Day 14 - Agume Agumes to Bolzanaro - ride total 1,035 k, 8,055 m

A later start today as we couldn't get the bikes out of the garage until the outfit got up and going. A light drizzle to start with but not cold so I started with the raincoat on.

After yesterday's ride up the mountain, today's ride was quite the opposite and we were given back 700 metres of the uphill by having a nett loss for the day of 700 metres, with virtually no perceivable climbing.

We had our 87 km's out of the way before lunchtime after which we headed off to the railway station to scope our tickets for a relocation stage heading East that we have decided to do as we feel time may be against us if we tried to keep to the original line we drew on the map. 

Yes we found we can get to where we want to go by using both the Italian and Austrian rail net work and yes we can by tickets bit only as far as Leinz as the two stops after that are in Austria and we have to buy the tickets when we get there. Well we at least now have tickets for ourselves and our bikes for part of where we want to get to.

By now it was close to 3:00 p.m. and we could go and get the key for our "rooms" i I say rooms, coz that's what we've got, on the second floor, They also took a bit of finding as we had to collect the keys from a Cafe in town. Our Garmin stopped us right outside a  Hallenstines looking shop but no apartment! Peterr goes in and comes out again equally as lost, it was at this stage that the German sausage hot dog man from just beside us took us in to the shop and pointed out a side door just inside the doors opening on to the street. Very well concealed for sure. We have two rooms and two double beds and while we are three very good matesand quite close we are not "that" close!

So in this situation we rotate as to who has the bed/s and who is on the floor on my Therarest. Tonight it is Stephen and he says he is recovered enough from his crash to be comfortable on the floor. 

Shall we say our accommodation tonight is not up to the standard we were becoming to believe was the "Norm" and we have been brought back down to earth. 

As I mentioned above our ride here was virtually downhill the entire way  with both a head wind and a tail wind at times. The countryside was completely covered in apple and pear orchards or vieyards for the entire length it seemed - the orcharding in this area is massive.

We rode virtually the whole day beside a very large snow fed river and considering the slope we were traveling diem it made for km after km of rapids and I could see my kayaking buddies just dying to get in there and have a great day out. To those who read this and see the video, let me know when you want to run these rapids and I'll come along and drive the shuttle for you. 

Today for the first time (aside from Stelvio) we encountered q lot of other bicycle traffic - it is Sunday so that mught account for some of it but there were a lot of touring cyclists and others that either past us or we passed them. 

Peter again was out to change the cultre of another people today as he was waving out to those approaching - back home it is the norm*to give a wave when out on the bike trails. Well over here it is not and I have long ago stopped waving out to others as it's very much a one way gesture most of the time. But not Peter. I trust before too long he will realise it is too big a cultural shift for these European's to acknowledge other cyclists.

* The exception being back home is that once you move up to the specialist performance race riders clad in their matching lycra at times they are too focussed to acknowledge other non racey riders.

We are now back in to the heat and i'm now forever trying to find the shade when we stop or finish for the day.






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