Rieti to Calascio

Strava: 107.3 km, 2,914m, 7:48 (13:02 elapsed time), 407 shifts

Well it seems today was a new ‘best day of the tour’! I am still glowing. You never really can tell what this crazy Italy Unite route will be like. Figure that the days will be bigger and more adventurous than you expect and you won’t be disappointed.

After a pretty big breakfast of pastries in Rieti, we headed out before 9. Pretty soon the gravel route delivered a very steep (22%) long climb. At the top I said, “Ok I’m awake now!” We popped out onto an old paved road that went straight down so we went from slogging up at 6 kph in our lowest gears to coasting for free at over 50 in a few seconds. But that didn’t last long. The next climb was beyond ridiculous. We pushed up a faint trail for days, finally coming out on a rideable dirt road. It was the complete experience pushing through clinging berry vines, over rocks, a full body workout.

Then a descent to a town where there was a bar with panini and pastries. We inhaled a lot of food and pressed on, now climbing steeply up a little used but paved road. It turned to dirt and got steeper and we got slower. Now is where my memory gets foggy. There was a two hour long section climbing some crappy rocky trails, in the middle of nowhere. I had to push up some of this but after a really long time we summited and rode down a little and there was a restaurant – Wytze said “proof that God exists”. We were up over 1,100m but still it was super crowded late on Sunday afternoon.

We had a couple of rounds of appetizers, lots of water and fanta, then a round of pastas. Unfortunately this took over an hour. We refilled our water bottles from unused bottled water at outdoor tables. After I demonstrated how to do it with water, Wytze went one up and scored an entire tiramisu. Around this time Andrew realized one of his pedals was screwed. If he slid his foot sideways, the pedal came off the bike, attached to his shoe. This made steep climbs harder but he certainly did not complain.

Now it was after 5 pm and we had something like 40 km to go. So we slightly cheated and took a road instead of the gravel path on one climb. Andrew’s fault. Now it was 6 pm and there were no more options to cheat. It was the gravel route or nothing. Up popped a 10.5 km climb on my Garmin, better get used to climbing in low gear up rocks for a very long time. This one was tough but magical. The sun was going down and as we got close to the top, the mountains were lit up so red. I’ve seen a lot of mountain sunsets but this one was really spectacular.

Finally we were on top and could coast a bit, but it was getting dark. The trail was super rocky and tricky. I am SO glad we had no crashes. Full time concentration absolutely required. There was one more medium climb, and at the top of that one we hit pavement! Kind of a hallelujah moment. It was 2.6 km down, fast, exciting and kind of dark. We hit the main road and a sign said ‘Calascio 5 km’. I couldn’t believe it! I was hoping for 10 and prepared to see 15. So we took off, in the dark, all our lights on and it turned out to be five km of gentle descent! Amazing. So we arrived in town right before true pitch dark. We were well after our 7:30 dinner reservation so went directly there. Having a reservation at the one open restaurant in town was key as multiple groups were turned away later.

Appetizers, beers, water, lots of wine, then pasta, dessert and Amaro to finish it off. In this nice restaurant in our bike clothes – no one said anything. Now it was 9:45 and we had to find our apartment. We rode up to the top of town, about the right area. There are no addresses so it’s complicated. Luckily our hostess (who also made the restaurant reservation) had sent a video: how to walk to the apartment from the parking area. So once we found the parking area it was easy (not)! We fumbled around looking for the lock box and finally I found it. I pulled out the key but it didn’t work. Of course there was another key that did and we were in! The place is fantastic, spacious and no sharing beds!

We fired up the washing machine, had showers and I wrote this up. We also made a reservation for tomorrow night in a town with a bike shop where we hope to solve the pedal problem.

Narni to Rieti

Strava: 71.8 km, 1,453m, 4:14, 318 shifts

What an amazing day! It was the best weather of the whole trip so far, and we had maybe the best mid-ride lunch. The day looked easy so we had another relaxed late breakfast at the agriturismo and left at 10.

