In Ferrara: a new plan slowly emerges from the fog

October 26, 2020

An update on the plan

There is no update. There is plenty of activity, but nothing to report at this time. The planning committee, when not out on a ride or sitting down to a meal, has been holed up in the conference room vigorously discussing the pros and cons of various proposals. From time to time smoke seeps out of the room, or a crumpled piece of paper is tossed out the door with a dismissive explitive or two. Lots of activity, but no new plan. Watch this space.

Today’s ride

Today’s ride is beautiful - an out and back east along the right bank of the Po. This is essentially the same ride we took three days ago when we biked here from the delta, but on the opposite side and with much better visibility. It’s remarkable how much difference it makes being able to see your surroundings!

We get an early start, being on the road by nine so that we’d be home in time to sit down to our main meal of the day before restaurants stop serving the midday meal. With restaurants now closing at six nationwide except for take-out, this is our plan going forward until we leave the country: get our miles in early, eat lunch somewhere, and then more or less snack in the evening.

So I was wrong when I said the planning committee has nothing to show for its efforts so far. It doesn’t know where it’s going yet, but it does have a refueling strategy.

Leaving Ferrara, we find ourselves on the walking path above the city walls. Actually, this was a mistake, from not looking at our GPS closely enough. We were supposed to cross through the walls and bike on the other side.

By the time we realized our error, we were stuck. We could backtrack a half mile to where we climbed onto the walls, or bike forward a half mile to the next off ramp. Might as well keep going.

Off the walls, out of town. The leaves are really starting to drop fast, just in the last two days.

So have you gotten your @#!%* shot yet? Can I please just bike now?

It takes us about five miles until we reach the river, with the ride getting there just fine, on reasonable bike paths most of the way. Once we reach the Po though, the ride turns quietly spectacular as we ride along the top of the riverside berm on a paved path that’s open only to nonmotorized traffic. We have fine views across the river in one direction, and across the vast agricultural plain in the other. Pushed by a decent tailwind, we fly along effortlessly for about fifteen miles - as usual with Rachael a bit more and I a bit less, as photos demand to be taken and slow me down.

Rachael’s off, humiliating these poor old guys as she rockets past.

It would be great to just keep riding this path as far as it will take us. It’s a shame we’ll have to turn back for lunch.

At last, someone even slower than me! They’ve got their reasons though, with two kids in tow and laden down with camping gear.

I love these long stands of poplar - so mesmerizing.

Fifteen miles later Rachael appears far off in the distance, coming my way. The ride back is a bit different, fighting a wind that’s significantly stiffened since we started out. Fortunately it’s more cross than head on, because it must be up around 25 mph.

We don’t want to miss lunch so we bear down for the next hour plus, stopping only to converse with the family of cycle tourists I had passed and chatted with on the way out. They’re French or maybe multi-national, on a tour that began in Lyon. Their ultimate destination is Crete, but for now they’re making a bee line for Venice to catch a ferry to Patras or Igoumenitsa. Like us, they’re spooked by the fast deteriorating Covid situation and want to get out of the country before travel becomes restrictive.

Finally, Rachael appears coming the other way. I wasn’t sure that was her, so I pulled out the zoom for a closer look. And sure enough, it wasn’t. It’s just some walker. Rachael’s even further away, barely visible.

Romain, Coline, and their stokers. I like the enthusiasm their youngest son shows. Two thumbs up!

This would be a good video, flying past these trees with the wind blowing. Oh, wait - we have video!

A last look at the Po for today, and maybe for much longer. We’ll wait for the planning committee to report out before knowing for sure.

Video sound track: Withdraw, Francesco Negro

Team Anderson really is pretty adaptable. We’ve gotten used to having a nice sit-down evening meal most evenings, often as ones of the very few diners in the hall. Eating out at lunch is fine too though, and in some ways more enjoyable. It’s the warmest part of the day, and on days like today it’s very pleasant to dine outside and enjoy the urban pageant while we eat.

Yes, this does make a nice program for the day. Get our miles in early, feast on the plaza, and then loaf around for the rest of the afternoon.

The view from our table: the Scalone d’Onore (Staircase of Honor) on the Ducal Plaza.

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Ride stats today: 44 miles, 300’; for the tour: 1,883 miles, 78,500’

Today's ride: 44 miles (71 km)
Total: 1,883 miles (3,030 km)

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Tricia GrahamIt doesnt seem that it was just over a year ago that we were cycling up the Po with nothing to worry us but the heat. Now that drated virus is chasing you along the river, just hope that you come up with a good plan. Now we are in a rather utopian jail. We cant enter or leave the country without a mandentary 14 days in managed isolation, and there are actually very few planes either entering or leaving. Summer has come and the weather beautiful and we have the freedom to roam with apart from using the Covid tracer ap few or no restrictions We have taken advantage of this and visited places we havent been to for years and even had a very short 5 day bike tour
Our elections are over and the results as expected with Jacinda getting a mandate to continue for another year. However what, like all the world, we worry about is what happens on November 3rd
Keep safe, I am sure you will come up with a great plan and pedal away the virus
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4 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Tricia GrahamIt’s just not working, Tricia. Try as I might I can’t summon up all that much sympathy for poor you, stuck down there in your ‘utopian jail’, a brilliant national leader, a sane society and 40 million sheep. So tough!
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4 years ago

Carolyn van HoeveIt's more like we got a get out of jail free card. We're so very lucky ... so far. It has been a wonderful distraction though travelling vicariously along with you on your journey. I'm sure you'll figure things out!
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4 years ago