Eurocycle 2009

Day 22 (Rome - Picinisco) - L'Arrivo

2009-07-18T23:59:00.005+02:00

We will never forget the welcome we received when we arrived in Picinisco.

As we approached the final climb up the slopes towards the village our anticipation began to mount and our hearts were racing. This was much harder than our climb over the Alps, not because of the terrain, but because as we approached our destination on the winding country roads which are so familiar to us we felt quite emotional.

The roads were eerily quiet because everyone was waiting for us in the piazza at the top of the mountain, and as we climbed the hill it felt like a dream. This was the moment we had been waiting for. This was our goal. We had each pictured this moment many times before and we had focussed on it for three weeks as we had pedalled through the many miles. This was the culmination of six months of planning and preparation – it felt so strange for it to be finally drawing to a close.

With each turn in the road our anticipation grew as we did not know what to expect. Although we were excited about arriving we were perhaps even more scared.

When we pulled around the bend beside the cemetery and first came into view of the piazza all three of us looked up and the sight was breath-taking. From almost a kilometre away we could see the crowds of people pushed up against the railing on the terrace of the town’s main piazza, and we could feel their hundreds of eyes looking down at us.

People were calling, but we weren’t properly listening – we just focussed on every push of the pedal that we still had to make. The trip wasn’t over till we reached the piazza.

On the last stretch leading up to the piazza all conversation between us stopped and we looked ahead towards the “finishing line”.

A giant banner with “Eurocycle 2009 Arrivo” stretched across the piazza, and beneath it the whole village stood to meet us, clapping and cheering like you see in the old black and white footage of soldiers returning from war. As we crossed the “line” a band began to play the Italian national anthem and before our bikes had even ground to a halt the crowd had already closed in on us and we were swarmed by relatives and friends. To move a metre was to receive ten kisses, hugs and hand-shakes.

The town mayor then took to the microphone and some order was restored as we were given a large bouquet of flowers and were presented with a great trophy on behalf of the people of Picinisco.

The mayor then made a very moving speech, which he started off by reading out the inscription on our trophy: “A Lorenzo Alonzi e ai suoi figli Riccardo e Gianluca in occasione del loro arrivo in bicicletta da Edimburgo, l’abbraccio affettuoso della citadinanza piciniscana, commossa dall’eroica impresa compiuta e della risonanza che essa ha dato al nostro paese.” (To Lorenzo and his sons Riccardo and Gianluca on the occasion of their arrival from Edinburgh by bicycle, the affectionate embrace of the citizens of Picinisco, moved by the heroic undertaking and by the resonance that it has brought to our town.)

This was followed by a speech from Lorenzo and then many hundreds of photos which you will all be able to see. (To view these photos click on the thumbnail above)

Champagne was opened, applause continued, and then it was time for us walk the fifty yards up the road to our front door so that we could get cleaned up before the party that was to follow.

When we emerged onto the piazza once again there was pasta and wine being served up free of charge to all who wanted it, and there was music and dancing. To have a “Picinisco festa” in our honour was incredibly touching, and we will never be able to thank the Comune di Picinisco enough.

Two days later our story also featured in the local newspaper and everyone was gathering at the bar to get a hold of a copy, which the Comune had made free for the day.

To finish off we’d like to thank everyone who has donated and everyone who has been reading the blog to follow our progress. We have enjoyed sharing our pictures and stories and we hope you have enjoyed reading them. We would also like to thank everyone at Maggie’s for helping us with our fundraising and for giving us so much encouragement and a real focus for our trip. Hopefully the money we’ve raised will make a real difference to the Maggie’s Centre in Edinburgh.

Finally, the awards for most consistent “blog-commenters” go to:
1. David and Shirley Cantle; 2. Doug and the Dalry Girls; and 3. Helen Hare.

We really appreciated all the comments on the blog as they gave us encouragement and some good laughs when we read them at night.

Now we’ll all just have to wait for the next Eurocycle, whenever that might be!

Total Mileage: 1,844 (2,968 kilometres)

10 punctures – 2 for Gianluca, 8 for Riccardo.

1 broken spoke on dad’s bike.

And many, many good stories.

THE END

(posted 21/07/09 at 10:54)

Sorry...

2009-07-18T23:58:00.003+02:00

We have arrived, so sorry for no post. With the party and all the celebrations we've not had time. A full account and lots of pictures will be coming shortly.

