What a brilliant day in the saddle! It was a day full of “oohs” and “wow”! It was not an easy day riding up and down hills, ending up 300 metres higher in altitude than the start.
It was only 9 degrees Celsius when we left Marciac. As we climbed out of town, the mist was rising above the paddocks.
As we climbed a little further and rounded a bend, our first BIG wow occurred. The Pyrenees were straight ahead, snow capped and very inspiring!
Still a fair distance away, but we will be there within two days.
We past through many heavily wooded forests today, always climbing. Spinning in our small chain ring, constantly thinking about the days that lay ahead, conserving energy and my knee as much as possible.
We past through villages of Mazous ( 21.7 km), Estampes (24.3 km), and Estampures (27.4 km) and Mazerolles (29.5 km) all very quiet and sleepy. I think we had seen 3 cars at this stage, and about 8 barking dogs!
At 38.6 km we rode into Trie-sur-Baise a large bastide village. We felt it was too early for coffee but picked up extra water and some Lindt 90% chocolate!
Trie-sur-Baise, from outside the supermarket!
The road descended and it was great to ride on some flat!
We crossed the river and climbed into the woods, arriving at Campuzan (49.2 km) to then descend.
At 51.3 km we crossed another river and rode past this flash looking chateau.
Flash looking chateau!
The omnipresent Pyrenees kept us very focused view wise! They are getting bigger!! All the time I was wondering which bit we would be climbing through.
Leaving Lassales at 61.2 km we rode up the steepest pinch of the day with a short 20% incline! Nasty! Granny gear engaged!
Brief deviation: Here is a photo showing page 3 of our route notes from today. Leon, who works with Tony at Caterpillar, asked why my km overall each day are less than Tony’s. ( He has noted this from our strava file uploads, being quite observant!). The answer is simple. It is to do with navigation. We are using my Garmin to try and match route notes. That means if we deviate off course ( eg in a village looking for food, drink, just looking around), if that is not in the course route, I will stop my Garmin and start again when on route
Look at all the ‘climb into woods’
Below is the church at St Plancard. We stopped just around the corner and had a light snack before yes, climbing into the woods.
St Plancard (74.8 km)
Another inspiring Pyrenees view!
Far less inspiring, me having just climbed out of the woods!The view I had after climbing out of the woods! This is why I ride my bike!
We eventually ran out of woods to climb, arriving in the very busy town of Saint Gaudens. We are now happily ensconced in our hotel, having arrived quite early. Fortunately we were granted an early check in.
There is a very curious art ‘installation’ just outside our hotel. It is moving. Plank by plank this curious structure is moving with the aide of about 20 helpers!
Today’s route. 92 km and over 1600 metres climbing.
Finally, the view out our bedroom window is just awful! I am sure you will all agree! A reminder of what is to come in the next few days! Tomorrow is another tough day but the weather forecast is promising!!
The little blue squiggle indicates where we rode today in France
Barbotan is a thermal spa town full of ‘old’ people. Last year we stayed in another spa town in France, Bourbonne-les-Bains. That town also was full of ‘old’ people. I discovered another commonality today, they have meagre breakfasts designed for ‘old’ people, not cyclists.
Unfortunately not one healthy option available only high sugar cereals and bread and jams. I did ask for ‘fromage’ but got a big shake of the head!! At least the company was good!
Left to right: Martin, Mike, Lisette, Suni, Andy and Tony
We were first to depart the town riding down the main pedestrian strip. I was quite taken with this fruit and vegetable shop, particularly the colours and presentation.
The baskets of product front left are a type of dehydrated mushroom.
Riding out of town we rode past Lac d’Ulby where there were lots of people camping. We did not stop as the temperature gauge was showing only 9 degrees Celsius. Whilst we had plenty of clothes on our top half, our legs were bare and we were keen to keep them rolling over, albeit slowly as today was short in km and we could not arrive too early!
From the Lac we rode through undulating fields and vineyards. Grapes and maize were the main products.
Small quiet roads passing through farmlands.
More grapes, plus Tony
Villages past through included Cuxtan (9.0 km) and Ayzieu (15.8 km). The next two photos show the views in this area.