Once we rode up to Narni and rejoined the route we had a nice paved climb with no traffic. It was going perfectly, gentle climbing in cool temps, when a navigation error led us down a steep gravel path. This type of redirection is so normal we didn’t think to question it. We came to a house and the trail continued but there was a Private Property gate. We went around it into a pretty bad berry bush bramble, wish I had full fingered gloves! The long vines grabbed us, spilled a little blood and added some holes to my jersey. But they eased up so we could ride down (rocky ~20% grade). After a while we checked the map and realized our error. There was no way out but to climb back up and brave the thorny vines again. A lady was at the gate looking maybe a little mad but she at least answered my buongiorno.

Back on the road, up we went. We stopped for photos at various places and it was just awesome. This is why we do it, go to such effort and expense. By 12:30 we had ridden almost 30 km and thought we were half way done. A sign said there was a restaurant up a very steep looking side road. The team left it to me to decide. I was getting hungry so said we should try it. As we started up the 20% slope, there were various threats of what would happen to me if it was closed, non-existent or crappy.

Finally we found it and it looked great but deserted. A nice lady who turned out to be the chef said it was open. We picked the best table out back with an expansive view and settled in. First a liter of water and a liter of their slightly sparkling white wine. Tasty breads, then a large round of appetizers, fried pumpkin flowers, fried cheese, bruschetta to die for… We finally got around to ordering lunch. Four different pasta dishes, all delicious including one spicy one. We shared them all with another round of wine and water. A long time later came dessert: limone gelati served in frozen lemons for Andrew and me, other yummy items for Daniel and Wytze. It could end up being the highlight of the trip, of course I hope not!

Sitting in the sun digesting, I could’ve easily fallen asleep. But back on the bikes, steep down to the road, and along our way we went. After one km of relaxing descent we had a big climb, nine km, with some of it on slippery gravel. Full attention required! After that was over we had another big climb and more super steep gravel. It seemed like our idea of a 50 km “rest day” was sort of not working. We had gone 50 km but had a ways to go still. The last 20 km was mostly paved but our gravel route found ways to add climbing and spice it up with semi-gratuitous paved road avoidance.

We headed to the address of our AirBnb apartment but it was lacking a street number. A laborious phone call later: we needed a refund and had no place to stay. We retired to a bar to regroup. Nothing was available anywhere nearby but the deadbeat host did have a friend who bailed us out. He met us downtown and rented us a brand new apartment he had. We had to go have more snacks and drinks at another bar while the place was cleaned up. Possibly we are the first ever guests? It looked that way. We carried the bikes up two flights and soon were showering ourselves and washing our clothes in the machine.

Daniel was full from all the food of the day but the rest of us went out and walked around downtown Rieti which is nicer than I expected. Not touristy but vibrant on a Saturday night. I can see why Bike Dreams did a rest day here. We visited the monument at the center of Italy then found a restaurant and shared a simple small dinner with red wine. Very friendly people and great food as always.

What a day! I hope some of the upcoming ones are half as good!

Montefiascone to Narni

Strava: 59.3 km, 856m, 3:05, 328 shifts

Lots of rain was forecast for the morning, so we got up late and walked into town for breakfast. Montefiascone has a nice old non-touristy central area, where we checked out the cathedral. We’ve left Tuscany and are now in Rome’s province of Lazio. Deciding on an easy day, we booked an agriturismo near Narni for the night and finally headed out at 10:30. The cool 15° air felt great for a change.

Soon after leaving town, we headed off on narrow dirt roads, deteriorating into farm tracks. There was a section we couldn’t get through, thick berry vines, so we detoured through a field. It seemed almost impossible but we hated the idea of retracing our path. So we walked/dragged our bikes through a field of old sunflower plants, and finally reconnected with our track.

Dirt roads continued, with some time on paved roads. Then we had a long steep (20%) dirt section. It was sprinkling on and off and the climb took quite a while. We came out on a road to a small town called Lugnano in Teverina. We had lunch at the Jammin’ Café/Pizzeria which is a great place. Pizza, focaccia and lots of drinks.

