So I have now figured that, because the best time to do these updates is when we get back from cycling each day, I will have to start by finishing up with the prior day’s evening happenings…mainly associated with food and booze in all likelihood! We had a great evening meal near the Basilica San Fedele in Como. Paul won the starters with a poached egg in a Kataifi pasta nest with a potato cream and I won the mains with the most amazing Penne alla Carbonara which was swimming in egg sauce and was perfectly al dente! My tiramisu didn’t last long either….I love this cycling thing - you can eat to your heart’s content (or stomach’s)! Lovely Nebbiolo reds from the Lombardy region (Sassella Negri and Rosso di Valtellina).
Onto today and, of course, it was our first day on the bikes. Spurred on by the news that we have already raised over $196,500 for our two great charities (STAR, Inc. and the David Nott Foundation), we cut through the pouring (and surprisingly cold!) rain which clearly demonstrated that Como was sad to see us leave! 30-45mins later it dried up and we had a lovely ride to Biella. Stopped for a “pasta intervention” by the roadside in Cureggio and had a fabulous time trying to explain to a waiter, who spoke no English or French, what on earth we were doing dressed up in matching outfits. When Richard S ordered a hot chocolate in September, he was absolutely convinced he had the answer as to our collective relationships with each other! Just arrived at a great AirBnB in Biella with a super-welcoming Zimbabwean and, presumably, her husband. We have fresh pears and figs from the garden to keep us going till dinner! For those interested in the data points, the ride today was 66 miles (106km), 3,966 feet (1,202m) of elevation and 15.73mph (25.2km/h) average.