The night was a bit challenging with the heat and the uncomfortable bed. As a result, we were awake early and went for breakfast at the hotel as soon as possible, with the hope that we could then be on the road while it was still somewhat cool. The breakfast was really nice, but it is certain that if I find myself back in Ceriale someday I will choose a different hotel. Nevertheless, all the staff at the Residence Oliveto were all nice, and we left there feeling good.
We had decided the night before that we would head first along the waterfront until Finale Ligure so as to see a bit more of the Mediterranean, and then head up a different road up the hills from what we had arrived the day before. Given that this was to be our longest ride of the trip, we needed to get a bit of a move on!
Our destination today was Val-Cenis in France, and although we would have to cross the boring plain below Turin, there were still some wonderful mountain roads making up more than half of the day's ride.
The waterfront ride was a bit less interesting than we expected, but the road right after that became very interesting. Small and twisty, and sometimes with the tarmac a bit iffy! We even had a decent cloud cover with the morning mist from the sea covering the hills, which made it nice and fresh. Once this climb was completed, we found ourselves in the area of Piedmonte where the famous Barolo wine is made. Here the roads were better, with fast sweeping curves over the pleasantly undulating landscape.
We stopped for a coffee break in a little village right next to your typical Italian church, on what was quite a bustling outdoor café. We were feeling great, but having rested up a bit it was time to keep moving.
The next part is boring as it takes you across the flat plain south of Turin. There are not too many villages to go through, but the road is mostly straight through numerous fields. By now it was getting really hot, and I eventually saw a roadside temperature sign reading 38°. It was a good thing it was not raining though, as the road takes you through multiple round-a-bouts where it was clear that a lot of diesel fuel had been spilled over the years. Rain on that makes it as slippery as soap!
Progress was good, and we realized that Italians do not really respect speed limits. Granted, in many places, you find yourself on a straight and wide open stretch of road, and it is limited to 50 kmh. As a result, we began adapting a similar speed to the cars that were passing us, and soon we had the Sacra di San Michele in our sights.
My riding buddy had pointed out before the trip that this stunning religious complex was the inspiration for the book The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. The equally famous film had been made at a different location, but we felt that this was certainly worth a stop. We parked our bikes and had a brief discussion about visiting the place. Given the incredible heat and the fact that we were dressed in full riding gear, this was simply not an option. Instead we got some sandwiches and cold ice tea for lunch at a restaurant there, and then began making our final climb of the day.
After passing by the village of Susa, the road heads up first by Bar Cenisio in Italy, and then in to France and over the Col du Mont Cenis. As we were riding up, it suddenly started raining. At first a couple of drops, but then it suddenly came down quite hard. This can be very tricky since when it has been dry for a long time when the first rain falls the road becomes slippery. We pulled over, and the rain stopped as quickly as it had started. As we began riding again, the road was completely dry within two corners, and we could continue at our normal rhythm.
Just before reaching the actual mountain pass peak, we passed an incredibly impressive dam built out of gravel. It is an unusual structure, and very impressive to see. We had a stop next to the lake behind it for some scenery shots.
- Ceriale
- Finale Ligure
- Ceva
- Sacra di San Michele
- Bar Cenisio
- Val-Cenis
- Col du Mont Cenis 2083 m
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