At the entrance to a chateau
One thing we always notice in the sleepy hamlets and villages are just how quiet they are. It is like the people have all been spirited away. They are often ghostly quiet. If the silence is broken, it is generally in one of two ways. The tolling of the local church bell ( and every town has an ancient church) or it is the local dogs we upset.
When the day is short ( km wise) and you can’t arrive at your destination too early you cruise on your bike. You also look for places to stop, take photographs, have a coffee. However today towns with coffee were light on.
The route continued to be undulating with a couple of shorter climbs having 14 percent pinches. That is when you would like to dump the extra kg hanging off your handlebars!
By about the 25 km mark I had dumped my long sleeve jacket and had arm warmers on! It was a balmy 14 degrees!! Ha ha. But the sun was nice.
More of today’s route
At the 25 km point we entered Ste Christie D’Armagnac, a small hamlet. The instructions said to “BL, road climbs through arch and then descends steeply (Caution rough lane).
However, the route was totally blocked with fencing closing the road. What to do? That is the advantage of having a Garmin satellite showing local roads. We re-routed and within a few km rejoined the original route.
We planned to stop at Aignan (38.6 km) hoping to find some sustenance. It did not disappoint. Aignan is another bastide town with the all familiar squares. I popped into the small supermarket and found some nice local diced cheese to nibble on. We sat in the sun!
Yet another 12th century churchThe view from our spot in the sun
Leaving Aignan we noted the sunny blue skies had become ominously dark in spots, and rain was threatening. The wind had picked up as well.
The rest of the route was as it had been so far, undulating up and down with occasional shorter pinches.
I have just come out of one of those steep pinches here!
On the outskirts of Marciac is this lake.
Look at that dark cloud! It motivated us to move on!
We arrived in Marciac well ahead of the Bike Adventures van. We knew we would and had planned to kick our heels up somewhere! After a visit to the boulangerie, we sat in the square enjoying the sun ( that dark cloud having moved on).
View from the squareMarciac is also a bastide villageAnd again!
After showering and laundering we went wandering visiting the historical buildings.
Looks like I got caught reading about this building whilst enjoying the sun
We then wandered down to the second spire that dominates the local skyline. St Augustine was an ancient convent.
St Augustine
Enter the arch shown on the left and this is what we found!
An archeological dig with skeletons!Broader overview of the dig
So another day done and dusted! Tomorrow gets a bit more serious climbing wise as we continue through the foothills of the Pyrenees to Lannemezan.
An 8 am breakfast hosted by an irrepressible Frenchman who had quickly figured my name out and kept calling me “Madame Sharron”. He was keen to talk to an Aussie as his daughter is studying economics at the University of Melbourne.
As we were leaving I had great fun trying to get him to pronounce “ooroo”.
Ronan the friendly Frenchman
Wet weather gear was the order of the morning with light drizzle. Leaving Villandraut at about 9 am with the ultimate destination being the spa town of Barbotan-les-Thermes.
We rode through Prechac (7.1 km) and just before Les Gilets (11.9 km) we noted Chateau Cazeneuve on the left.
Not bad!
To try and string the day out we planned to stop for coffee at the very first village that had something open. We had been on some gently undulating roads through woods arriving in Bernos-Beaulac (16.6 km), Cudos (21.1 km) and then Lerm et Musset (31.4 km).
We noted the Bike Adventures van with Mike aboard outside a small tabac. 2 cups of coffee later we were back on the road in continuing drizzle.
At Goulade (33.8 km) there is an interesting old church. It looks bigger front on as it has an impressive facade.
Goulade
After Ciscos (40.1 km) we were riding through miles and miles of Gascon forests for some 15 km. During that time it stopped raining!! Hooray!!
We found Mike on the side of the road in Saint Gor and whilst chatting had some snacks and told him we would likely stop at either St Justin (76.3 km) or La Bastide D’Armagnac (80.3 km). I was keener on the latter, based purely on name alone!!
St Justin was a quaint village but asleep. No one was to be seen! The few shops that existed were closed ( very common in France this time of day).
St JustinThe dungeon at St Justin, assume no longer in use!
