Rose Pedals . . .: Una Giomata Perfetta Sulla Bicicletta ("A Perfect Day on the Bike")

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Todi to Montefalco
30 miles, 2,241 feet of climbing

Today was one of those near-perfect cycling days: cool (but not cold), sunny and complete with a tailwind. Our planned route today was only 30 miles, so we were able to have a leisurely ride and take many photo stops. Our route started with a series of short climbs as we departed Todi. Then we had a gentle and scenic eight-mile climb as we headed toward Bastardo (yes, the name of the town is Bastardo), where we made a cappuccino stop at a little cafe in the center of town. From there, we meandered our way to our second climb of the day - a two-mile climb up to the town of Gualdo Cattaneo. The final climb of the day was a four-mile climb to our destination city, Montefalco. Montefalco is a wine region that is gaining in popularity, largely due to the steady rise of the city's signature wine, Sagranito, which is made with grapes indigenous to the area. We arrived in Montefalco just before noon, but not without first making a wrong turn trying to find our hotel. After we showered and changed, we had plenty of time to explore the town (i.e, find a place to get gelato). We also checked out the several enoteche (wine shops) in town. Some folks in our group went to a wine tasting. In the evening, we had an amazing, multi-course group dinner at our hotel - the Oro Rosso. The food was delectable, but we didn't finish until 9:30. Thus, I am falling asleep as I type this. Tomorrow we have the choice of three different loop rides of various distances, or we can opt to take a rest day. The ever-changing weather forecast is currently calling for mid-day rain tomorrow, so that will dictate if and when we ride. Hopefully, we can get a rain-free window of a few hours to get a ride in. In the meantime, I will get some rest. Buona notta!