Today we got up and were greeted by a few rain drops and much cooler weather. Our new friend Lindsay the Australian has been a steady companion on our bike rides. Between him and Tim navigating we have avoided getting lost on the roads which I am much grateful for since each ride is pretty intense with lots of hills. Today was no exception, and our trek took us from Asti to Casale and while the grade was not as steep it definitely had its series of hills throughout the entire course. For me, my legs were extremely tired and it was by far the toughest day of riding but once again the villages, architecture and people were amazing. The ride took us through rolling hills, vineyards and evergreen woods.
Asti is know for its medieval architecture heritage of the region, it has many towers, houses, forts, churches, palaces and domus.
Casale was once the center of the Roman municipium and the largest town in the district.
Arriving into Casale was a blessing as we were all tired and a nice shower, some food and rest was appreciated by all. We had a lovely dinner at a nice Italian restaurant and celebrated my 55 birthday complete with creme boule and candle while Tim and Lindsay sang Happy Birthday to me.
Today was our last day of riding and we left Casale and headed back to Alessandria where we started our trek from. Today was also the first real rain we had encountered the church bells rang out as the people celebrated the rain. This did not effect us as by the time we got on the rode the rain had stopped but the drop in the temperature was much welcomed. The ride was relatively flat and easy going through a lot of agricultural and tree farming countryside. However many of the back roads were gravel and dirt which made the ride a bit bumpy but the Orange Beast (bike) kept us upright and we managed to get through the most interesting and challenging terrains. With the back roads came opportunities to see wild life that one may not have the opportunity to see traveling by car such as pheasants in the fields we passed by.
Upon arrival to the city Alessandria we celebrated in style with Italian wine, cheese and salami. We bid farewell to the Swiss ( who got lost almost everyday) and to Lindsay. But I have a feeling that Tim and Linday will be in contact via the internet in short time.
September 1, 2012
Today we head by train back Milano.
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