56km / 3 hours 23 minutes / 935m gain

More hills and just a beautiful ride again :). A lot of gravel which I like as well. I was pretty shot by the end of this ride. I had a good but expensive lunch and laid down and read. I had zero energy…

Two maps today with how the gpx file worked out…

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Siena is a stunning city! I can’t imagine walking through something like that in medieval times. The city feels kinda claustrophobic as it is just a vertical skyscraper on the hill with amazing little alleys everywhere.

I was pretty shot, but I wandered all over. Their main church is unbelievably beautiful. The difference between German and Italian churches is hilarious, one is stark and minimalist, and the other is crammed with as much art and decoration as humanly possible.

I hope to return one day, as I would love to see Lucca, Siena, and Pontremoli again. Lindsey and I have talked about walking this route :).

75km / 4 hours 38 minutes / 1,346m gain

Today’s ride kicked my ass.

I beat the ascent record I set last week and am very tired. The last 15km were tough. I gave several small prayers that there was nothing over a 7% gradient. I also think I saw a sign that I am 300km from Rome (getting close)!

That said, the ride was amazing, and the type of rolling hills you see in movies about Italy. Eye candy everywhere you looked. Over the last week, I’ve been reading a series of historical fiction books that are largely set in Italy. It has been cool to read about Italy and connect some of the old houses to what I see around me.

I made it to Siena, Italy, and tomorrow is a rest day so that I can explore this city. I’ve always wanted to visit ever since I read/edited Rachel’s thesis about Siena in college (although asking me to edit is like asking a blind person to paint, I think). I rallied and visited an amazing church after I got it in, wandered a bit, and had a few drinks on a terrace while reading. Nice night!

Here is part 1 and 2 as I broke my GPS file in two with how things hit today.

64km / 3 hours 27 minutes / 541m gain

A beautiful ride. I ended up at a little agri-tourism apartment and enjoyed a wonderful dinner by the host, (they also run a small restaurant in the evenings). I also bought some of their cheese as it is delicious.

Some shots below of a beautiful medieval road I road on (bumpy but fun). I don’t really take pictures of the busy roads I ride on, and today wasn’t too bad.

63km / 3 hours 41 minutes / 635m gain

Today was a beautiful ride!

Once I arrived, I explored this AMAZING city called Lucca. It is a walled city and a blast to walk around and explore.

66km / 3 hours 47 minutes / 837m gain

Such a beautiful ride. Tuscany is amazing, and I am really enjoying Italy.

I had a big climb over the first part of the day. The roads were totally clear of traffic, and it was old back roads. Sunday also helps with that. I was drenched with sweat by the time I got over the top.

As I came down the other side, I could smell the sea; it was amazing. I had a wonderful lunch that started with octopus in a type of potato puree (amazing). Then house-made ravioli and a dessert you can see below. I had a glass of local white wine as well. I stopped off at some Roman ruins as well.

I am spent and very tired. I am looking forward to a comfy bed and some good sleep as tomorrow is a long one as well.

Tomorrow I head to Lucca, a walled city. I will do ~62km and 690m of elevation. I am looking forward to exploring Lucca and stocking up on some groceries when I get there.

I could easily stay here for a week; my AirBNB is quiet, calm, and has an amazing view.

I am in Pontremoli, Italy, for a rest day. It is nice not to wash all your clothes by hand in a sink. I also bought two huge bags of veggies to eat!

I spent last night buying some groceries, having a rum and coke, washing clothes, and catching up on work that I can’t avoid. This morning I walked down and explored the town and castle overlooking it. It was magnificent.

The castle is fantastic, as you can explore the entire thing! And the bulk of it is a museum showing the area’s amazing sculptures from the Bronze Age. Here is more info on the museum, it is so cool to see these mysterious figures that are about 4 feet high and from 3,000 to 6,000 years ago…

Love this town!

This area is highly sought after as a key gateway, so the town has been controlled/owned by just about everyone. The history was insane as people bought it, gifted it, conquered it, etc…

60km / 3 hours 51 minutes / 1,249m gain

Today was a stunning ride. I barely saw any cars and the countryside was beautiful and STEEP. I set a new all-time ascent record :). My previous record was set on my Camino ride in 2021 at 1,153m.

I am happy to say I didn’t walk any of it, although I def stopped and took some water breaks. I did a much better job training for this ride and I can tell the difference. I don’t feel as broken as I did last year on my ride, I feel pretty damn good!

And, since I had a lot of water breaks, lots of beautiful pictures :)

I am staying at an Airbnb for 2 nights as I wanted a rest day. And I am excited to explore Pontremoli.

57km / 2 hours 54 minutes / 468m gain

Today was a gorgeous ride, and I am finally out of the plains and heading into the hills of Tuscany. There were a lot of busy roads today, which I didn’t enjoy, though. I stopped in town to read and chill for a bit.

I stayed at a fantastic B&B called La Vecchia Quercia; the host was amazing and made me dinner. It was so nice to have a homecooked meal, and the 2nd course after an amazing risotto was a local dish of cabbage stuffed with meat. I loved it! And I slept so well as it was in the countryside, utterly quiet and so peaceful (view from my room in the morning in the Day 8 post).