La Bastide D’Armagnac was only 4 more km up the road. Wow, what an impressive old bastide town from the 1100-1200’s.
The 1200’s church dominates the square
We had lunch under this arch
We had a very tasty lunch at a crepe cafe. Raw egg, cheese, ham, mushrooms on the lightest crepe I have ever tasted.
The shop next door sold a wide range of Armagnac. If it had been open I may have been tempted to have a taste!
Just as we were finishing up the tandem girls rocked up with Jonno. He was hungry, but the girls don’t eat whilst riding. We followed them up the road to the Notre Dame Des Cyclistes.
I was really looking forward to this visit. Unfortunately it is closed on Mondays so we walked around the outside.
It was only another 14 km to our accomodation in the spa town so off we went in search of a warm shower.
Barbotan-les-Thermes is a curious village, with a very large spa facility. It seems to attract old people ( and I mean people significantly older than me!) to their so called therapeutic waters allegedly capable of curing everything!
I watched a man limp out! I thought, well he is not cured! But then maybe he could not walk at all when he went in.
Looking through the windows, we noted exercise bikes in the thermal waters. Obviously not popular! Barbotan ancient gateway
Reverse view of the gateway
So now we kill some time waiting for dinner! Looking forward to some tucker but we are not due to be seated until 730 pm!!
Today was a 97 km ride, at touring pace. It was very pleasant as we work our way south towards Spain, and hopefully, no more rain!
Nervous anticipation? Crap pillows? Hot room? Whatever the reason I slept very badly last night. I could not get comfortable and tossed and turned so I was relieved when daylight arrived and I could justify getting out of bed.
As is the case with most Bike Adventure trips we were first to breakfast. We knew that we would be stringing breakfast out as we would all depart together. Here we are, clean, eager and pristine!
Left to right: Jamie, Barbara, Elizabeth, Gordon, Sharron, Martin, Lisette, Suni, Johnno, Tony and Mike
We all departed Bordeaux together, with Tony and I leading out due to the fact that we ‘knew’ the area and because we were familiar with the way around the roadworks that impeded the route instructions.
As you can see from the photo, we all have wet weather gear on. It was about 10 degrees Celsius, so quite fresh!
Mike has asked us to take our time today. In Europe check in to accomodation is quite late, and tonight’s was 4 pm. Today was a short ride of 74 km meaning we would take it really easy, and not push at all, otherwise we would be there late morning and make ourselves unpopular on day 1!
Reality is this will happen each day as the distances are shorter than previous trips such as London to Venice.
We pootled out the bike pathway passing Latresne and heading into La Sauve, up last the Abbey we had visited only a few days before. The rain was a steady drizzle.
The road undulated through vineyards and beech woods with a couple of short but steep little pinch of climbs.
Passing through the village of Capian at the 37 km point we continued with the theme of undulations and vineyards. The following pictures are from near Cardan (41.8 km)
We descended into Cadillac where we planned to have lunch. We found Andy in the Bike Adventures van and we entered the bastide village via one of its remaining ancient gates that had a marker showing flood heights from Garonne inundations.
In the village centre we were fortunate enough to find a bloke selling hot chickens from his portable rotisserie. A bargain at five euro! Tony bought himself a half baguette for 47 cents!
Sitting in the market square eating our five euro chicken
The village shops were quickly shutting down for the day ( being a Sunday) and we could only see one option for a coffee. 4.90 euro for one coffee! You can buy a chicken for that!
We then hopped on our bikes and cruised around checking out the village.
This chateau seemed deserted and also has a interesting moat
After dragging our heels for as long as possible we were actually getting quite cold. Back onto the bikes and head towards our destination.
Just past Pujols-sur-Chiron we past this ruined chateau surrounded by a lovely, thriving vineyard.
By the time we arrived in Budos we had warmed up, and no longer needed our rain jackets! Hooray!
Rain jacket off in Budos
From here the road descended crossing a stream, continuing through a small hamlet and into some woods that continued for about 6 km.
Shortly before entering Villandraut we could not help but to notice this hotel promotion.
