Whether the Weather

There are two ways we can tell we’re getting older. One is being super concerned about the weather and refusing (me) to ride in cold, rainy conditions. We designed the trip such that we could be totally flexible depending on the weather. We started with a 14 day planning window then quickly went to 10, 7, 2 day and now - day of event. We’ve cancelled multiple bookings because the forecast showed rain. But 10 years ago we rode the Arc of the Alps and spent almost every day in 50 degree driving rain. Now if there’s a better than 50% chance of rain, we go looking for an alternate route. The fewer years you have left, the more you want to enjoy them!

With the constant threat of rain, we diverted to the city of Arezzo, which meant leaving the mountains and heading for warmer, drier environs. But because we had one more nice day before the storm, we decided to do an epic, longer mountainous route which gave us breathtaking views of the Tuscan hillsides - one of our best days ever riding!

The other way we can tell we’re getting older is that we catch ourselves (almost) leaving things behind every where we go. We’ve had to implement an audible inventory checklist when we sit down and then repeat it when we get back up. I say that it now takes two of us to make one whole brain. I always thought it would be our bodies that would give up first. Science replaces hips and knees, but we’re still waiting for a new brain implant!

Our apartment on the Piazza Grande in Arezzo.

Vibrant city life in Arezzo. Maybe a few more tourists than we’d like, but most of them left with their buses at the end of the day, leaving us to wander the streets with the locals. 

Based on the weather patterns, we decided to stay in the Tuscan hills. We could still do plenty of climbing as in the mountains, but the warmer weather and the immense beauty of Tuscany and Umbria meant there was no shortage of amazing rides.  We plotted our route each day by carefully watching the radar patterns, becoming quite adept with various forecast apps. We started noticing that the rain forecast was never accurate, thankfully always dissipating by the time we had to ride. An old grizzled restaurant owner confirmed our suspicions - “they always say it’s going to rain, but they don’t know $&@!”. So much for our newfound weather forecasting skills. Just ignore the forecast and hope for the best.

One beautiful mile after another in the Tuscan hills. We rode here in 2010 for the first time, which sparked the beginning of our annual bike tours the following year. 

Depending on how far we ride (usually 4-6 hours), we’ll often just have a picnic on the side of the road. 

Arriving at our next destination - always a good feeling regardless of how amazing the ride was!

Dennis needed a watch, and found one in a flea market for 14€. Surprisingly, it wasn’t quite as waterproof as promised.

Dennis uses Outdoor Active to find the best routes to our destination. If you say you’re on a gravel (not road) bike, you get access to stunning forest trails like this one. We also sometimes find ourselves doing long climbs on rocky trails, which isn’t nearly as fun. 

Two stowaway cats