(posted 19/07/09 at 19:54)

2009-07-18T17:10:00.000+02:00

Tired Old Man

2009-07-18T14:44:00.000+02:00

After lunch in Frosinone we discover Riccardo has yet another flat tyre (his 8th). With only 60 km remaining, we're wondering if he will be able to reach a score of 10.

2009-07-18T12:49:00.001+02:00

Lunch in Frosinone. Dad didn't realise he'd ordered a pint of wine.

2009-07-18T08:57:00.002+02:00

DIY breakfast outside a supermarket

Day 21 (Montalto di Castro - Rome)

2009-07-17T23:59:00.001+02:00

Oggi siamo arrivati a Montecompatri, un po' dopo di Roma, e quindi abbiamo fatto 140 chilometri. Ci siamo divertiti molto a Roma e abbiamo preso le foto al Vaticano e al Colosseo. È stato molto caldo pure oggi ma stavamo bene. Ora ci prepariamo per arrivare a Picinisco domani sera!

Today has been a great day for us despite some trouble with punctures. We covered 86 miles and have passed through Rome, stopping just outside it on the road towards Frosinone.

The day started in the usual fashion, with a puncture on Riccardo's bike. So before we had even left the hotel we were delayed by that.

However after this we made good progess and stopped for an early lunch in a place called Santa Marinella, on the coast not too far from Rome.

The restaurant was about 20 metres from the water's edge and the floor was made up of loose stones, just like the beach outside. The food was good too and we all had pasta followed by sword-fish steaks.

From here we carried on into Rome and to do this we had to join the 'Via Aurelia' as there was no other route in. It was very busy with fast traffic, but we were coping well, until Riccardo got another puncture. You can imagine the sinking feeling as we realised that we had no spare inner tubes left while we were stranded in the middle of what was virtually a motorway. So this meant digging through bundles of burst inner tubes to try and find one that could be repaired as cars flew past just metres away from us. The first two repair attempts failed and the tyre immediately deflated, but eventually we managed to get a patch to hold.

Thankfully this repair saw us the remaining 10 km into Rome, but during our watermelon stop the tyre went down once again, so we had to go in search of a bike shop. This wasted a good bit of time.

We bought four inner tubes so we should be fine for tomorrow; but Riccardo has been known to get two punctures in the space of a few hours, so here's hoping!

Once we had the bike sorted we visited the Vatican and took a stop for drinks outside the Colosseum. The stall had Powerades and some other sports drinks, but we bought beers - the athlete's obvious choice.

So, hydrated on alcohol, we made our way through the rush hour traffic of Rome - a surreal but exciting experience.

Before it got too dark we managed to just clear Rome, and we have stopped in a little place called Montecompatri.

We had a big meal with wine to celebrate the last night of our trip and now our stomachs are groaning as we get to bed.

Just a cycle ride down the road for tomorrow and that will be the trip over. It's hard to believe.

(posted 18/07/09 at 01:55)

2009-07-17T19:40:00.000+02:00

The Colosseum

2009-07-17T19:02:00.000+02:00

Fountain at St. Peter's

2009-07-17T18:59:00.000+02:00

St. Peter's

2009-07-17T18:51:00.002+02:00

Filling our water bottles at a Vatican fountain

2009-07-17T18:18:00.001+02:00

Outside the bike shop in Rome

2009-07-17T17:22:00.000+02:00

Arriving in Rome, our first stop is the watermelon stall.

2009-07-17T12:47:00.000+02:00

Lunch at Santa Marinella (just before Rome)

2009-07-17T09:21:00.000+02:00

Day begins with yet another flat tyre - still at the hotel - putting Riccardo's score up to 6!

Day 20 (Castiglione della Pescaia - Montalto di Castro)

2009-07-16T23:59:00.000+02:00

Oggi abbiamo fatto ancora 120 chilometri e siamo arrivati a Montalto di Castro, un paese abbastanza vicino a Civitavecchia. Faceva molto caldo oggi, infatti e' stato il giorno più caldo di tutto il viaggio. Comunque non e' stato tanto duro e le colline erano poche. Domani speriamo di oltrepassare Roma.

Today we set a personal best for late starts and we didn't get on the road till 12. Just in time that lovely midday sun! And it really was roasting. We were stopping for drinks in almost every bar we could find.

