Yesterday was another beautiful day here in Italy. We were scheduled for a ride of approximately 48 miles yesterday, but somehow our guide was a bit confused and took us on the 58 mile option. Now in Arizona this is not much of a big deal, but here we are riding in hilly territory and it is a big difference. We had many climbs with grades of 8-10% and some up to 14% making the ride pretty tough - total of 3600 feet of climbing.
The Canadian contingency (friends of Margaret)
Patti coming down the cobbles of a small hill town
No worries though, we rode through beautiful territory and every turn brought even better views. We went through the towns of Santa Maria, up to the hill town of Montagiano, on to Fano and home through San Pietro. These small towns are as charming as their names and seem to exist in a different time with their cafés and portable retail stalls.
What I cannot send you photos of are the incredible roads we are riding and while we have plenty of uphills and even some bumpy spots in need of road work, we are treated to some of the best downhills with plenty of sweeping turns and views that take my breath away. Each turn brings a new view, sometimes of the distant sea, or a field of vineyards and others are lined with a canopy of trees. Of course all of this keeps me smiling throughout the day and I feel blessed to be able to ride. What an adventure!
As we were returning back to the hotel the skies opened up and we were "treated" to about six miles of rain, just enough to get us pretty wet and our bikes very dirty. Good news Is we didn't melt and all made it home safely.
Great day riding, let's have a glass of wine!
Margaret's picture she took at dawn yesterday.
Today we ride to San Marino. They have promised to keep it in the 45 mile(ish), but no matter what the day brings we are assured to be treated to some magnificent views!
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