Europe 2019 – Page 3 – Ramblin' Dan: Bike Touring Adventures

Europe Day 5: 0 Miles

Florence, Italy

Everyone I’ve talked to about Florence has described it as beautiful. For now I will only know Florence in the rain. Today was an interesting day but mainly filled with indoor activities. On the positive side, it’s better for the rain to be falling on a day I’m off the bike.

Europe Day 4: 0 Miles

Siena, Italy to Florence, Italy

I woke up this morning to strong downpours and rain in the forecast for the entire day. The weather was moving north in the direction I would be traveling and was forecast to intensify mid-day. Luckily there is a train from Siena directly to Florence where I planned to end my day anyway. It is supposed to rain on and off for the next few days, so taking a train to Florence was an easy decision. It was better to make forward progress while staying dry and warm than to wait out a storm in Siena.

Europe Day 3: 47 Miles

Radicofani, Italy to Siena, Italy

Today was another beautiful day of riding. I started at 2,500 feet in Radicofani and enjoyed some quick downhill sections for most of the morning. As I was taking pictures of the castle at the highest point of town and the scenic view below, I noticed the road I was about to head down was lined with people cheering and taking pictures. It would be like that the whole day.

Europe Day 2: 50 Miles

Viterbo, Italy to Radicofani, Italy

The ride out of Viterbo was much easier than getting out of Rome and after a few miles I was back on SR2 heading north. Today’s ride consisted of 3 large climbs with 2 nice downhills in between. The weather was perfect; mid-60s and no rain in the forecast. I couldn’t have asked for a better day which was a nice reward for riding through the rain yesterday.

Europe Day 1: 67 Miles

Rome, Italy to Viterbo, Italy

The first day of a bike tour is always difficult, even under the best conditions. Nearly 7 hours in the saddle was a shock to my body having not logged many long rides prior to this trip. That shock was amplified by some poor weather conditions and rookie mistakes. Overall it was a challenging day, but I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish given the circumstances.

Europe Prologue: NYC to Rome

Here we go again. It’s been 2 years since I’ve written a post here and I welcome back the readers who followed along as I crossed the United States in 2017. I received great feedback on the blog the last time around and hope to improve my writing and content for this trip. If you like what you’re reading or have suggestions please let me know in the comments section of each post. I love the feedback.