Luckily there were quite a few bars as we passed through lots of small villages in order to avoid the dangerous 'via aurelia'. We were planning on just going for it but we got chatting to a veteran Italian cyclist this morning and he dissuaded us.

Given that we didn't leave till so late and we had to stop so often we are quite pleased with our 75 miles and we are right on target for arriving at Picinisco on Saturday.

The day has really passed without much incident. The only thing out of the ordinary happened when we asked a man in a remote village if there was a bar nearby and he replied 'I am the bar'. He then led us down a set of steps into basement that had an old, dark bar in it. He turned out to be very friendly and showed a lot of interest in our trip.

Again the countryside has been very picturesque, with rolling hills and sunflower fields.

Tomorrow we will pass through Rome and stop just beyond it.

(posted 17/07/09 at 00:57)

2009-07-16T20:20:00.000+02:00

Stopping for the night at Hotel Vulci...Lorenzo stopped here with Paolo in '96 when they cycled to Picinisco from Chamonix.

2009-07-16T18:27:00.001+02:00

Very hot, and feeling tired...nice scenery in Umbria though...

2009-07-16T12:46:00.001+02:00

Riccardo on the road to Grosseto

2009-07-16T12:44:00.001+02:00

Gianluca on the road to Grosseto

2009-07-16T12:26:00.001+02:00

Riccardo speaking to local Italian cyclist as we make our way out of Castiglione della Pescaia

Day 19 (Livorno - Castiglione della Pescaia)

2009-07-15T23:32:00.001+02:00

Oggi abbiamo iniziato più presto, alle 9, e abbiamo fatto 130 chilometri. Siamo arrivati presto a Castiglione della Pescaia (vicino a Grosseto) e così abbiamo potuto passare un po' di tempo alla spiaggia prima di fare la cena. Faceva caldo anche oggi ed il paesaggio in Toscana era bello.

Today we started a bit earlier, at 9, so we managed to get a decent mileage done and stop early to enjoy the beach here at Castiglione della Pescaia (near Grosseto). We covered 80 miles today in total - our foot is off the gas as we can't arrive before the 18th, for the sake giving time for family to arrive etc.

The weather was really good again, very sunny, and despite our rubbish breakfast we sailed along the coast (not literally - we were on the bikes of course!). In fact the breakfasts we've had in Italy have all been a disappointment so far. For a good, steady energy source we would really like cereal but here they just serve up cakes. The Italians obviously aren't used to us Eurocyclists.

However we made up for breakfast by quickly stopping to buy bananas and then we stopped for an early lunch at a town called Cecina. The restaurant was excellent and we all had risotto followed by a meat course.

In the afternoon Gianluca got a puncture, but we fixed this quickly and got on our way. We stopped just once more at a fruit stall and bought 6 peaches, 6 big plums and about 20 small plums. I think we've had our 5-a-day.

We've all enjoyed today and Tuscany has been good to us - friendly people, good food, great scenery, and most of all flat roads!

2009-07-15T20:37:00.001+02:00

An evening on the beach at Castiglione della Pescaia

2009-07-15T18:29:00.000+02:00

Can you hear the crickets?

2009-07-15T18:23:00.001+02:00

Pit-Stop near Castiglione della Pescaia

2009-07-15T15:39:00.001+02:00

Gianluca gets a puncture just past San Vincenzo

2009-07-15T08:45:00.001+02:00

Ugly cat in Livorno

Day 18 (Sarzana - Pisa - Livorno)

2009-07-14T23:53:00.002+02:00

Oggi abbiamo fatto un giorno leggero - solamente 82 chilometri. Ci siamo fermati alla spiaggia dopo solo un quarto d'ora sulle biciclette, ed erano le 4 quando abbiamo ricominciato! Siamo andati verso Pisa, dove abbiamo visitato la Torre Pendente, e poi a Livorno dove restiamo. Domani speriamo di cominciare un po' più presto!

We've taken it easy today and only covered 55 miles.

When we set out this morning in the hot, sunny weather we couldn't resist the temptation of stopping at one of the many beaches that we were cycling past. So at Carrara we decided that we would have a morning at the beach. However we enjoyed it so much that we ended up not leaving until 4pm.

We got a great lunch at the beach bar and fell asleep under the sun - it was a good break from the bike, and it also gave us a chance to start getting rid of some of our tan marks!

