We had a lovely evening in Torbole, I have cycled most of the week at some point with Jo & Rob, Richard, Steve or Paul all great company. We all went out for dinner last night, it was lovely. The Tiramasu was totally unnecessary but exceptional 😋😋
Being an ever practical person, there was a self service washing machine in the hotel, so I took advantage of it & will hopefully smell slightly sweeter tomorrow 😳😘
An early start this morning 😴so no snoozing, we had to catch a ferry to Garda.
The ferry was a joy, a small foot passenger ferry. It stopped at lots of small towns along the way, a great way to see the lake and mountains. It is approx 6 times the size of Loch Ness, I never realised it was so big.
To get to Torbole, we had to descend a very large hill 😱, so having got the ferry to Garda, there was only one way out, up a very, very large hill 🥴🤯 The views at the top were superb.
We stopped at a small town for lunch some 13 miles after the ferry with all of the elevation for today complete 🥰
We did a slow tour around Verona, trying not to run over the very many tourists, (must get a bike bell) what a fabulous place. I didn't get to see the famous Romeo & Juliet balcony it was just to busy, so I'll just have to come back & do that 😊👍.
So some 54 miles ( 87 km) 1500 ft (400 m) of elevation that sounds like a nice easy day. How wrong can you be, one of the most brutal climbs, just over 2 miles at an average of 10.2% 🚴. Well that woke the legs up. There may have been some cursing and probs. possibly the odd profanity as I worked my slowly way to the top! 👹🫢🤭.
The rest of the time was on small lanes & gravel into a headwind along wide open plains (a bit like cycling into a headwind on the fens). So my shoulders and ears got well acquainted 😳.
I've just checked into to the hotel, I have 4 single beds & a fabulous view 😊...... which bed to sleep in 🤷♀️.
Mantua (Mantova) where we are based tonight, has a rich heritage and is in the region of Lombardy. In 2016 it was designated as the Italian City of Culture. In 2017, it achieved the status of "European City of Gastronomy". The Pumpkin Tortelli is apparently world renowned. For anyone that's been here, you will already know this😁😋. I'm going to enjoy spending the evening here. In the interest of research, I might have to try many dishes to ensure it lives up to is reputation 😋😋😋.
In 2008, Mantua's centro storico (old town) and the nearby comune of Sabbioneta were declared by UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family between 1328 and 1708 made it one of the main artistic, cultural and especially musical hubs of Northern Italy and of Italy as a whole. Mantua is surrounded on three sides by artificial lakes, created during the 12th century as the city's defence system. So there you go, yet more interesting if useless information! 😁
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Another good ride Wendy and very scenic well done
Thank you x
2 miles at 10%…I’d have made a sailor blush if I’d been doing that 🤬😂 Well done 👏 The scenery looks stunning
The average was 10%, it went to 17% at its worst, it was showing as deep purple on Garmin 😱🥴
Another great day for you glad to hear that it is going so well. Tiramisu for dessert I am envious
Dx
Sounds like you’ve had a good cycling day. A good warm up for the legs, bet there’s more hills to come on other days. Verona sounds a great place to visit. Ps you deserve the tiramisu 🤗Xx