Travel Day 5

We headed out of Rome today on the 52 km ride I'd mapped out for us, it took us past the Pantheon and then up to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. They would be nice to see if it weren't for the hoards of us tourists!

Crowds like that I don't "do" and as for waiting in a queue in order to shuffle through the place shoulder to shoulder is not my thing. Fortunately what is my thing is hopping on the bike and getting away from all this crowds so of of town we headed. Par for the course meant that our route took us out in to the c ountryside - yes I can find countryside close to most see European cities. We past a goat herder looking after his herd, a moon of sheep sheltering from the heat under a bridge that didn't really want to move aside for us and paddocks of barley. I managed to find some single track that took us along a river stop bank for about 7 km's before getting back on a sealed bike path. Unfortunately the single track took us through some blackberry and a thorn punctured Stephen's tyre! Our first puncture.

We visited a Decathlon store on the way back in to town (Decathlon is like Bunnings only it's a sports store with good bike stuff). I needed to buy a new bell as the one on my bike had lost its knocker. Riding these busy cycleways that we will be doing it does pay to have a bell. However over here like back home many of those walking on the paths have their ear phones on and don't hear even if you do ring a warning for them. Then they jump or get a fright as you slip by them! Really, what do they expect? Certainly I have no problem with them getting a fight after all what else could they expect. 

Tomorrow our ride to Paris begins and the couple of rides we've done around Rome here have made sure the bikes are all set to go. 

Fingers crossed they'll now perform perfectly for the rest of our adventure.