Two at the Toe - A Tandem in Sicily

Last May, Maggie and I did a tour in Tuscany.  We had a good time, and ate and drank well, but the weather wasn't what we had hoped.  We like Italy though, and thought that we'd try something a bit further South for our Spring Tour this year.  Sicily is about as far South as you can get in Italy, more or less on the latitude of North Africa.  It was a good choice.  Those of you who have been watching the Giro will know that the weather on mainland Italy has been largely terrible, but in Sicily it was fine every day but one.  On that day the Scirocco blew, and it was hazy but warm.  There are worse things than a warm tailwind, as any cyclist will tell you.

The trip was organised by Skedaddle, based on Catania Airport, taking a loop around the Eastern part of Sicily.  Renato and Dario from Skedaddle Italia were excellent, and their support when we had a mechanical disaster was impeccable.  Coming fast down a long hill I missed the change for the next steep uphill and, putting the power on hard, completely destroyed the rear derailleur.  Bit of an issue.  The van was there in two minutes, the tandem was on the roof-rack two minutes later and we were on our way to the spotless high-tech bike shop in the ancient city of Modica two minutes after that.  Dario called ahead and the mechanic had stopped the job he was on and was waiting for the tandem when we arrived.  Half an hour's spanner work and some new parts and we were back on the road, the van having left us to go ahead and prepare the meal for the rest of the party.  We didn't even miss lunch.

We stayed in some good places; a converted railway station, a 'Feudo', which is a sort of chateau devoted to wine growing, an orange farm and some quirky but comfortable hotels.  Standards were high. Good food, good lunches served from the van en route, and some interesting riding - the ascent of Mount Etna being the highlight.  A bit like Ventoux, but an active volcano.  Hmm.  Lots of lava.

A great trip and some great cycling.  The guide book we bought at the airport advised against cycling in Sicily.  Terrible roads, and terrible drivers, it said.  It did admit that there was good cycling to be had, but that you needed local knowledge to find it.  We had that, and we had a terrific time.  Riding a bike in Italy during the Giro is a great experience, and if you wear a pink jersey, well ...

266.2 miles, 21,816 feet of ascent and a rolling average of 12.1mph.  We never locked our bikes all week and no-one had a puncture.

Mark