April 11, 2022
Leuca Loop Ride
On tour, winds can be either your friend or foe. We often work as hard cycling into a headwind as climbing a hill, yet there is no equivalent downhill reward as we must keep moving ahead toward the day’s destination. Unless of course you take a break in your forward progress and spend the day on a loop or an out and back ride. “Out into the wind, back with the wind” was my mantra when I lived in central Iowa, where we had plenty of wind but few hills of note. So with high winds predicted for today, I chose not to ride north to Otranto but to stay in Santa Maria di Leuca for an "Iowa ride."
Winds were predicted to be NNE, so I plotted a loop route that would take me north through Patù to Presicce and then loop around to the east and south back home. At breakfast, Roberto suggested I continue on to Sprecchia, which he claimed was one of the nicer towns. Obligingly, I added another 5 miles – not much distance but a bit more climbing into the wind.
It was a fairly calm morning and I headed out at 9:30, wanting to get going before the winds picked up. The first few miles were a gentle climb away from the coast on small roads lined with stone walls. The flanking hillsides were terraced with olive trees and remnants of former stone structures appeared frequently along the roadside or in the adjacent groves. It was to be the theme of the day: stone walls, olive trees, old stone structures.
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The route took me through several small towns of the Salento – Patù, Presicce, Specchia - each of somewhat similar character that varied with the size of the town: narrow stone streets leading to a square with a church and perhaps other buildings or monuments of historical significance. Truth be told, I was a bit overwhelmed by the prevalence of Greek and Roman history and quickly decided that I would just enjoy it all – the ride, the day, the glimpse into different cultures, ancient and modern.
And the ride was quite enjoyable. The winds were only a minor annoyance as I made my way north thru Patù and toward Presicce, passing through grove after grove of olive trees, ranging in age from the very young to the very, very old. Outside Barbarana, there was the lovely Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Leuca del Belvedere, also known as “Little Leuca." It was a way stop for pilgrims bound for the Santa Maria di Leuca and the Sanctuary of Finibus Terrae, the Sanctuary at the End of the Earth.
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2 years ago
Leaving Presicce, I encountered the strongest winds of the day, accompanied with a gentle three mile climb along small “percorso cicloturistico” that took me to SP76, then it was downhill through several hairpins and shifting winds into Specchia. I rode through a labyrinth of narrow, one way streets looking for the historical district. I’m not sure I ever found the proper center, but when I spotted a small square with an obelisk and a bench in the sun I decided I’d found the perfect spot a rest and my sandwich.
The way back was a delight – first along a somewhat larger cyclotourist road that sped me down and up through Alessano – then back onto the small roads winding through olive groves. I was so enjoying these downhill runs with that I missed a turn and had to backtrack a half-mile uphill into the wind. Ugh!
On reaching the route junction, a farm cart approached driven by a man in a jaunty hat with a small dog at his side. I let them pass and pulled in behind, much to the consternation of the little red dog who would periodically glance back and direct short nervous barks my. The final seven miles to Santa Maria di Leuca were along small curving roads, downhill with a nice tailwind - pure joy.
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Today's ride: 30 miles (48 km)
Total: 151 miles (243 km)
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2 years ago
2 years ago
Beautiful pics!
2 years ago