A long couple of weeks deserves a long weekend...

I just added up the approximate kilometers I have put in since Thursday evening.  And its impressive.  Even without knowing exactly how many on the mountainbike with the club thursday evening, or on the city bike into town at least 4 times, and on Loni for two big giros, topping out today with 160! its looking like a whopping 410km.  Roughly 250 miles for my stateside audience.  Between stretching and eating I will barely have time to get these photos downloaded, and by the time the rest of my vino is "downloaded" im going to be shot!  heres a looksy with a few captions...

Last monday me and this lady went to check out the views from my bike camping spot...

these are onions when they bloom and go to seed...

then off to HannaBi to see one of the weepiest boorish shows I have ever seen...super emo!

Next day, up at 5 to deliver luggage and pick up bikes...but ooops forgot the luggage.  All in all a 16 hour day in the car with a massive fuck up.

stayed the night with a guy named Pietro who has a very self sufficient little house...

a stop in Lago Trasimeno made things look a little better...

thursday a mountain bike ride with the club...

cant see it in this shot but this bike's shock was replaced by a welded metal post...what an impressive shitbike!

Friday to Bertinoro...chasng down the tower in the hills nearby...

 for gods sake DO NOT SWIM HERE!!

getting closer I found some dirt, pushed through a farm, climbed unbelievably loose trails and came out actually above Bertinoro

up a road paved with broken hand painted ceramics...

A sign is not always just a sign...sometimes its a sign...

one last hill to the castle...

I could actually see the seaside...down the mountain to Forlimpopoli and home on the busy Via Emilia...

something I have not done mid-ride in a long time.

friday nite a free concert and a late nite with friends at the Clan...

 Saturday an easy ride through the countryside "Giro in Giro" as my buddy Dario says...riding for the sake of riding...

Stumbled on a vintage motorcycle show...

And fell face first into a gelato in my favorite town...

Saturday nite a dinner party in the childhood house of DJ Livia, where highschool pictures were forever saved in digital format...

It was just that hot...

Sunday I slept very late and used most of the day to plan my vacation in August, get Loni ready for the following (rainy?) days ride, and catch up with friends on the phone.

in the evening I rode to town for one of these...AGAIN!

Custom mud flap on the fenders to keep toes dry.

Monday Morning EARLY!  Was on the bike at 7am, before the market even was set up.  Clouds suggested I was going to get soaked and I was prepared to ride anyhow...

Found an amazing bike path next to the Fiume Savio that goes from Cesena to Cervia!

All kinds of roads, a total of 164km with about 70% in the dirt!  Loni is still my number one.

Dead end road with a gate to hop.

Still no rain, save for the 30 seconds of sprinkle I got while inside a bar peeing.  The first taste of saltwater air coming full force in some heavy headwinds.  Winds that would mean a swift and easy ride home!

look at the bend in that tall grass...

Cervia is home to a really old salt evaporation plant...and really authentic sailors with pink bikes.

Somewhere around 11 I realized my teeth had a thick film of dust on them, probably from the face I was making around every turn...seriously the most fun I have had on a bike in a while.

An unfortunate fire last weekend near the "clothing optional" beach.  I guess no more running around the woods all nekky anymore this summer...

when Italians belive the weather reports they stay home... the seaside was a ghost town!

a quick review while I wait for my piadina...check out the load in that thing!

and a FAT NAP at a vacant Bagno Kuta.  Out cold for 45 minutes, up to coffee and out the door.

As I suspected the return ride was FAST, and if this is a stormy day Ill take about two weeks more of the same!

Not one drop of rain the whole way, another application of sunscreen and some stolen peaches...

cool grassy trail atop the river embankment...

untill you get to this sight... tricky to say the least.  But always friendly.

your house needs a haircut.

I was so pumped on the day that I cruised around Forli another hour looking for a spot to chill and have a beer.  Never really found one so took the long way back for a total of 164kms today.  A day that had I crawled back in bed, or if I had believed the news reports of "storm of the century" or if I had convinced myself it was better to get some work done, I would have missed.  And that would not be the best way to end a four day weekend now would it?