Jeremy Blanchard first joined us in Mallorca in October 2018. Impressed by what he saw he asked Viva Velo to take on the task of planning and running a point-to-point ride from Geneva to Asti in Italy he was hoping to complete with a group friends the next year. This was the third leg of an anticipated four leg journey from London to Florence. After a successful trip he commissioned Viva Velo to complete the trip with the final section from Asti to Florence. Here are his thoughts on the final tour of the sequence.
The group pause (and pose) at the end of the second day’s riding
“Our Asti to Florence ride was the culmination of a journey that started in 2017 when our group took part in a charity ride from London to Paris. For many of our group this was our first taste of multi-day supported riding. This was the start of the journey and developed into my own personal challenge to cycle from my home in the UK to Florence where I once lived.
The 4th leg of the journey led us back to Asti, the northern Italian town famed for its red wines and white truffles. This trip, however, was about the ride. In front of us we had 530km of very varied Italian terrain to cover en route to Florence: the heat and distance of the flat lands of the Po Valley before we tackled the often-overlooked rolling climbs of the Apennines: rarely super long but very frequent.
The flat roads of the first two days provided and easy warm up for the hills that were to come
Day one was the usual checking all is well with bike, body and mind. After a few travel related issues (not least the non-delivery of three of our group’s bikes in Milan!), which Dyll and the team managed impressively, we set off with three riders on rented Bianchi’s: when in Rome . . . The exit from Asti presented some of the day’s few hills to get us going, followed by a long flat ride along the Po valley. We then stopped for a very entertaining coffee in Lombardia, where one customer, keen to share his English with us, suggested we should stay for Ravioli! We explained we had a dinner appointment in Piacenza still some distance away! Needless to say our new friend was impressed. We continued through the heat of the late summer, fuelled toward the end by the some wonderful gelati which saw us arrive -seven hours of pedalling later - into the stunning city centre of Piacenza, having enjoyed a very well- paced in line TT effort by all at the end.
Gelato stops became a feature of this trip - and why not?
Day two saw an enthusiastic start despite the fact we knew it was going to be another long day (161 kms). However as the day was pan flat - most of the altitude gains felt it came from the irrigation bridges on this route across the agricultural plains of Italy – we felt sure we would be able to cope. The group rode well as a team saving energy for the days ahead. Interesting stops at many places, one a location of a number of movies, which had some interesting WW2 relics, like a Sherman tank! So in the end a leisurely day’s ride, ending at a stunning location of Sassuola in the foothills of the Apennines. A good and typical Emiliani meal was enough to refuel everyone as thoughts turned to the contrasting days to follow and the climbing that we would face.
The rolling hills of the Apennines that were a feature of days two and three of the Asti to Fiesole Tour
Day three started with a slightly subdued mood in anticipation of todays route, planned at 100km with over 2000m of climbing en route to the spa town of Poretta Terme. Timings and groups were decided on for the day, following a small debate. After a small descent down the sketchy hotel road we turned right onto “one of those roads” many cyclist will recognise: one that simply goes up. This was a fairly abrupt start to our first day in the mountains. Thankfully a super smooth route, with stunning views north, from where we had travelled, made time pass that bit quicker. After a water stop and a chat with a local group of Sunday riders from Modena, we pressed on to coffee at a café filled with yet more local cyclists. Lunch came courtesy of a well-supplied picnic which kept spirits high all the way down, through Lizzano in Belvedere, which is every bit as grand as the names suggests, and into the beautiful town of Porretta Terme. A fast and sketchy descent meant many of the stunning villas of this spa rich health resort were missed as we whizzed on toward our resting point for the evening. The hotel spa with its thermal baths along with a superb meal certainly made the Hotel Helvetia one of our favourite overnight stops.
Descending through the cypress tree-lined roads on the final day.
Day Four, as we all knew was pretty much a repeat of day three: climbing and descending .. .repeatedly. However, with three days of riding in the legs and with some sharper gradients this day was harder. Coffee was by the stunning reservoir of Lago di Brasimone and had a hidden surprise in the kind gift offered by the owner of the Pizzeria/ Café as some much needed fuel: focaccia with chilli sauce - not ideal to cycle on as many of us discovered! The road toward the Passo di Futa and Tuscan border became relentless, a sustained 16% section under the old Rome to Milan road had many of us "taking in the scenery", the heat of the late summer starting to add to the challenge. However, before we knew it we were at the Tuscan border, for me a “welcome home” sign. The legs felt better and the mood stronger knowing that lunch was just around the corner. After passing the brutal and somber German war memorial and cemetery at the top of the Passo di Futa, our highest point of the day, we took the winding descent to our lunch stop, where we savoured the delights of the Mugello region. Perhaps slightly too full, we departed through the beautiful town of Scarperia, passed the Panna water en route via some of the sweetest fastest descents lined with cypress trees synonymous with Tuscany. It was then onto the Mugello race circuit. With one more sustained but not aggressive climb towards the head of the valley above Florence, we found ourselves 30 minutes from our destination. We were at the end of our Asti to Florence leg, and celebrating the end of another fantastic journey, the hours of catching up, sharing a common goal and challenge all skilfully and enthusiastically managed and orchestrated by Dyll and the Viva Velo team.“
Jeremy Blanchard
The whole group and Viva Velo crew celebrate their arrival in Fiesole
And so the journey ended . . . except it didn’t. Jeremy and his friends have commissioned another point-to-point ride for 2022 - the Tour of Catalunya and are already planning what they might do in 2023. Designing bespoke cycling tours and trips is Viva Velo’s specialism. If you have an idea for a ride or want some inspiration then get in touch and let us help you plan your trip. Email us at enquiries@vivavelo.uk