Day 8- Chiusi to Castiglion Fibocchi
Once again we were awake and getting ready to pack and leave early at 6.00am.
We had a bigger breakfast at a cafe in Chiusi as the day of riding was to take us on a cycling path which did not pass through any towns until the 60 km mark.
Breakfast for me consisted of a croissant and 2 cups of cappuccino and a glass of peach juice.
We were on the road by 7.30 am and after a short time on the road we were off on the cycleway which was delightful as it was flat ( finally) and the early morning temperatures were around 18 degrees….
Also the first 10 kms on the cycleway had some lovely shade from the trees… all great so far!
As the day wore on the temperature rose so by the end of the ride it was in excess of 32 degrees! To make it a little more uncomfortable the shade also got less as we travelled through farming country.
It seemed that the cycleway was on top of the levee bank of either an irrigation channel or a drainage channel….. not sure which???
The farming country was interesting with a mixture of broad country cropping of wheat, barley and maize and intensive farming of what appeared to be fruit trees, vegetables and of course vines.
On this route we saw quite a few more cyclists heading in the opposite direction. There were locals out for a day ride plus a few adventuring cyclists.
The surface on the track was excellent and made for great riding….apart from the heat.
We arrived at the lunch stop at about midday after riding 60 kms. The cafe on the outskirts of Arezzo was sourced for lunch. We had a lovely salad followed by a generous serving of watermelon plus a cool drink. It was the perfect lunch to provide some hydration and some sustenance!
After this it was on for the final 14 kms to Castiglion Fibbocci …. This was mostly on the road and the combination of the heat from the road surface, the ambient temperature and a few hills was interesting! We were glad to get to our destination!
Ooops sorry we had to wait in the heat of the B&B for the host to show us the room where we are staying. Despite being in the shade the heat was still oppressive. Finally our room was ready which was great and fortunately it was cool!
So after a shower we made our way to a cafe for a couple of granitas to complete the cool down process.
Today we rode about 76 kms and climbed about 200 metres…. We did the ride in good time despite the heat in the later part of the day.
Today’s pictures are:
The route
A view across a lake alongside the cycle way
A view of the cycle way
A statue we found along the way
Lunch at the 60 km mark
Our home for the night
