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Published: September 11th 2017
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My new profile? Still smarting from yesterday's experience, I decided I should take along a jacket 'just in case' the weather decided to turn on us. Indeed, although it was neither raining nor cold when we left, the forecast called for a thunderstorm in the afternoon and I knew that either of those conditions might change at any time. In the absence of any storage space in my rental bike's modest seatpost bag (which was filled to capacity with only a spare tube), I was attempting to store/stuff my jacket under the seat between the rails when our guide Bartolo interceded to offer a pro tip, the results of which can be seen in the accompanying (if not very flattering) photo. And then we were off again.
Things were pleasant enough for the first 3 hours: although the roads were wet, traffic in Riccione was lighter now that the work week had restarted, and once we turned inland we were able to leave most of it behind. Traffic was still busy when we did enter the occasional town, but for the most part we were able to enjoy the country roads as the cars that passed us were intermittent rather than the steady
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What the morning was like stream that had featured in so much of yesterday's ride. Unfortunately the low-hanging clouds that persisted precluded any appreciation of the view that would normally have resulted from several long climbs that ensued.
Following a pit stop in Candelera (one of the few town names I took note of - neither I nor anyone else here generally has any idea where we are, especially as we take countless turns and pass through incessant roundabouts), we descended to Pesaro on the Adriatic coast for what was to have been today's highlight - the Panorama ride up, along, and then down the road above the sea through the Parco Naturale Monte San Bartolo. Following the 3km climb from town we stopped for the semi-obligatory coffee, and no sooner had our group entered the cafe when the rain started. And it fell in earnest, at times pelting down - much worse than yesterday's comparative sprinkle.
Not only did this literally wash out any hope of garnering any of the purportedly fabulous views from the many lookouts we rode by, it also made the winding descents particularly treacherous as huge sheets of water flowed across the road (which itself was broken up
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The 1 scenery shot I was able to grab on the fly before the rain hit (needs cropping) in many places) and - bicycle caliper brakes being the way they are - severely compromised braking Even worse for me, I could barely see as once again not only did the deluge cover both my lenses and prescription insert with droplets while the latter fogged up because of the heat I was generating, but this time I had forgotten to swap out my normal lenses for the red ones which are designed to improve vision in just these conditions. Even though I am severely nearsighted I ended up lowering the glasses on my nose so I could peer over the top and attempt to follow the out-of-focus blob that was Bartolo ahead of me, all the while hoping I wouldn't encounter a pothole or crack in the road that could easily spell disaster. At least this time I wasn't cold, having donned the jacket I had been carrying kangaroo-like for most of the day.
Whether by design or as a concession to conditions (i.e. by taking the most direct route back), once we descended back to sea level we rode at a brisk pace along a highway, still hardly being able to see anything as cars and trucks
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Bartolo's butt (my view most of the day) continually whizzed by us. Curiously, we were soon passed by what I later learned were a group of nominally 'slower' riders and the not the faster group I had assumed, at which point we increased our pace to join them and mercifully eventually entered town. It was with relief that I recognized the train station, knowing that it signalled a paltry 1km left for yet another soggy day.
Apparently, prior to this week they haven't had appreciable rainfall here for 3 months. Go figure.
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