Looking towards Villandraut from the gaudy statue
Fortunately we were able to check into our rooms a bit early. After storing our bikes, laundering our riding gear and showering we wandered through the village.
There is a very impressive chateau that was built in 1305 both as a residential palace and for defensive purposes on the orders of Pope Clement V, who had been born in the village.
Impressive exterior
The chateau is undergoing archeological work as well as extensive restoration. It is free to visit. We did not take any photos of the interior. Whilst architecturally and historically impressive I was turned off by the plethora of modern, gaudy art that has been placed over the 13th century walls, detracting from their simple magnificence.
So day one done and dusted. We will meet for tea in just over an hour together.
Today’s route
Finally, some may think this is the appropriate place for me! Certainly a Frenchman was having a good old laugh at my expense. No matter what is happening in life, you can always find a smile!
The alarm went off at 7 am. Jumped out of bed, made a coffee and looked out the window.
Rain! That was not in the schedule! So hopped onto the Internet to check the meteorological radar.
That is a big band of rain right across France and into Germany. Time to cool the heels for a few hours!
Eventually we got under way to head towards the Medoc, the area famous for producing some of the world’s finest wines.
By now we have realised that riding in Bordeaux itself is somewhat stressful. I have ridden from one end of London to the other ( and in peak hour). I have ridden from one end of Paris to the other (during a heavily congested Paris Marathon). I would prefer to ride in either of those cities than negotiate Bordeaux!
It is not so much the car drivers in Bordeaux ( where road rules are a suggestion only) but the cyclists! They are kamikaze crazy nutters who follow no rules weaving in and around, across, ignoring all and sundry. Throw in wet and slippery tram tracks for a bit of added excitement and you have an adrenaline charged ride. Well it is not even a ride as you are off your bike a fair bit!
Getting out of Bordeaux was about 18 km long today and our speed average was 16 kmh. Slow. The tram tracks were as slippery and dicey as nothing else, with my back end spinning out a few times.
We did eventually make our way onto a bike track around Blanquefort and followed that for a bit through heavily built up suburban and commercial areas.
Pre this trip I had spent hours looking at maps, researching villages and cycle reports to work out where to ride on the Bordeaux prologue days. I selected the option of using bike paths.
This is not what I had in mind.
This was the best one. Only went for a km or so, solid base.This one started ok but got muddy and boggy.The start of the third one. This is ok here but ended up rough as guts, with water puddles consuming the entire track and sand drifts. These are the vineyard access roads.
So after the 4th close encounter as we pulled onto the bitumen I realised something was wrong.
A flat tyre! Fortunately I had my team mechanic on hand to render timely assistance! Thankyou Tony. It was not a straight forward tyre change as the sand had attached itself to so much and we needed to clean bits to ensure a smooth ‘ putting back together’. Then my rear derailleur would not work, but the team mechanic figured that out too. He may have cussed a little!
At the 40 km mark the scenery was really nice and we were riding ‘properly’ without all the stops and starts. The vineyards were plentiful.
This was my favourite though.
Pretty flash, and look at that pristine lawn! Perfect for an afternoon game of cricket!
We had decided we would break at Pauillac on the banks of the Garonne, the capital of the Medoc. There was a wide variety of restaurants open overlooking the very muddy river. The port is a popular stopping base for sailing boats to de-mast before taking the river to the Canal du Midi.
The region seems keen on their BIG wine bottles.
On the return trip the GPS tried to take us back through more vineyards but we decided if that transpired we would ignore it and wing it. Twice we got caught in tiny village back streets heading for another muddy vineyard. U turn and keep looking.
It was very windy during the ride too. We have had wind each day so far but today was by far the strongest at around 25-35 kmh.
See how the flags are flying in the wind, at another winery chateau.
At Blanquefort the traffic was getting seriously busy so we opted to find the bike path for safety reasons.
Busy bike path along the Garonne near La Bourse, Bordeaux.
We have purchased some baby wipes and my Team Mechanic has given the bikes a nice clean!! We have promised our babies to take better care of them tomorrow!
So we have ridden 110 km today! In three days we have now covered 330 km, which is decent! What will tomorrow bring? Rain is forecast but let’s hope the old weather man is wrong.