The rain started for real while we ate. With jackets on we continued. It was only another 20 km, with some nice descents and one that was quite rough gravel/rock and would’ve been terrible or impossible to climb. Our Agriturismo was a bit off the route after Narni, and Google took us on a nice gravel route to get there.

The place is an equestrian center and had a wedding going on. But our two bedroom apartment is great. First thing was to go for a swim in the pool right outside. Nice!

We had dinner delivered to our apartment due to the wedding and it was nice. It was heavily meat and cheese based but I got enough. Vegans beware. We shared a couple of bottles of red wine, and solved all the problems of the world (again).

While looking ahead to tomorrow night we had trouble booking a place far enough away – due to it being Saturday night. So we booked for another shortish day tomorrow figuring two short days are like a full day plus a rest day.

Semproniano to Montefiascone

Strava: 73.8 km, 1,194m, 3:58, 308 shifts

We somehow seem to be about halfway through this adventure already. Today we met our buddies doing our route backwards with Bike Dreams, the Dutch bike touring company I’ve done three big tours with. We also finished the third GPS segment of six on our Italy Unite route.

To meet up with Bike Dreams we had to have a slow start so looked around Semproniano in the morning, leaving at 10:30. At the planned place, 10 km along, Ype had just arrived in his lunch van. We had a nice reunion with him, then quickly the fastest riders arrived, guys doing the paved option. A bit later dirtier riders showed up, all happy. We ended up staying for a few hours; it was amazing to see so many people I knew from previous tours, over a dozen. Right after we said goodbye and took off, we met Greg bringing up the rear – I had last seen him five years ago in South America. Cheers to every one of you riding Bike Dreams Strada Italia!

We headed down the road, soon turning off on the gravel route. There were long sections of dirt road and trail with lots of puddles to dodge and some slippery climbs and descents. It started sprinkling and kept up until the end. Around 5 pm we stopped for drinks, cakes and warm sandwiches – good plan.

By then we were riding around Lago di Bolsena. We were staying in the town of Montefiascone, which, as typical, is at the top of a hill. It gently rained but I had to remove my jacket. Getting wet is better than being too hot. We got up to the town and our apartment was right there. The hostess showed us around, and where to park our bikes, outside in the rain. After a much needed shower, I went out to clean up my bike to bring it inside and the bike fairy had already cleaned all our bikes! Wytze is the best bike fairy.

After laundry it was time for dinner. We walked up the hill to the old town and had a great dinner. With local red wine, cantucci with sweet wine for dessert and Amaro for a nightcap. So good. The weather looks iffy for tomorrow so we’ll decide in the morning how far to ride, or to have a rest day.

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.

San Gimignano to an Agriturismo near Montalcino

Strava: 98.5 km, 1,940m, 5:51, 583 shifts

We woke up in our luxurious apartment, ate all our food, and took off at 8:30. We rode up to San Gimignano and accidentally did a scenic loop before finding the right track and heading down. It is nice that in Tuscany towns are on hilltops so you (mostly) start each day riding downhill.

We turned south and headed for Siena. The track took us on some really crazy steep paths – my low gear has never had such a workout! Sorry no photos. The kilometers pass very slowly on rough, steep terrain so it seemed like we’d never reach Siena, let alone our destination for the day, 60 km further. But somehow it worked. We rode hard and finally found ourselves climbing the steep road up to the famous town of Siena.

One minute we were sweating up another 15% grade, the next we were in a mass of tourists. We arrived right at an entrance to the Piazza del Campo, the big central square. We rode down to the bottom, then across, looked around, then decided we’d do better for lunch out of the tourist zone.

With only one false start, we got on the route and headed out of Siena, mostly descending. Our route turned off on a small dirt road pretty soon and we took it seven km until we found a beautiful outdoor restaurant. We had drinks (1.2 liters for me) plus sandwiches and cake. After a nap in an easy chair and it was time to go.