At 4pm we set out, having only done 5 miles, and headed for Pisa. Being so well rested we covered this 50 km in just 2 hours. Then there was the job of taking our photo in front of the Leaning Tower, like the photo of Dino and Oresto 59 years earlier. There is now a law against walking on the grass there though, so we couldn't get an exact replica of the photo of Dino and Oresto; but we did our best.

After this we just headed another 15 miles down the road to Livorno where we have stopped tonight. It may just be the area we're in but it doesn't feel like a very nice town - lots of dodgy people milling around. At least we managed to get a good, cheap evening meal though!

Hopefully make an early start tomorrow - we've been slowing down so we don't get to Picinisco too early, but we'd better not slow down too much!

2009-07-14T19:18:00.000+02:00

Leaning Tower of Pisa 59 years on

2009-07-14T14:55:00.000+02:00

Carrara Baywatch

2009-07-14T14:41:00.000+02:00

Eurotan 2009

2009-07-14T13:37:00.000+02:00

Lunch at the beach in Carrara

Day 17 (Genoa - Sarzana)

2009-07-13T23:59:00.000+02:00

Oggi abbiamo fatto 142 chilometri e siamo arrivati a Sarzana. Ci è voluto tanto tempo per uscire da Genova sta mattina perché è una grande cittâ e c'era tanto traffico. Pioveva fino a mezzogiorno e poi c'era il sole per il resto del giorno.

Today we covered 90 miles and have reached a place called Sarzana.

The day started off quite slowly as we immediately got a puncture and had to cross Genoa with it's busy traffic and chaotic street plan.

However once we got out of Genoa we saw some really stunning coastal scenery. In particular the town of Rapallo was very picturesque.

The coast was a lot hillier than we expected and although it made for some interesting cycling it also slowed us down.

Today has not been very eventful though. Probably the funniest thing happened when we got to our hotel room tonight: Gianluca took a bite out of a bar of soap because he thought it was a complimentary chocolate.

Tomorrow we will be passing by Pisa to take a photo in front of the tower.

(posted 14/07/09 at 01:03)

2009-07-13T16:13:00.000+02:00

Rapallo

2009-07-13T11:55:00.000+02:00

Mid-morning snack

2009-07-13T10:03:00.001+02:00

Day begins with puncture repair - Riccardo's 5th of the trip - and it's now starting to rain...

Day 16 (Trino - Voltri, near Genoa)

2009-07-12T23:09:00.002+02:00

Fireworks in Voltri

2009-07-12T22:41:00.001+02:00

Festa in Voltri

2009-07-12T22:23:00.002+02:00

Oggi siamo arrivati a Genova, quindi abbiamo fatto 122 chilometri. Faceva caldo anche oggi, ma ancora il vento era un problema. Quando eravamo ad Alessandria c'era una festa per i motociclisti d'Italia - abbiamo visto almeno 20,000 moto. Alcune erano molto belle. Sta sera c'è una festa qui a Genova e ci sono gli spari.

Well, well, well, there are a few good stories to tell today.

First of all, remember when I said the hotel was comfortable? I lied. The heat in the rooms was unbearable, but the choice was between sleeping in a sauna or in a mosquito paradise. Dad chose wrong. He opened the window in his room.

In the morning he told us that he had had to evacuate his room at about 5.45am. 'I could only kill so many' he said. I half expected him to go on and say 'They drew first blood!'.

So this morning we set off, all badly bitten, with dad being the worst. We were making great progress and covered 50 km in 2 hours. And then we hit Alessandria.

It just so happened that Alessandria was hosting the biggest biker convention imagineable. It may be an understatement to say that we saw 20,000 motorbikes. All the streets were closed as wave upon wave of bikes swept through the town. The air was filled with their engine noise and exhaust smoke. For the first 10,000 bikes we were quite amazed and enthusiastic. After a while we just wanted to get out of the place though. However there was simply no way out of Alessandria, so we found a bar to sit it out. It was the only bar we could find that wasn't filled with bikers, and it was owned by a Russian woman. We bought a few drinks and then she gave us three drinks on the house. She told us it was a traditional Russian drink made by fermenting bread in water. It was black and looked like Coca Cola but it tasted like Marmite.

Fuelled-up on Marmite Juice we carried on and made some good progress. We got another puncture on the climb up to the Passo del Turchino but we quickly repaired that and got on our way.

