Alison and Alison and the art of re-tyrement

The final destination Distance 26.59 We wake in disbelief. We cannot believe that we are almost there. A short ride to the ferry. While we are waiting we have a moment of worry when a large party of cyclists turn up. Will there be room for us on the vaporetta? No problem. We were second…

Distance 37.40 miles Elevation gain 269 feet We spent a long time sorting out today’s route so that we avoided major roads. We were astonished that Kevin had graded the 37 mile route as difficult. We have cycled routes of over 40 miles with significant hills that he grades as moderate. This made us uneasy.…

Distance 42.26 miles We strolled through the town as the preparations for the party were being made. The town was filled with the smell of roasting eels. Unforgettable. Daily Blog Special Edition Advice on insect bite prevention Keep moving over 4mph and they can’t catch you. Don’t wear bright colours. They will think you are…

Distance 49.3 miles Ascent 100 feet Descent 153 feet We programmed the route into Wendy. Her message to us was ‘there are no climbs on your route today’ . Marvellous. At last. We rejoice. It was a grey, misty day but it was flat. This evening we had a stroll around town. The locals are…

Cycle 4 miles We were staying in the beautiful renaissance city of Florence which is famous for its art and culture. But we decided we wanted spaghetti bolognaise for dinner so decided to pop up to Bologna for the night. Alison is surpassing all expectations with her Duolingo tonight. We will no longer need to…

Distance 27.6 miles Ascent 1477 feet Descent 3000 feet We had planned an easy day. Alison is celebrating with a Duolingo lesson on pop culture. She will soon be an expert on KPop. Excitingly she is moving onto a new topic tomorrow – asking for directions. That definitely has potential. Good night.

Distance 17.1 miles Ascent 2102 feet Another day of climbing whilst we cycled the Chianti route. Beautiful scenery which of course you can only appreciate properly from the top of the hill. Some confusion when we reach the Villa we are staying in. We are greeted by the cleaner who was expecting Alison Torre. After…

Non cycling day. Today we are tourists. Walking 5.3 miles A day of rest for Jean and Mary. Time to let our bodies recover. We seem to have difficulty getting to the meeting point on time for guided tours. Another minor confusion delayed us but we hurtled through the Siena streets to arrive just in…

Distance 16.1 mile Ascent 1,625 ft Not for long. It became apparent that we had inadvertently joined a major vintage cycling event. Over 9,000 people from all over the world taking part. Plus Jean and Mary. Men and Women in Lycra streamed past us and enthusiastically encouraged us up the hills. The receptionist at the…

Distance 21.8 miles Ascent 1,785 ft It is Saturday and everyone was out. The bikers were roaring up and down the roads and meeting up in petrol stations. We found ourselves in the middle of a cycle event. L’Eroica is a non competitive vintage cycle event where participants are invited to enjoy the beauty of…