Passione Celeste

by Mark Pritchard

  In a small celebration of crinkle crankle, and to ensure that I crossed the 100 mile threshold today, I then followed a particularly wavy route for the last 20 miles of the ride.

  Wednesday 13 April 2016, 111 miles

  Mid-Norfolk and Some Sunshine (C#9)

  Today was a lovely sunny day so I decided to repeat my ride into mid Norfolk (C#6, 2 April), and this time ride it the other way around. There was a real sense of spring in the air today and the distinctive yellow of oil seed rape crops was starting to show. The countryside really did look as if it was waking up from winter hibernation. New shoots were showing on the oak trees and many of the hedgerows had a lovely green tinge from their flushing leaves. So I was more than happy to pedal around, not thinking about much in particular and just enjoying the scenery.

  The one thing that did strike me was how significant the pig rearing industry has become in this corner of the country. Pig rearing has always been a significant activity but ‒ and maybe it’s just my imagination ‒ I sense that in the last couple of years the industry has expanded considerably. Many of the fields are now full of pigs and the assorted paraphernalia. The animals themselves don’t generally seem to be in any discomfort and appear quite happy to bury their snouts in the soil in search of whatever they can eat. One very striking feature is that fields with pigs in them very quickly lose all their vegetation and take on a scorched earth appearance. Consequently, there seems to be a regular rotation cycle to enable the fields to recover. For the most part the pigs are oblivious to my passing; just occasionally one might look at me rather disdainfully. Piglets on the other hand often seem quite interested in me, provided I’m not too close as I ride past. And they can be quite entertaining to watch, especially very young ones who are often very playful with each other. So there you have it, my take on pig farming.

  There was one other minor feature of note today: a new bus shelter at West Acre to the north-west of Swaffham. This shelter had a rather magnificent thatched roof which gave it a real sense of style. This seemed to be entirely in harmony with the surroundings and certainly much nicer than the more usual prefab concrete block versions.

  Sunday 17 April 2016, 104 miles

  Hoxne Hundred (C#10)

  I have recently been reading Mark Taylor’s book, ‘Edmund – The Untold Story of the Martyr-King and His Kingdom’. Edmund is something of a local hero, despite very little being reliably known about him. In 869, aged twenty-nine, he was killed by invading Danes. He was subsequently buried in Beadoriceworth (now Bury St Edmunds). Twenty years later he was declared the patron saint of England, to be replaced in the fourteenth century by St George. Ironically, the very Danes who killed him subsequently worshipped him, due to the number of mystical happenings associated with him. Today, there’s a campaign under way to reinstate St Edmund as England’s patron saint in place of St George.

  After refusing to surrender to the invading Danes he took flight, and it is claimed he was eventually captured while hiding under the Goldstone Bridge at Hoxne. Legend has it that a newly married couple saw his gold spurs and gave away his location to his enemies. And according to the legend, St Edmund put a curse on any couples who cross the bridge on their way to get married. His death, it is said, involved the Danes tying him to a tree and flogging him. He was then shot at with arrows and had spears stuck in him until he looked like a hedgehog. Then he was decapitated, his head thrown into a bramble bush, and his body left where it lay. Some time later his body and head were recovered, and when placed together they became whole again. So today I decided to focus my ride on a visit to the Goldstone Bridge at Hoxne where Edmund met his end.

  Hoxne has one other claim to fame: the Hoxne Hoard. Discovered in 1992, the Hoard is the largest collection of late Roman silver and gold discovered in Britain. Nearly 15,000 gold silver and bronze coins, together with 200 items of silver tableware and jewellery, were found. Today the Hoard is on display in the British Museum.

  6. TOUR OF TUSCANY

  Thursday 21 April 2016

  Italy Beckons

  Here we are on the eve of another tour, this time to Italy and the delights of Tuscany and The Marche. Over the next four days I will be riding from Livorno in the west on the Ligurian Sea to Ancona in the east on the Adriatic. About 250 miles with 20,000 feet of climbing. (For my non-cyclist readers, the height climbed is an indicator of pain; sorry, pleasure!)

