82 miles ridden – 1800 feet climbed

Today was Sue’s longest ride ever and she was on great form:

It’s a bit blurred because I took it over my shoulder while moving but you can see it’s a fist-pump!

Again it was hot but for the first 75 miles very, very flat. With flat comes constant exposure to wind and most of the time it was a gentle headwind that kept us cool rather than held us back. Today was a better mix of towns and countryside although the skirting around Modena wasn’t particularly interesting. First tea stop was in San Benedetto Po which was just another picturesque and historic town.

We had probably the best lunch so far today in a small trattoria down a dirt track off a side road – how they survive business-wise escapes me but the antipasti and pasta was fabulous. By lunch I had finished 4 water bottles (3 litres) and as we left around 1PM it was the hottest part of the day with about 30 miles before the second tea stop. The heat was stifling but manageable as long as you kept moving – at one point we came to a railway crossing with the barrier down and once stopped realised we were in the full sun without any breeze and it felt like we were in an oven.

However the trick is to just zone out – it is what it is. Sue and I (when totally out of earshot of the other riders) attempted singing various songs amended to be about cycling which centred on Clouds Across the Moon by the RAH Band (her favourite song of all time) and Bohemian Rhapsody (apologies to Freddie Mercury). The time did pass and we did laugh.

If it wasn’t beautiful old buildings it was stunning scenery:

This is a view of the Po Valley which we cycled across for most of the day and in the foreground is the 4 mile climb we started 76 miles in. Lovely – we were so thrilled to be finishing the day with a climb.

We are staying in Guiglia which is a little town on top of the ridge and today we arrived with enough time to sit in the square drinking coffee, beer, and G & Ts comparing notes on the day and celebrating that it was over. Our longest day is done and Sue was smiling which I was elated about until I found out she had gas. I absolutely loved today.