3 rides, one post, bye Don and Kay, hello Passo della Consuma.

It's been a while, but I have been riding.  Monday, I had a van supported tour, then wine tasting with some very nice folks from Texas, for Dominick's company.  The tasting at Podere la Capella and lunch is really special - excellent wine and fantastic food.  It needs to be van supported, as after a big meal (really big) and a few glasses of wine, I don't want to be taking anyone on a tour.  Safety first.  We lucked out with the weather, as the forecast was really bad, but we only encountered sprinkles.  It did start raining hard upon our return to Firenze.  

Yesterday, Don and Kay took their last ride with me for this visit, a short ride into what Don is calling, "Cosimo's playground".  Basically one of my normal short close rides.  Sprinkled on us most of the time, but never hard enough to be problematic.  I think 10 rides this year together, which was fun.  See you next year, Don and Kay.

Today, I got a call to do a tour tomorrow for Florence by Bike, and I have a tour for Dominick on Friday, then another granfondo on Sunday.  I wanted to get a little training in for the Sunday granfondo, so I picked a pass relatively close to Firenze, Passo della Consuma.  The team is having a fun competition to get members to climb 5 passes in the area.  With today's ride, I have 4 of 5 completed, and only one person has done all 5 so far.  Perhaps I will be the second to complete the "Brevetto".  No points or anything for doing it 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, etc., but it would be fun to be the second one to get it done.  Jean Lu, who was the first to complete it, was here on vacation for around 3 weeks and made it his mission to get it done.  I really enjoyed my solo tour, and did a different return route to Florence from the pass, turning off at Borselli and enjoying the super pretty road down toward Rufina.  A well deserved cafe and pastry in Rufina, then just a crank back home on a main road.  84.1 kilometers in 3:51 with 1221 meters climbed.  

It's pretty to me - the bike, the sign for Passo della Consuma, 

and the beautiful scenery in the Casentino area.  

Recording Consuma for a team challenge we are doing - 

Brevetto Scalatore - for 5 passes reasonably close to Florence

After today, only one left.  

Bike, fence, and sign for Passo della Consuma.

The private chapel at Podere la Capella.  Beautiful, simple structure.