Today`s ride was really quite special. We left the Piemonte region of Italy and entered the Liguria region. The routing had a variety of road types and terrain. Most were great to ride but some we hope never to repeat. Overall, the ride challenged us and might be considered one of our best on this tour.
After saying goodbye to our wonderful hosts at the B&B Cascina Grattinera we headed down their steep driveway and into an immediate 150M vertical climb. Good morning, legs! This was the second half of the hill we started yesterday after leaving Ceva. The road was quiet as we pushed ourselves on to the top on this sunny but foggy morning.
Roberta is with Oliver and Ugo is with Daisy at the B&B Cascina Gratttinera. We really enjoyed our stay here as well as Ugo`s homemade limoncello. It was a perfect finish to our dinner last night.
Entering Saliceo and the main road is closed. It looks like it may have been in this state for a while. A nearby river may have been the cause. Easy routing fix was found with a road just to the left.
A real unexpected highlight of the day was the town of Carcare. It was added into our route today as a late adjustment and took us off our quiet back road cycle route. But by adding a little time on the highway SP29 we could shave a few kilometres off the ride and pass through this town. We were not expecting more than just to ride by Carcare but after 30km on the road it was time for a coffee break so with a slight detour we rode to the Cento. We found a perfect coffee stop in a pretty town.
Looking for a cafe on the main street and into the centro of Carcare.
Leaving Carcare, the highway SP29 was fine as it had a good shoulder lane. A couple of kilometres up the road we carefully skirted a busy highway interchange with the guidance of some good signage telling where the slower moving vehicles, including tractors and bikes, should go. Here we found our planned cycle route that took us to the town of Altare and another very unexpected delight.
We really had not been back on the road long after our coffee break when some benches beside a tree lined road in Altare caught our attention. We thought that this would be a good place to have some lunch. We were busy eating our sandwich when an elderly lady began walking toward us speaking Italian. Obviously, we did not understand a word and we explained that sadly we could only speak English. At this point a man on bicycle who knew the lady arrived and he began to tell her in Italian that we were from Canada. The elderly lady walked on and Luigi stayed and talked with us for a long time about the history and importance of Altare. He was also a keen cyclist and told us about the best route to Savona and the sights to look out for. As it turns out our planned route likely matched the one that he had described. This was a lunch break that we really enjoyed.
Altare has had an important historical role in this area. We were told that it was the centre of the glass blowing industry in Europe. This is now the glass blowing museum, but it was closed for the season.
The Bocchetta di Altare is an important pass in the province of Savona. Conventionally it divides the Alps from the Apennines, specifically the Ligurian Alps from the Ligurian Apennines. We were already coming up to this coll but many thanks to Luigi as he explained its significance.
The remainder of the ride to Savona was an amazing collection of backroads with only one short bit on SP29. Most of roads were single lane up in the hills - true back country roads. They seemed very remote but often we crossed paths with people walking and jogging. Riding got pretty hairy once we reach the city of Savona though, and in particular, skirting the industrial zone. Savona is a port city and the traffic in the afternoon is bad. We found ourselves on the SS1 and it was 3 or 4 kms shared with some pretty heavy trucks. We stopped at all the safer spots to confirm our position and review options, but we could find no clear alternatives to a place we really did not want to be.
We breathed a sigh of relief when it all just suddenly came to an end at the foot of our last climb of the day. Stopping to calm our nerves and have a snack we began the last but largest climb of the day on a quiet road full of hairpin turns as we travelled over the headlands to the east and down into the historic fishing village of Spotorno.
We did not take this road! There are a number of elevated highways in this picture and it is amazing how it looks like a toy train set from this elevation. Who would think to build a road there?
We have reached Savona, but we are staying in a small town on the beach about 10km west of here. Our busy road adventure lies just ahead. You will need to use your imagination as there are no pictures of the ugly riding conditions there.
Heading up the last hill of the day on an amazingly smooth, consistently graded, quiet road. It was a nice ride up where we were only occasionally passed on the wide road by gravel tracks going to a nearby quarry.
Seeing the Mediterranean and its beaches we knew that we had made the right choice to book two nights in Spotorno. We could see its beauty from the hills above and completely enjoyed the twisty turny road down past the expensive homes and to the coastal highway below. The waterfront road was fast and only intermittent space was allocated to cyclists. Climbing over the headland was a good route as opposed to riding along the coast.
At Spotorno we stopped along the elevated waterfront promenade to get a photo of Pat at one of those well-placed tourist picture frames. As Pat moved to position, Scott pulled his camera from its pouch and dropped it on the sidewalk- never good thing but it has survived mishandlings like this in the past. The camera then slid under a railing and dropped an additional 3 metres to a hard cement surface below. Scott watched in horror as the camera bounced on the concrete. This would certainly be the end! He jumped over a nearby gate and raced down the steps as if he might be able to resuscitate it and save its life. He pushed the camera pieces that had opened back into place, turned it on, but the screen just flickered strange light signals as its last gasps of life. Unfortunately, this was the death of the beloved Panasonic Lumix GM1. A sad moment and an immediate acknowledgement that we needed to find a replacement quickly. Two days in Spotorno would certainly be required now.
The much-anticipated end of the day beer did not taste as sweet as it should have after this amazing ride. The beachside restaurant was perfect, the beer tasty and cold but the celebratory selfie ritual was not to happen today.
Half the team having beer at the end of a great day. Photo curtesy of Pat`s cell phone.
David MathersSorry to hear about your camera but at least it’s replaceable! Happy hour picture not quite the same without Pat 🍻 Good luck shopping. Reply to this comment 2 years ago
Tonight, we are staying at the Hotel Malibu. It caters to cyclists and even has its own bike room with pumps and tools. We dined on wonderful sushi and walked the beach back to our hotel, enjoying the warm Mediterranean evening. Could things be any better? Hopefully we can get a new camera tomorrow.
Today's ride: 62 km (39 miles) Total: 921 km (572 miles)
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Rich FrasierOh, so sorry about the camera! Hopefully you can find an able replacement. I’ve really been enjoying your pictures. Don’t stop!! Reply to this comment 2 years ago
