It was a lonely night in the campsite. We were the only people staying there so it was silent and eerie in the morning. Tim and I faced a 70+km ride to the next campsite on the coast. Would we break the 76km record set earlier on the trip? Let’s find out.

The ride was only 30 seconds old when we had to turn back off a dodgy dirt track. The map suggested there was a road but it looked too risky so we had to go back on ourselves and round the longer way. The road was tarmac and mostly downhill so it wasn’t too bad (see below). Extra kms had been added early though!

We soon found ourselves on a busier road. It was still running through a thick forest so we didn’t have a sense of how high we were. The road undulated and there were a few nasty little hills for Tim to complain about. We arrived at a delightful little town called Roccastrada- it was perched high up on some sheer rocks so the views were fantastic. Check them out below! The exit out of the town was a speedy affair- 10% gradient downhill gave the brakes a good workout!

We were now on the plain so the land was flat (see below). It was time to get our heads down and power on. We were starting to get tired at about the 60km mark. There was still quite a way to go!

The final 25km was a battle. Things took a turn for the worse as my good friend Mr. Wind decided to rear its powerful head. Cycling into the wind isn’t easy at the best of times but after cycling 70km it’s a nightmare. I needed to get off my bike every 5-7km because I got pins and needles in my feet. This comes from having to stand on the bike to pedal!

Tim and I battled on and eventually made it to the campsite. It was one of the toughest rides I’ve ever done and also the longest- 85km!…woop woop! Record breaking scenes! See the data below. The campsite is located 100m from a lovely beach- a perfect place for Mr Tim to conduct his exercise rituals.

In the early evening I made my way to Grosetto, a town 16km away from the campsite. Brandi was arriving from Korea late in the evening! We had a hotel in the centre of town so we could go exploring the next morning. Unfortunately, her plane was delayed so she missed her train. She had to wait for the night train, which arrived in Grosetto at 2:53am! Not ideal but she made it in the end! It was great to see her again and I’m so pleased she will be here for the end of the trip!

Day 103: Brandi and I did some sightseeing in the morning. We walked around the city walls and went for lunch in a quality restaurant (I ate there last night as well). In the afternoon, we returned to the campsite and chilled on the beach. Check us out in the sea chucking a ball around- great fun! Back on the bike tomorrow! Only 8 days to go!!