It was another “where to begin” day today. They hit the 2,000 mile mark at at 12.22pm….what an effort! The banner photo was of their smiles at reaching this amazing milestone! Lots of choices for banner title today…2,000 miles! Three Gentlemen of Verona! How Many Cyclists Does It Take To Change A Tubeless Tire? How Many Cyclists Does It Take To Change A Cleat? Coliseum = Electric Scooter (No!).
I went with the achievement one, as it really is!
Paul had a puncture in his tubeless tire and couldn’t repair it because the tubes the two Richards carry serve no purpose in tubeless tires! Sir Galahad came to the rescue (again!) with a spare tubeless and all was once again well with the World!….But not quite! Paul had conveniently (though not for John!) punctured outside a restaurant in Soave that was open. While they finished up their 3-hour lunch, John set off back to Lake Garda. And then our 3 cyclists took off to make up for lost time. Well…all except Paul that is, who broke his cleat and couldn’t clip into his pedal - cue the second need for Sir Galahad in the same day, fortunately only 20 minutes away by then!
On to Verona where they didn’t see “The Balcony” but did see the pretty town, coliseum etc. and then to Lake Garda for the night. A late arrival in Peschiera del Garda (but not due to fatigue) with the benefit of a delightful sunset.
Antipasti tonight was Fish Soup; main courses: variously Trout, Pasta and Sea Bass; desserts: Millefeuille and a Berry Gelato with Amaretto and Chocolate sauce. Wine was a superb 2016 Valpolicella Ripassa Superiore by Zenato, a close relation to the most famous wine of the region, Amarone.
A subtle change of plan for tomorrow….instead of finishing in Milan, they will end in Como where the whole adventure began! A few extra miles and a lot more elevation, but what the heck, they’ve done over 2,000 already!
Data: 74 miles (118km), elevation 1,148 feet (348m). Cumulative: 2,048 miles (3,276km), elevation 88,672 feet (27,226m).