After 15 years of thinking only about bikes, riding, training, and European cycling adventures (I’m the founder of Peloton Magazine and the Editorial Director of the Road/Gravel Cycling Group at Outside, Inc.), I’ve come to a point where I just want to focus on one thing: sandwiches. Given my love of Italy, the most direct course to feed this newfound need, is old-school Italian delis somewhat adjacent to local gravel rides. I hope you’ll follow along.

I begin this pilgrimage with an open heart and an open mind. Recently displaced (by choice) from the sacred valley of Ojai, California, to the history-laden community of the North Shore of Boston, I was struck by the desire to find the best Italian subs in my new area. It has since become an obsession.