It's been another sunny day but we had some trouble with the wind again.

We've arrived tonight in Genoa and have covered 76 miles today. There is another party in this town too! Not as loud though, so we should sleep ok.

Tomorrow we hope to get just beyond Viareggio.

2009-07-12T18:36:00.000+02:00

View of the sea at Genoa from Passo del Turchino

2009-07-12T18:19:00.000+02:00

Mars bars and coca cola at Passo del Turchino...and Riccardo's 4th puncture!

2009-07-12T11:59:00.000+02:00

What?

2009-07-12T11:54:00.000+02:00

The Vespa Troop

2009-07-12T11:52:00.000+02:00

Burn-out!

2009-07-12T09:31:00.000+02:00

Breakfast of nectarines in Trino

Day 15 (Col du Grand St Bernard - Trino, near Casale Monferrato)

2009-07-11T23:45:00.002+02:00

Oggi abbiamo fatto tanto di più rispetto a ieri - 190 chilometri. Siamo partiti dal Gran San Bernardo abbastanza tardi, verso le 10 e mezza, e siamo arrivati sta sera a un paese che si chiama Trino. Il tempo era bello oggi ma tirava forte il vento fino alle tre o quattro.

Today we have covered a much greater distance than yesterday: 120 miles, or 190 km.

The sun was shining all day and it was quite warm. However there was an incredibly strong head-wind until the middle of the afternoon. It was so strong that at times it was even an effort to cycle downhill.

However when this subsided we really racked up the miles as the terrain in Piemonte is very flat.

We've arrived in a town called Trino after dad made us take a wrong turn - cheers. And remember how we stayed in a few places in England that were having their 'loud night'? Well it just so happens that tonight the whole of Trino is having its 'loud night'. It's the town festival so there is music playing everywhere and there are lots of stalls and people milling about. If we weren't so tired it would probably be quite good fun.

The hotel we're staying in tonight is basic but comfortable. On the stairwell the owners have pinned a sign that says 'Please don't spit on the stairs'...what a pity.

Tomorrow we hope to reach the beach!

2009-07-11T10:15:00.000+02:00

Little did we know, our hotel last night was only about 100 metres from the Italian border.

2009-07-11T09:58:00.000+02:00

Setting off on the descent into Italy

2009-07-11T07:28:00.001+02:00

View from our hotel room at Col du Grand St Bernard

Day 14 (Martigny - Verbier - Col du Grand St Bernard)

2009-07-10T23:59:00.001+02:00

Benché abbiamo fatto pochi chilometri oggi (solamente 76), sia stato un giorno molto gratificante per noi. Abbiamo fatto due salite enorme - la prima di 1000 metri e la seconda di 2000. Quindi insomma è stato un giorno breve ma duro. Domani arriviamo in Italia.

Although today we covered our shortest distance yet - only 46 miles - it has been a real highlight of the trip and we feel a great sense of achievement.

We started off the day with 2 punctures in quick succession but after this we got some serious cycling done.

Our first climb from Martigny to Verbier was very tough as we rose 1000m in altitude within quite a short space of time - this gradient in the midday sun really got our hearts racing! However we got a good lunch in Verbier to make up for it. Quite expensive though - we didn't want to buy the restaurant, we just wanted a meal!

This climb turned out just to be a warm-up for what was to come.

To reach the Col du Grand Saint Bernard we had to climb from 400m to 2,472m. It seemed never-ending.

Again we saw some staggering scenery (see below) and lots of road works in preparation for the Tour de France. We were grateful for our lights and high-vis vests when we were passing through contraflows in the Grand St Bernard tunnels.

It was freezing cold as we approached the summit this evening - at points there was a metre thickness of snow at the side of the road and we could see our breathe as we neared the top.

We have stopped tonight at the top of the Col du Grand St Bernard and when we arrived there was a group of drunk Swiss people who started laughing and calling dad 'Pantani'. There was a good atmosphere and they were singing in French. We enjoyed our hot chocolates and liqueurs!

We also received word from Picinisco that we appeared today in a local Italian newspaper. The lengthy article discusses both our trip and Dino and Oresto's.

All in all we've had a great day and tomorrow we will arrive in Italy! Almost on the home straight.

