Biking - Day 2, Lunch

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Originally uploaded by pdbreen.

There was an option for some extra miles on the morning portion of the ride, so we all took it. The first part was mostly uphill - though the effort was rewarded with wonderful views and a truly wonderful long, gently winding downhill stretch. All of us wanted to do that downhill over and over again! Instead, we faced another uphill before reaching the town we stopped in for lunch.
The town was a small hilltop town (you could walk around the entire town in just a few minutes) and the restuarant had a nice outdoor patio where we all gathered. I had a spicy pasta which I liked and the house wine was a bit better than average. Was that thunder in the distance?
The ride back started with a downhill, though not as nice as the one in the morning and then a steep, but short uphill that was rather tough after the meal. Shortly after the hill I lost David, Jennifer and Ted, but had soon caught others that left lunch before us. Then it started to rain. Not too hard at first, just enough to wet the road. But, then we were back in the pine forest which is a dirt trail so I'm starting to get a bit muddy at this point. To make matters worse, the 8 pages of instructions is starting to take its toll - people are becoming less and less confident they are going the right way. At times I pass people coming from the direction I'm heading. I decide to press on anyway in hopes that its the right way. I made a few wrong turns, but luckily when the distances were short so they were easy to correct. There was one 5km+ stretch through the pine forest that was making me very nervous, but it turned out I was heading the right way.
As I exit the forest, the rain is really coming down (on the positive side, the mud is being washed away). Claudio is in Cecina guiding people to the gelato of the day - at this point I'm soaked and a bit cold so I pass on the gelato and continue to think about getting into the shower at the hotel.
The rain lets up as I reach the hotel - maybe it would have been better to have the gelato and wait out the rain afterall! In any case, it was good to be dry & warm again. As others arrive and share their stories, it sounds like everyone had an eventful day. Ted, David & Jennifer were riding with Luigi (the guide in training) and they ended up getting lost a few times - but they did stop for the gelato!