After yesterday's Grand Tour I really didn't think it would be a good idea to go out for the hard ride proposed for the combined Limoncino and Cappuccino Super groups, so I opted for the milder Cappuccino ride. Apparently this was quite a popular sentiment, as so many people signed up for this level that they had to split us into 3 groups to make things more manageable. We had 15 in ours, and while there didn't seem to have been an official selection process our group was strong enough that I think our leader (Micol) decided to take us over a few climbs that some others avoided. Surprisingly these were steeper than I had anticipated (14-16%), albeit brief (on the order of 1-2 km), including one memorable stretch on a very trafficky and winding road ... read more

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 ... read more

There's never much to say at the start of these endeavours, which is probably a good thing. Having previously scoped out the Air France bus that runs between the Ottawa train station (yes) and Montreal's Trudeau Airport, there was little drama in finding and boarding it, and despite the requisite construction mess at the Dorval traffic circle, I arrived with plenty of time to speed through check-in (no lineup!!??), plod through security, hike the interminable distance past the innumerable shopping opportunities that obviously had never heard of a scent-free environment, and settle in for the long wait until boarding. I had thought my Vermont friends, who provided the impetus for my being on this trip in the first place, were taking this flight but did not see them. Eventually Mark (from Vermont. To avoid confusion I ... read more

After staying up late following a fine meal (at the end of which I finallygot a chance to have creme brule for dessert) I luxuriated in sleeping in until almost 8:00 before saddling up one more time. The first order of business was determining how long it would take to get to the airport tomorrow (all of 15 minutes), after which I languidly toodled along the seaside bike path, which was already teeming with tourists, taking in the several shades of gorgeous that the Mediterranean presents here. I had toyed with the notion of riding to Monaco, but when the path ended and I was deposited into traffic again, I quickly scratched that idea. It was extremely windy and the bike section of the pathway (there is a separate pedestrian section, although some folks never seem ... read more

Geez, suddenly there are only 2 riding days left. How did that happen? What I have learned so far (not all-inclusive): Despite the way food is respected here, smoking is still allowed on patios/terraces - blech! I should not order coffee ice cream for dessert unless I want to remain awake all night Today didn't go quite as planned, but that was a good thing. I had originally intended to take the longer alternate route, and not being too concerned with what I thought was a 22km climb to start the day (as it turned out there were some significant downhill sections interspersed with the climbing to that point, although the first 13km were indeed all uphill) I was the last one to leave the hotel. My plan was to take things relatively slowly and not ... read more