(posted 11/07/09 at 00:31)

2009-07-10T20:56:00.001+02:00

A stiff drink at the summit

2009-07-10T20:40:00.000+02:00

2009-07-10T20:38:00.000+02:00

Hurry up and take the photo!

2009-07-10T19:38:00.000+02:00

Gritting our teeth for the cold climb ahead

2009-07-10T18:45:00.000+02:00

Saying hi to the 'big dog'

2009-07-10T17:41:00.001+02:00

Exactly the spot where Lorenzo and Paolo stopped for a late lunch of fresh fruit en route from Chamonix to Picinisco in 1996.

2009-07-10T16:03:00.000+02:00

Long Way Down

2009-07-10T15:54:00.001+02:00

Wrapped up for a long, cold descent.

2009-07-10T14:20:00.000+02:00

Lunch in Verbier

2009-07-10T12:46:00.000+02:00

2009-07-10T11:52:00.000+02:00

2nd puncture of the day

2009-07-10T10:55:00.000+02:00

Day 13 (Pontarlier - Martigny)

2009-07-09T23:59:00.000+02:00

ai piciniscani: oggi siamo partiti alle 9 e mezza da Pontarlier in Francia e siamo arrivati sta sera a Martigny in Svizzera. Quindi abbiamo fatto una distanza di 188 chilometri. Avevamo l'intenzione di fare un po' più ed arrivare a Verbier perché così avremmo fatto tutta la tappa quindicesima del tour de france. Domani forse andiamo a Verbier e poi continueremo ad Aosta.

Today has been a good day. We did 117 miles, 188 km, and have arrived in Martigny in Switzerland. We didn't complete the whole of the 15th stage of the tour as we had planned, but we intend to complete it tomorrow before we continue on with the route of the 16th stage.

This didn't bother us too much however as we passed through some breath-taking landscapes and very pretty villages. The severe terrain was completely different to anything we had encountered before hand and there were some staggering views. One village, Gruyères, was particarly impressive, and at its centre was an old castle perched high on a hill, just like in a picture-postcard.

We passed through the Swiss border without even having to stop - it felt quite liberating not having to show our passports.

The roads were also full of cyclists. We passed one at least every 5 minutes, and even though we knew none of them there was a sense of camaraderie as we were sharing the same experience of these fantastic hills.

The weather was quite mixed again today. It started off raining a little and then cleared up mid-afternoon, but it turned again towards the evening. So unfortunately it was back to the waterproofs!

Tomorrow we hope to cross the border into Italy and spend the night at Aosta. The weather in Italy had better be good! Goodnight from Switzerland.

(posted 10/07/09 at 00:06)

2009-07-09T22:10:00.000+02:00

Helmet suntan!

2009-07-09T17:10:00.000+02:00

Taking in the view

2009-07-09T15:11:00.000+02:00

More climbing ahead!

2009-07-09T10:28:00.000+02:00

Crossing the border into Switzerland

2009-07-09T09:50:00.000+02:00

Stage 15 of the Tour de France

2009-07-09T09:33:00.000+02:00

Leaving Pontarlier

Day 12

2009-07-08T19:38:00.002+02:00

Today we covered a grand total of...0 miles. We were all psyched-up for our first day of the Alps but when we weren't able to sort out the problem dad's been having with his gears we decided to just cut our losses and enjoy a proper rest for a change.

So we took the bike into a local shop and the guy had a look at it. He sorted out the problem and also fixed the spoke that we hadn't got round to doing ourselves. Since Calais the bike had been stuck in the large chain ring, but for the Alps we really need the gears to work.

It has been a very useful day though - probably better spent getting organised than on the bike; and we were already roughly 3 days ahead of schedule so at least that gives more time for the family to get to Picinisco!

This morning we washed through all the dirty clothes so that the flies would stop following us and we sorted out the panniers and sent off a parcel of things that we no longer needed - maps and some unnecessary clothes and gadgets that we should never have brought to begin with. This should certainly lighten our load and we're looking forward to setting off tomorrow with less cumbersome bikes.

It rained again today but there were some spells of sunshine and Pontarlier had a real buzz about it as they were making the final preparations for the Tour de France which arrives here on the 18th.

We also got a really good lunch in an old fashioned french restaurant (photo below).We all got nice, big lasagnes with salad followed by cheese, wine and café creme. It's been our toughest day yet.

