Wot an initiation

It's funny whilst I have been working enthausiastically for the last couple of months towards the concept of being able to ride my beloved stead I'd forgotten just how enjoyable it was to be able to do so....

Its amazing just how liberating it is..

I mean okay sure joining my Lead Out colleagues riding through the Dandenongs as my first ride on Aussie roads, since my fall may not have been my wisest move but what better way to find out if I was still capable of riding up hills and more importantly descending them without fear or a desire to reach for the brakes!

So how'd I go - well take a look at the Strava report for your own analysis - but I thought not to bad all things considered. I even felt that there was plenty of gas in the tank for the 1:20 climb.

Travel Insurance warning

Given my recent exploits and the subsequent implications from a financial as well as a physical / mental point of view, I just thought I'd tell you all a little about my experience in dealing with the travel insurance company because I've certainly learnt a thing or two....

Basically before I headed overseas I bought travel insurance from the Flight Centre preferred company - Covermore. I explained what I was doing, where it was occurring and details of my previous medical conditions (no problems there).

Now in addition to the basic (personal) insurance I also took out additional cover for my bicycle and camera. I was just a tad worried that my bike wouldn’t make it to or from Italy in one piece having heard all sorts of horror stories about the manner in which they were “handled” by airport baggage handlers….

OK – So what’s been the outcome, since my fateful descent of Passo del Stelvio?!

Well let’s just put it this way, during my stay in the Italian hospital, I didn’t have any contact from the insurance company (that I know of or recall) though I do believe they were in regular contact with the hospital staff…..

I did however receive an email from Covermore, post discharge requesting that I obtain confirmation that I was fit to fly.

As a result I headed to a Swiss hospital (It was expensive but absolutely fantasic service, if for no other reason they told me what they were doing and why).

I received said confirmation that I was OK to fly so long as someone put sufficient holes in the box to allow me to breath.

Upon returning home, I submitted a claim, firstly for:

* The cost of my visit to the Swiss hospital; and

* The cost of altering my return flight so as to get home to Australia earlier than was originally scheduled

Some two months later I am yet to receive confirmation as to whether they will reimburse me these costs or otherwise.... Seems they want a copy of my credit card statement which shows the cost of my airline tickets having been purchased using a credit card because there is thing called co-insurance.

In other words they want to chase fifty per cent of their costs / payments to myself from the credit card company's insurance policy....

Does raise the question as to why you’d bother taking out travel insurance with a private provider, if you’ve got a credit card??? At any rate, whilst I waited for this issue to be resolved I submitted an additional claim being for:

* The cost seeing an orthopedic surgeon here in Australia. I went to see him, ostensibly for an assessment of the work undertaken in the Italian hospital and to find out what I needed to do get movement back in the joint, it having been in a plaster cast for a month here on in;

* The cost of seeing a physiotherapist;

* The cost of replacing my helmet camera;

* The cost of repairing the mechanical parts of the bike that had been damaged;

* The cost of replacing some of the cycling clothing I was wearing at the time of the accident;

 Now all of these expenses could and were backed up with receipts I wasn't however claiming for things the price of which I could not support - like the arm warmers, broken helmet, rain jacket or what have you that I was also wearing at the time of the accident.

Their response as far as the second claim was concerned; was here is some money for replacing your cycle clothing and the helmet camera, but as far as the medical expenses here in Australia - we are not a medical insurance provider and therefore are prohibited / unable to reimburse these costs.

In other words if I had stayed in Europe and sought out a physio and orthopaedic surgeon who spoke English then the cost of their services could be billed / repaid by the travel insurer.

Once you return to Aussie soil however we can wash our hands of you and the costs will either have to come out your pocket or against any medical insurance policy you might have. We don't care.....

Not what I thought would be the case, what about you???

Carbon!

OK - So I might have had the inspiration to get back out on the roads, a couple of weeks ago, but do you think I did - well no - I wimped out!

Why well basically and this is where reading cycling magazines can be an expensive proposition, not necessarily because the mags are addictive or particularly expensive but rather because in addition to coercing you  into buying more bike bling they also teach you about various aspects of riding safely... 

Essentially I remembered reading somewhere that it's always a wise idea to have the integrity of your frame checked whenever you've had a bingle, fall or what have you...

