Emanuele Poli & Mattia Zoli: Jeroboam 300
Today I want to share with you another beautiful adventure, JEROBOAM 300.
An experience that leaves its mark, a mix of emotions, dreams fulfilled, beautiful landscapes but above all friendship.
Spring 2019, my dear friend Mattia Zoli confessed to me his intention to take over the bicycle shop and therefore to put himself to the test as only he knows how.
Aware that the path he has decided to take will be uphill (but you know, cyclists like to go uphill), he told me his desire, before opening the business, to participate in the Jeroboam 300 and asked me if I wanted to do it with him, “I'll start by saying that I didn't know what it was,” and without thinking too much, I trusted him and accepted and we immediately got into the adventure.
For the occasion, we both had 2 beautiful Supernova frames customized by the great Riccardo, the bomb.
In a short time Mattia and I found the right setup for bikepacking, a few bags but essential, of which the most important for me was the handlebar bag for chickpeas (dried fruit) highly recommended by the randonée veteran mister Pirazzoli aka Fagia, a quick bite every 30 minutes he said and the fuel in the tank always remains at full capacity (luckily I listened to him).
We began a short but intense summer preparation for September 21st, mostly to get used to the saddle pad and fine-tune the bike, since I was still putting in miles with a 53x39 double road chainring and two size 40 tires, and we were flying up and down Riolo. Meanwhile, Mattia took care of everything, involving the great Fabio; together they developed a special outfit for the event, high-quality materials and butt patches as comfortable as being on the Tomana (sofa).
More charged than ever on Thursday (the day before departure), we ate a pizza at my place and prepared the equipment, little but essential, everything needed for the repairs was taken care of by Mattia, I took care of the logistics and the car journey to get to Ebrusco.
In the framebag I only put gloves, arm warmers, leg warmers, neck warmers, rain gear, windproof gear and food, lots of food.
We are ready, it's Friday, the eve of departure, towards evening I go to Mattia's shop to load the bikes that have been perfectly tuned by the great mechanic, we prepare the bags and we leave.
A week earlier he had set me up with a trick by fitting me a single chainring, combined with a nice generous sprocket set and 2 tubeless MTB tires with Musse attached, justifying himself by saying that this way we weren't ignorant enough for the route........ he was right.
We were perfect, arriving in Ebrusco around 9:30 PM, just a two-hour drive from home. At the starting point, the park was packed with tents and bikes ready to rack up the miles. A hearty plate of bean stew, ciambella red wine, and reunited old friends awaited us at the Alpine headquarters, creating the perfect atmosphere before bed.
Shortly after, we find a free corner in the park where we can pitch our tent, lay out our sleeping bags, and in a flash we go to sleep.
The night was pleasant for me, I slept peacefully for what little time I could, but at the same time I was charged and enthusiastic and couldn't wait to leave.
We both wake up before the alarm clock was set for , the rain......
We looked at each other, and damn it, it's raining! We opened the tent to take a peek and, damn, we realized it was actually the park's automatic irrigation system that had started, and our tent was right above one. We looked at each other again and laughed and sighed with relief. We didn't sleep a wink again until morning.
Our early risers in the tent had already been up since 4:30, so we copy them, get up and close the tent.
The air was nice and crisp, but the adrenaline kept us nice and warm inside and a pleasant smell of freshly baked croissants invited us to get closer just outside the Alpine headquarters and, to our great surprise, the organization welcomed us with an amazing breakfast and with a hot coffee in hand we exchanged a few words with some riders, before leaving.
It's 6:30, and it's time to go! With great enthusiasm, joy, and curiosity, we follow the compact group, always keeping an eye on the trail, and in fact, we're often the first to go astray.
The day is wonderful, the air is clear, the pedaling is great and the first few kilometres are through the Franciacorta vineyards, the legs turn lightly, almost not feeling them, perhaps too much, Mattia knows me and repeats to me "Ema cala, it's long, I remind you that we have to do 300km with 7500mt dsl and know that when you think of going slowly, it means that you are already going too fast" in the first few hours I kept repeating it in my head and luckily I listened to him......
The first climbs begin and what climbs! In the first 6 hours we covered just over 50km and over 2000m above sea level, and in my head I knew that the infamous 45km climb that would take us to an altitude of 1600m above sea level was yet to come, but the breathtaking view, the sun's support, and joking with Mattia made us forget the climb.
We eat a lot and often and it's not difficult to keep up this pace, because it's our stomach and legs that demand it. There's no shortage of bar stops for a nice cold Coke and a sandwich, meanwhile we've left Lake Iseo behind us.
We are in the middle of that infamous climb that had caused so much talk, the longest and toughest climb of the tour, even if we later discovered that in reality there was worse to come.