Now that we've had this rest today we feel a lot more confident about tomorow. We're just off to have dinner, then we'll have a look at the maps and get to bed.

Until tomorrow then. Hopefully the mobile will get a signal up in the Alps so that we can post our blog!

2009-07-08T13:48:00.001+02:00

Lunch at 'Le Grand Café Francais' in Pontarlier

Day 11

2009-07-07T18:06:00.004+02:00

Today we arrived in Pontarlier as planned. This meant doing a much shorter distance than usual - 50 miles (80 km) - so we've counted today as a rest day. It turned out not to be a great rest though...we didn't realise that Pontarlier was 800 metres above sea level!

The weather has also definitely turned for the worse. It has rained most of the day and it's quite cold - we hope that it won't be like this for tomorrow. Although it was maybe a bit too hot earlier in the week, we are already missing the scorching sun. The novelty of matching waterproofs wears off surprisingly quickly when it actually rains!

However we are excited to reach Switzerland tomorrow. There is always a great sense of achievement when you cross a border and you finally feel like you are making progress again. Pontarlier already looks and feels quite Swiss - if only the weather was better it would probably be very picturesque.

Tomorrow is quite a daunting day for us though. As it is one of the stages of the Tour de France (15th stage to be precise) it is quite long and very hilly! We'll get a good sleep, have a big breakfast tomorrow and give it our best shot. The Swiss Alps will be no match for Eurocycle 2009!

2009-07-07T13:29:00.001+02:00

Siesta after lunch in Ornans (just before Pontarlier)

Day 10

2009-07-06T00:00:00.001+02:00

We have arrived in Besançon tonight and have covered 100 miles (160 km). The weather was mainly good apart from a short rainy spell in the afternoon...but we were ok with our matching waterproofs!

Today the terrain was pretty much the same as yesterday - some climbs but mainly flat. We got a really good lunch in a small town called Bourbonne and this filled us up nicely for the day.

We're catching up with some of the action from the tour de france just now but we'll be going to bed soon so we can make an early start tomorrow. We intend to get to Pontarlier before lunch time so that we have time to fix-up the bikes and get a good rest before we start the 15th stage of the tour de france. Apart from that there's not much to report - it has been a very standard day.

(posted 07/07/09 at 07:32)

Day 9

2009-07-05T00:00:00.001+02:00

Today has been a very successful day for us. We have arrived in a beautiful town called Neufchateau and have covered 113 miles (180 kilometres).

This morning we left Reims quite late and didn't get a good breakfast so at the beginning we didn't make very good progress. Eventually we stopped for lunch in a small village called Nettancourt. The restaurant was actually closed but the owner took pity on us and made us an omelette. In this restaurant we also met a man whose family comes from Naples, so we spoke to him in Italian dialect for a while.

However after lunch we felt like we were going to collapse on the bikes. We were all falling asleep and we were making slow progress. So we stopped at the first bar just outside a town called Bar Le Duc, but it was closed. There was a family outside and they very kindly welcomed us into their home. Their family name is Gosset and they were incredibly generous and warm towards us. They gave us coffee, cake and chocolate and were very interested in our trip as they were keen cyclists too. It is thanks to them that we got so far today - after the coffee and cake we covered another 50 miles in 3 hours. They really helped us a lot. Merci beaucoup, Famille Gosset!

(posted 06/07/09 at 00:21)

Day 8

2009-07-04T23:23:00.001+02:00

Today has been a much better day. We now have a better idea about which roads to take in France and we covered 110 miles. The roads were beautifully quiet and flat and straight, and we spent most of the day cycling past wheat fields or with trees on either side. It is easy to see how the tour de france is so popular, because France is really quite perfect for cycling. We also passed through some interesting towns such as Saint Quentin. Here they had filled the entire town square with sand so that it resembled a beach and all the children were running about in their swimming costumes.
We've stopped tonight in a town called Reims and it is quite lively. We're having a drink at a bar in the main square and someone is playing the accordion.