  Tuscany is not an area that I know. I have passed through it a couple of times whilst heading south. I have also read about the spectacular old hilltop towns and villages, some of which I hope to see and write about as the tour progresses. The tour avoids the main cities like Florence and Sienna, sticking instead to small and hopefully quiet minor roads. It is a region with a rich history so I hope to learn a bit more about it. We will be passing through the heart of Chianti country so I expect to enjoy a glass or three. And then there’s the Italian food. I love Italian food!

  As a country with a long and rich cycling heritage, I will be interested to see how we are regarded by the people we encounter en route. I am hoping that my Impulso will meet with approval from the Italian populace. And riding on the ‘wrong’ side of the road could bring some interesting challenges, especially as we ride out of a potentially busy Livorno tomorrow morning. We’re going to be riding along part of the route of this year’s Giro d’Italia and I wonder if we will get some shouts of ‘bravissimo’ from the roadside. Well, I am allowed to dream.

  Everything has gone very smoothly so far. Kim, our tour leader, and Amanda, who’s helping to support the ride, have brought me to the airport for our flight to Pisa. Checking in at Stansted was painless and I was even able to enjoy the luxury of the Executive Lounge thanks to Kim’s card! Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch? As I write this, at 30,000 feet on the flight, my Impulso is already in Italy. Martyn, Amanda’s husband and a good friend who I ride with sometimes, has been driving the support vehicle through France and Switzerland to ensure our bikes are ready for the Grand Depart tomorrow morning. I got to know Martyn on last year’s Lejog and have ridden with him a few times since. If I have half as much fun as I did then, I will be a very happy cyclist indeed!

  We arrived on schedule in Pisa, completed the transfer, and checked in at our hotel for the night, the Hotel Gran Duca on the seafront in Livorno. Apart from Kim, Martyn and Amanda, everyone else on the tour is new to me. They seem like a nice bunch of people though. But what do you expect – they’re cyclists! I’m sharing rooms with Chris, a relatively new rider who lives in Bury St Edmunds.

  With a bit of spare time I had a short stroll around before dinner. Livorno is an historic city, sitting on the edge of the Ligurian Sea. Much of the city’s early development in the sixteenth century was due to the efforts of the Medici22 family, one of Italy’s dynasties. The city has a reputation throughout its history of constantly trying to improve itself and the well-being of its citizens. Although the city was heavily damaged by bombing during the Second World War, many of its monuments survived. One of these, and the symbol of the city, is a statue of Ferdinando I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1549‒1609). The statue was created by Bandini e Pietro Tacca in 1595, and is surrounded by pirates in chains. The statue is right outside our hotel.

  As I write today’s despatch from the front line I am sitting on the terrace of my bedroom looking over the harbour. I have enjoyed a lovely dinner (seafood gnocchi) and a couple of glasses of wine. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

  Friday, 22 April 2016, 66 Miles

  Stage 1: Livorno to Colle di Val d’Elsa – and We’re on Our Way

  After a good night’s sleep and an excellent breakfast it was time to be reunited with my bike. A few minor tweaks to the handlebars and a test ride to ensure my gears were working sweetly, then it was time to pose for the group photo. Everybody seemed to be happy, perhaps with a slight sense of apprehension about what lies ahead. All too soon we w
ere under way, riding through the streets of Livorno amongst quite busy traffic. A minor altercation with a lady commuter cyclist reminded me to ride on the right. Although I didn’t quite catch what she said, there was no doubting her meaning! The first 30 minutes or so were quite challenging as the roads were busy. But fortunately we were soon well away from Livorno on quieter roads and in the open countryside.

  Very quickly the countryside changed and we were amongst some gently rolling hills, surrounded by olive groves and vineyards. Quite a few motorists gave us a friendly toot and a wave, so clearly cyclists are appreciated much more here than back at home. Gradually the hills got higher and the climbs got longer as we rode through archetypal Tuscan scenery with lots of very attractive hilltop villages.

