Stuck on “tour” power level

September 15, 2023

Garden of endless loops

Rain was in the forecast but sunny skies prevailed. Just to add interest a significant headwind made an appearance for miles at a time. One bike was stuck in the “tour” level throughout the day. Fortunately, she was able to down shift low enough to make it up all the hills, including an 11% grade. And one of us traded in her traditional tour bike for an e-bike.

Today’s route took us primarily through vineyards, a few small towns, and a short distance off the route uphill to Parco Giardino Sigurta.

I’d like to say we navigated to Parco Giardino Sigurta smoothly. Not so. After multiple drivers pointed to their eyes and said something in Italian - please note sometimes it’s better to not know the language- then asking two gentlemen exiting a villa - we found our way to the park. We followed the bike/golf cart’s looping route and looped again and again.

Map of the gardens, we decided to ride our bikes through because the gardens were so expansive and we were limited on time

As you can tell, we rode around and around and around…..

Finally, as time was getting short we asked a gardener how to find the exit. He had us follow him.

Then it was off to Mantua-another 21 miles to catch the train to Verona then another train back to Desazano. Riding to the Mantua train stations was almost completely on bike paths a real treat not to have to ride in the city traffic.

Catching the trains sounds easy, right? If you haven’t had the pleasure of traveling by train with a bike then here are a couple of things to remember.

1. Validate your ticket first before you get on the train.

Validating all 7 tickets and all 7 tickets for the bikes

2. Do not get in a train car that is not specifically marked for bikes even if it seems there is not enough room in the bike car for more bikes or you may find yourself at the next stop jumping out of the train and running to said bike car and rapidly shoving your bike and self in the proper car.

Seven bikes were a very tight fit when there was only one bike car on the train… and you had to keep the yellow pathway clear…. five bikes here…

3. Hope that the elevators at the platforms work. Today they did. The elevators only hold one bike at a time- 7 bikes and people down then over to the next platform and 7 bikes and people up, one at a time... Fun times but we managed to catch the train with a minute or two to spare. It takes a long time to move 7 bikes through two elevators.

And back to the hotel from the train station

Today's ride: 48 miles (77 km)
Total: 264 miles (425 km)

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