This morning we left the hotel in Rome with our luggage in tow (left the bike and bike tools in storage at the hotel to be retrieved on our return to Rome) to the train station less than 1/4 mi. away. The train station is huge and we probably walked another 1/4 mi or so back and forth looking for our meeting spot. Finally found a group of kindred souls and a young Spaniard, Carlos, with a Back Roads tee shirt. I think we arrived! In talking to Carlos, we found out he was support driver for the Duro River Trip last spring and he remembered Rick and Harriet (should him a photo and he made a positive ID).
The group consisted of 6 couples all within a decade or so of each other. Finally met Barbara's brother and sister-in-law, Winn and Liz. Another couple, Chris and Katherine, are from Massachusetts, but believe it or not, Chris has a condo in Eastman! Small world.
We were bussed to our 1st starting point Madonna della Stella. Here we met our trip leader, Rob Day, an expat from Chicago. Rob gave us our 1st route talk of the trip which we did out of the wind in the warmth a a local coffee shop. Did I mention we went from hi 70's and low 80's in Elba to a chilly, 50ish degrees with the wind blowing about 15-20mph. We had not planned on this based on the Accuweather (misnomer) reports, and had left our warmer cycling gear at home. Had to layer up.
The route talk was refreshing after our Santana "route talks". We were actually provided with clear, important information regarding hills, rough roads, tricky turns, etc. Stuff you want to know when riding in a foreign country on unfamiliar roads. They even provided us with turn by turn directions, just in case the Garmin computers (which were loaded with accurate maps and routes) ran out of juice.
In addition, either Rob or Carlos were riding with us to make sure we didn't get too lost. And Heidi, from Finland,our third guide, was driving a 2nd support van.
First order of business was to get our tandem set up. Since we left ours in Rome, we had to get the rental adjusted, which was no easy matter. Jeri's long legs made it necessary to add an extension onto the seat post, then, as we road, the post wasn't tight enough, and she got lower and lower. Fortunately, Carlos and Rob were there to get it all straightened out.
The morning ride took us into Umbria, the Italian state adjacent to Tuscany. It has much of the beauty of Tuscany without as many crowds. Because it is not as wealthy as Tuscany, the roads are a bit less well maintained, but still, for the most part not too bad. We got our first taste of climbing here with a long moderately tough slog up to our first lunch spot. Back Roads is called Snack Roads for good reason!
After a wonderful Umbrian lunch on one of a bazillion hilltops here, we had the option of riding or shuttling to the hotel. Jeri, the trooper that she is, begged me to ride, and I of course agreed. The final hill of the day, was a doozy, but we made it with energy to spare and no excuses for holding back at dinner.
Our hotel for the next two nights was the Villa of the Zuccari family for several generations. Signore Zuccari is an older lovely woman who was always present, with a smile on her face and a story to tell. You can see how proud she was of her family's home.
We had a beautiful sunset this evening before a great dinner at the hotel. Hopefully, it bodes well for tomorrow. The weather forecast is a bit dicey.
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