As a result whilst my bike looked & felt reasonably okay whilst it was on the indoor trainer there was one blemish on my front fork which in light of this mag's comments did give me a bit of consternation.

As a result I felt it best before joining any one of the numerous Beach Road peletons or striving for a new PB on the 1:20, both of which (for those that aren't from Melbourne) are fairly well frequented bike rides by us lycra louts, I thought I should get it professionally assessed.

As a result my bike has spent the last week or so being given the once over by Luescher Teknik wherein the owner Raoul informed me that I was right - the front fork was in technical terms - cactus / stuffed!

Not only was it weakened on the side of the fork (as above) but also at the top of the fork where it enters the frame, connects with the handlebars.

Should the forks give way under any stress who knows what form of carnage / self injury could result.

In other words there was no other option than to replace it!

Fortunately however Raoul was able to obtain a replacement!

Yeah yeah, I know I'll have to negotiate obtaining reimbursement for the cost involved with the travel insurance company, but that's a whole separate story.

The important thing is that I now have a bike that's restored to as good as new....

World Championships Inspiration

Three months later and thanks to some fairly extensive workouts with one of the physio's from - Kieser Training - it looks like I will soon be ready to take to the road once more.....

OK - So I wasn't selected by Orica-Greenedge or AIS-Jayco team management to join Simon Clarke and the rest of the lads in Tuscany for the World Championships but that is hardly surprising given:

• My history of riding on Italian roads;
• My inability to partake in either the Vuelta da Espana or Tour of Alberta for training purposes;
• My love affair with the region which could lead me to becoming distracted by the scenery. It's not just a chic thing, the area is simply stunningly beautiful.

Ah well, such is life!

Now I gotta tell ya, riding a bike on a  trainer is as boring as bat shit and what's more is far from appealing when your required to do so in front of a mirror to check that your symmetry is right. 

Thank you Conan from Lead Out Cycling for the suggestion, but enough is enough - Time to hit the roads!

The way one traditionally climbs & descends Passo del Stelvio

This is a video, shot by a mate I made whilst participating in La Bella Italia, Peter Kemp, showing both the climb and more importantly the descent of the Stelvio, which I failed to complete in the orthodox fashion. 

Whilst I don't know precisely where the "incident" occurred, nor was I able to recall it when I revisited the peak of the climb several weeks later, all I know is that it was in one of the tunnels, which as you can see from this video were a little dark, wet and slippery!

Wrap up on La Bella Italia

OK!

This is where I probably need to confess what I believed occurred on the Stelvio with the end of the tour within my sight / grasp, cause as you will have all probably realised by now I didn't make it to the end. 

Sure I made it to the top as the following photo proves. I even bought a jersey as a commemorative means of celebrating this achievement. I am sure you will see me riding it around town in due course even if it is now with a little bit of tongue in cheek... Okay so what happened. Well having spent almost all of my energy getting up this climb I didn't particularly listen to the vibe which seemed to be running through the group nor to my own gut instinct which was to say "Get down safely".

The number of tourist buses, motorcyclists and other cyclists on the road, along with the very nature of the descent meant things weren't going to be easy.... Sure I planned to take photos on some of the corners - the downhill route being to my mind more picturesque than what I had ridden up, not that I didn't stop on the uphill side for photo (rest stop) purposes either....

What happened as I descended however remains somewhat unknown...... One moment I was taking photos - the next about a week later - I woke up in a hospital with a couple of injuries which I still cannot account for...

1. A left elbow that was fractured to smithereens;
2. A suspected fractured vertabrae;
3. Possible bleeding on the brain;
4. A sore left knee

From what I have been able to deduce it would seem that at some point coming down the Stelvio I had a slight accident in one of the tunnels, and it was only the fast thinking and acting of a Canadian fireman was the road closed off, whilst I was airlifted off the mountain,

I have subsequently been up the road I was to have ridden (thanks to a good friend - Dave) and I could not identify any areas of particular concern / danger, nor does my bike indicate that I was hit by anyone / anything.

What I can tell you however is Thank God I was wearing a helmet.

I also owe a great deal of gratitude to countless people including

• Canadian Firemen training manuals;
• Nicki & Annie (fellow La Bella Italia cyclists)
• Doutse & Wilbert ( La Bella Italia crew)
• The Italian Air Ambulance crew
• The Italian Hospital system

Laces to Grosio

Well, here we go up the Stelvio. Forty eight hairpin corners, worth some twenty four kilometres of climbing. Just a good thing that the gradient ain't in the double figure range early on. 