We had 40 more km and at first it was great, gentle slopes, lots of downhill. But nothing lasts so soon we were climbing a brutally steep 400m rocky dirt road, very sweaty. We somehow made it up that, and the climbing continued. Now we were up at 600m. It was so scenic, so classically Tuscany. Hills everywhere, some with towns on top, cypress trees, very nice air. At one point we could take a paved road or a ridiculous looking rocky, very steep trail. Wytze: “Well, we should do it so we can say we rode EFI.” (EFI=Every effing Inch) So we took the trail. I had to walk a few meters, Wytze just laughed and cranked it out. Soon there was a sign to our Agriturismo, just 2.2 km down a dirt road. I was so glad when we pulled in. Again, the day was harder than the numbers would suggest.

We checked in and before anything else, secured beers and snacks. We relaxed outside for over an hour. Then moved indoors to our rooms for showers. Soon it was dinner time. We had homemade wine (normal at an Agriturismo) with a great meal. It was about 2 ½ hours, very fun. Days like this aren’t easy but the sweaty hard work fades while the fun and comradery stays.

Lucca to San Gimignano

Strava: 89.9 km, 1,364m, 5:23, 436 shifts

Amazing! I slept soundly all night, again! This time I used earplugs which helped, now that I have real ones. After packing up and eating the little food we had, and we rode off through the wet streets to the café for breakfast.

We took part of a lap around Lucca on the bike path on the wall, then followed our gravel route. At first it was on wet paved roads, busy with cars and trucks on a Monday morning. But soon, we were off on small roads, then tracks and trails. For quite a bit of the time we were on the Canterbury to Rome to the bottom of Italy hiking path – the Via Francigena. Lots of it is quite rough, “paved” with big rocks. All the rain yesterday and last night left lots of mud and puddles.

We stopped in Fucecchio for snacks and drinks and to fix Andrew’s tire. We bought a spare tire but managed to fix his too. We continued on and eventually took a side trip to the town of Castelfiorentino for lunch. We found a nice Osteria and ordered massively, something like 10 drinks and two lunches each. All that steep climbing and riding on grass and mud makes for big appetites. It was such a good deal and so friendly that I left them a ★★★★★ review on Google.

Back on the track we continued, mostly off road. I think the distance today was maybe half dirt, half paved but the time was probably two-thirds dirt. The last 20 km had some pretty wild trails, super skinny and steep single tracks, long periods cranking up massive hills in 38×52 (my extreme granny gear). We got lost once and had to backtrack a skinny trail with sharp thorns grabbing us. We were all (of course except Wytze) getting tired as we finally approached San Gimignano. The numbers just do not tell the story of today’s ride. We rode up to town and through the main street to the top but it was so crowded it was disheartening. We tried to stop for beers but that was not even on. So we coasted down about one km to our apartment.

This was our best lodging yet: four bedrooms each with giant beds, fancy furniture, a nice kitchen, etc. For a very low price. We started the laundry and showers while our hero Wytze rode off to a store and bought a backpack full of beer, chips, fruit and nuts, plus a big melon just because. This kept us entertained until 7 when restaurants open. We walked back up and tried a place below the town with only one customer. It turned out to be great and after appetizers we each had amazing gourmet pizzas. Plus wine and liters of acqua frizzante.

We walked up to the top of town after, marvelled at the views of the towers, and had gelato at a store that said “Best gelato in the world.” This was 20m from another shop that sold “The most famous gelato in the world.” Marketing genius or something. Ours was delicious but expensive too. We walked back home, I wrote this, and we get to do it all over again tomorrow.

September 8, 2024 was our first rest day. It turned out to be a good choice since it really rained a lot in the afternoon. Breakfast was at a little café, lots of pastry with a sprinkle of rain.

We walked through the old city and stumbled on the famous Guinigi Tower – this is the one with trees growing on the top, 44m up. I had made a note in 2018 to come back someday and climb it. So we climbed the 230 steps and spent quite a while on top enjoying the view.

After a look at the Piazza dell’Anfiteatro we headed back home to relax. I worked on maps and GPS tracks for the middle section of our tour we have just started. I think I got them split in a way that will work nicely with our Garmin bike computers. I also went out a couple of times for shopping and checked out a big church nearby. After a nap I got to talk to Katie at home in Santa Cruz and my mom in San Francisco. I had leftover risotto for lunch, then we all went out to a delicious dinner at 7. For second dessert we finished off the fancy Italian cookies from the night before. It might sound boring but I loved this first rest day.

