Touring Equipment

Siena-Grenoble starting thursday.

So. Disorganised. But only taking a rucksack strapped to pannier with one change of clothes.

Really need to figure out a final route today and organise lodgings, I know what hills I want to go up in the alps, everything else is gravy and will depend on hotel/b+b stops. Also need to get a replacement helmet and dial in my cleats/gears.

Very nervous, very excited...

That is one sweet route! If you're going b&b/hotel only i'd not worry too much. They are everywhere in that region. How many days are you taking out for this? If got say a week you can take it easy and have maximum enjoyment of the views and scenery. This time of year I do advise you to bring all warm cycling clothes, good overshoes and at least 2 pair of merino socks. A nice set of off-the-bike shoes is also recommended as it may be too cold to go around in flip-flops.

I've got regular bibs and nanoflex ones with arm/leg warmers and gabba for bad weather, rapha hardshell for torrential stuff and wearing at night, overshoes and gloves. So hopefully covered for the worst.

It's 700k so thinking of taking 5 days and doing 150ish a day, this might be too much though as my leggies aren't the best prepared... Alternative is to train it to Torino and just go up and down finistrella for a week which would be equally blissful by all appearances.

Also taking my laptop, as I've been working here and have nowhere to leave it and also don't want to entrust it to the Italian post. Not ideal by any stretch of the imagination but what to do ? ; /

What are the nanoflex bibs like.
Warm in the cold?
AS good as the arm warmers in the rain?

they are good, like the gabba material but with a very thin fleece lining. not been able to wear them in proper rain yet but same fibres as the armwarmers... I got them on sale for £65 so no complaints as they are well made and the pad is great.

Might get some. Thanks.

Wow laptop?

As I am totally in love with bikepacking, my judgement about panniers & racks may not be the fairest. It's not that I think it's a bad option, however, I am of opinion that bikepacking is viable for any tour. Making the need for racks and panniers superfluous.

Exactly my sentiment, bikepacking open up a whole new field as it mean you can just take any bicycle on a tour without worrying about how it'll affect the bicycle, it also mean you're more encourage to take what's necessary and still get to enjoy the ride.

Rack and panniers are great for a proper easy-going tour (like 50-75 miles a day kinda tour) where you just enjoy the scenery and culture in comfort.

I believed there are two camp;

cyclotourist - people who enjoy the scenery.

cyclist tourist - people who enjoy the ride (and scenery too I guess).

Wow laptop?

I know.

I have a dry bag.

There is no other choice unless i leave it here and come back to collect it after or pay a bitch load to courier it to Grenoble.

I'm planning a route now and it's going to be fucking hilly even before i get to the Alps-going through Tuscany and the Alpi Apuane I'm struggling to find a route with less than 2500m climbing for 120ish km unless I hug the coast which will be busier and less wild.

The good news is stress and poverty since I arrived here has meant I've probably lost the equivalent of a laptop in body fat so swings and roundabouts...

i'm still going to fucking die though.

Life is a merry go round.

2500hm 120km a day is very much doable if you dont have to get in before campsite receptions are closed. B&b and hotels dont mind you checking in late so you'll be just fine. And most of all despite the toughness of the tour you will see the most beautiful places and enjoy almost every moment of it. Also you will feel like a king after every ride, especially the last one!

Tomorrow it begins... Siena to Montecatini Terme, then onto La Spezia the next day, possibly via Bagni di Luca and Fivizzano if I feel up to 3000 odd meters of climbing, if not I'll zip along the coast. Weather is looking a bit shabby the next few days so it might not be much of a decision to make.

After that I'll either hug the coast to Genoa or head inland towards Piacenza.

Seems like a lot of stuff but I'll be wearing most of it I guess.. resigned to taking the laptop but it'll be handy for planning the next legs of the journey.

Wish me luck!

Good luck.

Luck you dont need. All I wish you is a great time and I hope you'll get to take the in-land route as it will probably be the most beautiful one. You do have a lot of stuff and seemingly not the lightest gears so it might get tough, but the greater the challenge the greater the achievement. I am jealous.

Phew.

In La Spezia, first day from Siena-Montecatini was hilly and rough, (but still very enjoyable) a few potentially fatal mechanicals such as nearing the top of a bitching climb to have the chain inexplicably shift between cassette and spokes and taking 1/2 an hour to prise back out with storm clouds moving in leaving me with a slippy descent in a downpour... I was lucky i'd been on the steepest part of the climb and moving slow as otherwise my rear mech would have been totally goosed.

Second day to La Spezia I stuck to the much more densely populated flatlands as I've basically got far too much fucking stuff, and my 'clever' decision not to take my paniers in favour of my chrome backpack means that all the weight is above my rear wheel meaning getting out of the saddle feels awful, descending feels awful, and my gooch is suffering as a result. Throw in a few unexpected tunnels courtesy of Garmin and that's a recipe for some 'oh shit' moments.

I've also woken today and my right hand is agony (no wanking jokes pls) which may or may not be a pizza eating injury as opposed to anything bike related as I don't remember it being sore yesterday, so my plan to grind over another 2000 odd meters of hills is looking stupider than it already was. Thinking a train to Parma might be advisable to cut out the busy coastal roads and hills, take a day off today, then tank along the flat-lands on quieter roads to Pinerolo to do some bag-free riding over a couple of days instead of creeping up hills and racing to arrive before darkness falls.

I'm definitely not riding up Finistrelle with a fucking laptop and assorted gubbins on me as it will ruin the ride and it's the main objective of this trip. I'm such a fanny for not planning this better though...

just outside San Gimignano:

Post panini landscape glory-hole:

Pre-pantfilling but epic corkscrew descent into Camaiore from Nocchi:

I hope that despite of these setbacks you still enjoy what you're doing. If you dont have an extremely tight time schedule, I advise you to just take a day of but don't take the train. Just take a day of rest, eat and drink a lot and enjoy the scenery. Then give it another try tomorrow. You will feel much stronger and believe me you will regret it if you take a train.

I have the experience that the first 3 days of my tour totally killed me and I had to plan a resting day on the fourth day which I had originally planned on the seventh. Time wise it didnt matter but it gave me strength. Physically and mentally. Keep on going!

EDIT: That looks AMAZING!

Makes note. Pack light!

Sorry to hear of your woes. Head up!

No woes! Just practical considerations. Think I'm going to rustle my jimmies and make for Genoa...

he says leaving 2 hours later than planned.

Takes experience to gain experience. You know for next time!

^ +1

Ok. got on my bike and started for genoa but hand having none of it when braking and gooch very tender. currently drinking ice tea train to Parma and planning next leg.. less gnarl points but ultimately will be more enjoable whilst saving my legs for the really gnarly bits I want to do without bags. l