If you happened to read my last post you will know that the Mechanic and I were recently on a cycling holiday in Italy. We didn’t realise until the day before we went that the Italian National Cycling Team – U23’s would be staying in the same hotel. They were there to train for the forthcoming Olympics in Brazil.

So for three days we had the company of twelve or so Italian juniors. They looked so incredibly young, I kept this observation to myself as I knew that it would only make me seem  so incredibly old.

Before their daily rides, the boys lined up patiently with their bikes for photographs, all in their azure blue kit.  We the ‘unprofessional cyclists’ watched on hoping that our cycling skills would improve just by being in their presence, checking out everything from the set up of their bikes to the length of their socks.

They appeared to be well practised at the pre-training photo-shoot, casually sat on their expensive bikes with their forearms resting in the crook of their brake hoods. I noticed one dude keeping his bike upright by standing with one leg hooked over his saddle with his foot resting on his back wheel. I’m sure that must take lots of practice.  There was also some fashionable ways to not wear sunglasses, mostly by wearing them upside down in the nape of the neck.

I may not have learnt how to cycle any better observing the Italian U23’s but I’m going to practice being deliberately casual.