The last , felt-like-the-longest, day

finally we have reached the journey's end.
We had a leisurely breakfast in the Apartrmento Bolognese - it was a DIY affair with all the calories provided. Afterwards we strolled the streets around the Piazza Maggiore (Bologna is certainly worth a return visit - not least as I later discovered that my wallet was gone and someone must be having a good time!!) then packed the bikes ready for the last leg - with Paul safely on his way home only the three of us left. For once we did not get lost (no I do NOT blame you, Paul!!) but the route was boring and rather tedious - not really improved by a strong headwind  which left me without much puff and the others often without me!! It was a 105 km ride along busy roads - and always with the wind smack in our faces - just like when we started in France a Century - or was it only a week- ago. We reached Hotel Riz in Cesenatico by 1730 - just in time for the drinks reception and a warm welcome from our Wheeler friends (fellow CYCLISTS - a German along the route asked me if I was a triathlete - he almost needed a nose job afterwards!!) and from the lovely staff. Is it a sutprise to hear that it was good to get out of the saddle??!!!
Our evening meal was the usual for Riz -  a multitude of courses providing all a cyclist needs to face the next day. When one of the waiters topped up my plate he said " you always cycle to here, don't you?". Not necessarily in style but  it would seem that I do!
Lessons learned ? Not many apart from bring as little as you can get away with - and preferably less than that. Choose a comfortable saddle and shorts. Go with some good friends as companions - you will spend a lot of time together.
Plot the route electronically but bring a map (paper) just in case. And bike-mounted devises are not good at giving a general overview.
And do take time to stop and smell the roses (botanical, bricks'n mortar and human!).
Life is like a long cycle ride  - no point in racing along and suddenly realising at the finish line that you have missed having a good time. So enjoy!
PS some stats/  we cycled approx 1050 km ~700 miles) and climbed 5200 metres ( approx 20,000 beer bottles stacked on top of each other - but don't do this at home - you'll get a puncture and so will everyone else in the neighbourhood !). 🇩🇰🇬🇧🇫🇷🇮🇪

Day I-have-completely-lost-count Firenze to Bologna

The usual 3 croissants, 5 rolls, yoghurt and muesli and several coffees for breakfast and we were off.
And boy did we have our work cut out! After the usual 10km of finding our route we unfortunatrly found it - first a short sharp steep hill then the first proper climb with approx 600 metres of vertical ascend - 10-16% gradients. A long (not long enough!) descend let us to climb no 2 - up to about 800 metres with the same gradients - and the b... Mountain was called Monte Piano(Ital for flat,easy, mild ....) nothing flat or easy about it. The only similarity with a piano is the old Laurel and Hardy film with them carrying a piano up a 100 metres staircase - I certainly felt as if there was one in my panniers!! We feasted on a great lunch (what we thought we ordered was pasta but we were served delicious lamb chops - so much for our detailed  knowledge of Ital. cuisine terminology!). During lunch the heavens opened - and it got cold so I did the descend in jacket arm and leg warmers gloves and overshoes (yes - and bib shorts - ah there's another story - halfway up the first climb I noticed that my Rapha stripe had moved from one leg to the other and also changed colour (yellow to white) - and my bum was getting sore. Yes - the shorts were inside out - a quick change behind a bush made life much less uncomfortable- apart from the greenery I later had to remove!!)
We zoomed on to Bologna riding on the hard verge of main roads and reached our destination- a lovely old flat ( but no piano!!)  in the town centre. 70+miles done 1350metres of ascend - that complimentary Lambrusco will taste lovely.
Tomorrow Paul will wave goodbye - we others won't as he is leaving at 0400 - but we will miss his company. The rest of us will head to Cesenatico where cycling may not be on the agenda for the first day or two. But then again....
It has been a great trip in wonderful company and stunning setting (land-and seascape, bar-maids, restaurants etc). And we have had very little beer -must do it again!!!

Luca to Florence

A lovely stay in Luca finished with a cycle ride on top of the city walls - a cycle/walking track for 5 km all the way around. A UK city planner will never approve!!Next we as usual got lost but headed off in the direction og Florence. Gentle flat'ish ride with only 3-400 metres of ups'n downs. Along the route the usual sight of young women waiting for pasding trade - rather sad reflection of the less attractive side to Italian society.
Stopped for lunch at roadside cafe inhabited a a multitude of lovely Italian signorinas - photos on Facebook , still can't get them on the blog.  A very happy place (the cafe not FB) Shortly after Martyn had a puncture (inner tube nothing else!) but as I was across a busy junction I knew nothing (although not from Barcelona!?!) and sped on to Florence. A well deserved beer on the central Piazza (€8.5 ! Rip off although it was rather good!!). A bit of sight seeing and a regathering of the group for photos before we were off towards Bologna looking for accommodation just north of Florence. Thanks to Guy's roaming skills and Martyn's navigation ditto we succeeded ( my Garmin is kaput! And Vodaphone  useless) . A modern plastic hotel with only German beer (fortunately not some major nasty brand but a only smaller nasty one) - and some rather non-descript food.
We only did 90'ish km yesterday but sightseeing is a part of the trip!
Hotel booked in Bologna where Paul will gead home and the rest head towards the coast!!

