Theme of the day? Yes, you guessed it. Weather.  Again. Rain, heavier rain and then snow. Still how often do you see Max Biaggi in a full wet weather suit, sliding the rear end of a pristine Aprilia RSV4 sports bike in the snow complete with a pillion?
The weather conditions curtailed the planned day’s riding but at least my mount for the day (a Moto Morini 1200 Corsaro) and its top notch rubber (Pirelli Diablo) were faultless in the shocking conditions. 

The premature end to the day bought about an excuse to overdose on the excellent Italian coffee and food. As I wandered around the pretty mountain town of Canazei, the towering snowy peaks and rain mist framing my vision, I shook my head as I mentally recapped the day. Biaggi on a race bike with lights basically, in the snow. Me on a Moto Morini 1200 Corsaro trying to understand the characteristics of an unfamiliar 140bhp v-twin engine in the rain. Biaggi chatting to me in the hotel reception. Me, sampling another cappuccino in the hotel bar. Biaggi signing a hand drawn picture I had taken and trying to blag me a job with the Dainese crew as their new artistic supremo. Biaggi, just a normal bloke out on a bike with some mates. In the snow, in the Dolomites. And I’m there riding a bike with some mates (albeit new ones) in the snow, in the Dolomites.  Surreal?  Definitely.  Legendary?  Absolutely.

And the rain kept falling. Then this grey haired chap appeared in the hotel reception with a smile on his face. Ago. We exchange a few words in Italian. Just a few as my Italian linguistic ability is still in its infancy. Then we tackle a 6 course Italian evening meal and I rise to the challenge of a “mezzo litro” of the local “vino rosso de la casa” without any problems.  The rain finally stopped.

Three days in and still the stuff of legends…

Alison Bradley

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I wonder what the dictionary definition for “legends” is.
From the moment I was handed the key to a playful looking Moto Morini 1200 Sport, I began to realise this was one unique experience unfolding before my eyes. The 1200 Sport is a retro looking beast, a sort of 1970s look but bought bang up to date with the latest in modern components. I turned the key and gently blipped the throttle and the bike responded with a low growl that caused many heads to turn. Quite possibly the most beautiful sounding bike. Ever. A gentle roll to the assembly point outside the Dainese factory and I just can’t help myself with the throttle. The sound is addictive and my fellow riders nod appreciatively each time the low bass notes fill the air. This is addictive. This is passion. This is an injection of Italian legend and I can’t help smiling inside my helmet.
 
We cruise through the bustling Italian towns and begin to move into calmer rural territory. Sixty odd Italian motorcycles hunting as a large pack through the rolling hills. Does it get any better than this for a motorcyclist?  So the weather changed after our lunch stop and we lost our way temporarily. Our Italian tour guide shrugged his shoulders, shouted at the skies and we carried on in to the early evening and the dark. Even so, the lousy weather and temporary lack of geographical direction did not dampen our enthusiasm. How could it? I am sitting in a mountain top chalet bar, watching Marco Lucchellini sweet talk the female waitress into allowing his dog in to a no animal area. Surreal? Maybe. Legendary? Definitely. I can’t shake the mental picture of Lucky’s tiny pet Chihuahua riding up front on his Ducati ST3 in a specially adapted tank bag. Only in Italy!
After day 2, and the first real day of riding, I think I can start to give you the Dainese take on that “legendary” definition:
1.    Soul stirring Italian motorcycles
2.    Amazingly breathtaking scenery
3.    Challenging roads and terrain
4.    Multiple world title winning racers
Throw in some crazy climatic weather conditions (blazing sun, thunder and lightning through to torrential rain), the surreal feeling of feeding Marco “Lucky” Lucchellini’s dog under a dining table, grappa tasting in the middle of the day and then a ride in the pitch black crammed in a Transit type van load area with a dozen other bike aficionados and the beginnings of a legendary story of my own start to form.
 

Alison Bradley

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Morning
Sitting in Amsterdam airport watching the departure board lazily from half closed eyes, groggy from the lack of sleep required to facilitate a 3am start, I begin to wonder about exactly what an “Italian Legendary Tour” might mean? I love Italy and I have a soft spot for Italians having enjoyed some fabulous holidays in the country over the last 5 years. But I know they can be romantically adventurous with their words and sometimes their passion can lead to over enthusiastic descriptions for the routine or the normal.
I’ve read the Dainese competition details many times since I was finally convinced I was a winner.  I’ve checked the Italian Legendary Tour (ILT) website and I can understand the “sales pitch” as far as it goes: “1000km in the breathtaking hairpin bends and fabulous scenery of the Italian Dolomites. Riding together with 3 world champions or 20 world titles: Ago, Biaggi and Lucchellini”.  So inside my typically sceptical English mind I translated this as a few miles in the hills on some twisty stuff, with a famous racer or two dropping in for a moment or two.  The stuff of legends?  Possibly but I still wasn’t sure. Well, only a two hour flight between me and finding out for definite.
 

Afternoon
Put any biker near a new shining piece of metal and they turn into a quivering wreck unable to speak for a moment as they take in the lines, the look and the feel of a new unfamiliar motorcycle. So imagine my face as I stop in the loading bay of the Dainese factory in Vicenza to gaze on row upon row of gorgeous gleaming Italian exotica. Ducati 1098s and MV Augusta F4s looking mean and purposeful, wedged in between rows of purposeful looking Moto Morini  1200s and aggressive MV Brutales. This was one garage no one wanted to leave. Unbelievable.  Each bike showroom perfect with brand new Pirelli tyres.  A legendary garage? I am beginning to think so.

Alison Bradley

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