Thursday 14 October 2010

Day 78, Thrsday 7th of October. Praia Mare to Amantea... Hazel

98.94km cycled in 4 hours
Averaging 24.6kmph, max 52.8
Odometer 5954.1km

The storm has wiped the grey sky clean and Mr Sunshine makes a happy return. Tired of the sufferings and moanings that accompany each italien breakfast we devour a box of rice crispies before heading down for a quick coffee and crossaint.... Italien cornetto (like the ice cream in name but pretending to be a crossaint in nature) is always dusted in iceing sugar, and is noramlly filled with a sugar gel attempting to be jam.
Bikes adorned with possesions we slip off down the coastal road hugging the beach whilst the SS18 hovers some 200m above us cut into the cliff. After getting lost in some out of season abandoned beach hut complex, and doubling back we find our connecting road, which snakes and twists steeply up the cliff face. Some, pedaling, puffing and sweat dripping we emerge at the top and now the SS18 rolls over the hill tops with the wind drying our wet seal bodies leaving salt crystals behind on Alice in particular.
The SS18 has an inordinate number of road kill pets along it's wayside, varying degree of decay,pelts and skeletons sadly strewn. In this heat the smell of rotteing carcuses sits stubbornly in the nose.
Zipping along, up and down hills, along the flat and through many tunnels. But it's seriously hot, and our stops are more so in order to drink. We decide to stop at Amantea, as there's no large towns for a further 70km. No wishing to cycle through ghost seaside towns in the early dark evenings we pull in and lo! a four star hotel... With outside pool! Which as it's not quite fully decorated furnished is not very pricey. So swim (after they clean the pool for us), sun lounge, then into the night to our ever faithful supermercatio.

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