May 6, 2012
Let the Tour Begin: Certosa to Casalpusterlengo
This was to be a tour along the Po, but not entirely. We started in Milan because we had never been there, and from Certosa we wanted to take a route via Lodi, also for no other reason than that we had never been there and it seemed a more interesting route to Piacenza than following the river.
The weather report predicted rain and much of the time it seemed we were riding on the edge of the storm. But the wind was against us which meant that the black clouds were being blown in the other direction and only a few drops of rain fell.
I had prepared the route at home, using detailed google maps to chart a gps track on small country roads, some of which I imagined might not be signposted. And so it was. We had lovely, quiet country roads, and then some little paths across the fields that weren't open to cars.
Without our gps tracks, we would often have had detours on bigger roads. We were thankful for our detailed planning, although the dirt lanes were sometimes bumpy and we were never quite sure if they were going to continue or just stop in the middle of nowhere.
Around noon we were in Sant'Andrea Lodigiano, in time for lunch. Here, too, as in Pavia the day before, was market day. Also, a few shops were open and we found some fresh focaccia to go with the fruit and cheese we had bought the day before.
After a coffee stop in Lodi, we were surprised to find a dedicated bicycle path along a canal, not part of our planning at all.
And for the final kilometers of the day, we again were on the small roads taking us in the direction of Piacenza. We decided in Casalpusterlengo that we had had enough for one day and were glad to find a hotel. Every hotel we stayed at was very cooperative in finding a safe place to put our bicycles over night, and this hotel was no exception.
Today's ride: 71 km (44 miles)
Total: 133 km (83 miles)
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