No idea how far I had climbed by this stage. Not all the corners were marked / counted down but obviously a good opportunity to collect one's breath, take a sip of water and to rvitalise one's energy.

Yet another pit stop.

 

It's a bit like Beach Road in a way, given the number of cyclists from all around the world who want to challenge themselves with something as formidable as the Stelvio.

 

A group photo taken at the top.

Just one of the views of the valley in which we were to descend.

At this point I should mention that we were tackling the mountain, just slightly differently to the way the Pros were to have done it in the Giro. IE: We were to descend the way they were to come up and vice versa. 

As for which way is the harder. Who knows... The Pros didn't do it anyhow....

Stelvio - The day we do something that the professional's didn't do!

Well tomorrow we head out from our campsite in Latsch to do something that the professional riders in this year's Giro d'Italia were unable (or unwilling) to do only 2-3 weeks earlier and that is to ride up and over the Stelvio Pass, which has a certain amount of cycling folklore attached to it, being that at 2757 Metres in height, it is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps.

Not too sure whether I am looking forward to this climb or not, and expect that there may be one or two photos taken on any one (or all) of the forty eight switchbacks that the climb entails, given my lack of enthusiasm / ability to climb mountains all that easily.

To make things more interesting, we've made the decision that as there is to be a group photo taken at the top and so as to avoid the faster riders on the tour sitting up top for hours at end, to put riders into groups of three (a General Classification Rider, a Team Domestique and a Sprinter) and then on somewhat of a handicap system in terms of start times.

No prizes for guessing, how I have been classified (Sprinter) where apparently my only job is to get to the top, before the other team's sprinters and before the race cut off time (Not that there is one in this instance) unlike the way the poor sprinters have to do it on the professional circuit.

We'll just have to see how it goes - All I know is that I will be setting a P.B!

Canazei to Latsch

Sorry folks, no photos today although I did record on my helmet camera the entire decent from Passo Costalunga at an altitude of 1728 metres into Bozen at around 289 metres which represents (If I am doing my maths correctly) a drop in approximately 1423 metres over a distance of 26 kilometres, which I believe equates to a gradient decline of around 5.5%. I will try to get that up on this site, along with some of the other recordings, shortly.

As you can imagine, being in the Dolomite's with snow capped peaks on either side of the valley and at the top of our one and only climb for the day, was amazingly spectacular. Very enjoyable scenery, made all that much better by the fact that the roads were all in good condition, the corners on the down hill running predominately sweeping and very open, hence easy to pick a line to follow and the sun was out (been awhile since that has lasted all day)!

Admittedly however I must confess that even I found it hard work after awhile, pushing the peddles over at a great rate of knots, during the descent so as to get to the bottom as fast as possible, though that is certainly not a whinge or a compliant. I would quite quickly & easily be conned into doing it all over again, but alas our journey marches on.....

Today's route, including the descent all cyclist's dream of - Canazei to Latsch

Cortina D'Ampezzo to Canazei

A view of the ski resort village of Cortina D'Ampezzo where we had stayed in a hotel, the first for a few nights and a much deserved & needed one at that, given that yesterday had been the Queen Stage of the tour (basically for the non-cyclists among you, the day with the most climbing) on what had been a wet and somewhat miserable day.

A view of the scenery a few kilometres down the road, and a good excuse for me to take a brief rest stop, given that there were to be three fairly reasonable climbs on today's stage, even if it wasn't to be a particularly long ride from a distance perspective.

Oh, and the problem with riding at altitude, as if you couldn't have guessed it - It's bloody cold! Do not believe for one moment whatever the bike computer has recorded / shows you, the temperature was actually recorded at 3 degrees at the top of at least two of our mountain tops.

In other words, quite a fair bit of time today was spent with a view of snow on the mountain peaks and quit often by the side of the road. Very picturesque, but cold nonetheless. Today's route map  profile - Cortina D'Ampezzo to Canazei

Team Red - At the highest (and final) peak for the day, showing off our purchases from the night before. Getting soaked to the bone yesterday had been no fun at all, hence the three of us had headed off into town to see what we could pick up that would be water as well as wind proof.

