We walked out of the hotel into intermittent rain. Because of a number of mechanical problems we were slow to get on the road, so a few of us snuck out to Orti Dipinti to check it out while we waited for the group.
There was a lot of anxiety about riding the cobblestone streets in the wet. They were a bit treacherous, but the reflections made them picturesque.
When we got on the road we took things very slowly, and managed to make it to the river without incident.
The rain tapered off and it looked like we might have a nice ride, until Luisa got a flat, and the first attempt to fix it failed. While Rosita was working on that, everyone else went to the street market up the road. The market was huge, over 100 booths, and continued for more than a kilometer along the Arno. This was not a tourist market selling duomo snow globes, it was a mash-up of what we’d call a flea market and a farmer’s market.
While we were there, the rain started again, and was still coming down when Rosita and the rest of the crew rolled up.
After crossing the river, we got onto a dirt path by train tracks, which would have been fun in dry conditions, but was nasty in the rain. Everything got dirty and gritty.
We happened to be going in the same direction and at the same pace of the one rain cloud; we rode for quite a while in the rain, with blue skies to the left and right of us. If I were solo touring I would have sheltered somewhere for a while to see if it cleared up. As it was, we all got wet and muddy.
Eventually the rain subsided, and the climbing started. Today’s ride would take us to Vinci (Leonardo’s birthplace), and we had a good ridge to get over to get there, with over 400 meters of climbing. It began with a very steep climb up to our first stopping point, a local cemetery where we used the restrooms and cleaned ourselves up a bit.
Our next stop was another cemetery of sorts, this one a cool Etruscan tomb over 2500 years old.
After the tomb, the climb began in earnest. It began with about 150m through a couple of small towns up to Carmignano where we would have lunch. The climb was mostly mellow, with beautiful views of the Tuscan countryside, and the sun started to poke through as we got to the top of the ridge.
It got a bit steeper just before the lunch stop, making the espresso taste just a little better when we got there.
Leaving Carmignano we got to do the rest of the climb. This was the last ridge we’d have to get over on our way to the Ligurian Sea, and I savored the effort and the sun-dappled vistas. I tagged back from the summit and got to take in the views as I met the folks still climbing up. It was challenging riding but most everyone was smiling.
After a beer at the top we had a beautiful descent towards Vinci.
I blasted off ahead of the group and enjoyed the twisty, fast descent. Midway down, the route forked to the right, and I stopped to make sure I was going the right way, climbing up an olive tree (Il barone rampante) to take pictures of the group flying by.
I went to chase them, unaware that there were still more folks behind; that group missed the turn and wound up getting some bonus riding. (Bike touring maxim: Never make navigation errors in the downhill direction.)
Vinci is a hill town so we had a bit of climbing to do at the end of the day, ending at a rustic agriturismo on the hillside.
We walked into town, visited the Leonardo museum, and enjoyed some sunset gelato.
After dinner at the agriturismo, Rosita gave Nancy’s ankle some reflexology (ow), and we retired to our lovely cottage to hang out our laundry and enjoy the rest of the digestivi we’d picked up in Ischia before the bike trip.
