With now just 7 days of cycling left, the team hit the Adriatic Coast at Bari and cycled on to Barletta. The rest of the ride is now filled by flatter but longer days…..average elevation of about 2,100ft per day compared to 3,760ft so far but average 87 miles per day from here on, compared to 73 miles so far.
From Paul:
Waking up in Matera, with the sun streaming in and panoramic views, we were motivated to take a walk around the old city, after breakfast on our balcony. Richard S fetched croissants – thick with custard, Nutella and jam (a bit too much!). We visited Santa Maria de Idris, a remarkable church carved out of solid rock and richly decorated with 12th to 17th century frescoes. We had a pleasant morning ride after our late start, including a small winding road through olive groves and a dead straight (Roman), downhill stretch letting us average 25 to 30 mph for 5 miles into Bari on the Adriatic coast. Our route was a dog-leg, letting us stop for lunch in Bari’s historic area – charming enough, although requiring a lot of urban cycling. Dodging cars, bikes, scooters, buses and pedestrians for hours on end made it one of our more tiring days, despite modest distance and elevation. Bari has a lovely old town and a castle pictured above. Bari to Barletta was along the coast but, in contrast to our earlier coastal rides, we passed far too many ugly apartment blocks and industrial buildings. It has become a bit of a joke that Komoot sends cyclists on out-of-the-way routes just to add some elevation or excitement (vis. the 20% gradients earlier in the trip). You can see a couple of instances here where the team went both cross-country, to avoid an Autostrada, and cross-beach, apparently to avoid going on a sensible road! Here’s hoping the coastal environs improve as we go north! John kindly arranged pizza takeaway for dinner, so we don’t have to expend more energy going out – an early night to prepare for another 100 mile day tomorrow! The first wine was a 2016 Il Repertorio from the Cantine del Notaio, the second was a Salice Salentino Riserva from Leone de Castris.
Data: 77 miles (123km), elevation 1,710ft (518m). Cumulative: 1,534 miles (2,454km), elevation 78,967 feet (24,285m).