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Italy 
DAY 98
Assisi
to Urbino
At
last I was back on my bike! It was fun too for awhile. The cycling was tough
because there were hills and a strong cold headwind. The hilly countryside was
scenic and there was evidence of spring: daffodils, tulips, blossoming fruit
trees, but the cold wind felt like winter. We passed fields of wheat already
several inches high and vineyards that have not begun to sprout. I stopped to
take only one picture because it was just too cold to be standing still. In the
picture are two snow covered mountains which I thought appropriate for such a
cold day. I finished the ride but it was hard for me.
We
are staying in a nice hotel in Urbino, birthplace of Raphael, but I am too tired
to go see the old walled town where he was born. It must be unique because no
vehicles are allowed, only cyclists and pedestrians. That’s one of the
dilemnas of Odyssey, if we do the miles we are too tired or it is too late to do
the sightseeing. It’s too bad too because the old city is only a mile or so
from our hotel. The hotel runs a shuttle service every hour.
Instead
of going sightseeing I am in bed,
waiting for my roommate, Judy, to return from dinner so that I can go to sleep.
I wish she had taken the key. But the key situation is complicated. Not only is
there only one key per room, but in some hotels at least and including this one,
the card on the key chain has to be inserted into a slot in the wall to make the
lights come on. If you remove the card the lights go out in a couple of minutes.
This is an ingenious way to save electricity but complicates sharing a key.
After
having a hotel in Assisi for 2 nights it is surprising that we have one tonight
as well. Maybe there are no campgrounds near. Whatever the reason I am grateful
that I didn’t have to pitch my tent.
I
am not looking forward to tomorrow’s ride. The DRG always gives a short
description of the next day’s ride. About tomorrow it says: ‘132.3 kms. to
the birthplace of Michelangelo. Tough, gorgeous day. Much hillier than
yesterday. Keep spinning and looking around.’ Woe is me!
Ciao!
Alice
DAY 99
Urbino
to Caprese Michelangelo
The
DRG was right; it was a very tough day. We didn’t go by the most direct route,
but took a big detour to the Republica of San Marino, which added hills and
kilometers to our day. Only 105 riders tried it, all the others found other ways
to get to our day’s destination or went directly to Florence to gain more time
for sightseeing there. I haven’t heard how many finished the ride but those
who did are amazing. I gave up at Checkpoint because I was too tired to do any
more climbing. There was 9000 feet of climbing and since I am so slow going
uphill there weren’t enough hours in the day for me to finish. But even if we’d
had enough daylight I couldn’t have done it I am sure. Biker Al did though but
she was not a happy camper. She and her riding companions wanted to SAG, but
there were too many others trying to SAG. They kept going and finally pedaled
into camp before they could be given a lift. Biker Al says she is tough and she
is. Anyone who finished that ride is very tough, or young. She said she wouldn’t
even be able to walk the next day but she rode and finished.
There’s
a technique to sagging that the savvy riders employ. If you SAG at Checkpoint
your number goes on a list and you will be taken to camp from Checkpoint in that
order. You will have to wait but your wait begins earlier in the day than if you
keep riding until you drop. If you keep going past Checkpoint trying to squeeze
out a few more kilometers, you are not on a list. The riders who give up
farthest from camp are picked up first. Those who are closer to camp are left
until last. Picking up all these riders can take hours because of a limited
number of vehicles and drivers. If you are able you can keep pedaling and raise
your fist every time a SAG vehicle comes by. If not, you sit by the side of the
road and wait. The waiting can be for hours, until after dark and even after
dinner on a bad day. (This would a hilly long day when too many riders can’t
finish.) There you are tired, cold, hungry, it’s dark and you haven’t eaten
or showered or pitched your tent. Sometimes there is no food left. Of course all
the better camping spots have been taken. The showers may be shut off. It’s
the pits. It happened to me only once, on the Hill of Death, but it happens to
some folks over and over. It seems like you are penalized for trying to do your
best.
So
I sagged, got to camp and even though I hadn’t pedaled all the way, I was
tired, too tired to care about finding Michelangelo’s home. I pitched my tent,
showered, and walked to dinner. It was a served meal which is always a much more
enjoyable experience for us than a self-serve line. The line is always too long
and some people are pigs, let’s face it, so that those near the end of the
line will have little left to eat and for sure no dessert. But in Caprese
Michelangelo it was a sit down dinner and everyone relaxed. The dinner began
with spaghetti, a huge heaping bowl of spaghetti. I was sure that wouldn’t be
the end of the meal so I didn’t eat all of mine. The waiters came around with
seconds and lots of riders went for it. Then they came with another type of
pasta, which I declined, but most had a heaping bowlful of that too. Those
dishes were collected and we were served roast beef and french fries, followed
by tossed salad, and finally pudding with chocolate sauce for dessert. It was a
feast!
Ciao! Alice
Italy
Michelangelo's Moses Toscana Countryside