Distance: 25.6 km
Time: 2 hours 22 minutes
Speed: 10.9 km/h (pitiful!)
Ascent: 605 metres (masterful…!)
Total distance: 660.4 km
Total time: 34 hours 47 minutes
Wordle scores: Captain 3, Stoker 4
Word of the day: “lentissimo” (len-tiss-ee-mow) – very slowly
The Stoker writes:
The Captain rustled up veal escalopes with sage for dinner last night, delicious. It was still really hot, but we managed at least to have our pudding on the apartment’s little balcony once the sun had gone behind the ridge. We watched bats flitting about in the dusk until the last cicadas had gone quiet. And so to bed.
There was an air of quiet nervousness this morning, we were both a little apprehensive about the day. Only 25km to San Marino, but an enormous climb, and it was forecast to be another very hot day. We drank loads of water in the apartment before we left, front-loading for the heat. A quick café breakfast as usual, and in pinged a ‘in bocca al lupo’ message of encouragement from our AirBnB host in Rimini. Into the wolf’s mouth indeed! We had a scant few kilometres on the flat to warm up the legs before the climbing started. We didn’t push it, it was more about saving energy than achieving any particular speed.
We both became aware of a whale-backed shape on the horizon – could that be San Marino? It was the right shape, in the right direction, and it looked intimidatingly far away and high up!
Gilbert had decided to split the enormous climb into three parts. Just before the first part started we took on more water and rested in the shade. It wasn’t going to climb itself, though, there was nothing for it but to get back on the saddles and start up. We knew the first part of this climb would be the steepest, and it was a fairly aggressive gradient. We seemed to be going fine, though, taking it steady, no heroics. It would be around 4km, this part, and we surprised ourselves by tapping along steadily through the first 2km without needing to stop, despite the steepness. A quick break, then the second 2km were soon done too. The roads were quiet, and the views becoming spectacular.
The whale-back was getting closer – we could make out the towers on the top now.
We also crossed the border into San Marino. We’re no longer in Italy!
A flat section between climbs one and two gave us a chance for the legs to stretch a bit, then Gilbert tootled that climb two was starting. This was short and steep, but we knew to look out for the water station at the top. The Captain had downloaded an app which tells us where the public drinking water fountains are in Italy – we found these sources of water frequent and invaluable in Sicily in 2018. The app had flagged a fountain at the top of the second climb, and it was spot on. A lovely little park with shady benches, a great view of San Marino, and the fabulous cold water of the fountain.
We sat for a while drinking water and eating a cereal bar, resting the legs.
Before we left, we refilled all the bidons, and then decided to soak our heads and shoulders in the water from the fountain, to keep us cooler for the final part of the climb.
Gosh it was cold! It felt really refreshing, though.
Before the last push up to the city, we enjoyed a smooth descent from Monte Olivo. We could see the road ahead of us which would take us up towards San Marino, it didn’t look too bad at all. You can just see it in the picture, above the road sign.
Gilbert flagged the start of the climb, and we headed on up. It was hard graft, this last one, more sections of steeper gradient, the heat was immense, and we were very proud of ourselves for making another 2km of the remaining 4km before calling a water stop. The Captain was doing really well, but I was becoming aware that I had definitely not eaten enough fuel at breakfast! I was started to get very grumpy, at Komoot, at Gilbert, at the road surface, at the gradient, and this is always a big flag for me that I am starting to approach the hunger knock, ‘bonking’ in cycling parlance. We were also on the big proper road into San Marino now, lots of traffic, and a big hairpin looming.
I scoffed a couple of glucose tablets, and the sugar hit was enough to get me round the hairpin and practically into the city. We passed the bottom station of the cable car which takes people up into the historic hilltop part of San Marino, faffed around an unexpected car park, pedalled hard to get into Piazza Grande, and we’d done it!
Our host was waiting to show us into our accommodation, right on the piazza. It’s gorgeous! A quick shower (boy, did we need one!) and lunch in the square, and now here we are relaxing, before we head up into the centro storico on the cable car later for dinner. The views of the Romagna coastline from up there are reputed to be spectacular.
No cycling tomorrow, we’ll explore the city a little bit, see the sights, relax after our exertions. Then it’s downward and onward. Time to head to the sea.
Here’s today’s route and a short video