Ride 166 – Cycling Umbria, Italy to lunch. Damn its hot!

A while back, I was watching a video on Youtube by Leonard Lee. Leonard is a cyclist in the UK and he mentioned that he would be cycling in Italy in the spring and invited those interested to come join him and the adventure cycling tour operator Inspired Italy.

I was definitely interested, as were the other cyclists forming our group of eight riders, not counting Tim and Roberto from Inspired Italy.

We are here in the village of Lisciano Niccone where we are staying for the week at Agriturismo le Fornaci, a hotel converted from an old farm house. It is absolutely beautiful.

For this ride, we are going to head 37 odd kilometres to Citti di Castello for lunch. We are told that the route will be fairly flat and that we will climb about 380 metres total over the 75 kilometer trip. But, because of that, we have delayed departure until after 11 and it is getting very hot now. When we left Vancouver a week ago, it was 14 Celcius and wet. This is quite the change. Hopefully my body can handle it.

When I looked at coming to Umbria to cycle, I expected temperatures to be around 24 celcius. Today, we are upwards of 30.

Our ride starts with a trip through the Niccone valley. It is absolutely stunning and I am really appreciating the slight descent. Of course, that means we will be climbing up this valley on the return trip. That should be fun.

In addition to Tim and Roberto, our group is comprised of David from LA, Bob from Florida, Oscar from Majorca, Robyn from Aberdeen, Scotland, and Leonard, Jatin and Calvin from various parts of England. It is actually a very fun group to ride with.

Sunday afternoon in Citta di Castello and its market day. It’s a beautiful city but I need some shade.
Lunch was very good. But, after gorging on meat, cheese and pasta, we need to ride 37 kilometers back to the farm and I just want to nap for a while.

I really enjoy cycling here but the roads could definitely use some work. Also, though Italy has a strong cycling culture and drivers tend to respect cyclists, not all do. And, the speeds at which they pass can be alarming. But, what are you going to do. The roads are narrow and often without shoulders, and there isn’t much choice but to ride out in the lane.

One ride down. Time for a dip in the pool and to grab a beer, prepare for dinner and contemplate tomorrow’s 85 kilometer ride around Lake Trasimeno in the blazing sun. This is the life.

Inspired Italy – https://inspireditaly.com/

Agriturismo le Fornaci – https://www.le-fornaci.it/en/

Leonard Lee “The Cycling Diaries” – https://www.youtube.com/user/leonardmlee