With average speed determined beforehand, keeping pace is critical. Ride too quickly, or slowly, and you're issued a penalty. (Photo: Nolan Woodbury) » More Photos

In the capable hands of Ducati Press manager Ludovica Benedetti and Technician Vittorio Fabbri, we ride diagonally from Misano to the port city of Civitavecchia, and officially enter the realm of the Motogiro. Here, vintage bikes are scattered about, many receiving last minute adjustments or repairs. After bit of paper shuffling and certification for the timed entries by Motogiro and FIM organizers, a police escort leads over 450 motorcyclists to the Grandi Navi ferry, which will transport us to Palermo and the start of the race. The bikes nestled safely in the belly of the ship, routes are studied and strategies are made. Some Giro riders have teamed up (with a maximum of three per team) but most are entering the event solo: serving as rider, planner and mechanic. At daybreak, the press and staff members are greeted by the Sicilian Presidency and his Cabinet, who welcome us to a land "edified with perfumed air." After witnessing the start of the Motogiro, I'll never again underestimate the passion of the Europeans for their motor sports. People from all walks of life, men, women and children line the route and yell as the riders set off. It's a scene I'd see repeated time and again; cheering locals hanging off of balconies and businesses, waving handkerchiefs, and kids running up to the riders with posters or scraps of wanting an autograph.

Qualifying machines in Vintage are subject to strict guidelines: The minimum age is forty-six years or older, and the maximum displacement cannot exceed 175cc. These are the same motorcycles that ran in the original Motogiro, which lasted until 1957 when all road competitions were banned by the Italian government. Besides tires and (rules allow- ME/56 SUMMER 2004 ing) certain mechanical upgrades, the bikes are true period pieces. This is your father's Morini, no electric legs or juiced brakes found here. Taglioni machines meet to fewer guidelines, needing working lights, horns, and a proper muffler. In Touring it's wide open, including one brave gent on a.

The Motogiro contestant has much to contend with. Each leg is begun with an ability trial, where the rider works his or her way through a set of cones after tripping a timing beam. Penalties are issued for stalling the engine, touching a foot down, or any number of mistakes that will subtract from the final score. This, I'm told, is where the race is won and lost. That done, a time card is given, to be checked and stamped at the next stop and each bike is equipped with a chronometer, synchronized with an identical clock held by the timekeeper. Following the Road Book, mileage and directions are given, and at the start of each leg time is checked and new trials.