Euro Tour Day 20

Due to habit, I woke up at 06:42. We sbared a ham and cheese baguette for breakfast and got going at 07:55. 

I always struggle finding direction in the Northern himisphere. Somebody said it has to do with crossing the equator, but most mornings it is a bit of a mission finding the right road. After circling around, we found the cycle path we had to use nect to the river.

Going was smooth and fast and I thought that this was too good to be true! From the cycle path we were guided onto some quiet back roads. This lasted for a while and then we had to take a fairly rough track. Danie was too close to me and when I got to a standstill, he could not re-act fast enough and toppled over. Nothing serious, but enough to draw some blood on his elbow and shock his appetite for these rough sections. When we got to a tar road after 8 km, he decided to bale and stick to tar. We agreed to meet up in Vollone.

My route took me through a golf course. When I got out on the otherside, there was Danie cycling down the tar road. My track, briefly ran next to the the tar road and then went left paat some agricultural lands. I crossed a big river and then briefly cycled though a beautiful forest where people were walking their dogs or running. Halfway through the forest I was guided right and onto a short piece of tar that went up at 19% but fortunately only for an few meters. At the top the tar became gravel and wound its way up the hill at a ressonsble gradient. 

I went through a number small villages and farming communities. Up a long drag and then past some horse pastures. I was then guided up a hill for about 4 km at 7-9%. Just before the top Ride with GPS indicated that my phone battery was at 20%, so I stopped to connect it to my "new" powerbank, courtesy of Danie! 

At the top of the hill I was blessed with the most magnificent view over the valley. Vollone and vicinity was quite big and I saw a number of big industrial complexes to the left. I had to take a singke track to the right and atarted going downhill. Initially I lost elevation reasonably slowly, but then the big descent started. 

Today's was much better than yesterday as it was going downhill gradually and I could ride most of it. The gradient varied between 16-19% and it was fairly rocky. When the rocks became too loose and the gradient jumped to 29%, I decided that caution is the better option and settled for some hike-a-bike! The gradient and surface improved, so I got back on my bike. 

This led me to a single track through some pine trees. At the bottom I joined a gravel road, which joined a tar road and then I was in the outskirts of Vollone. I messaged Danie and then carried on cycling. I was taken onto a cycle path next to a main rosd. I then cycled down this cycle path for quite a while. 

As I rounded a bend, who would be in front of me intensely looking at his phone? It was Danie. So our two different routes took about the same time. He found us a place in the centre of town, but we could only get in at 14:00. It now was just past 12:00, so we stopped for a coffee. After we finished our coffees, Danie decided to go and look for our accommodation, which was only a couple of yards away. He was lucky enough to find the owner at the place and she, graciously, allowed us to book in early. 

                                         

So this was a short day, but ss we are ahead of schedule, so we settled in for the day. The next couple of days should be fairly relaxed as we have until 8 September to get to Marseille. 

Statisrics: Distance 34.10 km, tine 4:17, meters climbed 657.