Italy – The final Days

Come Saturday morning I was still feeling ill. No huge breakfast for me, just enough to keep me going. As Saturday is a changeover day there are no guided rides. I was still ill so Chris headed out for a little ride on his own. I opted not to ride as it was probably better for me to try to recover somewhat. I still felt sick, and I had flu-like aches too.

We also had to partially check-out of our hotel today as a new influx of visitors were arriving and the hotel was fully booked. We had been booked into a hotel next door for a single night so had to pack up and move – We were still coming back to Hotel Gambrinus for our meals though and chose to mainly hang out there as well thanks to it’s friendly atmosphere.

With little energy to do anything I wandered through the streets of Riccione, found a supermarket, bought some presents and then chilled in the shade of some trees in a quiet little park.

I met Chris back at Hotel Gambrinus for our afternoon snack and then we checked into our new hotel. It seemed OK even if the decor was a little too pink for my liking!

We then spent the rest of the day chilling by the beach and walking along seafront.

Promenade

Promenade

I managed to cover 12 miles despite taking things easy all day! With the riding done for our holiday it had been good. Plenty of decent rides, some serious time in the saddle and miles covered and a decent helping of TSS too.

TSS

TSS

After our dinner we took a quick wander through the local streets which had now come alive. This was the first time we’d been out after dark and Riccione is certainly quite a vibrant place! Not for us though so we headed back to the new hotel where we were sharing a room for the night. I got no sleep whatsoever thanks to the noisy street below. Chris howerer was snoring in the bed on the other side of the room within seconds.

A Day on the Beach

Sunday was a day for chilling and waiting to go home. I was feelling a little better but still not great. I was at least now able to eat a bit better again but still took it easy (by my standards) at breakfast and during the afternoon snack.

Our home for the morning were sun loungers on the beach.

Loungers

Loungers

I did head off for a 2 mile swim up and down the coast which felt good.

We then hung out at Hotel Gambrinus until 3pm when we started our long journey home.

  • Minibus through Riccione,
  • Coach to Bologna,
  • Plane to Bristol,
  • car to Caerphilly and
  • camper van to Ynyslas.

I was home by 7am where I had chance to see Anna and Morgan before they headed off to work and school.

All in all a good holiday and  my first cycling holiday. I’m sure they aren’t all like this though, Chris is something of an old-hand at cycling trips such as these but said that this was one of the best. Mariagrazia and the staff at Hotel Gambrinus really made us feel welcome and we felt as though they went out of their way to make our stay as good as it could be the whole time. Nothing was too much trouble for them and the hotel had a lovely friendly, welcoming and family feel to it.

The whole thing was really well organised and they have though of everything that a cyclist could need. There really was nothing for us to do but rides our bikes, refuel and enjoy ourselves. The hire bikes were top notch, well maintained and perfectly set up for us from the moment we arrived. There was huge quantities of amazing food and free-flowing wine at dinner time. The abundant snack after our rides was just what we needed and the breakfasts were a perfect way to start the day.

The guides were great and the routes well thought out. We were able to dictate what we wanted to do on that front as well. If we had wanted to do anything specific and out of the ordinary while we were there then that would have been organised for us too. The magic laundry bag was an essential piece of the puzzle and the whole vibe was perfect for cyclists. We could easily have got away without spending any money while we were there. Just riding, eating and recovering would have kept us more than entertained. We didn’t use the pool or the fitness centre, but it was there had we needed it. Swimming in the sea was lovely too. I’m not sure what else they could do to make it any better. I’m sure we’ll be back again.

1 Response

  1. Avatar forComment Author Mum x says:

    Glad you enjoyed it .

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Alan Cole

Alan is a Freelance Website Designer, Sports & Exercise Science Lab Technician and full time Dad & husband with far too many hobbies: Triathlete, Swimming, Cycling, Running, MTBing, Surfing, Windsurfing, SUPing, Gardening, Photography.... The list goes on.