November 2, 2018
Albenga
Today was a long day, and longer than we originally intended. When we booked a room in Albenga, we imagined a shorter 40 mile ride that began in Veranzana after taking the train from Genoa. When this morning came though and the weather looked fine all day, we decided we might as well just bike the whole way. The train to Arenzano takes nearly an hour anyway because it stops at about a hundred stations along the way, so there’s not that much time difference.
Genoa isn’t really all that bad to bike out of, once you get past the confusing first mile or so. There’s never a real bike lane, though plans for one are in the works. The lanes are wide on the coastal road though (SS1), and no one is moving too fast because they have to work around all the usual obstacles. Anyone in a hurry takes the highway, E8, once they get past the unfortunate gap where the highway fell into the river three months ago.
On the whole, we’re glad we biked it; but I’m sure others will have their own thoughts on that.
About eight miles out of the core, suddenly the feeling changes. We’ve escaped the city, and we’re on the beautiful Ligurian coast. It’s comfortably warm, traffic lightens up considerably, and we start seeing other bikers - lots of them. It’s no exaggeration to state that we saw hundreds of cyclists racing up and down the coast in the next two hours.
For the last half year I’ve been thinking a lot about our experiment, wondering how it would be visiting the Mediterranean coast so late in the season. Today, we have our answer. It looks like it will be brilliant. The road and the coastal resorts are quieter and much more welcoming, it’s very comfortable cycling when it’s not raining, and it’s beautiful. I love the look of the sea, so steely grey under an interesting broken sky.
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In Arenzano we make a detour to a surfing equipment shop. We’re not considering a new hobby, but the GoPro store finder lists this place as an outlet for their cameras. Rachael’s died a few days back, she’s glum about it, and hoping she can find a replacement soon. No luck here though. They do sell them, but only on special order. We’ll keep looking as we head west, but in the meantime, no video (imagine a sad face emoticon here, if you like emoticons. I don’t particularly, so you’re stuck with old fashion words).
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At Arenzano we pick up a delightful coastal bike trail for a few miles, enjoying a break from the coast road until we come to a closure due to storm damage. The path continues on to Varazze, where we stop at a bench on the waterfront, watching surfers wait for the next big one.
This part of the coast looks brilliant for cycling, and I wish we’d broken the day into two rides and stopped at one of the attractive villages we passed through. Part of this area is a UNESCO protected biosphere reserve, and signs highlight bike rides into the interior that I’m sure would be spectacular. It’s pretty amazing to us - we just keep finding one reason after another to return to Northern Italy someday.
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Our ride continues west along the coast, with the weather steadily improving. We spend most of our time on SS1, which is fine if you don’t mind company on the road. It’s very scenic, passing alternately between relaxed resort towns and rugged headlands. Thing change abruptly though when we leave Sportono and come to a police barricade blocking passage on SS1. It looks like it might be OK, as other bikers continue on. Unsure, I ask the policewoman if we can get through. She gives me a several paragraph answer, In Italian with hand gestures, none of which I understand. English, I ask hopefully. Oh, English. Closed, she states tersely. Presumably due to storm damage, but I don’t know for sure.
In any case, there’s nothing to do but take the high road, up and over a massive headland. It’s slow, steep going for the next two miles, but we’re rewarded with probably the best cycling miles of the days. Great views, a lovely road, and lots of other bikers. We pass a bike hotel, and then even a van supportingna tour group. We glide along on top for a few miles at about a thousand foot elevation, and then plummet back down to the sea through a series of crazy hairpins.
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The last twelve miles are generally flat, right next to the coast. We stay on SS1 the whole way because it’s getting late in the day, though there is a quieter and somewhat longer option for the last few miles. Traffic has picked up quite a bit, either because it’s a busier stretch of coast, maybe it’s evening rushour, or maybe because it’s Friday afternoon and everyone is springing for the coast. For whatever reason, we’re happy when we reach Albegna right at sundown.
We’re staying in another converted palace, in the center of Albenga’s tiny historic core. It looks like a remarkable place, but we’ll wait until tomorrow for a better look.
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6 years ago
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Ride stats today: 61 miles, 3,100’
Today's ride: 61 miles (98 km)
Total: 2,121 miles (3,413 km)
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