thinline
Posts:325
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| 02/26/2020 11:03 AM |
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I finally did it. I booked a cycling trip for mid-May . . . to Italy. A couple weeks or so after booking the news of the Coronavirus hits, with Italy currently the hot spot.
Hoping it works itself out by May. We are booked to fly into Rome, then by train to Florence for 3 nights in a very nice looking AirBNB apartment right in the city center. Then a train to Rimini on the Adriatic and a 5-day pedal across the heart of the country to Porto Santo Stefano. Train to Rome for a day and then back home the next morning. We were all fired up and happy. Now, we wait.
Fingers crossed!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 02/26/2020 04:41 PM |
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Oh man....I hope it works out for you. Sounds like an awesome trip.
Unfortunately, I think this crisis is far from receding. I don't think people grasp how serious the situation is, both medically and economically. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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longslowdistance
Posts:2886
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| 02/26/2020 05:04 PM |
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| Agreed |
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79pmooney
Posts:3189
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| 02/26/2020 10:26 PM |
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Posted By Cosmic Kid on 02/26/2020 04:41 PM
Oh man....I hope it works out for you. Sounds like an awesome trip.
Unfortunately, I think this crisis is far from receding. I don't think people grasp how serious the situation is, both medically and economically.
CK, I hope you are wrong but I've been thinking the same thing. We have no idea just how big it is now. All we know is that it is far bigger than the Chinese officials are saying.
Ben
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thinline
Posts:325
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| 02/27/2020 08:48 AM |
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Yeah, I'm working on not getting my hopes up and patting myself on the back for getting trip insurance.
Funny thing, we were looking at a trip to northwestern S.C. and southwestern N.C. with a small company out of N.C. that I have gone on trips with before. Great folks, great value. The trip we wanted to do was booked with a wait list. So we started researching, originally other east coast options. next thing I knew, we were booking flights to Italy! And, of course, the owners of the N.C. outfit contacted us about two weeks after we booked and said they had a cancellation and two slots opened. Did we want them. I think they may have jumped us up the wait list to make the offer as I have been on several trips with them. All about timing.
I agree that this thing probably has a ways to go before it fades. Hope everyone stays well.
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mondonico
Posts:158
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| 02/27/2020 02:34 PM |
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| I feel your pain. We have a month long trip planned for Europe in May. A week in Italy along with France, Germany, etc. We are going thru a large travel company and they are offering the option to reschedule to later in the year. lot of planning with flights and hotels for before and after our tour ends. So still looking at all options. Now I find out the latest case is just down the highway from Sacramento and the patient is staying in UC Davis hospital in Sacramento. Maybe we should just leave this area instead. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I'm most sorry for my wife. This is a trip she has planned for years having never been overseas and now we don't know what to do. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 02/27/2020 04:57 PM |
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Last 2 stages if UAE Tour cancelled due to 2 italian riders testing positive for COVID19.
Milan-San Remo and Strade Bianche will get cancelled shortly.....followed by the Olympics.
OUr factory is still only at ~50% staff. Too many workers simply can't get back to the factory because they are either in a quarantined area, or would have to travel through a quarantined area to get there. Tens of thousands of factories are facing the same thing.
Watch what happens when people can't get things like electronics, furniture and medicine. This has the potential to make 2008 look like a mild market correction. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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DonnaMobile
Posts:71
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| 02/27/2020 09:48 PM |
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Guys, please come to Italy! I am leaving for there in May and have no intention of changing my plans (yet!). So far there are no cases in the places where I ride most of the time: Treviso province, where I live, Belluno province, where the Dolomites are, or Vicenza province, where the Asiago Plateau is. There are strict measures and controls in place, so we hope the spread will be slowed down, though they could fail to detect the virus in people who have it a couple of weeks before showing symptoms. At any rate, it’s not a death sentence. The unfortunate people who have died were already suffering and weakened by other illnesses or conditions. There are already a lot of people who have recovered and feel fine. I am concerned more about the economy than anything else.
I sure hope the Giro goes on. There are two great stages near my home, the Prosecco ITT and a stage starting in Bassano del Grappa, which is also hosting the national pro championships. There’s also a U23 Giro stage in the area; the Adriatic Ionica stage race will probably come through as well, and possibly the Giro Rosa. A lot is riding on all of these events. In addition to lost tourist revenue, there are many industries, including eyewear and of course cycling, that depend on Chinese parts, so they are hurting too. Cancelling events that bring so much excitement and joy to peoples' lives would be terribly sad, a psychological blow.
My concern is also selfish though: my new custom all-road bike is awaiting my return, and I can’t wait to head out on some minimalist tours with bikepacking gear, on mixed surfaces,. But if worse comes to worst, there are a lot of excellent rides and fun things to do right here in NJ (seriously, I'm not kidding!) |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/27/2020 09:52 PM |
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| Going to Northern Italy at this point should be a hard no. It’s a very fluid situation with too many unknowns. Really sucks but it is what it is. Containment is key which means limiting travel to and from at risk areas. |
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zootracer
Posts:835
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| 02/27/2020 11:09 PM |
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| Evening news reported 600 cases of coronavirus in Italy at present. |
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mondonico
Posts:158
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| 02/28/2020 11:15 AM |
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| Our tip is still planned for end of April thru May. But we are looking at all options short of not going at all. A lot depends on the tour company allowing us to move the date back to Oct. But who knows, could be worse then. But if we go now things might be fine and we would have a lot less crowds to deal with. We were going to Venice, Florence, Rome, and Cinque Terre. Still waiting to hear what options are on the table. Then again with things changing in Nr CA. Europe might not allow us to travel there come Oct. Or we might not be allowed back into the US. Sorry for those who are dealing with this but I gotta laugh and find some humor in this. |
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thinline
Posts:325
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| 02/28/2020 12:10 PM |
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DonnaMobile,
I was wondering if we would hear from you on this thread. So far our plan is still a go. Our trip insurance doesn't apply if we simply decide not to go because we are concerned. Hoping things level off and folks start getting better. I've never been and the photos I have seen of the route we will ride are just jaw-dropping gorgeous.
If it all works out, my traveling companion and I will raise a toast to you one evening. |
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bluezurich
Posts:17
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| 02/28/2020 04:53 PM |
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| What is the #1 problem? Air travel. Italy isn't an issue, it's the flights.... it's the single manner in which we have created global problems from local.Sorry about your plans. We also have travel plans in a month and are weighing our options. |
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mondonico
Posts:158
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| 02/28/2020 08:42 PM |
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| So we have postponed our trip till mid sept., October Seems like a cop out as chances are things will still be up in the air. But gives us six months to not worry. Like we're not going to anyway. And the way things seem to be going in NorCal we may wish we were out of the state in a month. I feel like I'm just acting in panic mode instead of "damn the torpedos full speed ahead". |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 02/28/2020 08:54 PM |
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Posted By Cosmic Kid on 02/27/2020 04:57 PM
Watch what happens when people can't get things like electronics, furniture and medicine.
This... medicine in particular. The amount of drugs (legal  ) we get from China is big and the amount of drug components manufacturers get from there is sufficient that we could have some major disruptions to the supply chain.
I told my wife (anesthetist) that it's a good thing we have a number of domestic distilleries, she might need them in surgery. "Sorry, we're out of propofol but here's a fifth of Kentucky's finest and a stick to bite on." |
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