Blog – Days 3, 4 and 5

Day 5  – Senigallia to Tortoreta - Sunday 19th (Father’s Day)

A blistering sunrise promised a hot day, oh dear Lord! So, another HUGE breakfast & off by 9am en masse…hills & tunnels. I got amongst a pro cycling club just outside Senigallia & soon I found myself bowling along at 26mph in the middle of the peleton with so little effort it’s indecent. They were a friendly group & we chatted away merrily in Spantalien for about 20 mins before they returned off for the hills. I was sad to see them go & then realised I was the only one of our group. It was a full 5 mins before others arrived & I realised a) how easy it actually is to travel long distances effortlessly with an experienced peleton but don’t tell anyone!

Ben Lin took the spotted jersey as ‘King of the mountains’. But the tunnels were worryingly long, dark & felt ‘dangerous’. Guy had a close shave with a blue Renault & we were glad to see the back of them. Being a Sunday there were many club riders out & Paul , Steve, Ted,  Jirl, Ben & I got in with one as we headed towards our 1st stop, Porto Ricanti; once again a ‘groove was established’ & the mileage was so readily achieved we were able to detour in to town on the seafront for a DELICIOUS galelato each & a water bottle top up. Lunch was another feast from Jac & Lorraine. Surpassing themselves daily now what with local cold meats, delicious breads, cheeses, melon & strawbs.

After lunch a cycle through increasingly typical Italian towns, mire & more charming & more club cyclists to chase down & ride with. Tom Gibson took a fall with a spectacular somersault & impressive recovery, getting away with only minor grazes. This reminds us all that these adventures are fun but they do cone with risks. Tom, naturally as the tough Rugby player he is, got up & got on with it, a credit to his old man slogging away leading men 20 years his junior along hot & dusty roads!

We arrived in great spirits at Lido de Tortoretto finding a warm pool & excellent wines on offer. I leave today’s blog to prepare to sample both; as they say “It’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it”!

Thanks Tim for the blogs. A couple of points to add were that James was cruising along at 27mph behind Neil up a hill with Tim, Ted and myself hanging on behind. Where does he find the strength !!!  It must be the 10 miles a week cycling to the pub !

Phil, wanting to impress his colleagues at Stannah,  has also ridden really well despite his concerns about his level of preparation.  Each day has seen him get stronger and stronger, especially after stopping smoking !  

Rob is also enjoying the ride and the picture below shows him leading the young Ben and Joel with the rest of the group in the background. 

Finally, on the ride to Tortoreta it all just got too much for Steve who fell asleep by the side of the road to everyone’s amusement. 

 

Blog Day 4   Forli to Senigallia     Sat 18th June

A warm start in Forli & spirits were high after a sumptuous & fulsome breakfast as we quit our hospitable hotel with plans to cycle the 85 miles to Senegallia via Rimini & Fano down the SS16. The haunting call of a Stork rang out as we left & we soon hit the beach at Rimini. Jamie Wadley proved strong & keen,  leading the peleton & Adrian Dymond & Steve Young set a good pace & Ted Williams often pulled us along against a hot breeze. This is what it’s all about

The temperature hit 41 degrees C on the road but Joel & Ben Lin never faltered, eventually tailing Neil Flesher as he led them through the last 16 miles from a final pit stop at Fano. It was here that the ageing tubby, cyclist in a Cervélo jersey gave us cycle tips & chastised us as he sucked on his ‘tailor mades’ while smoking a cigarette !  Eccentrics are not a purely British phenomenon & I would have been kinder to him if he’d taken up my offer of a jersey swap!

This final part of this leg was down the promenade at Senigallia to the port & our Hotel Vela with a stunning view across town & beach.

The sea was warm and we swam from a Beach Club site across the river loosening aching backs & necks. Guy Poppy arrived, Jac Samuel went to pick him up from the station &  having performed this task just the day before I helped him rebuild his bike, even if Adrian had to be called upon on technical details of fitting the rear mech!

Showers & 19 hungry thirsty cyclist to satiate at a trendy restaurant in town. We ate sooooo much, roll on Sunday.   But with any project like this where would we be without the support and in this case Jac and Loraine who follow us with food and beverages when they are most needed. Thanks to you both.   

 

Day 3 – Modena to Forli

This was the day when we set out from Modena on the short 30 mile cycle to Bologna Airport to pick up the rest of the team.  We were still in shock over the Ferrari visit.

Our ride was uneventful, but Tim will now give you his perspective of the day starting in the UK.

Tim writes:

A 4am start, all packed & ready to be picked up by Ron of Mini Bus Travel Ltd at 5.00am. All kindly arranged by our airport logistics friend, Grahame Pope.

Plenty to sort out en route including cards for my Dad’s birthday & Father’s Day.

We arrived at Gatwick same time as the others & bundled our way to baggage drop off. No long queues all smooth do far.

After a big cooked breakfast it was on the flight & take off at our scheduled time on BA2560.

A great flight & walking out of the plane at 28 degrees C in Bologna airport brought a to our faces.

All passed smoothly through to changing into our cycle clothes in the baggage reclaim loos, so far so good!

Amazingly we managed to put our bikes together without incident, but it’s getting hotter & created a lot of interest from the locals. The airport Human Resources Director spotted us & brought a professional photographer to commemorate our passage for airport publicity! We will apparently feature in the Airport magazine.

Eventually on the road by 2pm and relying on Steve Young with his GPS to navigate Bologna’s ring road, a thankless responsibility but managed with aplomb.

The 50-miler to Forli took us past harvested wheat fields, orchards of peaches & plums & the strong smell of manure & through Imola. The sights & smells still novel & exotic!

Forli is gorgeous, Hotel  Masini perfect & right in the centre, bikes secured safely on the 3rd floor!  They sent us to a reasonable yet excellent restaurant ‘La Duomo’, as the name suggests, adjacent to the Cathedral…big eats, Andrew Gibson sorted out a ‘special deal’ with the proprietor with his fluent Italian, is there nothing this man can’t do?

Fantastic breakfast & off, planning elevenses in Rimini, ‘Happy Days’