Day whatever - La Spezia to Florence and Luca

A good nights sleep was had - although for us landlubbers there are an awful lot of noises on a boat during the night- and not all of them man made!
Our charming hostess Lucilla served coffee (lots of it) and for non-cyclists a perfectly adequate breakfast. But as we normally empty every larder and fridge, breadbasket etc we were full'ish. But as we are not sexist and she was lovely all was well. She had suggested a visit to the picturesque town Porta Venere ( makes you wonder what they caught there in the old days!!) so we headed back north and west up the hills and down again to the loveliest colourful village at the edge of the sea with a "zebra striped" church of St Peter! Beautiful and definitely worth the 350 metres if climbing!
Back again to La Spezia and on at great soeed (20-23 mph - it really puts a smile in your face when you on a loaded folding bike overtake a young lycra clad Italian hopeful!)via various beach resorts to Pisa where we had some thundery showers but enjoyed the views - and we can confidently say that we grace the albums of many Japanese tourists- some bikes may feature more than others!
Drinks and calories were served by a charming young lady who inspite of having studied English for two years in Eastbourne spoke the language extremely well. On via a small hairpin looped climb (which our waitress had warned us about - but did we notice it? Hardly!!) to Luca where we found home in an old Ostelleria where pilgtims like us for centuries have valued the quiet and simple life. We had a few Italian craft beers to get into the spiritual mode, did our usual washing and are now ready to explore this lovely walled city. At least we should not be able to get lost- Garmin or not!
Tomortow we are aiming for Florence - a short stroll up hills! More to follow!
Ciao!!

Day 3 and 4'ish - news from the seven seas!

Sorry that there was no communication yesterday! It was a long day in the saddle heading iff following un petite dejeuner formidable!! We headed along the coast in glorious sunshine - although with a (warm) headwind
Stunning scenery - crystal blue water, sandy beaches, rock formations - lovely.
Coffee in Cannes on past Nice - cote d'azur  - there is a good reason for that name!  Sandwiches en route somewhere surrounded by the local Moto Guizzi gang then on to Monte Carlo. Warning - do NOT go there by bike! Overcrowded overmotorized with arrigant b......s (Who has probably paid less tax in their lifetime than I do in a year!!) in their big cars in which they transport thrir presumably very small willies!
Fortunately our visit was brief and soon we were in Bella Italia! A lovely cycletrack led us along the coast - me more than others as my Garmin decided to eraise all routes and I got separated from the rest of the gang. For once I managed to get ahead and after two pints and several slices of pizza and bruschiutta (served by a lovely waitress) they caught up with me and we headed on at record speed to Imperia (the first time I could keep up wih Guy - clearly the Moretti is good for me!) where we spent a few hours before we found our hotel. A long day in the saddle. 92 miles - with lots of ups ( a 15% climb out of Nice) and some downs!
As I had been overfed whilst hanging out in bars I decided for an early night whereas the gang of three  headed for an Italian (each).
After a noisy night (motorway - or at least the sound of it - on one side and train on the other) great breakfast and off we went along the Ligurian coast and the land of Lilliput (where even Guy stood out!) - beautiful rocky scenery again with a headwind but glorious sunshine (our right sides are getting rather tanned) and generally good cycle paths. A careless Italian driver learned some new Anglo-Scandinavian words as he got too close to my pannier and the only thing separating his mother's nose and my fist was a bit of glass! We stopped for  a great lunch of sardines and local craft beer in Savona  and got our feet washed in thr Mediterranean sea - the sympathetic waiter warned us against cycling through Genova so we boarded a train ( great Italian trains - bikes are free in purposebuilt carriages). So our resting day consisted of only 50 miles on the bikes before we came to La Spezia where our accommodation for the night is a rather impressive yacht - we are the only crew but the beer tastes good, the views spectacular and the marina restaurant is just up the pier!

Day 3 - Manosque to St Raphael

A surprisingly good breakfast served at the Campanile hotel - by the time we had finished there was very little left for the other guests. But - hey ho they really did not need to stock up like we did! We left the very non- descript town in sunshine  and 11* - no Summer yet. We were back in the saddles again by 0830 and made great progress. Soon the hills slowed us down - mea culpa! - but had time to stop for a glorious whipped cream covered coffee in St Julian. More hills to follow and again some rather unorthodox tracks - rocks and stones and gravel and pot holes! Be aware if you plan your route with GPSies - they like lanes!!! We stopped for lunch in pretty in Salernes - great food and charming waitress - perhaps we got cartied away by the 2 Oranginas (each!!!). We had hoped to get to St Tropez for an afternoon drink but road closure and a stiff (warm) headwind plus some very unexpected steep hills threw a tyre lever in our plans! A steep climb leading down to La Plan de la  Tour ( do they really plan it there ? How do they kerp it secret?) where we stopped for Crepes and coffee before we reached the Cote d'Azur at St Maxime. I was temporarily distracted by a very pretty Gendarme (f) who smiled at me (in pity??) and i hit a curb with my sidewall (tyre) - puncture!! I bet she has shares in an inner tube company. But I forgive her!!
. Shortly after Martyn repeated the feat without requiring a pretty Gendarme to distract him. We resched our destination in St Raphael  - Hotel Brise de Mer(e) - with the e it would mean Mother's farts which it fortunately did not. A gorgeous receptionist greeted us and it all felt like home after 91 miles and 1600 metres of climbing. Great hotel!! Time for the usual equipment wash ( that includes clothes) before we hit the town - great food and some Rose wine to keep the marine fare moist! A good time was had - again!! Tomorrow we head towards Bella Italia but will plan as we go!!

