Strada Biancha

I’ve been looking for a gravel loop. Since it is unlikely I’ll ever travel to Italy to participate in L’Eroica (which has fascinated me since I first heard of it), I wanted something near home to give me a taste of it. The route to Muenster that I found last fall is one fine example. Today I found another one.

Most of my routes are paved county roads with a few gravel pieces thrown in here and there. Waide Road is very near my little house on the prairie, and it’s gravel. Until today, however, I’ve only done out-and-back rides on it. Out-and-back rides are okay, but loops are preferable.

This morning, I spent a little time studying a map, and defining a loop route back home from the western limits of Waide Road. It ended up looking like this…

Slidell Loop

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As it turns out, this loop is mostly gravel, with a few short pieces of pavement tossed in. My estimate is 80% gravel and 20% paved.

There were some dark clouds early. They provided a stark contrast with the white gravel and green pastures. The occasional tree canopy provided a stark contrast to the wide open spaces. Pedaling along through the constant changing terrain and light patterns was visually refreshing.

No, it’s not Italy, but it is my little taste of strada biancha (white road), and it is quite fine.