Cloudy, cool, but great ride.

Errands this morning, actually until around 12:30, but I got a reprieve from picking up Viola, so I still had time for a reasonable ride.  I had this ride in mind, but would not have been able to add Monteloro at the end if I was picking up Viola.  I got out around 1:00, and it was cool, but warmer than yesterday. Light tights, light booties, and light gloves were great.  I used my light shell for descents as well.  I left town through Piazza Ferrucci, then over toward Ponte a Ema, hooking up with the Via Carota climb, then up to San Donato in Collina.  I love this route out of town as the Via Carota is quiet and very scenic.

I descended from San Donato to Cellai and turned off for the little road over to Bombone.  It starts with a steep climb, but it only lasts a couple hundred meters.  Then, it is a super nice road with great views.  It is not always smooth, but the roughest parts are on the climbs, which make that fine by me.  At Bombone, I hook up with a more main road and ride down, a little up, then a nice descent through Torri to Rosano.  It looked and smelled like rain, but I headed across the river to the Pontasieve side and headed back toward Firenze.  I turned off for the Monteloro climb, as I was feeling good, and what is a little rain anyway.  Well, the climb was great and I had no rain.  I had an Italian rider pass me on the way up, going quite fast.  I kept him in sight for most of the climb, but he was really going.  Perfect  climber, light, small, and he just seemed to float up the hill.

He surprised me at the top by waiting for me, then we rode together over to the Fiesole road.  His English was more limited than my Italian, but we communicated pretty well.  I even got a compliment on my Italian when I said I was sorry it was so bad.  He is a local rider and will be doing the granfondo, long course this Sunday, so we talked about that on the way up.  Before I knew it, I was at the top, and said goodbye and stopped for a bathroom break in the great outdoors.  A super fun descent awaits to Fiesole, then down the world championship pavement to town.  Fun ride and it is great to be feeling good again.  42.1 miles in 2:58 rolling time for an average speed of 14.2 mph with 3484 vertical feet climbed at an average temperature of 55.

Carota, Cellai, Bombone, Rosano, Monteloro, Fiesole, Firenze by ridingwithcosimo at Garmin Connect - Details

The spring green is glowing even on a cloudy, chilly day.

This is looking toward the Chianti hills from the tiny road

between Cellai and Bombone.

The clouds are dropping some kind of moisture on the Mountain

on the other side of the valley from the Cellai / Bombone road.

There is snow on Monte Sechietti in the distance.  It appeared

to me that it might be snowing as I took the picture there.  I think

this picture shows the only blue sky I saw today.