Good training ride - the granfondo is a little over a month away.

After 2 days of rain, I was ready for a nice ride today.  The forecast was suggesting rain this afternoon, but the forecast changed while I was riding and it is staying quite nice now.  Hooray!  It only takes a couple of rainy days for me to miss the sun, being Colorado born and bred.  I planned a relatively long ride, as my training for the granfondo is demanding some distance.  Soon, perhaps Sunday, I will again preview the long course, which will have both distance and lots of climbing.

Today, I went out the Cascine, then out the back way to Signa and Lastra a Signa.  I took the river road out to Montelupo, and in Signa I picked up another rider and we alternated leading to Montelupo, which always gets me going faster, and uses less energy.  A win - win!  In Montelupo, I got some water, as it is starting to get warmer and I am needing more water for my rides.  I rode over through Sammontana, Villanuova, and Pozzale, then hooked up with the climb to Monterappoli.  I don't ride this often, and it is a beautiful road.  The skies were clearing as I rode, which was nice.  You ride up a ridge, then through the town, take a little downhill, then gradually descend along the ridge before a steep downhill to the main road.  The road to Castelfiorentino is busy with some relatively large trucks, but it is only 5k, which is not bad.

From Castelfiorentino, you climb up to the Ortimino ridge, and enjoy the rolling climb to Montespertoli.  A nice descent to Bocciano, then a climb to Montagnana before turning off to climb to San Pancrazio.  I don't normally add this to this route, but I was looking for more distance and climbing, which this adds.  A really nice descent today from San Pancrazio to Ponterotta, where I stopped for a cafe and a pastry.  Both were awesome, and I left supercharged with caffeine and sugar.  I climbed to San Casciano, thinking I was really flying, but only had my 3rd best time.  From San Casciano, over to Chiesa Nuova, then the switchbacks down to Galluzzo, then the Cinque Vie road back to the Viale, then home.

Really great ride.  69.0 miles in 4:29 rolling time for an average speed of 15.4 mph with 3615 vertical feet climbed at a sun effected average temperature of 60.  Wonderful ride on a great day.

Montelupo, Castelfiorentino, Montespertoli, San Pancrazio, San Casciano by ridingwithcosimo at Garmin Connect - Details

Love this little road between Sammontana and Villanuova.

The ginestra are starting to bloom just past Sammontana.

The view on the way to Monterappoli.

A view to the southeast from the ridge after Monterappoli.