All three of us, Annie, Nicki and myself all tried on a multitude of jackets and it was by pure chance and I suppose a bit of "team building" that we all ended up buying the exact same colour & design of gortex jacket. My legs incidentially are not as pale as they might appear, it's just they were a tad cold.

The Queen Stage - Tramonti di Sotto to Cortina d'Ampezzo

Having spent the last couple of riding days on the flat, and by that I mean it was only the bridges and overpasses that had counted as climbs, today was to be our biggest climbing day for the entire tour. 

It started out well enough as far as the scenery and weather is concerned, however I was to ride the day without my Garmin and hence was to have no idea as to how much distance I had covered / was to ride at any given stage on the ride. Nor did I have any idea as to what my heart rate was doing or anything. The reason for this little mishap, I had charged the phone in the support vehicle had picked it up and popped into my jean's pocket which I promptly forgot about when I packed my bags later in the evening. A consistent routine is crucial, in terms of where things are put, in which order and so on. A little oops but with a rather unfortunate outcome.

In amongst the climbs were a number of tunnels, many of them probably having been dug out years and years ago, with very dim lighting, water constantly dripping from the roof and cobblestones on the floor just to make things even more interesting. The picture below is of Helen, entering a tunnel which was to go for three kilometres in length.You wouldn't want to be afraid of the dark....

By the same token, when you did come out into the daylight, you'd come across scenes as below.

Anyone would think that we were in Switzerland or Austria, given the design of the buildings and churches, rather than Italy.

By the same token, it would seem that if one was to take a wrong turn on a couple of the roads we were climbing today, one could well end up in Austria fairly quickly.

There's no more photos taken, from lunchtime onwards as the heavens began to open and the climbs all that much steeper. All I will say is that it was bloody cold, wet & miserable, to the point in fact that had I seen our support truck on the final climb (as opposed to at the top) I suspect I might well have called it quits even though I'd have only been 20KM from home.

Fortunately, I didn't and trudged very slowly up the hill, before rolling down the other side at a great rate of knots, despite the treacherous conditions just eager to end the day as soon as possible.

Chioggia to Venezia

Gee, it was a hard day in the saddle today. I mean we had to ride all of nigh on thirty kilometres, and all of it pancake flat..... with the hardest part of the day being having to manually lift my bike, on and off the various ferries on the route from Chioggia to Venice.

Some of the boats in the Chioggia canals

One of the three ferries we caught today!

My first view of the Grand Canal as we sailed past to our campsite.

Once we arrived in Punta Sabbioni, which is a port located on the southern most tip of the peninsula which separates the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea, I set my tent up, changed out of my lycra gear (not too sure why I bothered to put it on) then headed into Venice to see what all the commotion is about. 

It's a wonderful & very photographic city but once I put my camera away, I couldn't help but feel that it had somewhat of a "theme park" feel about it. Now I am sure if I had done some research before I set out on this trip and knew which of the art galleries, historic buildings or museums, I should explore in depth I'd have got more out of it but I hadn't..... 

Bumping into my good cycling buddy Rien, as I aimlessly wandered the canals / alleyways of Venice, we convinced one another to visit a supermarket, grab a six pack of beers and to take a seat alongside the Grand Canal to chat and to just watch life go by.... 

Firenze to Castel San Pietro

I must confess it was with somewhat of a heavy heart that we rode out of Florence this morning. It's a very beautiful city with lots to see & do.

I have a ton of photos, the majority of which were taken yesterday which was a rest day but unfortunately I am not in a position at this stage to upload any as they were taken on my proper camera and hence the file sizes would bring the entire net to a standstill if you were to try and view them on line. I don't have enough memory capacity on my laptop to load Photoshop, hence don't have the ability to manipulate or save the files as a smaller image.

What I can tell you however is that our campsite, which was located on the top of a hill overlooking the city and close to a lookout area, meant that it was only a fifteen - twenty minute walk in to town. Slightly longer for the return journey mainly because the stairs were so steep, though one's propensity to indulge in a couple of gelatii's or two probably doesn't help the issue.

Anyhow, getting back to the story at hand, today's ride was in many ways similar to that of Gerace to Nicoliosi both in terms of distance & metre's to be climbed and as a result I was a little anxious / keen to see how my performance would compare. Things didn't start too well, as I found myself at the back of the pack very early on in the game, having experienced a bit of hassle negotiating my way through the morning's traffic on the way out of Florence. The road headed upwards and I found myself catching back on to the stragglers within the pack. As the gradient went upwards, I found myself (surprisingly) passing some of my colleagues, one by one.