  We soon reached Casciana Terme, the history of which is linked to a romantic legend about the elderly Countess Matilde di Canossa. She used to have an old blackbird which, over time, started flying further and further away and returning more sprightly than before. The Countess discovered that the blackbird was diving into a pond of hot water which seemed to rejuvenate it. So too she started to bathe in the waters, which soon cured the infirmities of old age and her gout.

  Leaving Casciana Terme we approached Volterra, which is positioned on a hilltop at 1,700 feet above sea level. The climb up to Volterra was quite long (5 miles plus) with some fairly steep stretches, especially on the hairpin bends ‒ and there were a lot of those! The views over the surrounding countryside were stunning.

  Volterra’s history goes back some 3,000 years to Etruscan times. Its relative isolation on the hilltop has limited the development of the city, which is why it still boasts a spectacular medieval feeling. The town is well known as the city of alabaster, which has been used over the centuries to make pots, goblets and ornaments. The translucent nature of the mineral gives the artefacts a unique appearance.

  A fast descent from Volterra brought us to a layby with a large O-shaped metal sculpture where Amanda and Martyn were waiting to refresh us. There was no explanation about the sculpture on site,23 it was about 12 feet tall and painted in a rust red colour. It also provided an unusual frame for the lovely view behind us, so we all posed in front for a group photo. Having topped up with a selection of fruit, sweets and drink, we headed off on the last leg of the day.

  Riding along smooth-surfaced rolling roads with sweeping bends and curves we soon arrived at the small hamlet of Castel San Gimignano which lies midway between Volterra and its famous sister city, San Gimignano.24 The village is built around a castle and fortress, and with its protective walls still has a strongly medieval feeling. The view across the Tuscan countryside, rich with vineyards and olive groves and with hints of the hills to come, was breathtaking.

  Then it was a fast blast, and a bit of an up-and-down roller-coaster ride to Colle di Val d’Elsa and our hotel for the night. Colle di Val d’Elsa is a medieval town in three parts, known historically as ‘Piano’, ‘Borgo’ and ‘Castello’, and more recently as Colle Alta and Colle Bassa (High and Low Colle). Our hotel was rather unique as it was a converted Renaissance-era abbey, once owned by Cardinal Giuliano Della Rovere who went on to become Pope Julius II.25 Strolling around the abbey/hotel and its surrounding gardens, the sense of history was palpable.

  Saturday 23 April 2016, 52 Miles

  Stage 2: Colle di Val d’Elsa to Arezzo – Hard Rain and Hard Hills

  After a very efficient breakfast and checkout service we were soon rolling out of Colle di Val d’Elsa under grey skies, heading for Arezzo about 50 miles away. The first highlight came after 5 miles when I stopped to get a photo of myself standing in front of the Bartali Winery. Gino Bartali was a legendary racer who won the Tour de France twice (in 1938 and 1948) as well as winning the Giro d’Italia three times. His feat of winning three consecutive mountain stages in the 1948 Tour de France has never been equalled. His rivalry with the Bianchi-riding Fausto Coppi was the stuff of legend. Today the winery is run by his descendants. Standing there and reflecting on his achievements was, for me, quite a humbling experience.

  Back on the road we headed into ‘Chiantishire’. Large vineyards dominated the view over the increasingly rolling, hilly landscape. Gradually the road got steeper as the first main climb of the day arrived: 5 miles uphill to Castellini-in-Chianti. Not that steep, except for some of the bends, but reaching the top in by now heavy rain was a welcome relief! Then it was an exhilarating descent to Radda in Chianti. This stretch of road would be used in a couple of weeks’ time for the individual time trial of the Giro d’Italia. The riders will be going the other way and, I am certain, will be riding much faster than us.

  In addition to the forthcoming Giro the other cycling highlight was seeing several roadsigns for L’Erocia, which was started in 1997 by Giancarlo Brocci. He admired the traditional values of cycling so much that he wanted to reconnect others to the heritage that has inspired so much Italian history, literature, culture and music. L’Eroica also became a Foundation for the protection and preservation of the last gravel roads in Tuscany. These romantic concepts led to the idea of L’Eroica, an event with 92 riders, ‘hunters of feelings and emotions’ as its creator Giancarlo Brocci defined them. Today, L’Eroica continues to spread the authentic roots of an extraordinary sport with a great soul. It enables people to rediscover the beauty of fatigue and the thrill of the conquest: the heroic cycling of legends like Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi. It’s a cycling philosophy that spreads respect and creates deep bonds between the competitors. Several similar events are now held in other countries, including the L’Eroica Britannia in Derbyshire.

