ACIREALE, Sicilia. Ettore, the proprietor of www.rentbike.it and an enthusiastic advocate for cycling in eastern Sicily, told me Saturday that he would be very pleased to rent his bikes to the Chippings and is ready to negotiate a special discount per i americani vecchi ("for old coot Americans").
I met Ettore, a squat middle-aged fellow who rides a top-of-the-line Italian road bike, outside his apartment in this medieval Baroque town 16 kilometers north of Catania. Even though I showed up an hour late and interrupted his mid-day meal, Ettore was gracious and accommodating. He took me deep into the bowels of his apartment complex to reveal a windowless garage full of cycles, tires, tubes, pumps and other gear.
Ettore deals in quality, light-weight bikes, aluminum and carbon-fiber frames, most of them manufactured by Specialized. He told me he doesn't want any whiny calls from broken down cyclists riding cheap metal bikes with crummy tires. I believed him.
Check out the website and you'll find four types of bikes listed with components and weekly hire costs. All of Ettore's rental bikes come with helmets, spare tubes, patch kits and a pump. He can deliver them to us anywhere in Catania at the time and date of our choosing. (I suggest Monday morning, March 28, at Gianni & Lucia's B&B.)
His carbon-fiber road bikes are beautiful but these are for the guys in the Tour de France lycra outfits on weekends. When I suggested that we might want to put a rear rack on his top-of-the-line racing bikes, he went slightly apoplectic.
I believe we want the trekking bikes. They come in two sizes, for short guys and tall guys. (In Sicily, I think we're all tall.) They're reasonably light, with 27 gears and a rear rack for panniers. The pedals are not for clip-in shoes but I suspect Ettore could sub them out if you like.
I told him that I could not yet make a reservation since I hadn't checked with the other Chippings doing Il Giro di Sicilia. He asked me to e-mail him with our request as soon as possible so he has the right-size bikes set aside for us.
So, attenzione, per favore. Those of you on the Sicily ride, please RSVP subito and let me know your wishes. (If you want the small frame with training wheels, tell me.) Ettore will give us a group discount. We did not discuss specifics but I believe we'll end up paying less than $10 a day per bike.
If I do not hear from you, I will reserve a bike for you anyway and stick you with a negative 100 points in the first pinochle game. If you want to make other arrangements or have decided to bring your own steed, please let me know.
After the equipment inspection, Ettore took me around the corner for a coffee and a road study. On the bar table, he spread out a huge map of Sicily published by the Touring Club of Italy. The coastal roads have heavy automobile traffic, he said, although they are comparatively flat. At all costs, avoid the coastal route to Siracusa which is lined with petrochemical plants and is undergoing repairs. Better to take the train there, he said, or the inland route through Lentini and Sortino. Ettore then showed me several inland routes that would take us through gorgeous countryside to some spectacular ruins and medieval town. However, he added, you will have to climb. But remember, after you climb, you coast. Va bene.
Location:Acireale, Sicilia
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