Team picture day and a great Chianti tour.

Picture day for the team, and we met at Piazza Liberta, then went up to Piazzale Michaelangelo where we met a few more people from the team for the picture.  It was quite cloudy at photo time, but the skies started clearing as we rode out toward Chianti.  We had discussed a couple of routes at the Piazzale, but when we got to the turn off, 8 went for the short tour, leaving only Luca and I for the longer tour.  We rode out to Greve where we stopped for a cafe, and looking around, the skies were totally clear.  Hooray!  It doesn't take many days of grey skies for a Colorado boy to miss the sun.

Luca and I then climbed Sugame at a very nice, relatively mellow pace, then descended to the La Panca turn off.  I was surprised we took the turn, as I had thought Luca wanted to go to Figline / Incisa, then San Donato.  I love the La Panca ride, and we enjoyed the small climb and long descent.  We then descended from Strada to Ferrone and returned to town on the road through Tavernuzze where we had ridden out this morning with the whole group, and another 10 or 15 who joined us to make a larger group.  Luca turned off to take the tunnel and road over to Scandicci, and I continued back to the Piazzale and went home on the Viales.  Great ride and nice day, although with two days in a row of relatively long tours, I am officially tired.  Today's ride was 90.4 kilometers in 3:34 for a pretty fast average of 25.3 kph with 835 meters climbed.  Ciao a tutti!

Luca at the cafe where I went for a cafe.  Imagine, riding with an

Italian and I am the one who insists on stopping for an espresso, 

which here is simply called a cafe or cafe normale.

A sculpture in the town square in Greve.  Love the blue skies.

Looking toward the start of the climb to Passo de Sugame from

the beautiful town square in Greve in Chianti.