Garry McGivern’s Italian bicycle tour, Thursday 3rd-June-2010, the outskirts of Rome to Albinia. 96 miles. Before leaving the campsite this morning, I managed to bodge my toe clip back onto the peddle. It’s amazing what you can do with a few cable ties. And as I’ve always said, you can fix anything with some gaffer tape and a few cable ties!
I forgot to mention yesterday, but I had a bit of a scare when I managed to end up on another motorway! I miss read the signs, once again! As I’ve mentioned before, being on the motorway isn’t that bad as I’m in my own lane, on the hard shoulder. But this time, it ran out when I had to go through a tunnel! I was kicking myself. How did I manage to end up here! But there was nothing I could do about it now. I just needed to get through this 3km tunnel! To say I was scared was a bit of an understatement. I was crapping myself! Lorries were speeding past within inches of me! Even though I was riding as close to the curb as I could! And cycling that close to the curb, I was in danger of catching a peddle on the curb. And being thrown off into the traffic. The drains were also a nightmare. They were a good two inches below the road surface. Every time I hit one, I kept thinking that my front wheel would collapse. It was a long three kilometres, and I was glad to get out alive.
Storm Chasing Or Rather Chased
It’s been a none eventful ride today, apart from being chased by a thunderstorm at the end of the day, which managed to catch me before I reached my finishing point. Thankfully the sun came back out soon after and dried everything off.
One thing I have noticed is how the landscape has changed. I’ve gone from fields of grapevines to fields of wheat and barley. And if it wasn’t for the odd cactus here and there, I could be back home in England.
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