de France victory that summer, put his hand out and balanced himself on the barriers right in front of me. I could have said, "Ciao..." or "Buongiorno, Vincenzo," but I was starstruck and froze.

   The other regret is that during his 2015 Tour win, rivals Chris Froome and Alberto Contador had both crashed out early in the race. Nibali was in absolutely fantastic form, and I would have enjoyed seeing him smack those two around a bit!

Buon viaggio, Vincenzo - you will be greatly missed!