By the time I crested the top of the pass, I found myself halfway through the group and with a long descent ahead of us, I decided to open things up a little and to take a few calculated risks, in order to see if I could latch myself back onto the A Team or at last near the front of the pack. By the time we had reached the bottom, I was out front. It's surprising what happens when you throw caution to the wind.

This then left me with the decision as to whether to sit up and follow or lead a few people in to the 40KM coffee stop or whether to keep going and I ended deciding on the latter, purely because the legs were feeling good and I figured I may as well keep going, rather than trying to ride at somebody else's pace. I rode through the next little village and despite supposedly going through the centre of town did not see a single coffee shop. As a result I continued to ride on, vowing that I would stop for a cappicino at the first opportunity that presented itself. Little was I to know that this was to be halfway up our big climb for the day, nor that by the time I'd get there it was to be a cold bottle of coke as opposed to a latte

Ah well, one drinks caffine in whatever form it comes in, so as to provide that little bit of an energy boost for whatever lays ahead, though I knew that it would be a few more kilometres of climbing through a wonderfully lush forest. No idea as to the nature of the trees (You should all know by now that I am not a green thumb) but it was pretty nice nonetheless and provided a bit of much needed shade.

Whilst there was a resturant at the top of the mountain and I could have stopped for a coffee as I believe some people were to do I decided to keep on rolling. Lunch was a mere ten kilometres away and the majority of that was to be down hill. Yeah!

As a result, on I peddled, with only one or two riders ahead of me. Not quite to sure how I managed to get up the hill without being passed by the hordes behind, other than to assume that the rest of the peleton found somewhere for a coffee, that I had not spotted. At any rate lunch time was fast approaching.

The lunch van, which I must confess I nearly rode straight past, given that I was so enjoying the scenery, the descent, the whole box & dice.

The lunch spot!

A couple of the lads Michael (Black Top) and Kenny G (Pink Top) discussing team tactics for the afternoon's ride.....

After lunch the first five to ten KM's were predominately downhill (which I loved and took every advantage of) and went through a couple of valleys, which had rivers running through them, as above. Wonderful scenery, it's just a pity I didn't have my helmet camera with me.....

I nearly popped in here to ask for a bit of divine intervention, so as to give me the ability to climb my way over the final mountain top for the day, before then heading along a twenty kilometre and predominately "flat" stretch of road to the hotel. Didn't however, as it would have meant dismounting from my bike and then having to find the ability & courage to continue riding. 

Managed to roll into Castel San Pietro without too much undue stress and was the second person in and to hit the showers, before heading out into the hotel courtyard for a much needed beer or two. Refer to today's route profile. Firenze to Castel San Pietro

Roma to Capidomnte

I must admit I'm a little bamboozled as to what I think of Rome... I mean, we've had two days to explore the place and whilst I made sure as to visit some of the obligatory sightseeing places, like the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Spanish Steps (still not sure what the appeal is with them) and the Trevi Fountain - I won't be able to upload any photos till I get home. 

I also spent a bit (and maybe too much) time looking for a better bike computer - I think I've got a bit of bike bling envy. 

That said, whilst the weather over the last couple of days had been good, the rain started coming down this morning but despite this we were all very keen to get on our bikes and on the road again.... and with Rome being a "transition stage" there'd been a few changes within the peleton, as some riders departed to return to their "normal" lives and others joined us for tour upto Lake Como. 

I think the biggest impact of all of this though was that it added to the air of anticipation & excitement, making the rainfall some irrelevant. Fortunately however the weather cleared as the morning wore on and the rain had completely stopped by the time we got to our lunch stop near Lago di Vico. 

A good feed was definitely needed, given that the route home to our campsite in Capodimonte included a climb with sections in the vicinity of 16%. Just so glad I'd invested in a rear cluster (gears) with a 28 cog sprocket.

The photo below was taken from my tent in Capodimonte across Lago di Balsena.  

Sapri to Paestum

Wandering out of the hotel this morning, it was obvious we were in for an interesting day as far as the weather is concerned. It had rained quite heavily during the course of the night, and the grey clouds both out to sea and over the mountain tops were looking rather ominous. By the same token, the level of humidity was right up there, so the big question became "What to wear". In the end I opted to skip the long johns, but went with the wet weather jacket over the top of my normal riding jersey.... Can't be too careful.