39km / 1 hour 56 minutes / 102m gain

I had an easy day after 2 long rides. I am notorious for getting excited, doing a 100km+ ride, thus destroying myself and then needing to ride 2 more weeks. So I am trying not to do that this time, as riding for ~21 days straight is its own feat.

I stayed at a beautiful hotel/restaurant called Mathis. The lunch I had there was amazing (I tried some local specialties)! Then I walked around town, stocked up on food, read, and had some gelato.

I don’t have many pictures as I was on busy roads, which can be stressful. It was also very flat farmland.

72km / 3 hours 22 minutes / 138m gain

I had a great time on the ride today; it was nice not to ride in the rain. It was super foggy for the first couple of hours, then the fog lifted a little, and it was colder, and then the sun finally came out toward the end. A lot of rivers, lakes, and trees along the way. A few spots where I had to jump on the highway, but otherwise, it was a mix of bike paths, gravel roads, and back roads. Great route!

Breakfast this morning was basic, just a croissant and a roll with butter and jam. I only had a little bread left, so I ate that for a snack after a few hours, along with my last two apples. I need to find a place to restock food. I am staying at a weird hotel off a highway, though, so no luck yet. I had an amazing late lunch of pasta and pizza, though (super nice people, and the pasta was spicy, which was fantastic). Breakfast should be good as an I splurged on a nice hotel today.

What else?

• The hotel where I am staying has private garages for rooms so that people on the outside can’t see license plates… Lindsey and I refer to these as Italian hooker motels. We think they do that so people can have affairs discretely (or ladies of the night). We saw one happen on a trip in 2020, which was hilarious as we watched an older gentleman pull into the garage in front of his room, and then a very dolled-up lady got out of her car in the parking lot to join him.
• I saw a rabbit today. Beyond cows and goats, this is the only wildlife I have spotted.
• I feel good, and I can tell my improved training is helping. It is still a bit early to tell, but hopefully, I will feel similar around day 12. My legs don’t get tired, but what happens is my soul gets exhausted at some point as I get mentally worn down.
• I really like my new bike seat, and so far, my butt is feeling ok. I am definitely sore by the end but not terribly yet. I hope that holds up, as you don’t really want to be using a new bike seat 2 weeks before a ride like this (mine broke).
• I passed a few pilgrims today, all walking.

68km / 3 hours 28 minutes / 74m gain

The day started with heavy rain; luckily, it only lasted a few hours. It was cold, though, and I felt a lot better after I switched to thermal gloves and fleece. It is amazing how nice it is to have your hands feel warm on a cold wet day, really helps you mentally.

Breakfast at the hotel was only a croissant. I stopped at a cemetery to eat the least of my bread and my last can of tuna. Luckily I found a really great bakery and had some amazing focaccia, among other things.

Only a few pictures today as it was rainy most of the time. But, you do get to see my amazing lunch :)

Tomorrow is another long day with how hotels fell. But, it is a very flat ride, and still only 70km which should be good.

42km / 2 hours 21 minutes / 156m gain

Today was an easy day, as I couldn’t find a hotel anywhere but here. It was also a very wet day (so no pictures). Even my bags are pretty soaked (I am glad I lined them with plastic bags). Luckily, the little hotel where I am staying had a hose I could use to wash all the mud off. The only thing that will be annoying tomorrow is that my shows will still be soaked. I will try out some waterproof socks and see how that goes. 

I am out of the mountains and in the plains. Today was 75% on gravel which I love. Although with the wet, I am coated in mud. It took a lot of scrubbing to get my clothes clean. I bet 16th-century women had guns like Popeye. I really enjoy living out of a few sets of clothes; it is so simple, you arrive, wash your clothes and switch into your other pair.

Tomorrow and the next day are long rides, as everything was pretty booked up in this area. So I am doing two 70km days (but mostly flat). Tomorrow has a 50% chance of rain in the morning, so cross your fingers I get the dry half…

The hotel owner recommended a pizza place down the street. It was one of the top 3 pizzas I’ve ever had. The cheese came in a container with smoke, and it was all just amazing. I wandered around town a little, but with it being Sunday, it was pretty shut down.

52km / 2 hours 56 minutes / 402m gain

I had a great ride today. The B&B had an amazing breakfast of meats, cheese, and bread. Nice to have some treats :)

I stopped at a local market near Fort Bard early in the morning and got some sausage, bread, grapes, and apples for the ride. I ended up spending an hour at the fort this morning. When Napolean came through, the fort held off his army of 40,000 for 2 weeks with only 400 soldiers and 20 guns. Pretty incredible spot to control the flow of traffic between France and Italy.

Below you can see a Roman road with wheel tracks in the stone. There is so much history in this area :)!

Tomorrow is a pretty easy day, followed by two hard days of 70km. With where hotels land it isn’t always easy to stack things up nicely (especially when you book as you go). Should be fun :)

55km / 3 hours 8 minutes / 565m gain

I dropped my backpack off at the car, and I was off. It was an amazing ride. It was 90% dedicated bike path through the valleys as I left the alps. On my left was a rushing mountain river, and the trees were turning different colors everywhere I looked. I stopped at a 14th-century castle and climbed through the ruins near the midpoint. I saw a lot of castle ruins overlooking this historic route (following an old Roman road).

I ended the day with a glass of wine and a multi-course tasting menu at a local restaurant (near my B&B). I finished the latest book in the Bobiverse series, which is some fantastic science fiction.