  Bianchi produce a replica bike, fittingly called L’Eroica. It has a steel frame with downtube gear shifters and a beautiful brown leather Brooks saddle. I have a similar Brooks saddle, which I bought in 1972 and is now fitted on my winter bike. After more than 40 years’ riding it is as comfortable as an armchair – a reclining armchair. The Bianchi L’Eroica, with its celeste and polished chrome frame, is a work of art and I’m told it’s a pretty good ride as well. Maybe one day…

  With the heavy rain still falling it was a case of rain hard, ride hard, with a couple of welcome stops to refuel courtesy of the ever-smiling Amanda and Martyn. We had one more lung-bursting climb followed by what, for me, was one of the best ever descents. Long, with sweeping curves on a generally excellent road surface. How I wished it was dry, I could have easily touched 60 mph; I could only manage a meagre 52 mph. Well there’s a good excuse to return and try again.

  The last leg was a generally flat and fast ride into Arezzo on a busy main road. After negotiating Arezzo’s version of gridlock we were soon at our hotel for the night, bags waiting in our rooms, and with a hot shower beckoning.

  Our relatively early arrival meant there was time to have a look around Arezzo, a city which is as old as Alexandria in Egypt. For me, much of today was a celebration of cycling’s heritage: Bartali, the Giro and L’Eroica. It seemed rather fitting that in a small local history museum I stumbled across a temporary exhibition with some vintage bikes ridden in the Giro. I was thrilled to look at some Bianchis from the late 1920s and some early Campagnolo gear mechanisms, alongside more recent state-of-the-art carbon-framed bikes ridden by the likes of Alberto Contador26 and Vicenzo Nibali.27

  Sunday 24 April 2016, 69 Miles

  Stage 3: Arezzo to Urbino – A Good Day to be A Duck or a Fish

  As I would discover, the word of the day would be ‘epic’. We awoke to grey skies and a mixed weather forecast. The key question was: how far could we ride before the rain started? We all rolled out of Arezzo through the old town and were quickly into the valley of the River Arno. Gradually the hills came into view, shrouded by low cloud. Then it was onto the first main climb of the day: 5 miles to the summit of the Vallico della Scheggia at 1,887 feet above sea level. Not a particularly steep climb, averaging about 6 per cent, with a series of hairpins winding their way upwards through the o
ak forest. Exhilarating riding though, and made more so by the light mist which swirled around the trees.

  Reaching the top I paused to listen to a group of men who were sitting outside a café-bar engaged in a very lively Sunday morning discussion. Although I couldn’t understand what they were saying it was clear that they were putting the world to rights in that uniquely Italianate way with lots of hand and arm movements. And their views were being loudly and forcefully made. After my spot of eavesdropping it was time to set off for a rapid descent through some fast, sweeping hairpin bends where I could lean the bike hard over and maintain my speed. The smooth dry road surface meant that I could get into top gear and go full gas, especially towards the bottom of the hill when the road straightened and I could see further ahead. Epic riding indeed!

  After a few lumpy miles we arrived at Anghiari, which is a delightful medieval village, considered by many to be one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, which has played its part in Italian history.28 The view from the market square downhill to the valley of the River Tiber was spectacular. The main street descended from the town at the top of the hill and I could see our route stretching across the valley below in an arrow-straight 4-mile line. The road through the top part of the town was closed to traffic, with a small but busy market in the square. Once on the valley bottom a tailwind meant that I could get on the drop bars, wind the gears up, and enjoy a nice bit of time trialling until I arrived at the first of the day’s feed stops where Martyn and Amanda were ready and waiting with some of Amanda’s lovely, and by now near legendary, boiled fruit cake. Just what the hungry cyclist needed.