Day two - baby it's cold outside

the quiet sleepers had a peaceful night - until the churchbells, mairie bells, cow bells and 1st if May parade bells announced that a new day was to be expected. Excellent breakfast (hotel le Siecle in Mazan - very comfortable!). We ventured out once we had been promised that the polar bears and the wolves had been captured. It was VERY nippy - our hostess who took our photo had to be dragged from her warm kitchen to do the honours! Once we had bypassed the May 1st bands and joggers our Garmins then sent us off - the wrong way and an hour later we were back where we started! Off again - the wind was strong and cold - the Cypress trees seemed to suffer from Peyronie's disease (look it up) but fortunately pointing towards our destination. The forecast for the windy giant (none of us!) was red alert and we instead followed excellent cyclectracks eastwards and very iften upwards  - interspersed with rocky sections that would even scare off a lunar landing module! Stopped for a good lunch in Apt (..... named!) followed by long climbs in the afternoon sunshine - in total we climbed 1175 metres by the time we reached Manosque  - I had had enough and we all decided that the booked hotel would suit us!
All our bikes have behaved well although the winds made descending tricky.
After the obligatory clothes wash we headed into yown - dead as a churchyard! The local population must have celebrated so much that they have gone into hibernation - and I cannot blame them- it is b.... Cold! My evening outfit involved very long sox and espadrilles - will it catch on? My excuse is that whereas my companions brought  long warm gear I brought shorts- and on me they are never long! After a so-so Pizza / burger ( no waitresses worth mentioning) home to warm-up under cover!!
Tomorrow we aim for St Tropez and St Raphael - unless snow has closed the roads! No heatwave in sight - another mulled wine anyone??

Day 1 - Ely to Mazan

Aren't trains just fabulous? With minimum hassle they take you from A to B - and not to Z from where you can reach B if you board a cattle truck that runs via X every 3 hours.
We boarded the carriage at Ely - a frosty morning. Changed at King's Cross - those of us who travel light with a folding bike in a shoulder bag did well. Others had a bit of running about to do as large metal contraptions had to be handed in "somewhere". A delay at the Tunnel meant late arrival in Paris. Mr "Travel Lightly" breezed through with his Airnimal and boarded the Paris-AVignon TGV on time. Others didn't and our arrival in Avignon was therefore spread out over a couple of hours. Early signs would suggest that with duch a time margin the yellow jersey will remain on my shoulders until the podium presentation at the Riz!
We left Avignon later than expected - the late arrivers requiring a considerable time assembling their dismantled steeds whereas others - well u get the picture! Off along the maginicent cuty walls of the old town - sun, rain,hail - real British April weather. Following garbled Garmin instructions and chasing a magnificent rainbow that our host in Mazsn had erected to lead the four wise men to their abode. 40-50 km was a good warm up, iff to the local brasserie where a no choice menu gave us a great three course menu with beer ( whaddayouexpect?) and coffee for 25€ - all served by the loveliest Brazilian looking waitress who clearly enjoyed our attention - well T least she finished her shift! A good night's sleep awaited but the forecast for Ventoux is still something that even a mountain top village of mulatto waitresses would not ....... Now there's a thought! Better check those guidebooks again. More to follow - possibly censored!

The next adventure - 2016

 

S U Sjolin

Shared publicly  -  Apr 27, 2016

 

The next adventure us looming! After a mild winter and a miserable spring the plans are laid the bikes oiled the panniers packed and soon it is take off.
On Saturday morning Paul (yes from last year's adventure - some people never learn - me included!), Martyn, Guy and I will catch the sleeper from Ely ( not really a sleeper but with departure at 0600 it soon will be) to London to Paris to Avignon. The three sensible travellers will bring dismantled standard bikes whereas I will bring my Airnimal folding bike. Arriving in Avignon mid afternoon we will cycle to Mazan at the foot of Mont Ventoux. On Sunday morning the plan is to ascend this windswept mountain but right now the weatherforecast is storm and wind chill -16 !!! So we might reconsider!!!
The plan thereafter is St Tropez, Nice Cannes Monte Carlo (and/or bust) Genoa Piza Lucca Florence Bologna and Cesenatico. But along the way we have various challenges to keep us occupied!
Anyway - apart from a sore back all is ready - panniers kept at <8kg - a few more physio sessions, yoga exercises and a quick pint at the Dove to lubricate parts that DW40 does not reach and then - allons/ andiamo/vamos!!!