Stage Five: Savona to Siena

After trying in vain to keep up with three young Italian lifeguards, Luca, Paulo and Ricardo, on a cycle tour to Sicily (Luca was born the year I made my first trip in 1984) I staggered into Siena for a rest and met up with one of my English students, Emanuela, who lives there.

Siena has a wonderfully warm atmosphere due to it's age, the handmade nature of all the architecture, the pedestrian-only centre and very human qualities of the Piazza del Campo where Italians of all ages demonstrate their lack of shyness when it comes to public displays of affection and sit on a tiny balcony perched in the North East corner to catch the last rays of the Sun.

From there it was inland again to Pisa, a tourist jamboree, then south east to Volterra, a steep climb up to a fortified hilltop town where freezing headwinds made it tough going although, again, the views you earn are spectacular.










Along the flat cycle-path from Marina di Carrara to Viareggio was just gorgeous. There's nothing like standing in the sea looking back over the beach with a mountain backdrop.










Then on to the madness of La Spezia (it seems I have a very low tolerance for Italian cities) followed by the wealthy but crammed Lerici and Tellaro where never before had I seen so many electric-gated mansions crammed into such a small space. There is no public space and the campsites were closed, so it was stealth mode and sleeping in the open in the olive grove next to the cemetery for me!










The night this sunset was taken the full moon rose over the hills behind me which was ample compensation for the climb up and having to pitch on gravel in an old quarry!










Then, after some adventuresome tunnels it was back into the hills behind the coast for more stunning panoramic views from Mt. St. Agna.










With views like this, and cycle-paths right on the coast, you don't mind getting a little sea spray with your headwind!










The coast road is stunning with some lovely little resorts such as Camogli and Sestri Lavante where swimming and sunbathing came as a blessed relief from the steep climbs and buzzing mopeds.


And although some of the long pushes uphill were arduous in the heat, at least you get to stop and chat to some friendly bikers, such as Roberto and Giorgia out for a cruise on their Harleys.






Well, Genoa turned out to be intense, crazy, expensive and a little on the seedy side with 500 yr old alleyways lined with 50yr old prostitutes next to 4 star restaurants and stylish interior design shops punctuated with delapidated old churches - all mixed together in one big maze and then sliced through with steel over-passes.



So, here I am in Genoa messing around in front of computer when I should be enjoying the sun and the cycling! But frankly it too hot in the afternoons.

Stage Four: Col de Larche to Savona

The weather continues to be fantastic but the traffic and pollution pretty heavy. There's either a cycle path or a promonade aling much of this stretch though; and even if the slighthead wind slows me down it does come with refreshing sea spray :)

After spinning down nearly 6,500 feet in two days I hit the coast at Savona, slept on the beach and then headed North-east, for a change, towards Genoa. Total bliss!

The Italian side is much more heavily populated and threfore developed. Great viaducts and modern autostrada span the valleys and thre's generally a lot more hustle and bustle. The roads are narrower which meansd the truckers don't have as much room to offer the touring cyclist, but at least i'm going downhill a lot more.

People are very helpful, friendly are and more animated that the cool French and there's noticably more laughter in the air.

As you may be able to imagine the spin down the Italian side of the Alps was amazing and the scenery and the architecture changed immediately.

Although freewheeling nearly 40 miles in one day was a fantastic break from the uphill slog on the French side, it was sad to see the back of the mountains and to see the brown smog hanging in the air on the Italian side.

Unlike the first three stages I'm going to try and move with the times and post blogs from the bottom up. Not my favourite narrative form but seems to save ages messing around loading photos in the right place. So bear with if folks .)

Stage Three: Chalon-sur-Saone to Col de Larche

Taking the most direct route South was blisteringly sunny, soothingly quiet and visually delightful as the hills to the East creep every closer with each passing hour.


Free range chickens abound in the corn feilds, horses and cattle graze quietly and the road to Bourg-en-Bresse is smooth and sunny.

The dereliction of the nothern farm houses has passed away and the buildings here are beautifully restored and well kept with an air of quiet wealth.

Bourg is more of the new and less of the old but, again, a delightfully relaxed and civilised place to rest before tackling the Alps in a few days' time.

I'm staying at the wonderfully friendly and remarkably cheap Hotel Revermont whilst enjoying a day off strolling around.

The bike and the legs are holding up well and I'm already looking forward to the Alps and Italy.

I'm planning a slightly more eastward route then one one above in order to take in Grenoble and avoid the climb through the Col de Rousset. Even though it's stunning, I'll take kindly the counsel of the years and not climb mountains I don't need to!

The countryside south of Bourg changed again and is full of charming old farmhouses.

The Cote du Rhone is absolutely spectacular and best of all there's a cyclepath signposted all the way to Geneva, and I'm sorely tempted!

I camped one night right on the riverbank next to a grove of walnut trees and had a cooling dip at the end of a long hot day.

