Rose Pedals . . .: A Day in Assisi

Saturday, April 30, 2016
Assisi "out-and-back" Ride, plus a trip to a bike shop
23 miles, 2,400 feet of climbing

Today was scheduled as a rest day, which gave us the opportunity to see more of the sights of Assisi. It was a clear, sunny day, with temps that were forecasted to rise to the high 60's, so we planned to go for a ride once the morning chill burned off. We decided we would take a short ride back up the descent we came down yesterday. Around noon, we suited up and got ready to start our ride. Before I got on my bike, I checked my tires and discovered a a section of my tire had been worn away such that the rubber had actually peeled away and the casing was showing. Well, that's just not going to do. So, the first order of business was to find a bike shop to buy a new tire. We were thrilled to find out there was a bike shop only about three miles south of Assisi. We got there in a jiffy, as it was essentially downhill the entire way. The guy at the bike shop was great; he spoke no English, but - thanks to the universal language of bicycle - he got us exactly what we needed. From there, we rode directly back to the hotel so Art and I (mostly Art) could replace my tire. So, after that minor but necessary detour, we resumed our planned route. The ride back up the hill to Armenzano was a nice climb - it had a few really steep spots that were offset by the a couple of easy sections. We climbed until we came to that crappy road section we had to ride yesterday, turned around and headed back to Assisi. It seems we returned just in time, because soon thereafter, the sky clouded up and it began raining lightly. But it didn't rain for long, and it turned out to be a very pleasant evening. Ended the day with a nice dinner and a gelato. Tomorrow, we head to Piegaro. According to the forecast, it looks like we'll be wearing our rain gear.