My body is out of whack! I awoke at 4 am again! I wandered out to the lounge room and looked out the windows to see what was happening in the streets. All quiet but I did see a bloke sleeping across the road outside the closed pub. Sad that he has nowhere to go.
Thankful that I did have a bed, I tried to sleep again and blow me down, it was 8.10 am before I knew it! We had wanted to be on the road by 8 am. Dang! So the first lesson is we are setting our alarm for 7 am tomorrow.
Walking out the front door on the ground floor I somehow managed to walk straight into a bollard, corking my thigh! I felt that all day with each push of my right leg. So the second lesson is, look out for bollards that came at you from nowhere!
The weather was rainy so we started off with rain jackets and headed slowly down Rue de Victor Hugo in slow traffic.
We needed to cross the Garonne on one of the bridges but wow they were busy so we walked our bikes around trying to figure out the best/safest plan of attack. It was hairy and slow going, needing to backtrack and walk our bikes over numerous roads before identifying the correct route
We were on the look out for the cycle track as we had planned to ride this particular path to Creon. Ah, the heavy machinery had dug it up and it was blocked by bollards! Note to self, be careful near bollards!
Finally we found this.
Not a bad sign for the garage!Finally found what we were looking for.A section of the trackAn old railway station provided temporary relief from the rain.
Great cycle path on a disused railway line, with a number of intersecting roads but nowhere near as frequent as yesterday. Arrived in Creon to discover their market was in full swing.
Sampled some very nice cheese at this stall.Took a raincheck on the prunes!But ate this! Yummy!
After Creon we continued on the bike track and entered an amazing rail tunnel. It was pitch black upon approach and you could not see ‘the light at the end of the tunnel!’ However upon entering the lights came on. The tunnel would be some 100 plus metres.
We had decided to aim for coffee at Castillon-la-Bataille named after the decisive battle fought between the French and English in 1453. The French won marking the end of the Hundred Year’s War.
The town is also on the banks of the Dordogne, last visited when we rode from Calais to Carcassonne. That was a memorable day as we completed a TDF climb Puy Marie.
La Dordogne looking towards the battle fieldsAs you do!
Upon leaving the town, we entered a climb that has had TDF activity, judging from the names painted on road. The most frequent names were Bardet, Barguil and Roche. I saw one Froome! I am not normally fussed with Strava cups but was quite pleased to score one on this climb as I lifted my pace out of touring mode, motivated by the signs! I think from memory it was a 1.4 km km climb at a tad under 5%.
We weaved up and down and around a number of villages and vineyards of Saint-Emilion. A very scenic area.
Pretty as a picture
A few km out from the town of Saint-Emilion a hirsute young fellow came flying past me on a really crappy looking bike! So I decided to get out of touring mode pace once more and have some fun trying to draft off him ( as we had been riding into headwinds for some distance now).
I half expected him to utter that universally understood word telling to ‘go away’, but no! Look at my leg muscles! Getting stronger!! Ha ha
After a few km the hairy guy turned left and we needed to turn right. Within a km or so we came across a motor vehicle accident. This is the next lesson of how not to drive in France!
Not sure how the driver managed that one!
As we entered Saint-Emilion it started to pour with rain. As we climbed up the road to the older village section the surface changed to cobblestones. Now I find them a bit tricky at the best of times, let alone climbing a steep, but short section wet and slippery packed with aimlessly wandering tourists. I felt like shouting ‘ move your arse!’ as I weaved around them still climbing.
In the 8th century a hermitage was set up by Emilion, a monk from Brittany on the northern slopes of the Dordogne Valley. Fortifications began in the 12th century. Today the place is a tourist Mecca, with very interesting architectural heritage surrounded by a plethora of picturesque chateau’s and wineries.
Once at the top we rested at a bus stop waiting for the rain to ease. The following are views from the bus stop!
Heading out of Saint-Emilion we headed to Libourne, a very busy town with crazy traffic. We crossed Le Dordogne again.
The French have lots of flowers on bridges. It continues to fascinate me as I appreciate the vivid colours.
To avoid the really heavy traffic we deviated 11 km back towards Creon to rejoin the bike track in safety.
