First turn of the pedals

My other love in life alongside eating, is cycling. A day that contains both activities is just perfect in my eyes. So I was absolutely ecstatic to get out in the sunshine and get the pedals turning. One afternoon last week we donned our lycra, clipped on our helmets and set off on our first Italian bike ride. We headed North out of the city, along some cycle paths until we reached the River Po. This huge river is the lifeblood of the flat land we find ourselves in, it’s a lot wider and more powerful than we realised. (So any ideas of stand up paddle boarding or scenic canoe trips were soon scuppered!) However, there is a tarmac road on the raised river bank that goes for miles and miles and miles, which for the most part is just for pedestrians and cyclists, what bliss! So we turned right and followed the river East. It was fabulous!

We weren’t the only cyclists out and about, there were a few locals using this beautiful route too. Most gave us some very strange looks though and we soon realised it was down to our wardrobe; in true British style we had seen the sunshine and the double digit temperature (just) and opted for shorts! However, everyone we came across was wrapped up from head to toe in full winter gear, including fleecy gloves; they looked like they were off to fight wasps! I don’t think we’re going to seamlessly fit in to the local cycling scene at this rate!

The scenery, although flat as a pancake, is very beautiful. On the one side there was the huge, rushing river edged with beautiful sandy beaches or rows and rows of trees waiting to spring in to life. Then the other side was a patchwork of fields, some obviously being tended to with care, others in their natural state but all dotted with ramshackle barns and houses. Every so often a cluster of buildings gathered round a beautiful church tower, poking it’s head through the rooftops would mark the presence of a sleepy little village.

The cycling was pretty easy going too. Back in January, soon after I finished treatment, the wonderful ladies at the Hospital Well Being centre had kindly put together a training plan for me, to ease me back in to a fitness routine. This includes wearing a heart rate monitor and keeping my heart rate in certain zones for the next 12 weeks. So we were happily cycling along when I look down at my Garmin (handlebar computer) and discover we’re travelling along at 19 mph with a very low heart rate. Hang on, something’s not right here…..

When the river soon turned North for a brief time and we nearly got side swiped by the gale force wind we realised the feeling of ease was down to the belting tail wind we had! By this point we were 15 miles down river. Anyone who cycles knows how disheartening, horrendous and soul destroying a strong headwind can be! Even if I sheltered behind Mr BND I wasn’t confident of making it home without doing myself in for the next week! So praise the lord for Italy’s wonderful train service! Even these remote little villages have stations with excellent services and we didn’t have to wait long for the next train. In true cyclist style, we even managed to fit in a cafe stop before our change of transport. So it wasn’t quite the cycling trip we had planned but at least we knew not to trust that weather app anymore!

Ferrara is known as ‘citta della biciclette’ or city of bicycles. (I know, you couldn’t pick a more perfect place for me!) Everyone cycles everywhere, people of all ages from the students of the university to the old ladies going to the market for their shopping. Bikes are king here, one way systems and give ways just don’t seem to apply for someone on two wheels. Our flat is within the city walls, so not a particularly long walk in to town but to fully explore the city and in an attempt to embrace the Ferrarese lifestyle we came to the conclusion that the only option available to us was to buy a new bike! I say new…they’re new to us. I’m sure they would have been new at some point, perhaps back before the first World War! But due to the popularity of the bicycle here, bike theft is apparently quite high, so the beautiful city shopper with leather panniers and a wicker basket that I envisioned myself on is not the best idea. Instead we went to see Filippo, who runs a a bike shop on Via Giuseppe Garibaldi. It’s not quite the kind of bike shop we have back at home. His stock of bikes live outside on a nearby bike rack and the tiny space is filled with cycling paraphernalia that wouldn’t look amiss in a transport museum! This was our guy!

We both chose a bike each. In my case my excitement got the better of me and I probably (no, definitely) should have tested it a bit more thoroughly. A realisation that struck later that day when we were taking them out for their first spin and I discovered it was stuck in an impossibly hard gear, the seat far too low, the chain kept coming off and the only way to slow down was by using the bottom of my shoe on the ground! Oops. So back to Filippo we went and before long it was like a different bike! We had haggled a bit as we were buying two and for less than the cost of a new pair of cycling socks we were the proud owners of a couple of old bangers. Our bike collection out here is from the sublime to the ridiculous! These definitely wouldn’t be effected by a strong wind that’s for sure.

Seeing as I personify most things and all my other bikes have got names it seemed only right to do the same to the new addition. So I’ve called him Giuseppe! I can already tell we’re going to have some great adventures together.