Ductalk

We come from all over. We speak different languages. We share one passion. Ducati is all we have in common and it’s everything. The obvious purpose of the World Presidents Meeting is to give the people who wave the flag the highest, a chance to live the dream. Ride Ducati’s in Italy, eat the food, experience the history and see the red,white and green glow that is Italy and it’s people. But what we take home, besides these memories is friendships, alliances, respect and camaraderie, with Ducati staff and other clubs. We hear stories of the price some have paid for their love of the brand (one President, who lives in a country that has become increasingly dangerous, was shot 4 times by thieves trying to steal his Ducati. He drove himself to the hospital, and now rides in a bulletproof vest). Maybe it’s not all so dramatic but these are the people that drive a car to the meet, with tents and boxes, so others can ride. For us, there is no explanation needed why we do it, if you have to ask, well, you probably wouldn’t understand.

 Day two – Cattolica to Gubbio - Scooter crashes and swap meet scores

Today we are splitting from the group and heading straight to Gubbio, an ancient small town that boasts the second largest Roman amphitheater in existence. The ride over is perfect, no traffic, a relief after the non-stop traffic in Rimini, and the tunnels along the route are crisp and cool, the weather simply perfect, the temp in the low 80′s. A perfect morning ride.

We pass a scooter crash which seems to be providing the morning’s entertainment in the town, dog walkers and people strolling by are literally pulling up chairs to watch what looks to me to be a fairly harmless get off....More here

By now we have established a pattern – early up, get the luggage to the truck, see what’s for breakfast and be on the bike and ready to ride by 8:45. Today’s route is one I know, in the opposite direction, from a past Motogiro d’Italia and we are looking forward to it’s complexity. The group seems to have settled in and the road marshals are outdoing themselves. At one point in the am one of them had somehow managed to collar two tractor trailers going in opposite directions and was letting the Ducati’s thread in between the two stopped trucks so we didn’t have to work to pass then on the road....More here

I am in Italy for the World Presidents Meeting and WDW and plan to take you all along with a big gallery at the end, and updates as we go.  Today was the first day, we checked in, got our bikes, and headed for the seaside.

Highlights of the day – being handed earthquake instructions when we arrived at the factory (complete with Ducati logo on the paper), running the autostrada out of paper tickets when we all tried to do the toll booth together, being given a fake 20e bill in change (apparently) at the AGIP station and then when we came back to the same station for fuel again later, having the guy that gave it to us tell us it was fake, and not let us pay with it. And lane splitting for 30 kilometers, in bumper to bumper traffic in a group of 55 bikes, in the dark, in Rimini. At 1am. All normal…….. I love it here!