The first 15 kilometres or so, were to be along the sea front and I didn't want to be overly burdened with a heavy set of clothing unless absolutely necessary, which it proved to be 10-15 minutes after I started our first serious climb for the day. I got so soaked in fact, that I used it as an excuse for a coffee stop with Harry even though we'd only been on the road for an hour or so.....

Fortunately the rest of the mornings ride proved uneventful, and hence we were able to motor along through the hills & valleys of the area, taking in sights such as more mountain top villages. Today's route Sapri to Paestum

It's got to be a bugger to do the shopping and I can't imagine that I'd be particularly keen to take up cycling or any sort of sport for that matter, living on the top of a hill, as the locals do....

Somehow or another I found myself one of the first into Ascea which is where our lunch van had set up shop in the town square.... I suspect that say's more about the fact that everyone else found a really good coffee shop as opposed to my pace. Wanting to keep it that way - OK - I was in boy racer mode, I tucked into a tasty cheese & tomato roll that Doutse had prepared as quickly as possible wanting to get through to Paestum before the heavens opened up again.

I was enjoying myself so much, that I even did something that I would never condone or dare do at home - I popped a couple of headphones in and listened to the likes of ACDC, Queen, Ultravox and The Levellers to see whether that could spur on my cadence - It did!

Arriving into the town of Agropoli, the rain really started to come down, making it doubly difficult for me to make sense of my map / route instructions. I think I must have spent an hour today, trying to find my way through town, all the time getting colder and colder.

In the end, when it started to hail, I ended up seeking refuge under a petrol station awning. Boy o boy was it cold. The picture below might give you a bit of an idea what it was like..... Unfortunately, my photos of the road, which was covered in the hail stones, forcing drivers onto the footpath (and I kid you not) didn't get properly stored on my camera - Not to sure why! All I can say, it is a scenario I have never seen anything the likes of before....

Once the rain eased off I found myself a restaurant in order to grab a couple of warming coffees and the opportunity to make a bit of sense of my map. It's time's like this that I wish I had bought the latest greatest Garmin and input the GPX so I knew where the heck I was....

Fortunately and it is amazing what a latte does for the mind & body, I managed to work out where I needed to go and consequently hopped on my bike to ride the final 10-15KM to the campsite. The idea of setting up my tent, sending me into such a shiver that I invested in a cabin. It wasn't much but it did have a heater - What bliss....  

On a sad note it would seem that Liz had a fall and in the process broke a rib. I'm still a little unclear of the circumstances but wouldn't be surprised if the rain were a contributing factor.... This news however has shocked all of us, leaving everyone feeling a little sick.

Tomorrow we continue along the Amalfi Coast and hopefully we'll have better weather.

Sibari to Sapri

Whilst I must admit I am glad in many respects that we'd had a rest day at the camping ground in Sibari, the place is hardly a hive of activity. Sure the camping resort in which we stayed was fine and it gave me an opportunity to get plenty of sleep so as to get over the worst of my cold, in addition to doing a bit of shopping for the essentials I'd forgotten or been unable to pack owing to the airlines weight restrictions, it was also located in the middle of an industrial / trucking zone, which meant that there were some very "interesting" women sitting by the side of the road.... Apparently it is not uncommon in many parts of Southern Europe for the ladies of the day / night to "sell" their services to the long haul truck drivers in this fashion, but I digress.

As a result and despite feeling like "$h!t" it was actually a pleasure to get back on the bike, anticipating precisely what would be around the next corner. I mean, sure we all knew that we had a long ride ahead of us, the longest to date, with three rather substantial climbs involved, but by now these thing don't seem to matter to greatly..... 

In my mind at least, it is simply a case of taking your time and simply enjoy the views, whether that is at a slow steady pace as you climb the mountain which often provide the best excuses or should I say opportunities to stop to take photos, or at a pace as you enjoy the exhilaration of a descent down the other side. Sorry - You are unlikely to see many photos taken on these sides of a mountain. 

A village high in the hills that we detoured around somewhat during the course of today's ride.

And another. 

Roads here frequently have sweeping corners are often subject to landslides or surface irregularities all of which means it is more important than normal to keep your eyes on the road. 

