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[Closed] time to give up the MTB......

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been offered a job in Civitanova on the Adriatic coast, south of Ancona. there is a desperate lack of hills there. lots of beach, mind. Thing Great Yarmouth, but in Italy.

do i take the job? garunteed 600€/month gross (-15% tax, 350€ accomodation); leaving me in a slightly better position than i am in now, but with verbal garuntee of more hours.

there is however a kitesurf scene. i've dabbled with kites for many years but never had the urge to drown. this could be my chance.

and NO hills. no proper biking to be had. will have to take the fixie.

what to do, what to do......

HELP...!!!!


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 9:59 am
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how about road biking !lol...boring i know, but its still cycling... 🙂


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:01 am
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boring i know, but its still cycling...

🙄


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:02 am
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Lack of hills doesn't have to mean no mtbing...


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:04 am
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the hills will be here when you get back.


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:05 am
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what cuts me up the most is i'd have to jump on a train in germany, travel south toward the alps, pass through the alps and travel another 8 hours further south.... a very long way from any hills.


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:06 am
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completely irrational, i know.


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:07 am
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get yourself a bmx fun fun fun


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:08 am
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garunteed 600€/month gross

😯

Did you miss a zero off the end or did you mean to say week instead of month???


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:10 am
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Dont be daft. Thats like people living in Norwich and not having a mtb. Just get a car and drive to good mtb places.


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:10 am
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Sounds like an adventure. It looks like a 100km trip to the spine of the Appenine mountains but I expect there are foothills after 50 km. Assume you can get a train somewhere with interesting riding at weekends. Nicer climate and beaches. If you've no dependants you're free to go and come back anytime.

I'm slightly envious! So yes, I suggest you give it go for 6 months.


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:11 am
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boring i know, but its still cycling...
🙄

🙄


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:13 am
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I have been to Ancona, check out Monte Conero national park just south of Ancona. it rises to 572m but straight from sea level so quite a bump. It is criss crossed with hiling trails but I'm unsure to the legalities of riding there.


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:15 am
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you are talking italy right........if so appenines, siblini national park are less than 1 hr away italian driving, serious mountains with some great trails real undiscovered singletrack, big climbs and poor maps :D. 😕 😳 Stayed in Sulmona region and L'Aqulia sadly devasted by earthquakes but great mountain range, used shepards paths in the Abruzzo region, so in the Marche region there should be the same. I think Clorophilia was filmed there agreed that the cost is flat and boring but the regions of Marche and Abruzzo regularly host Giro d'italia races as mountain stages.
Take the mountain bike.


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:15 am
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Yeah & when at home just get some fat slicks and do urban freeride 8)


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:16 am
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BoardinBob - Member

garunteed 600€/month gross

Did you miss a zero off the end or did you mean to say week instead of month???

a MONTH..... they've only a part time position but they say they can offer more hours. pay is a miserly 10.50€/hour which isn't anything to get excited about. i'm currently earning between 17-22€/hour but don't have many hours, hence me looking for more work.


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:16 am
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Ah, part time. That's alright! Slave labour if it was full time.


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:19 am
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DO IT.

I've lived in the French Alps for 6 months;
NZ for 9 months; and
OZ for a year

none of which involved mtb (but were very much about snowboarding & surfing) and they were great experiences. if it's seasonal hospitality work you'll no doubt meet some great people & shag loads of burds and a few months down the line you might get the opportunity to move somewhere more mountainous.

what's the job & who's it for??


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:20 am
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What do you love more- having money, or adventures on your bike?


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:21 am
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BoardinBob - Member
Ah, part time. That's alright! Slave labour if it was full time.

haha, so right. my first snowboard season i was working for £300 a month doing 40+ hours a week, but that included accomodation, food & lift pass. might well be slave labour but then again there are people fighting to get these jobs as well!!


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:23 am
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it's a teaching job. teaching english to natives.

superstar_opponents - Member
What do you love more- having money, or adventures on your bike?

i want to be happy. being happy includes riding my bike over rocks and stuff.


