Mum on bike to Sth End.

Mum (Patricia Hemmings) told us about her 25 mile 🚲ride to Sth End 🇬🇧as a 14 year old.

As the Tour of Italy is now (May 2021), it reminded me of my 8 week…

As the Tour of Italy is now (May 2021), it reminded me of my 8 week bicycle tour Italy/Corsica

My Giro de Italia "Verona to Geneva" 1999

The past 15 days I have spent cycling around the Italian Lake area.

I started of by getting a bus from Prague to Romeo and Juliet town Verona Italy. I wanted to see a bit of the Giro de Italia bike race. I camped in the gardens of the Youth hostel, the cheapest so far L8000 ($7 Australia) including breakfast and a cellar toilet/shower room which when the sun shone through the stained class window gave an appearance of a holy shrine.

I met an American cyclist who had ridden from Napoli; Joseph was his name we ended up hanging out together. We planned to make a early start to ride to the top of Lago di Garda (80 km) to watch the Giro come past, but it was such a glorious day, when we saw a vacant table in the piazza, we called it ours, and sat back and watched the world pass by. We did see some of the Giro, from a cafe TV!

I enjoyed Verona, the city has a good feel to it, and I cruised around the narrow streets on my small-wheeled Bike Friday getting many curious looks from the well-dressed Italians. Most Italians cheer when they see me, they call out "BELLABICICLETTA!"

(beautiful bicycle).

I made my way to Lago di Garda the next day, as I was passing a small village cafe, the owner called out "where you from? As soon as I told him I was from Australia he came out with a free pineapple juice. Later in the day an Italian couple on a Harley Davidson motto bike, came over and were so impressed with the bike they took a photo of it.

Cycling around Lake Garda was a like a little bit like riding around Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay with mountains as extra scenery. There were a lot of people out just as to be looked at, and lots of traffic. At one stage a group of 100 Vesper motto scooters came past me, there horns beeping me for encouragement.

I continued to Lago di Tenno, then the Madonna di Campiglio 1600m, it's the mountain finish of a Giro stage won by Pantanni, as I climbed I had awesome views of the Brenta Gruppo Dolomites.

In the last 3 days or so I cycled Lago di Iseo, Lago di Garlate, and now Lago di Como.

I rode up to the Madonna di Ghisallo; the chapel dedicated to the sufferings of cyclists. I needed a bit of a breather before I went in the chapel, I felt a little light headed from trying to keep up with a Italian racer out on a training run, my legs felt like jelly as well. I entered the holy shrine, mounted on the chapel walls, were bicycles from the 1920 Giro di Italia, bicycles from the Italian champions Coppi and Bartalli; Francesco Mosers hour record bike; the Belgian "cannibal" Eddy Merkx orange machine, and a tragic reminder of how dangerous professional bike racing is: the twisted bicycle of young 22 year old Fabio Castelli. He passed away on a descent of the Pyrenees mountains in the 1995 Giro race. All so on display were jerseys from cycling legends, Migel Indurain, Greg Lemond, Merkx, Gimondi, Bartalli, and Coppi, to name a few. It was all overwhelming.

There have been plenty of little hard hills, the humid weather making them extra hard. I am a little disappointed with the amount of industry around the lake area. But I have met plenty of friendly/helpful people along my way, and must decide in what direction to ride next.

From LAKE COMO I decided to head South towards GENOVA, I didn't leave the city till 3pm! I paid for my indecision on which direction to take - I had to combat large truck traffic and a gust of wind that nearly made me come to a stand-still, so I got of the main road into the small villages. I got lost in the spaghetti like roads which followed the steepest hill they could find.

I made it to camp at 9.30pm totally exhausted.

On the way to PAVIA now(35km Sth. of Milano), I took a side trip to village called Morimondo for a shot of espresso to pep me up. It was a nice surprise to be greeted by a monastery & open trattoria. That's where David & Cristina from Milano invited me over for drinks.

I had a wonderful afternoon eating gelato, sipping vino, espresso & enjoying "la Dolce vita" - the sweet life! I bid farewell, hopped back onto my bike feeling "happy", for the 20km ride to PAVIA. I couldn't feel my legs, there wasn't the usual discomfort in the groin area, I find when I have a little alcohol in my system it makes me ride harder. So when a old man buzzed past me on his moped, I accelerated & jumped onto his wheel. I was on "the big ring & the rivet", to try to catch him! Once I was in his slip stream, we cruised along at 35 - 40km/hr, it was great to do some motor-pacing.