Day 7

2009-07-03T00:00:00.001+02:00

Today has been quite eventful but also quite tiring. The french roads were hard to get used at first, and on many occassions we found ourselves on motorways by accident, which forced us to walk large distances with the bikes in order to get off then. This was quite demoralising, and with a lunch of steak and pasta in a bath of hot starchy water, literally, and our spirits reached an alltime low, so it wasn't that much of a surpise when we finnished the day with having only done little over 80 miles. However we are still confident we will make up for our lost distance over the nexy few days and i am certain in tomorrows update you will see we have a lot more.
Goodnight

(posted 04/07/09 at 00:02)

Day 6

2009-07-02T23:42:00.003+02:00

Today has been another slow day - only 80 miles. We wasted a lot of time trying to find quiet roads to Dover and then there was the ferry crossing itself. It didn't help that last night's accommodation was pretty rotten too - another pub/nightclub/b&b...and yes, we know what you're thinking, it was their loud night! The latest club anthems till three in the morning - quality. That music just puts you right off to sleep!
On a more positive note we have arrived in France. The atmosphere here in Calais is great. A real buzz. We're eating at a restaurant called Cafe de Paris and the food and wine is excellent. Goodnight, we're planning a long shift tomorrow so hopefully there will be a higher moleage to report.

Day 5

2009-07-01T00:00:00.001+02:00

Today has been our shortest day so far - only 80 miles. We arrived in the outskirts of London at about 11.00 this morning, and we have spent the entire day battling our way through the congestion in London. It was particularly difficult to find the London Maggie's Centre. It is based at Charing Cross Hospital, but everyone we asked gave us different directions...it took us over 3 hours to find the place. Just as well none of us was dying!

However when we got to the centre we were made very welcome and we got a tour of the building. It was a lot bigger than the one in Edinburgh but it had the same essential feel to it - very tranquil and comforting.

After this we spent a bit of time seeing the sights and then we just started to make our way out of London. We are staying in Dartford tonight. We aim to be in France tomorrow night.

(posted 02/07/09 at 00:15)

Day 4

2009-06-30T00:00:00.002+02:00

Today has been a very eventful day. We covered 117 miles and have reached a small village just outside Royston. We left quite early this morning after a hearty breakfast from the b&b we were staying at. The owners Bill and Ellen were very hospitable and they had two impressive Alsations - one of them, called Monty, was the size of a baby bear! The weather was scorching and we all got a little burnt - at times it felt like we were already on the continent. The terrain was also very flat as we passed through the Fens, so we managed to keep our speed between 15 and 20 mph for most of the day. There was one mishap however...we broke our first spoke. Oresto and Dino broke 34 - let's see if we can match that! On a more postive note we made a very interesting acqaintance today. At about three o'clock we stopped at a stall on a layby to get some strawberries. The chap that owned the stall was very friendly and it turns out that he is Padre Pio's great nephew! (posted 01/07/09 at 01:50)

Day 3

2009-06-29T00:00:00.001+02:00

Today has been the best day yet. We covered 113 miles without too much trouble, and we have arrived at a small place just outside Lincoln. We've had really good weather all day - very sunny and warm. We had lunch at Scarborough and because of the sun the town had a great atmosphere. There was also some good scenery as this morning we passed through the North Yorkshire Moors National Park - however this did mean some very serious climbs - the phrase 'harder than the barracone' springs to mind!

(posted 30/06/09 at 00:13)

Day 2 (Alnwick - Skinningrove nr. Loftus)

2009-06-28T00:00:00.000+02:00

Despite a late start we managed 102 miles today. The weather was mostly good but it started to get very misty this evening - we were grateful for our lights and high visibility vests! Tonight we're staying in a small fishing village near Whitby, in a coffee shop/nightclub/b&b - it's called Tim's Coffee Shop, but they have rooms and tonight is their 'loud night'! We tried to get a place in a village called Loftus but the two hotels we tried said they didn't do rooms...interesting. There were 4 tanning salons in Loftus though - so if you go on holiday there you'll definitley leave with a tan, but you might have to sleep in the street. Tomorrow we plan to leave a bit earlier, so hopefully we'll get a better distance. Goodnight from Lorenzo, Riccardo and Gianluca. (posted 29/06/09 at 00:03)

Day 1 (Edinburgh - Alnwick)

2009-06-27T23:14:00.005+02:00

We did 90 miles today and are staying at Alnwick. It's a nice, quaint town. We're all very tired and fell asleep at the restaurant table - the food was good though. We filled up on risotto and steak. The waiitress was shocked by how much we ate. We're just going to go back to the room now to sleep...we'll get up early and hopefully cover at least 100 miles tomorrow. Bye for now, Riccardo