Our first venture out on the road bikes was to pop to the butchers! This was into Casole d’Elsa, 23 miles with an overall climb of 2300 ft over the rolling Tuscan hills. An adventure as I hadn’t been out on my road bike, on the actual roads, for about 2 years, only doing indoor Zwift interval training. A start and many more rides to come.
Wonderful evenings food at La Pergola Di Radicondoli, traditional wood-fired pizza with fresh and local ingredients. We sat on the terrace with fabulous views across the Tuscan hill with the sun setting in vibrant colours. A couple of bottles of red wine and an exquisite pizza later ………
There are a number of Strade Bianche meaning white roads in Tuscany and refers to a network of unpaved back roads that run among the vineyards, olive groves and Tuscan countryside enabling you to take walks and bike rides while enjoying the panoramic views all around and the sound of nature. These are marked by the CAI (Club Alpino Italiano), however, be aware they are not always up to date and a lot are overgrown to the point of not being able to continue your walk along. We have had to turn back a number of times or question which way to go! The strade bianche used to be regarded as an inconvenient relic from the past and many have been sealed.
My first mountain bike ride in Italy was up to our village to purchase a couple of bottles of wine. In all seriousness it was through the national forest to Belforte another historic village. It is 12 miles from Radicondoli and a really beautiful ride we saw a couple of deer on the way, we stopped for a beer and a pizza then embarked on the ride back.
OK…. I have cheated a little and purchased a Swytch which is an electronic system that can assist with more difficult terrain. Yes, you can use it all the time however don’t expect the battery to last also it is not designed for this. On the whole I do not use the assistance however I cycle with my partner who use to ride professionally and has double the leg power than I do. Hence it is useful to switch over to power assistance for those long steep hills and rough terrain inclines to assist and keep up with my partner.
Travel adventures 