Ride Report by Risto Aalto
Det hade varit en av de intensivaste veckorna hittills under hösten, ja man var ju tvungen att passa in en hel veckas arbete på 3 dagar för att nu på torsdag morgon sitta på Arlanda Express på väg mot Toscana och en veckas cykling. Ser hur landskapet utanför fönstret rusar förbi samtidigt som jag sakta går igenom förberedelserna inför resan… …rengjort cykeln, köpt kedjelås, ny kedja, laddat batterier, laddat ner rutter, kopplat samman wattmätare och dator igen, samma för pulsmätaren… …hmmm, var packade jag ner datorn?… …funderar febrilt igenom packningen, kläderna, verktygen, väskorna, cykelväskan, men kan för mitt liv inte minnas var jag lagt ned datorn… …Hel-e! har jag glömt datorn? Vad gör jag nu?
Day -1, Friday, Pisa – Lucca thor ~60 km
The bike is assembled after the flight, breakfast finished and it's time for a "check-out ride". I inform the gang that is there that I would like to cycle to Lucca as I found that there is a bicycle shop there that has Wahoo in its range. Yes, I then had to buy a new bike computer and since Wahoo is the best I know, the choice was quite obvious. Gerry did his best to encourage me with happy exclamations… …about alternative brands.
We slide slowly around on nice... ...or rather very nice dirt roads up to the cycling city of Lucca. There are apparently several professional cycling clubs that train there during their "off-season". Lucca is a fantastically nice little town with lots of nice coffee spots inside the big ring wall. There is also a long and fine aqueduct from Roman times that offers a nice bike ride in its shadow.
We luckily got hold of a new bike computer for me and the week was thus saved. 😊
Day 0, Saturday, Pisa tor 65km
Several of the participants arrived during the Friday evening, got their bikes together and now on Saturday morning it was time for the actual "check-out ride". Gerry had prepared with a reasonable trip down to the sea which offered a tight 7 mile round with only 110 meters of elevation gain. It was just right for me because it was something else I had also forgotten at home... ...training! - Basically hadn't touched my bike since last Easter, when we were at Mallis and cycling. I was infinitely grateful to be able to soft start in this way.
However, there was a small group that set out to go to Lucca "The hard way" over the mountain during their cor. In silence, I was quite impressed by that gang's feat and thought this could only end one way for me. I would suffer from severe cramps and knock on every section, I would be relegated to the pubic corner of the bus to look for my lost form…
...the bus yes, it was driven during the week by Terje, C-J's fantastic guy who cheerfully made sure that all luggage handling, water depot and energy distribution as well as photography and drone "piloting" were handled with gusto. With that attitude and energy he will go far… He also borrowed dad's bike one day and put us all on the spot without even slim bibs, or tubeless for that matter… …just that!
Day 1, Sunday, Pisa – Volterra 120 km 1900 altitude meters
Tagged as hell, now it was, a Bike Gravel Radonnée in classic Tuscan tracks, L'Eroica, Strade Bianchi, Via Francigena etc… ! A wonderful morning, cool, windless and quiet. The Italians sleep in and only the click of our gears shifting and rolling is heard. On dam embankments along the river Arno, the journey goes without us having to make any significant effort. There is a bit of small talk in different groups and generally congenial while we have the mountains in the background to the north and the plain on the other side, which the dike will protect against in case of flooding. It's easy, it's gravel mixed with grass. Surprised dog owners and occasional joggers are the only people we meet in the early hours of the morning.
After about half the distance we start to climb. It's getting tough for the undersigned. The temperature has also passed 25 degrees, which is a bit unusual for us. During the remaining 6 miles we squeeze in around 1700 meters of altitude, which means 280 altitude meters per mile, varav avslutningen bjuder på en stigning på c:a 450m. Vi är många som gräver djupt denna första dag på rutten, slutligen när mörkret börjar falla kommer vi fram till byn Volterra. Nu är vi äntligen igång, trötta, glada, och tacksamma att vi kommit fram.
Day 2, Monday, Volterra – Siena 75km 1450 meters of altitude
This morning Riggert and I made the decision to lighten the load a little and take a slightly easier and straighter route to Siena. We chose approx. 6 miles of asphalt instead. However, we received messages via WhatsApp that it had been tough during the regular route. The journey initially had a long climb on gravel which afterwards landed in a "jungle/rainforest". The groupings got separated from each other, got a little lost and the lunch breaks ended up in different places...
For my part, it was necessary to have a day in between, to be able to loosen the stiff legs sometimes. During the last 3-4 km, Riggert and I got the only splash of rain of the week, cooling and nice.