The quality of the light and the air here is amazing, and the silky smooth cyclepath a real treat. I don't even need to get off the bike to take pics like this on the fly.

However, the loing hot climb pushing up and out of the Rhone valley was very tough but the next stop was a campsite by the side of Lake Paladru, the perfect antidote.

In the morning a passing cyclist gave me the tip that there's another cycle path from Moirans to Grenoble - sounds like a winner.

While shoppoing in Moirans I met the lovely Danielle and her husband Christian who've kindly let me use their computer to upoad this lot.

She also showed me the way to the cyclepath which runs alongside the Isere all the way into the centre of Grenoble.

Grenoble is a very stylish place but cities aren't the best places for cycle-camping. However, I was shown to an excellent laundrette, which is essential! By the time the laundry was done it was dark so it was into low-profile stealth mode and a kip in the park for me :)

It's steaming hot here for cycling on a heavily loaded bike, 30°+ and the hills are getting bigger all the time!

The higher you get the more barren it becomes. The clarity of the light is amazing and the air is as fresh as it gets - and it's still hot!

I feel so totally free and so utterly priviliged to be able to make this trip and be up here travelling alone.

The climbs are hard though, it's been up hill all the way from Grenoble rising about 250ft every mile.

Finally, after a four day slog through some of the most amazing scenery, I reached the Col de Larche - 1992 metres above sea level.

Here I met Hans, the kind Swiss biker who took the pic and who's Ducati you can see behind me.

The roads are absolutely buzzing with bikes here, it' a very "motad" friendly area, and it's no surprise Ducatis are so good if these are the roads they develop them on. The hills may not be alive to the sound of music exactly, but desmodronic v-twins rule round here!

On to Stage Four!

Stage Two: Chateau Thierry to Chalon-sur-Saone

And, just as I'd hoped, the weather improved enormously and the
scenery changed a bit too. Although the fields are still enormous, stretching all the way to the
horizon, there are also a few more wooded areas out of the wind. The crops have also changed a bit with leeks and
oil-seed rape replacing the monotonous sugar-beet.

And I now have bronzed arms and face and red knees from the sun, which is scorching hot when it does actually manage to break through.


I'm now in Troyes and what a lovely place it is. I had no idea about this city, but many of the building in the centre are medieval, oak-framed and gorgeous. It's gone straight into my top three places along with Amsterdam and Marrakech.

I arrived last night (Friday) in the rush our having

taken the wrong road out of Mery-s-Seine and found myself on the main highway going over the hills battling into the headwinds instead of ambling along the sheltered wooded backroad alongside the Seine. Never mind, at least the French have laid out excellent c

ycle paths into and around this beautiful city.

Following my nose (i.e. shambling around clueless) I found everything I needed within 50 metres of each other; a laundrette, an internet cafe and a lovely and very reasonable Lebanese restraunt - Le Lebanais!
It takes a week of rough camping to make you really appreciate a plateful of wonderful looking

food being put in front of you! And the very kind and helpful restraunteur reccomended the Harlequin Hotel where I stayed the night, and will again tonight.

I was so tired this morning that I could hardly walk to the shower, with knees and ankles definitely feeling the strain of the load and the headwinds, so I am declaring today a rest day as I'm about half way to the alps and need to preserve my strength for what is going to be a major challenge.

Tomorrow I'll be heading off to Mussy-s-Seine and points south-west thereof.

Since leaving the lovely Troyes I've been following the Seine valley through Cote D'Or, and jolly wonderful it's been too. The trees are just showing the first signs of starting to turn and it's a truly lush green valley. The first of the champagne vineyards have started to appear on the Southern slopes and there's more livestock around.

I passed the now locked-up house and derelict barn I stayed in on the last trip. So many of the old buildings here are empty and neglected. Stopped in at the

quint and well kept Mussy-sur-Seine, but felt as if I was regarded with suspicion. It has the

Museum of the Resistance here, which may have something to do with the deeply ingrained

nationalism that seems to be intrinsic to the culture in these parts.

After a long day yesterday, 5km more than in 1984, and a very rough and wet night I stopped in at the lovely Le Soleil d'Or (www.le-soleil-dor.eu) run by the delightful Andy and

Simon, escapees from the London to Brighton rat-race. The place is charming and full of Buddhist art and I've been thoroughly

enjoying jazz and conversation in English. And the weather

forecast for the next few days looks

great, so it's on to Dijon tomorrow :)

And Dijon proved to be delightful! Beautiful, relaxed, excellent cycle paths and friendly people.

Again great lengths have been gone to to preserve the old and sensitively integrate the new.

The countryside around has becomore interesting with more woodland and livestock, and there are clear signs of a healthier economy than the North.

From Dijon I followed the Bourgogne canal south to St. Jean de Losne where rich British retirees tell boating stories and soak themselves in sun and satisfaction (a little envy creeps in here).