Riding the Dragon’s Back
Tuscany Tour: Day One
The La Strada del Vino climbs steadily up the into the Tuscan hills through various medievel villages, winneries, then back down endless curves and towards the coast. Both of us said, “wow; well that was cool; whoa – best ride ever,” as we carved the turns like we were in a pro race. We dove into the apex, no brakes, and out the other side with a few hard pedal strokes. Later at dinner, I described the descent as “riding a dragon’s back.” The Tuscan dragon has 108 curves in an 8 kilometer descent.
Rolling past Venturina into San Vincenzo – Stage 9 of the 08 Giro – we felt the speed of the slight descent, tailwind, and I imagined the crowds for the sprint finish. We got a late start and as the sun went down, turned the safety lights on, and arrived back at Zi Martino, our hotel.
Our next ride was North around the Volterra area, starting at Casole d’ Esla. I’ll write more about that and our ride to Bolgheri in the next post.
Tuscany Bikes & Gear
We rode our S&S equipped bikes on this trip and brought gear supplied by
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Routes and ride recommendations provided by Viva Travels.