Day 45 Castelnuovo Scrivia to Turin

129 km (80 miles) day, 2,187 miles total
An interesting days ride. All morning gently uphill. Too shallow a slope to be recognised by the eyes, but easily detected in the legs. Decided to take a more southerly route that the direct one to Turin. This way I could visit Marengo and Asti. Marengo is the site if one if the defining battles of European history- between Napoleon’s French and the forces of Austria. The site, just outside Alessandria has a museum which I thought to visit. I arrived at 10:00 to find the museum didn’t open until 3:00 pm! On a Sunday? When people might be able to visit during the day? Onwards towards Asti. Stopped in the pleasant village of Felizanno for refreshments late morning. The bar was providing tapas to customers with their drinks. Nuts, olives, salami etc, bread, cheese etc 👍. Arrived lunchtime in Asti, the centre of the region that produces the eponymous wine. Very pleasantly surprised by it. Asti is famous for the Palio Di Asti in which all the town wards and  nearby towns compete in a bare-back horse race around the triangular Piazza Algiers. It’s held in September and the streets are decorated with the banners of the competing wards. The architecture and street plan in the centre is medieval and very attractive. Lots of bars and restaurants open, even in a holiday Sunday. I stayed for over an hour, reading the internet papers and enjoying a break from the Sun. It was 37°C in the shade. Continued towards Turin and a big hill unexpectedly appeared. I sweated my way to the top where the topography flattened. I hoped this plateau would lead to a downhill to the Po and Turin. No such luck. I passed through a monumental archway that I thought might announce the approach to Turin. I was wrong, it was the town of Chieri. Shortly after, a huge climb (steep and long), followed by a long, and scary, single lane tunnel through the mountain. Then, a very long descent along a wooded valley to Tunin. First impressions of Turin are very positive. I have a nice room on the Via Po, one on the classic streets in the old center of Turin and a day off from cycling tomorrow. 😀

Felizanno


Asti (without the Spumante)














Chieri



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting to France

Image
Dodgy train journey to London with multiple delays. Great night with the kids and grandchildren who saw me off this morning in style. Easy trip to Waterloo Station, only incident a poor motercyclist who had been taken out at some lights. Right outside St. Thomas’s Hospital though. Good train to Portsmouth, saw HMS Warrior but a bit impractical to visit HMS Victory as no facilities bike security (afraid of bike bombs!).  A couple of beers to pass the time. Met Ron from Australia at the ferry terminal (see pic if Santa Claus). He’s on a four month European bike tour. Very similar kit to mine. 
Read more

Day 49 Modane to Belmont-Trominet

Image
140 km (87 miles) 2,389 miles total A long ride today with, in spite of my claims if yesterday, about 900 meters of climbing. Only 5km short of the longest - and that was flat. First 100 km was a reverse of the stage between Turin and Sauze d’Oulx. Steeply downhill for the first 30 km amid magnificent mountain scenery. The huge mountains rising vertically from the valley, scaled by the ski lifts of the resorts. Averaged 27.5 km/hour in this descent - easily the fastest sustained ride of the trip. The next 30 km was still downhill, but less steeply. The mountains deeply cut by side valleys, and now covered with forest at these lower levels. Followed rushing, milky, mountain rivers the whole way. Frim 80 km to100km was flat with the road sheltered by avenues of Plane trees. Stopped for refreshment at the village of Epierrre. Outside of the village was a metal cyclist with the date 2015. When I finished for the day I checked and, sure enough, a sprint on stage 19 of the 2015 Tour de Franc...
Read more

Day 35 Ilirska Bistrica to Malinska

Image
84 km (52 miles) day, 1,747 total Poor days cycling with fabulous finish. Short cycle to the Croatian border and about 60 km after. Not a single cycle track (protected or otherwise) for the full 60km - including the long bridge to the island of Krk which was occupied by holiday buses, tankers and mobile homes travelling at speed. Route was very hilly but the end, Malinska, is fabulous. In Goran and Goga’s pool by 2:30 and wonderfully relaxing day thereafter. Three days of R&R now with no updates until Monday.  The Croatian coast rises straight from the sea -  resulting in spectacular road engineering! 1st Croatian beer In the pool!
Read more