The climb is constant, quite steep and full of huge boulders, so huge that you have to get off the bike often, but above all endless, so endless that it brings us to the first crisis, the worst at that moment was Mattia, so that I became his N1 supporter, because it is precisely here that the strength that for a moment you thought you had lost comes out.
Finally we saw a building in the distance, it looked like the summit, the refuge that awaited us and we were already imagining the gorge of food we would have there.
Our enthusiasm quickly fades, as the building in the distance is an empty stable, without even a cow to photograph. We catch our breath but don't lose heart and set off again, accompanied by a lunar landscape and a color worthy of a golden sunset. We finally reach the 3 Croci Pass and, along a high-altitude path, quickly reach civilization. At the refuge, no one can take away a good sandwich and a comfortable chair.
It's already late afternoon, but the late September days still give us a few moments of light, and after a half-hour break, we set off again on a long descent that takes us to Lake Idro, where we know we'll find the second checkpoint.
After grabbing a sandwich and a mug of beer at the checkpoint, we set off again at sunset... a long night's climb awaits us, which we later discover is even tougher than the infamous first one.
It's night, late at night, we don't know exactly what time it is, we've lost track of time, we feel like we've been in that woods for 2 days and here comes the second big crisis, this time for both of us and we're alone, so we found ourselves being 2 men in crisis giving each other strength and here comes out the importance of having the right companion on these adventures and together, we found the right rhythm to move forward.
In the middle of the woods it is also dark, very dark, the moon is missing our flashlights on the bike and on the forehead, they almost seem unable to cut through the darkness, the only thing you can see are bright eyes everywhere and furtive movements behind you, that little shiver helps us to pedal harder and finally allows us to reach the third checkpoint, the Passo Nota Alpine refuge.
It's 1:35 in the morning, and three Alpine soldiers wearing hats and feathers are waiting for us, along with a lit fire and a table laden with food. We don't hesitate to take advantage of their welcome, and in a moment we're both sitting shoeless in front of the fire. Quite exhausted, after ten minutes we regain consciousness, and no one can take away a plate of pasta and a grappa.
They offer us hospitality for the night, but we, determined without too many ifs and buts, decide to continue without stopping, we feel regenerated, our tired legs are still turning well and helped by a nice descent in a moment we are on Lake Garda.
It's almost 3 in the morning, we've traveled about 170 km and climbed more than 6000 m above sea level, in theory the worst is over, now it's as if it were the catwalk of the Champs-Elysees.
But no, another silent threat comes to visit me, this time it's my turn, for a while now I haven't been very lucid, it was (PIRONE) sleep, my eyes were open but my brain was switched off, I was pedaling and I didn't realise it, maybe I was swaying a bit, so much so that Mattia notices and we decide to stop at the bar, luckily it was open.
A Coke and a coffee immediately put me back on track, and off we go, a burst of energy takes us towards Salò, even if I will realize that it was like throwing gasoline on the fire, it lasted just a moment, just enough to realize that I had fallen asleep again, but this time the awakening was more abrupt and I fall to the ground on a boulder, a Lopez executioner to the leg and the disc bent.
Mattia, clear-headed as ever, having verified that I hadn't hurt myself, straightens the disc with his magic hands and off we go again, this time we decide to stop and rest.
On the street we find a porch, we decide to stay there for a while, I had been able to sleep on my bike, so a bench would have been fine too, we settle for much less, a marble wall, which at 7 degrees couldn't have been the most comfortable bed, and not even the time Mattia asked me how long we wanted to stay that I was already sleeping soundly.
I don't know how much time has passed since Mattia woke me up, I think 20 minutes, but it felt like I had slept for a day, REBORN.
Loaded like a spring, we get back in the saddle and set off again with cruise control active.
Mattia claims that for a few kilometers I was in front with my head down at over 30 km/h, I don't remember, maybe I didn't get a big cap because we didn't have the strength.
Here too it was a flash in the pan after an hour at Filippo Ganna, the batteries of both run out and we return to reserve and after a bit of up and down the meters become longer and longer, there were about 40 km and 500 m of altitude left.
It was still dark, but the night was giving way to day, so we decided to make a last stop and have a nice breakfast, I seem to remember about 3-4 croissants each, a cup of coffee and off again for the final sprint, the light is advancing and dawn is on the horizon, Brescia has passed. A few kilometers and the JEROBOAM is ours.
For me, the last few kilometers were a mix of many emotions: curses about the effort made (I promised myself I would saw off my bike) alternating with moments of euphoria, joy and finally, at the sight of the Ebrusco sign, even tears, for having managed to finish a challenge without winners or losers, which, thanks to an experience of true friendship, I never would have thought I would finish.
Thank you and long live friendship and adventure!
PS: The day after arriving, I was already wondering when the next randonée would be, I couldn't wait to repeat it...
Author: Emanuele Poli