La Spezia to Lucca

Strava: 97.5 km, 394m, 4:43, 210 shifts

I wish I knew what controlled my sleeping. Last night I slept so soundly for over nine hours with great dreams and woke up rested and energized. Best sleep in weeks. We had a small breakfast of yogurt and fruit, then left at 8:30.

The gravel track took us out of La Spezia, up over a hill on some tiny, steep trails. Then flat, including a muddy section. We stopped at 40 km for breakfast, causing consternation in the café when we ordered all of several items and lots more. We shared everything and it was truly great 👍

We continued on, for a long time by the coast in an area of non-stop beach places. Road bikers were out training en masse on Saturday, passing us handily. Traffic was a little scary. At 70 km we rode a boardwalk to the beach and Daniel and Wytze had a swim while Andrew and I had cold drinks in the shade. We headed inland, more tiny farm roads and dirt trails. At one point there was barely a trail at all. We got to Lucca and the first bar we tried was closed. So was the second but we asked, “Just for drinks?”, sure that was ok. So we had a round of double malt beers which came with delicious olives, nuts and more. 50 meters on we found a pizzeria. Two pizzas and a bottle of white wine later, we were ready to find our apartment. But right next door was a small grocery store with tons of interesting stuff, so we stimulated their economy too, buying enough for dinner, well over €100.

Lucca is a great small city, surrounded by a wall. I unicycled here from Venice in 2018. Our apartment was inside the wall, just around a few corners, and our host (who called himself the Key Boy) showed us around. Showers, laundry then I had a deep solid nap. I got up to help Daniel make dinner: salad, fish, onion and tomato appetizers, mushroom risotto, and special Italian cookies and cheesecake for dessert. Plus red wine with dinner, dessert wine, and chocolate for after. It was great and lasted until almost 10 pm.

I am really looking forward to another long sleep tonight and a rest day tomorrow!

Lizza (Levanto) to La Spezia

Strava: 47.3 km, 900m, 3:02, 91 shifts

I woke up after a good long sleep feeling still tired. Good thing we had a short easy ride today. We packed up, then I gave my bike some love due to all the wet and dirt yesterday. We took off at 9. Down in town, it almost looked like rain while we sat outside at a café sharing pastries. I had hot chocolate that was just as thick as in Spain.

Straight up from town was a 600m climb, but it wasn’t too steep and was the bulk of the climbing for the whole day. The road was wet but the sun came out and it was warm. At the top, we headed for one of the famous five “lands” of Cinque Terre, Manarola. It was about 15 km of rolling gorgeous riding with the obligatory stop for drinks.

We rode all the way to the bottom of Manarola, where I had dinner once back in 2018. The crowds then were huge but now it’s unbearable. I don’t recommend any of the five “lands” at this time of year. It’s simply tourists watching tourists. Wytze did have to swim so we went all the way down and he did go in, but then we hightailed it out of there. That meant riding up steeply for a while but it just got better and better as we escaped the town. Wytze said it best: “It looks much better from further away.”

We rode for a while then stopped for a relaxed lunch at a gorgeous place, unpretentious and uncrowded, with a killer view of the sea far below. We had fried seafood, salad, mussels, cheese etc.

After lunch it was only 10 km to La Spezia, mostly downhill. We cruised into town down the road I had driven up before. Our apartment was right downtown, pretty easy to find. We had to carry up three stories, but soon were having showers in our spacious and modern apartment.

Daniel had a nap and the rest of us went downtown. My charger had died so I bought a replacement. Wytze needed a cable. Then we walked to the water front and I thought to type craft beer into Google maps. Next thing you know we’re having nice beers on a quiet street.

We picked up some breakfast food on the way home, then headed out to meet Daniel for dinner.  We had picked a highly rated seafood restaurant and had a long relaxed giant dinner there. We had about six courses of appetizers including raw oysters and more mussels, with prosecco. Then we each ordered another course and called it a night. Wonderful!