Bella Italia Stage 10

Near Montalcino to Semproniano

Strava: 74.9 km, 1,954m, 5:48, 357 shifts

I don’t want to jinx myself but I had another great sleep. Up over 600m, far from any town, it was cool and quiet. We had a great breakfast then started before 10. The dirt road was fine but after just a few km we turned off on another crazy gravel trail. Rocky but scenic. One descent was so rocky and steep we actually had to walk it – how is that even possible? Eventually we descended fast on a road, then had a long hot climb, also paved.

We had drinks and snacks at a town on the climb and Wytze and Daniel had the presence of mind to buy extra food for later. Soon we headed onto gravel trails for good. There was one climb that was just barely rideable, so steep, so long. No photos possible. We ended up over 1,000m high in a National Park with no one around. We improvised the route a little and stopped at a picnic table with a water tap for lunch.

On we went, sweating massively on the steep climbs, cooling off deliciously on the descents. Oh, and biting flies. The trails are really rocky and you have to seriously be careful. One descent in particular sticks out in my mind: I don’t think I’ve ever braked so hard for so long. There were Andalusian Shepard dogs barking like crazy and running at/with us. It’s amazing what our wheels did for us. We each probably rode over a million rocks. Wytze and I were flying. Another record today: 52 minutes in my lowest gear (vs 34 seconds in my highest).

Finally we came out on a road, and had under 20 km to go. About six km from the end, around 5:30, we stopped at a bar for drinks and chips. I was starting to get tired. The last section was a breeze, downhill and paved, over 50 kph. Suddenly we were in the beautiful town of Semproniano and easily found the Locanda la Pieve which we had booked.

Our hostess showed us the garage then our rooms. Showers were so needed. Dinner was outside at 7:30, served by our gracious hostess. Delicious local food and wine, ending with Amaro after dessert. This type of place is just so good.

We plan to meet up with our Bike Dreams friends tomorrow for lunch. They are doing our route in reverse and have been having big days too. We should have a short ride to meet them meaning a late start. I am really in favor of that.