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:28 am
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1 hour to the proper hills....


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:29 am
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TEFL? i was thinking of going to Japan to do this at one point? don't forget that there's lots of opportunity to make lots more money on the side doing private tuition 🙂


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:34 am
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those are mountains guv......................undiscovered part of the world...........those and tuscan alps.........


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:38 am
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Do it!
I just looked on Google Earth sat pics.
Looks great.
Take your mountain bike.
You soon find some trails and someone to ride with.

SB


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:40 am
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i've been a bit lucky in that over the past 18 months i've had hills right in the doorstep. 1 year on the edge of the alps and 6 months or so where i am now.

yes, TEFL.


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:43 am
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apologies but you now sounding a bit like a spoilt person 😉 it seems a good offer in Italy, good food, good lifestyle, time to explore, hills and mountains there, beach...get on with you!!!!!


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 10:47 am
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if you got a proper full time teaching post here would you be happy ❓
what is stopping you getting a full time teaching job here, somewhere like the Lakes, Peaks, Scotland?

Then you would have it all 😆

Maybe ❗ 🙄

pls don`t tell me there are no teaching jobs. My dughter got a job mths before finishing her course as did a number of others.


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 11:01 am
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@ Trekster...... i'm in germany.

think i'll take the job. nothing to lose. can chuck it after a month if it's so bad.

can go fly when the wind is good or jump on a train and get into the hills when i've got the time.

i'm also sure i can find accomodation for less than 300€.

oh, and no shagging burds (GF instructions).


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 11:06 am
 Doug
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Civitanova is only 40 miles from 2500m Monte Vettore. There's also quite few 100m high ridges inland and to north of the town IIRC.


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 11:10 am
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Doug, you're right...... didn't see that!

don't think i've got access to a car so that part of the range is perhaps out of reach. but, like i said it's 1 hour on the train to the hills.

sod it. i'm off....!


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 11:14 am
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how you gonna live on 160E a month - thats about 2 beers in italy isnt it g


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 11:28 am
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You cant give up mountain biking.

If you do how will you show off by doing trackstands?


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 11:34 am
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on the fixie..... duh...!

almost managed a complete backward revolution of the cranks the other day. did think about posting up but guessed you, Andy M, wouldn't understand..... 😉


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 11:46 am
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go, go, go

Trains are pretty good in Italy and as you've seen there is some superb riding quite close.

I also suggest a road bike, totally different experience in italy and twisty high-speed descents can be superb.


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 12:35 pm
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"it's a teaching job. teaching english to natives"

just move to scotland or wales then! everyone a winner!

(hides under desk :wink:)


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 12:45 pm
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I'm sure I remember *hills* in that general area (lovely area, btw - all the cheap wine you can choke on, for starters), although not necessarily ones with trails on. I'd take the job AND the bike. Yay!


 
Posted : 15/10/2009 1:21 pm
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so i'm now here on the italian coast and am not enjoying it.

my original gut feelings of the main guy being a bit of a prick have been confirmed. jumped up little man who has always done something bigger, better, longer or more impressive than you.

the town itself is ok, i guess. tourist spot without any tourists.

took the bike to the hills on the train but the riding is very so-so. plus with the train times it means i only get 3 hours unless i get up at stupid o'clock (5:30am).

the extra work promised on the phone doesn't look likely to materialise. asked the guy and he started telling me how times are tight and how many of the companies have gone under in the last two months.

feel like jacking it in and walking away. i've still not signed anything.

uh.


 
Posted : 26/10/2009 11:55 am
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Without reading the rest of the thread, where exactly are you again?

Also I'd hang in there for a bit, you're probably a bit unsettled at the moment. And remember you're not exactly stuck on the other side of the world.


 
Posted : 26/10/2009 12:44 pm
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on the east coast, 30km south of Ancona.

yup. i think i'll give it a week. i am on the 'wrong' side of the alps though. cuts like hell being away from the GF.


 
Posted : 26/10/2009 2:56 pm