A number of people have come off (without serious consequence) as I am sure I have mentioned in the past as a result of just over cooking the corner, being caught out by loose sand, gravel or cracks in the road. Fortunately I've been OK so far, though I do have to admit to going down the final descent today on one corner a lot quicker than was appropriate. Ended up missing the corner altogether and winding up in someone's driveway.

What can I say, it was a bloody stupid thing to do and it's amazing what happens when the blood rushes to your head...... Just need to keep reminding myself that it is only Stage Ten of what is to be a thirty day's riding adventure. Sibari to Sapri

Villaggio Mancuso to Sibari

This is the bulk of our motley crew as we check out of our hotel looking forward to the day ahead. One which was to result in us coming off the top of our mountain peak get away and back down to sea level. That doesn't mean to say however that there wouldn't be a few climbs as we rode along the ridge line. Refer to the profile Villaggio Mancuso to Sibari

The view of Lago di Cecita o Mocuno  where we stopped for lunch

Further along the road after lunch, I came across this wonderful little setting, which highlight's just how lush things are in this part of the world, at the same time gives you a bit of an idea of the mountain range where we'd started the day.

The tour organizer - Wilbert - took the opportunity today to "test-out" a short cut that someone had pointed out on the map. What he probably didn't take into consideration is that whilst it cut 20-30 kilometres off the route, it added about an additional 500 climbing metres. What makes matters even worse, is that as a result of all the additional climbing, there was snow on the ground / road purportedly five or six feet deep.

Now I don't normally take photos of power poles, what I was trying to capture but couldn't was the fact that there was snow on a couple of the mountain peaks in the distance.

It wasn't long after the aforementioned photo was taken, that I turned towards the right, and onto the road which was to take me down to our beach side resort. Unfortunately I don't have any footage (still) from my helmet camera, not that the little villages or townships through which I rode were particularly scenic or for that matter memorable. All I know is that whilst everyone was raving about the joys of this ride home, I got stuck behind a bus who was having difficulty negotiating some of the tight corners (hence slowing me down) and nor would he let me past.

Ah well, nothing better than soaking up some exhaust fumes for 20-30 minutes or so!

Taormina to Palmi

I mentioned previously that I'd take a photo of our main support truck, which as you can see below was formerly a Dutch Fire Truck, which means that it has plenty of room for having separate but readily accessible compartments as well as being sufficiently capable of storing our luggage both on it's roof and within the interior part of the truck.

Today, we finally travel from Sicily to the mainland, with today's ride split into roughly two forty kilometre sections on each side of the water, as you can see from the profile.Taormina to Palmi

The first twenty five or so weren't too bad, however negotiating our way through the traffic and chaos of Messina was another thing altogether. Car's stop anywhere & everywhere, often without the driver's intentions being obvious as they suddenly pull up in front of fruit & vegetable sellers who have their wares, on display on the back of trucks. It's an organised sort of chaos however and for one reason or another it seems to work. Just means that riders such as ourselves have to keep a very vigilant eye open for what is occurring, as there is every prospect that a door is going to be opened in your path or what have you.

Having reached the ferry terminal, it was then a case of waiting for the entire peleton to work it's way through the traffic so that we could all travel as one. Well that was the idea. Sure we all caught up before boarding, what was somewhat unexpected however is the speed with which the ferry's unload then reload their cargo. The majority of us were in the port side cafe, buying a latte and/or gelati when the ship started to disembark, with only five of our group on board. Fortunately the next ferry was only another forty five minutes later, which gave some of us time to buy a second gelati, which I must say went down a treat.

View of Messina from aboard the ferry

View of some of the extra ferries which seemingly come into play in the Summer high season.

Whilst the five who'd been lucky enough as to catch the first ferry had stopped at our lunch point and then carried onto the campground, the rest of us (myself included) rolled in for a bite to eat, which probably wasn't all that necessary given the number of gelati's consumed, bar the fact that by now the sun was beating down, meaning it was a little warm.

Once lunch had been consumed, we then pretty much rode as a group the final forty KM into the camp. Sure I got dropped on the climb by a couple of minutes or so, but quickly caught up with the pack on the descent into the campground. Another 87 kilometres done & dusted. It will be interesting now to see the difference in culture, natural flora and fauna between Sicily and Calabria.