RAIN - on a Ciclismo cycling trip?!? :-( - Alessandria, Italy
Alessandria, Italy
There was talk of rain but we woke up to skies that were partly cloudy. We had hopes for a nice day as this ride was supposedly a beautiful one . . . Yummy breakfast in the hotel lobby - route rap out front - and then just as we headed off, the rain began . . . Oh well. We were not going to ride the van. Hopefully, this would be a shower - the skies would clear - and our day would be perfect. . . It was just not to be. Lots of excitement on this ride - much of it NOT good . . .
We headed out from the hotel with the rain drops falling on our helmets . . . Some of us wore hats under our helmets! :-). Went down a very steep hill and then immediately, started climbing! Had to be prepared for that abrupt change in terrain . . . Regrouped at 16 kilometers in this neat little village - at the top of a hill, I might say, and the folks were all getting out of church and there was very little room on the narrow road and Barbara got squashed in the process. Fortunately, there was a wall for her to lean against and she did not fall! :-). Hard to manage those quick moves when you are clipped right into your pedals! We did meet an adorable 82 year old Italian gentleman who was walking his very old bike through the square. He stopped to talk with us . . Seems he owns two road bikes (both pretty old) and he had cycled 82 kilometers just yesterday! Pretty amazing! We just love the old folks here! They are so spry and always interested in where we are going . . .
BARBARA IS AN EXTRA LOOPER
So - at our next regroup spot, we spent quite a bit of time taking pictures of this beautiful, charming village - having ourselves an espresso (we find this little dose of caffeine fits the bill when there are long climbs ahead of us! :-). And then we had to decide if we wanted to do the extra loop of 24 miles with an extra 667 meters of elevation gain. Ahead at the hotel in Acqui Terme we would find a fancy spa!! So - many of us decided to do the extra loop. Even Barbara. She asked Enrico what he thought and he advised her that it was a very difficult ride, really suitable for expert riders . . She was not sure - but decided to go for it! Did not surprise me in the least. Barbara is pretty game for anything! After an initial downhill, we started climbing - and climbing - and climbing . .. We all stopped at one spot to rest a bit and then took off again . .. Dave rode ahead with Tom and Colette on the tandem and with John and Laurie and Bill, from Cambridge . .. Avi, Barbara, and I rested a bit longer and then took off up the hill . . I suddenly got shaky and then I realized that I had had little to eat and not much water and it was already 1:30. I stopped to remedy that situation and then took off again. And then - my adventure hit - at the top of a very steep portion, my leg cramped up terribly. I got one foot unclipped but the cramping leg would not twist and I just gently fell over . .. Not hurt as I had almost stopped . . Needed more water. Interestingly enough, Dave had the same issue with leg cramps riding with the group ahead. Fortunately for him, Tom had electrolytes to share and that helped him finish the ride . . . Guess we need to be more prepared when we ride such a challenging route!
AVI CRASHES ON THE DESCENT
Enrico advised us that we would have one stretch of riding with a very steep pitch - maybe 12 percent or so. The road surface was bumpy and that didn't help! Barbara even walked a bit of this stretch. You just had to work like crazy in your lowest gear to get up the hill . . But then - we had this long descent to look forward to - all the way into Acqui Terme! However - the rain started up again in earnest and the road became slippery. Apparently, the oil from the cars creates a slippery surface and the switchbacks become pretty dangerous. So - Jojo has finally overcome being scared of descents. I have learned to get down on my drops and lean into the curves and descend fairly quickly. So - Avi was ahead of me, Barbara behind and we were about half way down when Avi hit a slippery stretch of road. He braked, skidded and went down - boom - right in the middle of this narrow road. Scary. I was just behind him. So I braked carefully and I skidded as well. Fortunately for me, my brakes were not gripping all that well so I was able to control my bike and stop to assist Avi, who was crumpled in the middle of the road - not moving or even answering . .. Lord! There were cars coming up the hill and I managed to wave to them to stop. Avi finally said he though he might be OK but he couldn't get up. I took his bike and this wonderful gentleman from the car gently helped him up. His wife brought an umbrella over to keep him dry and they found a piece of plastic to keep him warm. Then Barbara joined us and we managed to call Massimo to come pick him up with the van. Meanwhile, we had to cycle the rest of that downhill with the memory of that awful experience. I was pretty unnerved and didn't dare go very fast.
We were so happy to reach the hotel. Avi seems OK but very sore and he has some road rash to deal with. His head hit hard. Darn good thing for his helmet! We have a couple of ladies on this trip who have had bike accidents and this will make their fears even more real
Oh well. These things happen. . . We took showers, grabbed a bite to eat, and now we meet at 5:45 for a tour of Acqui Terme, Enrico's home town . . . Dave missed all this excitement but he got some wonderful pictures to share. Meanwhile - the roads we biked on were so amazing. Many of them so narrow that only one car would fit - not to mention a car and a bike! The vineyards were everywhere with plump purple and white grapes just hanging, waiting for harvest. The towns were often way up high on the top of a hill - creating just idyllic scenery . . . Too bad we had the darn rain!
Until tomorrow . . Hopefully it will be a more peaceful ride .
Update . . . We have just returned from an amazing dinner . . More about that later. Avi did go to the hospital and discovered that he has a broken rib - not displaced. . Not very comfortable. He has to sleep sitting up tonight . . . Could be problematic. . . Also. The steep patch we rode up was 15 percent grade . . . Very very steep! Apparently, cramps are much more prevalent on rainy days. Must remember that. One of our friends has given us some electrolyte stuff to mix with our water so we won't run into cramping issues again . . . Later.