Josepy said, "You have made it into the outskirts of PAVIA in half an hour!"

PAVIA has a university, so it's a lively city with a great old town centre. I explored Pavia city on foot, I have sore right knee the result from pushing it yesterday, sitting behind that moped.

The Province of PAVIA is a beautiful area made up of small sandstone mountains (1500m) & many wine types to choose from.

Local vino of Pavia/Oltrepo: *Bonarda* (sparkling red, nice),*Buttafuoco* (dry sparkling red, OK), *Sangue di Giuda* (sweet sparking red, taste like fizzy cordial), Croatina, Pinot Nero, Pinot Grigio, Riesling Italico, Barbera, Cortese, Moscato, & Malvasia.(*) The vino I tried.

I'm now 60km East of Geneva at Levanto. It's the last camping place before "Cinque Terre", 5 separate coastal villages perched on rocky ledges overlooking the sea. To get here, I had to go through 4 x 3km "Black as Black" one lane tunnels, my dyno-light hardly making an imprint in the ink like soup. Tomorrow I will catch a train to "Cinque Terre" & maybe walk back along the coastal walking-track back to the camp ...who knows?

6'4" Aussie Carl Hemmings has been riding a #BikeFriday for more than 3 years in Europe, Czech Republic and beyond. A skilled toolmaker, he's even been known to make his own chainrings!

This was submitted for the 2007 Cycle Oregon BikeFriday Homecoming Story Contest.

Regards Carl Hemmings

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

4th April 2020 Covid19 I am posting this so next year, and every year after, it'll come up as a memory and remind me of this uncertain time. Of course by then, we will know how this all plays out.

Kids are home from school and not sure when they will return.
They started school holidays early with remote learning being put in place for Term 2.
Petrol prices at a record low but should be lower because of low price of oil.
Self-distancing measures on a rise.
Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers 1.5 M from each other.
Limited number of people inside stores, therefore lineups outside the store doors.
Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.

Entire sports seasons halted and potentially cancelled.
Our AFL season postponed. NBL1 season cancelled. NBL finals got cancelled after game 3 of 5 game series.
Olympics postponed a year. Wimbledon cancelled.
Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled.
Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings, even funerals - cancelled.
No masses, or synagogue services
States are on lockdowns.
People returning from overseas are in compulsory 14 day quarantine at hotels in the city.
Video calls are the normal now.

No gatherings of 100 or more, than 10 or more, now 2 or more. Playgrounds closed and no group sports.
We are to socially distance from one another.
Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.
Shortage of respirators for the critically ill.
Panic buying sets in on toilet paper, disinfecting supplies, paper towel, hand sanitiser and a whole bunch of foods.
Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitiser and PPE.
Factories ordered to make ventilators and hospital bed shortages forecast.
Each day there are news conferences from Scott Morrison and Daniel Andrews about new cases, economic changes to businesses & individuals.

They say it started in Wuhan, China at a seafood market. Hundreds of thousands affected, dead, dying, critically ill.
Many recovered.

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

One day it will show up in my memory feed, and it will be a yearly reminder that life is precious. To not take the things we dearly love for granted.
Treasure the little things.

We have so much!
Be thankful. Be grateful.
Be kind to each other - love one another - support everyone.

We are all one! ❤️


Ps.
Who would have thought March 2020, the world would come to nearly a standstill because of the Covid19 virus.
In Melbourne, we are in self isolation. Kim is working from home, she even started a new job, the company sent out a computer for her.
Our son Lochlan ( nearly 13) , is still struggling with school and hasn't engaged with it much during isolation.

100 km for the week, first time since having a meltdown and being in a coma for two weeks.

Bestest Carl,

Sent from a iPadmini with Retina

7am ride along the Mullum creek , blasting those winter blues away.

Bestest Carl,

Sent from a iPadmini with Retina

It now feel like a Dream, that we did Australia's greatest adventure a year ago. Day 1: leaving the port of Timor Lestre

http://www.australiantraveller.com/kimberley/cruising-the-kimberley-coastline-the-most-spectacular-australian-holiday/#

Sorry if you got this more than twice, it mean i like you.

All the best,

Carl Hemmings

fotosbycarl@gmail.com

Last Day of winter/spring break at Palm Cove Far Nth Queensland

We have had plenty of R n R, beach time, catching up with old friends, rain forest time, great food , and glorious FNQ tropical weather.

I think I'm getting the post holiday blues?

Bestest regards,
Carl.
Sent from my iPod touch, the iPhone without the phone.