I found my climbs, LaSpezia to Lerici Italy 60km 3 hrs

I decide to go exploring today. The little town of Rimaggior, Cinque Terra Italy has no bike shops. My hope is to find a shop in La Spezia, a large city about 15 km away. I decide to climb out of the sea and over the moutain to get to the city.

I ask the locals how to get to the city by road. " No bicycle very steep", and they start to laugh. The point to me and say you -no-no- bicycle. I decide to see for myself and I was up for a challenge. The next 15 km was breath taking. No, I am no talking about the views, yes they were beautiful, but the taking of my oxygen to fuel my blood left little for my brain. I climb switch backs that wind up the mountain side.

My normal seated climbing position has become a standing attempt to utalize my body weight to turn the peddles to carry me up the pass. I must say that this climb was the hardest climb than all the mountain passes I have seen in Colorado. The Italians do not waste time with mutiple switch backs to get you to where you need to go in a hurry- they take it italian fast up the mountain. I reach La Spezia and realize the bike shop is closed, so I decide to take my advanture down the coast and see where I end up. I end in Lerci, a beautiful beach town.

Again I am taken with the beauty and the friendliness of the people. I have yet to meet a unfriendly italian. Nevertheless, I must say they are very vocal about me and my "spunkyness". I have been told I am a energy vampire by two gentelmen on a train that started a conversation with me and "very demanding" by an italian gentelmen that own a guest house. What is funny, is that they seem to enjoy me becuase they keep on asking questions and want to show me things. They are proud people. I am tring to hold my excitment down to a minimum- it is very hard for me becuase I am living my dream.

Amore, katelyn