OK, threw together some quick thoughts for the cycling week. Maybe I can put together more thoughts for the rest of the time I was in Italy. Already feels like a long time ago.
Seven day sof cycling in Italy
Approx 530 km and 4,600m of climbing
Rides were between 70-100 km and 500-1000m of climbing
I spent just over 2 weeks in Italy with one of the weeks dedicated to cycling. Home base was in Riccione Italy which is on the Adriatic Sea. Normally June (especially late June) isn't their cycling season but since there were going to be 2 stages of the Tour de France coming there, my friends organized a group trip. Generally, most people go in May or September.
All our rides were out of the hotel, so we rode to a different location every day, stopped for a cafe break, and rode back. Hotel came with 3 meals a day and there was more food than I could eat. I actually had to cut back a few days as I was eating too much. The hotel staff were amazing and the hotel was very clean.
Riccione feels like the Daytona Beach of Italy, nothing but hotels for miles and miles along the beach. Thankfully, things quickly change for the better once you ride out of town.
Since it wasn't cycling season, we had our own personal guide for our group of 13. We didn't always have 13 as some people got sick, did a day trip, were tired, etc, but we worked together at keeping the group together despite our differences in abilities. Mostly we would wait at the top of a climb for the last person, give them 2 minutes to catch their breath, then carry on.
For the last 2 or 3 days, we had a second guide join us to do the sweep. He was ONLY 89 years old and just bought an e-bike. He took no
from the crappy drivers.
I rode all 7 days and every ride was amazing. Plenty of climbing and descending with some easy flat sections in/out of town, and plenty of non stop views. Our guide was amazing, funny, very knowledgeable, and did a great job at keeping the group together. It also helped that everybody in the group got along and also helped keep the group together.
Highlights
- This one is for my entire trip....The price is the price. Taxes are included, no tipping required, so when you see 5 Euros, you give 5 Euros. Done.
- The ride up to Urbino which is an amazing city. Definitely a place to see. Plus all the little towns we stopped for our cafe breaks.
- Getting to see two stages of the TDF with one being on a climb to San Marino. The riders were so close they were literally mm away from us as they flew by at easily double the speeds we were climbing at.
- The coffee and pastries, oh so good. Never had one bad coffee or pastry the entire time in Italy and I had a lot of them. Plus, they are so cheap. I forgot my money one day so I put my order together with a friend and the shop owner said 6 Euros and my friend said, no, for both. To which they replied, that is for both.
- Drivers actually have skills and can drive in a straight line beside cyclists.
Lowlights
- Traffic and people. Because the cycling season is over, that means it was tourist season and they were everywhere. Even though the drivers had good skills, they also made crazy passes and I lost count of the number of times I thought wing mirrors were going to hit. They also have drivers that don't like cyclists and are not afraid to express it.
- The weather was great but the second part of the week was very hot which made climbing extremely hot. I had to dial down my efforts so I didn't over heat.
- My rental bike had rim brakes and narrow tires. While it didn't impact my riding, I did miss having disc brakes for the long descents. Plus I ride on nice plush 30mm tires at home but my rental was on 25mm which look so skinny now. Again, I had no problems but when you are on broken pavement (which there was plenty of), having larger tires is so much nicer.
Overall, the cycling was amazing. Can only imagine it once all the tourists leave. Some of my friends have been there before and they said, it is a night and day difference as the roads are much quieter. Everybody in our group was great and a lot of fun. During the normal cycling season, there are multiple guides each day offering different rides and levels. There is already talk about getting people together again for Sept 2025. I know I'm very interested in going back again.
Link to pictures ->
https://photos.app.goo.gl/7TDNryVPQRtyERm27Link to ride maps/elevation profile ->
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Pu8kjhFvgRE1Mcjp6
