Hello Legs…

We’ve put Rome in the rear view mirror and begun the cornerstone of our Italian adventure, cycling in Tuscany. The sea and the mountains will be fabulous but they must wait. The cycling  is why we’re here and we must heed the call.

A high speed train ride from Rome and a full day of rest in Florence was the perfect recovery for our tired legs before being picked up by inGamba (our cycling tour group) and driven to the village of Lecchi in Chianti, population 80. Our little cycling group of six has made a sizable bump in their numbers!

We chose inGamba for the experience. More about that in a different post, but this is their classic Tuscany trip, what they describe as “the culmination of all their local knowledge and a perfect expression of the Mangia, Beve, Bici experience.”  Eat, Drink, Bike.

Each ride is a “stage” and the first one was a short 16 miler for everyone to shake out the legs after a few days of travel. It was also a chance to test out the bikes provided by inGamba and get accustomed to equipment that is slightly different than what we ride at home. We are riding gorgeous Pinarello Dogma F10 bikes that are the cycling equivalent of a Italian high performance sports car. Prior to the trip, we provided their mechanics with exact bike measurements so that when we arrived, our personalized bikes were ready and waiting. If something is wrong with the bike, the mechanics, all pro cycling team caliber, will fix it.

Stage Two was longer (38 miles) and we began tackling some climbs, with 3,320’ of elevation gain. The riding here is very different from home. There are very few stop signs (certainly no traffic lights) and very little automobile traffic. Because of that, and the fact that one of our guides is a former pro cyclist who pulls and pushes us to ride hard, we can ride faster and more confidently. 

The highlight of  Stage Two was Castellina, a constant source of conflict between Florence and Siena during the Middle Ages. Keep in mind that before it became a republic in 1870, Italy consisted of multiple states/provinces that periodically went to war with each other. Castellina has a massive castle with a huge 14th-century tower. There is also the Church of San Salvatore, with an early 15th-century fresco of Madonna with Child. It is one of the only paintings showing Mary breast feeding Jesus. Finally, it has the Via della Volte underground tunnel, which we rode through. It was crazy!

The countryside is jaw dropping beautiful and we can’t wait to get back on our bikes for more. Stages Three and Four bring more miles and a little more serious climbing. As André, our pro rider guide and former Portuguese National Champion, told us “now the real riding begins”.