Day 3, Tuesday, Siena – San Quirco d'Orcia, 67km 1150 meters of altitude
Eftersom många haft det kämpigt med dag 2 också, kommit fram sent, så kanske man inte hann gå runt och se några sevärdheter i Siena. Det fick vi dock uppleva i alla fall denna morgon när vi alla valde den ”Snygga” rutten för dagen… ..konstigt, ingen som ville bränna lite extra kalorier med den ”Hårda” eller ens ”Mellan” rutten.
We passed by the classic square with the Town Hall and Tower of Siena, the place where the annual horse race "Palion" is held every summer in August.
It is now during day 3 that we enter the routes with the known names, the routes that we longed for. We find rolling landscapes, chalk-white dirt roads, minimal traffic, sun and heat... can it get any better?
We keep a slightly different speed, a few punctures also help to spread out the field. I eventually end up cycling with the "Dala cluster" towards the hotel. We fight valiantly towards the goal and finally find an incomparable view of the mountains and valleys in between. There is a little mist in the air which adds to the atmosphere and the sunset on the veranda.
The feat of the day was Mats Aadde who, due to some technical problems with his bike, got off a little later and therefore cycled all day alone towards the finish line. Well done Mats!
Day 4, Wednesday, San Quirco d'Orcia – Siena, 94km 1900 meters of altitude
Oj! Vi har snart passerat hälften! Det börjar sjunka in att hos oss deltagare att det någonstans finns ett slut på denna underbara fokuserade tillvaro, någonstans där framme kommer vardagen emot oss med stormsteg… …men än så länge är vi i paradiset 😊. Rutten vänder och vi styr åter norrut mot Siena. Vi väljer lite nya vägar som tar oss över helt fantastiska berg och raviner på båda sidor om vägen. Just denna dag känner jag mig pigg och stark, jag har lyckats mota tillbaka lite begynnande skav i den aktra änden och känner dessutom att benen har vaknat till liv efter ett låååångt uppehåll. Jag drar därför på lite i början och finner plötsligt att jag är nästa ensam. Mikael gör mig sällskap och vi antar att de andra gjort några pauser längs vägen. Vi bestämmer oss för att sakta rulla vidare i hopp om att de ska komma ikapp oss. Hursomhelst rullar vi snart in på Lunchen i Aciano, En liten trevlig by längs L’Eroica rutten. Sitter och pustar ett tag och försöker ta in allt vi sett. Luncher ja, det verkar som Italienare är väldigt förtjusta i vitt bröd… …i alla dess former. Så länge det är vitt är det bra… Pizza, Bruschetta och Pane till maten etc. Idag blev det en Bruschetta till lunch. Kände dock att magen inte riktigt skulle vilja ha mer vitt bröd längre, men vad gör man när utbudet inte var så stort?
So, Coke, Coffee, Bruschetta and then off again.
Thought I had Piotr with me when I left from lunch. After a few turns in the village, however, he had disappeared and I thought that maybe he had stopped to wait for the others or he chose tarmac towards Siena instead... We had some serious climbs ahead of us on the gravel now during the second half of the day.
About 200 meters of altitude per mile leaves its mark even if you feel energetic... It starts to go a little slower and at about 7 miles I am passed by Anders (Lisa). Anders is super strong uphill and leaves me in the dust behind. I start to feel a little tender and skip a bit of the gravel at the end, which is why, funny enough, it turns out that Lisa-Anders actually passes me 3 times in the last 2 ½ miles.
The challenge of the stretch will be a small HAB at km 84-85, which for my part leads through a thorny thicket and "Jungle" where a Machete would have been the right tool. Tired but happy, I finally arrive at Siena again.
Day 5, Thursday, Siena - Poggibonsi, 73 km 1300 altitude meters
We wake up to another wonderful day in Italy, Tuscany delivers both weather, landscape and gravel to rank. Actually, the distance from Siena to Poggibonsi is just under 3 miles, but Gerry had scouted magnificent roads that offered both challenge and enjoyment. I think maybe someone started to feel a little dull from the day program and opted for a little more tarmac. A few others had some challenges with their bikes.
It's absolutely amazing how much beating this type of bike can take, I mean, I'm not the lightest person in the bunch but the only thing I experienced was that on 3 occasions along the way I needed to pump up my rear tire which had a little baby punk… …that's all! -You can bomb down dirt roads that turn into crushed stone at the end, or end up in unexpected, huge "washboards" on a downhill in 35-40 knots and still be in control of the situation.