We ended up back by the Garonne.
Fishing huts on the Garonne
So before I finish up I need to come back to my title, what not to do. I have two more.
Crossing the Garonne I could hear screaming from water level. I jumped off my bike and was astounded with what I saw. Look carefully at the next photo and you will see that there is a steel cable to the left hand side of the small boat. It would appear the boat has been caught up in the very strong current and is effectively trapped by the cable and strong current pushing it into the same cable. The cable is one of two securing the larger work platform.
The lady kept screaming ( thankfully also putting her life jacket on) as she watched various items of their belonging enter the river.
I qualified as a rinky dinky Aussie surf lifesaver a few years back and there was no way I would jump into that water with the torrid and swirling currents. They needed a tug boat and maybe a jet ski to rescue them!
Note the cable that crosses the back left section.
As we left a car full of gendarmes arrived. Would have been interesting to watch but by now we were both very hungry. So this is a lesson on where not to take your boat in Bordeaux!
So with only one km remaining after having ridden a total of 137 km, peak hour traffic, crazy French drivers and one crazy Tasmanian chick what could go wrong?
Well Tassie girl misjudged a car, left with an almost impossible riding gap of about 30 cm. Not being Peter Sagan resulted in me choosing to ditch my body away from the car and onto a ledge… yes that same leg that was already caning, the one with my ‘bad knee’.
Ouch! But it could have been worse. My bike is fine and the nice young Frenchman stopped to ensure I was ok.
So what a day. 137 km done and dusted. Frustratingly slow in the cities, but ever so pleasant in the country.
Long haul travelling is not fun, by anyone’s definitions.
Travelling from Devonport to Bordeaux is a long way…a seriously long way, seemingly visiting as many airport as possible en route to maximise the number of handling transfers on the previous cargo.
Oh the precious cargo is not me! I am quite ‘what will be will be’ with me when I fly, although I do have a little ‘superstitious’ routine when boarding the long haul planes..I touch the side of the plane, giving it a quick tap and rub.
The precious cargo is my bike!! Unlike me, it is 100 percent replaceable, whereas I know I am not. I am unique, one off, never to be repeated, they broke the mould when I was made, type of woman. So I know it seems a little incongruous.
Devonport airport, the young buck at the check in counter suggested possibly I would like to pay $972 AUD for ‘excess baggage’. I very politely declined, quoting terms and conditions, showing him where on the website the terms and conditions were located.
HIs final question ” so you are absolutely sure about this?” I nodded and bang the charge was wiped. If i had been wearing my heart rate monitor it would have revealed one very fast heart beat!
Melbourne to Dubai was via Singapore and the worst part of the whole trip. Just a seriously long time. The upside was that by the time we reached Dubai I had watched a very interesting movie about the King of Norway during WW2, and 8 episodes of the historical drama on the young Queen Victoria.
Leaving Dubai
Dubai to Madrid was ‘my turn’ to have a window seat, and for me, the most interesting part of the trip. It was daylight and clear and I was able to see just where we were.
Red Sea, Sinai Peninsula, Suez Canal, Nile River were all clearly visible and I was fascinated.
Sinai PeninsulaHere we have Egypt on the left, Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia all in one shot. It also shows Eilat ( top left lake) a southern Israeli port and resort town on the Red Sea.Suez Canal at Port Tawfiq.Nile River mouth past Rashmeed, EgyptSpain!
Arriving in Madrid was interesting. Dry and barren topography where olive trees seem to be able to grow in really dry shale
After clearing passport control in Madrid you then walk for ages, catch a train to go to a different terminal to collect your luggage. Tension was high as we had another flight to go but needed to source our bikes, that often arrive well after ordinary luggage.
Heathrow airport are excellent for bikes, arriving before ordinary luggage. Madrid is the opposite, ensuring nerves are frayed to the maximum! Some 30 minutes after all other baggage had been collected the bikes turned up, appearing to be in excellent condition.
Liberian Airlines insisted that I pay an additional 130 euro for the two bikes. I negotiated that down to a total of 90 euro! They don’t do bike bags as ordinary luggage and I was not confident on that aspect, in Spanish, so pleaded for mercy instead.
