Nice ride connecting a couple of close in favorites.

I took a very nice day off the bike yesterday.  I had a number of things to catch up on, which is good, because I almost decided on a short ride.  I need to have more rest days.  I know this, but the bike always seems to be calling me.  Anyway, after a pretty major effort in the race / gran fondo on Sunday - the team was 4th overall, which is our best ever result - I needed to rest.

Emily is babysitting all day, and I am picking up Viola at school around 4, so I wanted a medium sized ride, but the weather really looked threatening, and the forecast is for rain.  It certainly looked like it wanted to rain much of the time, but I had no rain, which is nice.  I actually had a number of really nice sun breaks.  The weather has definitely cooled off as well, I think a week ago the average temperature on a ride was around 95, today it was around 75.

I decided on linking a couple of rides that if it really started raining would give me a chance to return in 1/2 hour or so max.  I rode up to the top of the little mountain group by riding through San Donato in Collina, then a short descent, then up to Le Corti the down to Bombone.  I had not ridden this route in quite a while, and the road to Le Corti is really quite steep.  I really enjoyed the descent through Torri, then down to Rosano.  I crossed the river and was on the main road to just past Sieci, which is only around 5 k on the main road, then turned off to climb to the Alberaccio area by riding through Monteloro.  It magically cleared up when I was climbing, then looked bad as I descended to Fiesole.  They are doing some more repaving on that road, which is a small hastle now, but will be sweet when completed.  Most of the route from Fiesole to Croce alle Vetta will be new floor.  Sweet.

At Fiesole, I did the descent for the world's to Pian de Mugnone, then down Via Faentina to Le Cure.  Back over the bridge and I am home.  A really nice ride and great to be back in the saddle after only one day off.  I am pretty addicted to riding, but what a good and healthy addiction.  Summary is:  38.2 miles in 2:36 rolling time for an average speed of 14.7 mph with 3176 vertical feet of climbing  at an average temperature of 77.  Ciao.

San Donato, Rosano, Monteloro, Fiesole, Pian de Mugnone by ridingwithcosimo at Garmin Connect - Details

Cresting the pretty hard climb to Le Corti, I thought 

the road looked worthy of a picture.

Clouds and olive orchard at the top of the climb.

View to the North on the descent from Le Corti.

The view of the valley waiting for me to ride through after Bombone,

which I am told means "splief" here.