Under the Tuscan Sun Ride Report
So, following our May 24 nuptials, Becca and I went to Italy on our honeymoon and one thing she desperately wanted to do was a bike tour of Tuscany. Well, being the great, new husband that I am, I provided the means for the tour, she just had to provide the legs. Well, I had to do the same. Working full-time, going to nursing school full-time, and planning a wedding has not left me with a ton of time to train. A suffer-fest may result, given that Tuscany is not exactly flat. Anyway, we signed up for the tour and it would actually be my birthday gift from Becca.
We woke on Friday June 6 and made our way from our hotel in Florence, Italy to
Along the way, we rode through a historic Etruscan village (they basically discovered Italy is what we were told), a place where Mark Twain actually came once upon a time, and the place where Leonardo da Vinci attempted to put his airplane design to the test for the first time. The first time, he got his assistant to jump from a cliff with a hang-glider-like contraption and the assistant only broke his leg. The second time he died, but he made it all the way down to Florence.
Anyway, we made it to the top of the first section and into a nice little
on herself and threw herself right back on the bike!! Our tour guide insisted on trying to tell us what gears to be in and to spin through the climbs. I wanted to say, “WE KNOW!! Of all the people on this tour today, we know the most, trust me”. Anyway, Becca did a great job, especially since she is riding for two these days. Becca and I are expecting a little Player to be Named Later in December (we actually called it
Lunch was incredible!! We sauntered into this little place and the tables were already covered with bottles of olive oil and Chianti!!
The rest of the bike trip is a lesson in “do as I say, not as I do”. It was all an extreme downhill from the winery back to the starting point, complete with several hairpin turns, crazy Italian drivers (who knew Smart Cars could corner that fast on a dime?!?!), and racing the Aussies. Now drinking with some crazy Aussies and then navigating hairpin turns on a mountain bike may not have been the smartest thing to ever do on a bike, but it sure was fun!! Turns out we made it back to town just before a major thunderstorm ripped through Florence. All in all, a great trip that I would surely do again, maybe with the Player to be named in a few years!!
Will and Becca, June 2008
ponte alle grazie to meet up with our guide and the rest of the group. We were fitted for some Bianchi mountain bikes and helmets and we were off. I have always dreamed of cruising through Tuscany on a sweet Colnago or Pinarello (well, as much as I can cruise anyway), but this steed would have to do!! So, we were told the first 3 miles would be all uphill. Now, many of you all know that me and “uphill” don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye, but the promise of good wine and a plate of bruschetta at the top of the climb was enough to entice me. Well, there were some Skinner-esgue walls to climb with some tough hairpins to navigate, but we made it through the first few miles pretty much unscathed. I think I actually did okay, riding with some crazy Aussies (more with them later) and making it to the top before everyone else. piazza with absolutely incredible views of Florence and the parts of the surrounding Tuscan region. From our viewpoint, we could see il duomo, il battesttero, and the stadium where the Italian national team was training to prepare for the Euro 2008 soccer tournament. From the little piazza, we rode for about 45 minutes to our lunch spot, which was part of the tour. I had to double back few times to make sure Becca was doing okay on the climbs and she is a trooper. Her chain fell off at one point, but being the stud that my wife is, she put it back il bambino while in Italy), so Becca was told by her doctor and her husband (that’s me!!) to take it easy on the bike. If she is out of breath, so is the baby. We noodled up to where the restaurant where lunch was to be held and were very much delighted when we arrived. Bruschetta was brought out, followed by 3 more courses of incredible food. I ended up going glass for glass with an Aussie during lunch with the Chianti. I think we both got caught up in the moment and plowed through at least a bottle each!! After lunch, we rode downhill a bit to the winery for a tasting (as if we hadn’t tasted enough of the vino already!!). We ended up buying a couple of bottles of wine for our trip home and some olive oil, which we threw into the sag wagon.