So the bikes are now in Bordeaux, reformed into their complete state!
No bike riding today. Need a day to recover from jet lag for safety reasons. I also have a less serious form of epilepsy that is triggered by extreme tiredness so seems like a sensible idea.
We have one week in Bordeaux, 6 nights in an Air BNB apartment opposite the Aquitaine Museum.
But as I stand on the apartments little Juliet balcony and look right, just over there on Rue de Victor Hugo is that little cafe now open? I smell an espresso!! Priorities!
We awoke to blue skies today, despite it still being 4 degrees Celsius at 9 am. The breakfast spread was impressive and after the Manager insisted on taking our photograph (as he had never met anyone who had ridden over 2000 km in 3 weeks) we walked up to the tower behind the hotel to see what the view was like.
One view
And another showing some of the remaining 13 chimneys
The manager offered to give us food to take with us (little does he know most of us do that anyway – today being no different – but it was the first time any hotel has offered that). He will get an awesome Trip Advisor review from me.
The narrow alley walking back to the hotel. That is our bedroom window on the top level above the narrow alley.The little courtyard behind the hotel. Our bikes had been stored up in the area beyond the couple of steps and the side gates were locked from the inside.
Leaving San Gimignano we were scheduled to do a 79 km ride through the Colle di Val d’Elsa, down to Monteriggioni, then heading up towards a series of towns in Chianti.
We rode through Poggibonsi where a man cheered us on from the side of the road. He was obviously a BMC supporter as that is what he kept calling out and clapping. We laughed. About 5 km past this point Tony said that faithful Garmin said we had 130 km to go. Hmm…that was weird so we stopped and found that he had two different Gpx files for today’s ride and they differed. We pulled up my file ( we had on both Garmins as back up is one failed) and I only had one.
Either way, we were not on the original planned route and were on an ‘alternative’ route and well off course. The good news was that I could see that we were heading in an easterly direction that should intersect with Castallina in Chianti and bring us back on course, but losing around 18 km in the process.
The downside was that this road had serious hills. There were three sections warning of 15% climbs. Not too bad with no luggage but the extra weight made them hard!
First warning sign
The area was nice interspersed with olive trees and vineyards.
San Gimignano in the very distant background
Eventually we arrived in Castellina in Chianti and had some lunch noting some of the unusual cars the crazy Italians drive.
This can be parked anywhere.
Funky and small.Small and useful.Not sure that there are side airbags in this one!Nice views.Sitting in the sun, even though it was only around 11 degrees by now.
After a nice break car watching, we headed off towards Radda in Chianti, my favourite for the day. Scenic, nice views, rolling hills to ride over and a great little art gallery where I made a purchase, direct from the artisan, which he is shipping back to Tassie for me. Wish I had photographed it, but he uses the curved panel from an old wooden wine barrel and attaches a miniature metal bike he hand makes, along with a couple miniature metal handcrafted Tuscan trees. It will be a nice momento.
The artist also does a series of bike posters.2 cyclists and 1 rooster in ChiantiChianti scenesAnother rooster, this time in a field of lavender.More roosters.
We arrived in Montivarchi disappointed to have left the beautiful Chianti countryside as Montevarchi seems a bit daggy. But we did find a few little gems including this church of San Lorenzo.
Nice church in the older section of MontevarchiExterior of the San Lorenzo churchOne of the “nicer” looking homes – but I found this a bit “creepy”.
Starving hungry we could not find one restaurant. The hotel staff told us of one that opened at 730 pm!!! A few hours away. So we asked where the nearest supermarket was. I was happy to find something I like to eat.
Yummo!
So tomorrow is our final day riding. We head back to Florence on a scheduled 74 km ride, with over 1000m climbing for the third consecutive day.
A flat tyre! Fortunately I had my team mechanic on hand to render timely assistance! Thankyou Tony. It was not a straight forward tyre change as the sand had attached itself to so much and we needed to clean bits to ensure a smooth ‘ putting back together’. Then my rear derailleur would not work, but the team mechanic figured that out too. He may have cussed a little!
yakkablog 