I eventually ended up after 5.5 miles in a nice little village in the Chianti district called Castellina in Chianti and joined the Dala group for a delicious lunch. On the departure from Castellina, one of the gang happened to get punctured and after a while I decided to move on as it seemed that the cooperation between the three was well rehearsed during the hose change.
The downhill run with the hazy view from Castellina and also the gravel road that followed I will lock in my memory bank for cold winter days on the spinning pass.
Dag 6, Fredag, Poggibonsi – Cecina, 89km 1200 höjdmeter
Dagen börjar med en jämn och fin sträcka på en gammal banvall som slutar i en lång asfalts klättring till dagens fika. Det är lite mulet direkt på morgonen och när vi klättrar uppåt kommer vi in i själva molnet. Det är fuktigt och daggdropparna fastnar som små pärlor på armarna. Efter ett tag har solen bränt bort de låga molnen och temperaturen stiger snabbt. En snabbfika på toppen följs av strålande landskap tills vi svänger av till vänster för att ta oss in på det utsökta gruset. Några av resans allra finaste vyer kommer emot oss och vi kryssar fram mellan vingårdarna. På distans ser vi några jobbiga grusklättringar som hotfullt kommer närmre, men det visar sig att vägen svängde av i sista stund. Tror Fredrik tog en extra sväng uppför ett av dessa uppförslut… Kudos, Fredrik!
However, there were some real leg breakers for me as well. One of today's climbs ended with a finish on the 18% pitch.
Anyway, today's experience was a bit of a jungle to traverse with washed out sections of trail and a rocky downhill run that required full concentration. Terje came and met from the other side. The terrain was sometimes so difficult that he thought he was riding the wrong way. It was a nice break at the car to fill up with water. Lunch loomed and we continued there on tarmac.
Once we got closer to the sea, it was an incomparably nice drive in a pine forest park the last kilometers before the Hotel and the cooling bath in the Mediterranean Sea,
Day 7, Saturday, Cecina – Pisa, 79km c:a 500? height meters
Sista dagen! Vi hade bara en ”liten kulle” att passera idag… många trötta ben och lite fel på kartmaterialet gjorde att alla backar inte fullt syntes i förväg. I en av dessa branta ”överaskningsbackar” möttes vi av en skock får som blev vallade nerför vägen av en man i en Fiat Uno. Fåren verkade stressade och funderade på om de skulle ge sig ut på åkern istället för att möta oss på vägen. Vi gjorde snällt plats och lät både fåren och bonden i bilen passera.
Jag tog några bilder med min telefon, och höll som bäst på med att stoppa undan den igen när jag hörde Piotr svära lite längre fram. Jag tittade upp mot honom och undrade vad som hände. Han viftade för fullt och tog några springande steg… …det var ungefär samtidigt som jag kände den första smärtan. Det gjorde ont i baken, bak i huvudet under hjälmen, på anklarna…
…when I realized what it was. I was surrounded by angry bees that the sheep had probably chased up from some nest in the ground. I also started waving, What can I do? Stop and try to wave them away or run and let them get knitted,,, I started running and waving as best I could. Tore off my helmet to remove the bees that stung my head. Waved down the ankles where several bees did their utmost to pierce the socks.
I counted nine bites afterwards when I stopped a couple of hundred meters from the sheep and the swarm of bees. I had some antihistamine in my emergency bag that I always take with me on my bike rides. Quickly popped 2 tablets and hoped I wouldn't have any more reactions than the small swellings and pain I was now feeling.
I cycled on to get to a bigger road. Thought if I get a bigger reaction it's probably better to be on busier roads. I caught up with Riggert and Ricardo after a while. Ricardo felt a bit crass and wanted to shorten the distance somewhat and Riggert was also tired of the skimming, so we decided that we will take Asphalt the last bit towards Pisa. It suited me perfectly as I was still in a lot of pain from the sting. Each sting felt like an open wound where someone had emptied a salt shaker or even rubbed in some juice from a chili fruit.
There was no lunch en route this day, more than a small quick coffee. Then there was a bit of asphalt tempo for 3 people towards the leaning tower.
An unforgettable week came to an end. Our lovely participants dropped off towards various flights and other transports over the next 24 hours. Many wonderful memories and adventures to remember. I know I missed a lot of them, but I hope that some of the above might help us remember
A special praise goes to Terje who made it all possible!! Not easy to manage a bunch of old men, with various needs and wishes 😊
The tour as a movie.
Arrividerci Toscana !//inzain.bike/INZAIN.gravel/INZAIN Toscana
/Risto/Gerry/CJ
