Training Log Archive: Charlie

Quite a nice ride today. We had a van transfer from Massierella Rossella to the village of Caccamo, with its medieval castle built right in the rock. The ride started with a rather steep uphill through the town on cobbled streets, then mostly up but some down and nothing flat. We stopped for a picnic lunch in Roccapalumba, Daniele once again finding local pizza and fresh ricotta. I ate way too much, which was ok on the ensuing long and sweeping downhill, but a little distressing as it got really hot and we had a long climb to the next town, Alia. At that point Daniele cut our ride a bit shorter, and we went right instead of left. Originally it was scheduled for 74 k, but it ended up 56, which was plenty. A 7k climb up to Valledolmo went better than imagined, and then the others went in the van for the last 7k, mostly down through some really rough roads to the winery at Regaleali, Tasca d'Almerita, the largest and most prestigious winery in Sicily.

This was my best day physically. Legs felt strong, hills went well, back was more or less fine. Most importantly the battle with my saddle didn't erupt the way it did on Friday and Saturday.

This is perhaps the most elegant place I have ever stayed. After cleaning up we had a tour of the winery and a rather elaborate tasting, all explained in a lot of detail by the lovely Sofia, but alas mostly lost on me, as wine is not something I have interest in. After a bit an elegant dinner with four types of wine, three appetizers, soup, beef with mushroom sauce, their own tomatoes and lettuce, potatoes, and finally a ricotta cake. Amazing.

C • It's just amazing where you all go.... 2

A bit unsettled this morning. The guide Danele's grandfather died last night and he was pretty distressed, trying to figure out what to do. Then the battery died on the van and there was some time spent dealing with that. And finally ready to go, maybe an hour or so later and it started to sprinkle. That was all it took for the girls to decide they didn't want to ride, so a rest day from the bike and we went in the van to our hotel in Piana degli Albanesi. Instead of riding, a leisurely lunch at this beautiful country house, and then a stroll around the property. Then when Mike wanted to relax, Rhonda and Cindy decided to walk, so I went with them down the road a ways and back. Watched some farmers cultivating their very dark fields, preparing to grow winter hay or wheat. They use tractors on tracks, as it seems too muddy and steep for wheeled tractors.

Event: "O" in the Pines A meet
 

Beautiful ride from the wonderful il Vigneto through the magnificent vineyards of La Planeta, the biggest winery in this part of Sicily. Varied landscape today. Vineyards and olive trees very well maintained and loaded with fruit. This was a difficult ride, with several climbs, particularly into Santa Margherita di Bellice, where the old town was destroyed by an earthquake around 1968, and the town was rebuilt next to it. Fascinating to see the ruins unrestored, undeveloped on a hill next to the old town. Then a sharp downhill and a long uphill to Sambuca in Sicilia, sister city to Winter Haven FL, as it says on the sign entering town. We stopped for lunch in a park in the center. Two kinds of Sicilian pizza, sandwiches and the tasty local melon. Down and then up again to Giuliana. At that point we thought the climbs were over, but we had another harder climb awaiting. Giant panoramas of ancient volcanoes, farmland, olives. We climbed again past the 5th century church of Santa Maria nel Bosco, then finally a descent into Contessa Entellina and our rather remote B&B and our host Paolo, interesting guy, the house built to his own design, and many projects to personalize it. His olive trees are loaded. At the coast they are harvesting, but here it is a different climate and he will harvest next month. He also has a number of persimmon trees (cachi, they are called here). I never really understood the point of persimmons, as the ones I seem to have encountered are hard and tart. These are luscious, incredibly sweet and red orange. Wonderful. The steepest hill of the ride was Paolo's driveway, a good test.

C • Back vs Hills 2

Paolo is quite an enterprising and interesting fellow. He is from Treviso in the North, but came here often on vacation, and was able to buy three small plots that were each not larg enough to build on. He designed the guest house and had it built 15 years ago, and now grows olives, walnuts, persimmons, plums, citrus, capers, and many other things. He does a lot of stonework around he house, and also a lot of scavenging of unusual rounded rocks of some unknown archaeological history. He is a wonderful cook. We had an antipasto of local cheese and local dry salami, his own sun dried tomatoes and his own cured olives. Then a first plate of a kind of penne with a tomato sauce with white and green asparagus, transcendently delicious, and a second plate of local pork sausage wrapped in fennel leaves and thin slices of veal, with lightly sautéed potatoes and a wonderful salad from his garden, of course with local white and red wine from unlabeled bottles. Marvelous. Finished with a light cake, filled with his own jam.

