Monday 16 October 2017

Sardinia: From Santa Teresa Gallura to Castelsardo

Legs Like Putty and an Early Morning Ball-Breaker


It didn't look bad on paper - or even on the laptop - but the start of today's ride was tough. Coarsely-textured minor roads climbing some thigh-sapping sharp hills really tested my commitment straight off the bat today. It didn't help that my legs felt like putty - or that many of the corners on descents were covered in loose sand. In fact I almost pulled over to think about whether I really wanted to keep going, considering that I just couldn't seem to keep up any momentum. On the higher section before morning tea the fog rolled in and I turned on my rear light just to make myself more visible. The fog cleared but the hills reared up once again. Not far out from morning coffee and on the corner of one of those steep hills I came across a roadside shrine that I just had to stop at for a photo ...


That little break was just enough to keep my spirits up, although my legs still didn't like what I was doing to them. But it was very nice to arrive in the little village where Ritchie had got set up by a cafe-bar and organised for the owner to bring out some delicious little snacks - and have a coffee that seemed to possess magic properties ...


 because almost as soon as I got back on the bike I began to feel better. It was very convivial in that little square as more Ride & Seekers arrived ...



Hitching a Ride on the T&T Train (Get on Board: Toot, Toot!)

Yesterday a couple of hotshot Canadian cyclists joined us. Their reputation had preceded them, as some of our group had ridden with them earlier in the year on Hannibal. And Lew said, "Don't try to keep up with Ted and Tim." As it turns out, Ted and Tim are a great couple of guys, and went they cruised up to me a few kilometres out of the coffee stop they said, "Jump on board!" - so I did. They seemed to have decided to treat today as their warm-up ride for the rest of the tour, and the three of us and Ben rode into lunch together. Luckily for me the steepness of the hills had reduced considerably and the road surface was also much better. 
Here's a photo of Ben and Ted just in front of me, with Tim just a little ahead ...


There was some fantastic rock architecture along this section of today's route, including this monolith ...


We arrived at lunch where Marcello had cheerfully begun setting out sandwiches and salads ...


... which went down beautifully.

An Extra Loop and the Turn for Home

I decided to set off from lunch while the T&T Train were still putting their feet up, as I the longer I stop the harder I find it to get going again. (Must be the 60 Plus Effect. 😬  ) I cruised through a wonderful hilltop town with a series of narrow, cobbled streets ...


After descending from that town and going around a big bend I got this quite nice view back towards it ...


... and then entered another town where I got momentarily off route but discovered this war memorial in the process ...




I saw some lovely limestone cliffs looming overhead a little further down the road ...



... and then around the corner a vineyard appeared ...



Simone, our Sardinian guide extraordinaire tells us that there are approximately 120 different grape varieties grown on this island that are used in wine-making. And that of course some of the wines made here are the best in Italy. I for one am prepared to believe him.

Not long after Ted and Tim cruised up to me again and I rode with them for a while ...



... until they rode away from me ...



... when I stopped to take a photo of this wonderful, grand old church out in the middle of a field out in the middle of nowhere ...



Chris Bailey got a much better picture than I did and he shared it with me so here it is again ...


Not long before rejoining the regular ride the extra loop took us down a magnificent, long straight descent that allowed me to get into a tuck for quite a while and acquire some serious speed. YeeHa! The finale for the ride was very nice with great views entering Castelsardo ...


... and then another really nice descent through the town to our hotel with a terrace overlooking the beach where one could enjoy a well-earned beer. 

And that was about it for another great day in the saddle. Here's a rough guide to what our route looked like for the day ...



... and a profile of the route which demonstrates how we managed to accumulate 2000 metres of climbing with a maximum elevation of only about 550 metres ...


Time now to get some zzzzz's so we'll be ready to go again tomorrow.