BAC Green Roads Of Tuscany 2009

San Gimignano

It is quiet in San Gimignanoat night. There are no all-night bars around our hotel with loud tourists. There is, however, a distinct odor that permeates your room in the middle of the night if you leave your window open. I had to get up in the middle of the night to close mine. I’m going to try leaving it open again tonight to see if the same thing happens.

There are lots of people in our hotel. Almost all of them showed up for breakfast when it opened at 7:30. The cappuccino lady was very busy and very efficient. I had some grapefruit for the first time on this trip. I also scooped out a large portion of yogurt and mixed it with honey (shades of Turkey and Greece). There were other really good things that I ate, but I can’t mention them because I’m not supposed to eat them.

Signs Along the Road

I decided to ride the mid-range route today. Tom warned me that our ride when we leave San Gimignano is an “epic” ride. So I am not going to overdo our loop rides from here. I started out riding with John, or maybe I should say that he started riding with me. He has a tendency to get lost and he wanted to ride with someone with a GPS. Well, our duo ride lasted until the first steep hill when John disappeared up ahead. I didn’t see him again until lunch when he rode in with Tom and Julie. He took another wrong turn and luckily found them.

Scenic View Along the Road

The ride before lunch was very pleasant – not too many hills and several kilometers of flat riding. I saw several older cyclists going the other direction. The route up to our suggested lunch stop in Montaione was long, but not too steep – comparable to Tunnel Road. The view at the top, however, was way more spectacular than TR. I bought a sandwich, chips and a Fanta and sat at a table overlooking the valleys below. I was just getting onto my bicycle when Julie, Tom and John showed up. I waited while they ate and while others in our group arrived. I’m glad I did. At about 2k down the road our route was closed for construction. Nobody was working, so we we walked our bicycles through the construction zone. First, Julie and John went back to warn the other cyclists about the problem. They, in turn, warned the newly arriving cyclists. So it all worked out.

The rest of the ride included some long rollers and a long descent toward San Gimignano. We passed the chicken farm again and this time I recorded the sound. Then there was a gradual uphill, a left turn through the San Mateo Gate and a .2k uphill to La Cisterna Hotel on cobbles, through pedestrians and exiting vans from the Thursday market.

The weather today was perfect. Temperatures started in the high 60’s and warmed to the mid 80’s. It was sunny with some haze. There was very little wind. In fact the wind has not been a factor on any of our rides.

When I got to the hotel, I showered and had a post-ride snack of peanuts and gelato (grapefruit and red orange).

I set up the Happy Hour treats along with Pete and Larry. We cut pears, carrots, peppers and cheese. Julie mixed up a couple of dips one of which included pesto and soft cheese. We had lots of wine. In a circle, we continued to introduce ourselves by talking about our careers. This is a very diverse group.

Trattoria Chiribiri

We split up for dinner. My group went to Trattoria Chiribiri. I ate at a table with Mike, Francine, Julie and Tom. I had roast boar and a side dish of white beans. Both of these are specialties of Tuscany.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped for gelato – coffee, chocolate and cream.

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