C • Meal 3

Lovely day. First few k in Marsala were a bit interesting, with lots of turns and city traffic, then escaped to the country. The day was a bit repetitive, lots of olive trees and vines, the occasional flock of sheep. Literally 100s of abandoned stone farmhouses. Daniele tells us that in the 60s, times were good, things were cheap, and many farmers bought second and third homes, but they were too hard to keep up, and they have let them go. After about 30 miles we came to the town of Campobello di Mazara, where we stopped in the town square for lunch. Daniele had purchased pane cunzatu, the most wonderful local sandwiches. Crusty Sicilian bread, tomatoes, celery, onions, anchovies, lots of really good olive oil. This may be the finest thing I have encountered. By a great act of discipline I ate only one. Then back on the road. I forgot to turn on the watch after lunch, so the next 5k just shows as a straight line. Not too far off there. Eventually we took a side trip to the wonderfully imposing Greek temple ruins at Sellinunte. Overwhelming! Huge temples, one restored more or less, the others jumbles of huge stones and columns. Then 10 more miles to our wonderful resort for the evening, Il Vigneto in the Agrigento wine country. This is the most comfortable and appealing place we have stayed, and we have stayed in some very nice places. We had a nice time relaxing by the pool, drinking some Peroni Nastro Azzurro beer.

Theoretically from Erice to Marsala today, but Erice was completely socked in so we went down the mountain in the van to Val d'Erice, marveling at the many switchbacks we had climbed yesterday. Then headed more or less toward the sea, first south for about 15 miles through very flat farmland, with muddy roads in places and an unrelenting wind in our faces, then flying to the sea when we turned NW. Eventually we arrived at a restaurant by the salt works, where we had another extended multi-course lunch, and then it was raining a bit and the girls had lost interest in riding, so back in the van to our hotel.

What a lovely ride today from Scopello to Erice. We left Scopello headed downhill, and then up a fairly substantial hill and over to get to Castellamare del Golfo, some busy traffic, and then a right turn inland up toward Segesta. At about 12 or so miles we could see the temple we had visited yesterday, nestled between the two Acropolis hills that have the theater, castles and excavations. Since we had been there before we passed the turn this time and headed up toward Buseto di Palizzolo, through a lot of farmland, farmers in some places burning their fields in preparation for the next crop. This is the start of winter, the prime growing season. Lovely riding, some up, some down, views of mountains and occasionally a bit of sea. We stopped for a surprising picnic lunch in the woods near Buseto di Palizzolo. Daniele and Tino had bought dried figs and tomatoes,from an old lady they met, and some Sicilian pizza with onions and tomatoes, a flatbread with olives, and Daniele made bruschetta with local olive oil, salt, and dried oregano shaken from a bunch he had bought. Then there were cookies made with cooked wine, and with almonds and almond paste. And some other fine things. Hard to get going again. Beautiful scenery heading to Val d'Erice, where the climb started. The town of Erice is on an impossibly high outcrop, 7k of steep switchbacks, or not so steep, but just a difficult but satisfying grind. Part way up my back started to ache, and I thought I would give up, but then I remembered to up shift and stand for a while, and alternate standing and sitting, and that helped immensely.

At last we arrived, walked a bit more up the hill through the medieval town to our lovely Hotel Elimo, drank more beer than I imagined. We walked around the steep stone streets, looking at the many churches and the amazing Norman castle built right into the rock. Wonderful views of the harbor at Trapani. Then we had the best dinner of the trip, arriving through the rather secret back entrance of the Monte San Giuliani ristorante.

C • Erice 5

Plan today was a van ride to Segesta and a tour, then lunch and a ride home on the bikes. Hard rain started as we were finishing the tour, so a longer lunch, and then decided just to take the van back. Segesta is amazing, an international Greek temple and many other archaeological remains from different cultures, including Arabs, Berbers and a Norman castle. Late afternoon a gentle walk around town, visiting once again with our new friend Peppe. Tomorrow we ride to the old town of Erice.

C • Segesta 2