From: Bologna
To: Ravenna (via Medicina, Santa Agata and Lugo)
Miles: 50.0 (300 ft. of climbing)
Miles Completed: 206.7 (2,600 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: Ristorante Bizzani
Dinner: Ristorante La Gardela
Accommodations: Hotel Centrale Byron
Today we rose at 7am and were on the road by 8:45am – the 7am wakeup is becoming a routine. I was excited to ride today for sure. I learned the power of the tailwind today – it’s a cyclist’s best friend. We rode with little effort for the first 15 miles – almost as if we were gliding on ice – awesome feeling. I also rode to music for the first time and rediscovered the band 10,000 Maniacs – they provided a perfect backdrop for cruising the beautiful Italian scenery.
Interestingly, the part of my body that has been giving me the most trouble is my arms and they are screaming at me today. I tried several different saddle (seat) positions and none have really worked. I’m afraid I need to decide between trading off my legs for my arms if I want more arm comfort. This is a no-brainer – legs are much more important than arms so tomorrow I’m going to reposition my saddle again. Dr. Ed suggests I need a stem with more rise (higher angle), which will lift my handlebars and take pressure of my arms. The search for a new stem is on; however, I realize the odds of finding the right one are slim.
We stopped in two medieval cities on the way (Medicina and Santa Agata) which were very cool. My Italian is improving a bit and we are on a constant search for negozio della bicicletta (bike shops) for local cycling jerseys. I think “dove รจ un negozio della bicicletta?” (where is a bike shop?), has now surpassed “dis is our first week on da job” as the most used phrase on the trip.
Our second stop in Santa Agata led us to a bike shop with no jerseys; however, he directed us to a SOMEC store just before Lugo. It looked great but unfortunately it was closed until 3:30pm. For some reason, it seems like we are hitting a lot of stores/towns when they are closed. Pretty much every town has siesta from 12:30pm-3:30pm but they also have these random times when they are closed in addition. The SOMEC bike shop was randomly closed on Tuesday mornings (and that’s when we got there). Oh well. Speaking of random, Dr. Ed gets two flats within two minutes of each other – they actually turn out to be tube defects (vs. something piercing the tire). We rode through Lugo and found a bike shop called Deka but they had no good jerseys in my size. This jersey thing is becoming a serious quest.
We arrived in Ravenna at 2:30pm and had lunch immediately at Ristorante Bizzani next to our hotel – very good pasta. Hotel Byron is a very nice hotel located in the middle of the city – solid accommodations at a reasonable price. I really like Ravenna and would like to return here some day for vacation – it has a rich history and a lot of ethnic influences. The city is famous for its mosaics. Dr. Ed went to visit them while I got a massage to prepare for the hills tomorrow. I joke with Dr. Ed that I’m just going to tell people I saw the mosaics (and most other touristy type stuff on the trip) – how will they know?
Dinner was very good as well and is a good deal. Ravenna has a very warm feeling to it (this may be the alcohol talking).
A domani.
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