Back in the saddle

After some frankly ridiculous travel stuff — four time zones in three weeks are no joke — I finally had enough downtime for a bike ride, which took me back on the pilgrimage trail.

This time, instead of riding along the Po, I made my way up into the hills, fording mighty rivers along the way.

I did have to lift my feet up in the middle bit to avoid getting them wet, but I will admit that there are more challenging fords out there! Pretty, though.

After that there was a vicious climb up to the church of San Pietro. This is one of those roads that is just a straight-line first-gear grind, not all that long, but definitely long enough to make you suffer. The church at the top is at least a thousand years old, and has a pretty terrace outside to rest and enjoy the view. I was on the clock, though, because I had to be back for lunch, so I pressed on.

Just a little bit further along is a stretch of the Columban Way. This is a trans-European walking route that follows in the footsteps of Columbanus, an Irish Catholic missionary, who travelled from Ireland through modern France and Switzerland into this part of Italy, (re)converting the territories of the then-disintegrating Roman Empire as he went. This bit at least is also rideable on a bike — a bit rough on a gravel bike with no suspension, but perfectly doable.

The gorgeous spring weather and perfect temperature made this ride into three hours of Zen for me. Days later, I’m still riding that moment of sheer joy in being out and about under my own power. This is why I sometimes get a bit evangelical about getting people on their bikes: it’s just such a happy and empowering thing to do with your time. Cheap, too: once you have the bike, you can just hop on and go, with no court or pitch to reserve, pay for, and drive to. Cycling really is the best.