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[5]Radda in Chianti to Siena

[6]May 15, 2017 [7]by Claire

As expected, our second day of riding was easier than the first -- but still
hilly, and twice as difficult as any ride I'd done before this trip. It was
well worth it to end the day in Siena, a town that's incredibly easy to fall in
love with (once you forgive the ancient Etruscans for building their cities on
freakin' mountains!). 

We started our day with an early breakfast on our terrace (bruschetta with
tomatoes, olives and pieces of fried egg, prepared by our B&B proprietor
Romanita), then set off for the open road. After about an hour of pedaling (55
minutes of steady uphill climbing, followed by 5 minutes of an exhilarating
35mph downhill plunge) we rolled into Gaolie in Chianti, home of L'Eroica, a
retro 200km bike ride held in Tuscany every October. 

We made an unplanned stop at the [8]bike rental shop in town for a quick
tune-up, tire pressure check, and to have Felipe (the mechanic) look at a few
nagging rattling noises on the bikes -- undoubtedly a result of putting them
together ourselves. 45 minutes and just 5 Euro later, we were back on the road!
 

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We were treated to our second tough climb of the day out of Gaoile, and by the
time we reached the turn for [9]Castello di Brolio at about 12:45pm, we were in
desperate need of fuel. We stopped at a small café for overpriced cheese
sandwiches and unnamed beer. Totally worth it. Then, we pushed our bikes up a
steep cliff (zero shame in that) and explored the grounds of the 12th century
castle! 

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Our route map had us getting back on the main road to snake through a few more
hill towns before our final ascent to Siena. We called an audible and followed
the white gravel L'Eroica route (which seemed to be shorter, but about which we
knew absolutely nothing) instead. We were not disappointed! The road circled
around behind the castle, then through the beautiful countryside on roads that
were virtually car-less. 

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Thanks to our shortcut, we arrived in Siena before 4pm and checked into the
Hotel Bernini (which was absolutely perfect – basic, clean rooms, friendly
staff, and a terrace with a killer view). We spent the rest of the afternoon
exploring the city streets and enjoying drinks and snacks on Il Campo, the main
city square that doubles as a race track one day a year with horses
representing each of Siena's 17 contrade (districts). 

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As the Palio di Siena draws closer, the districts are known to march into the
square. (I equate this to a horse race pep rally, sans horses.) We happened to
catch the Oca (goose) district marching on Sunday afternoon. It was crazy
awesome! 

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 We had a few too many snacks during aperitivo (the Italian equivalent of Happy
Hour), so weren't hungry for dinner until late – or, put another way, we're
finally on the Italian dinner schedule. After scouring menus for the osterias
around town, we googled 'best pizza in Siena', and ended up at il Pomodorino
around 10pm. It was the best pizza either of us had ever had, and made for a
fantastic end to a great day. 

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 We had two route options for Monday, Day 3: a Level 2/4 Difficulty and a Level
3/4 Difficulty. After Saturday's killer ride (a 2/4), we felt much more
comfortable taking on the former – although it would take about half the time
as our original planned route. We decided to sleep-in Monday morning (until
9am), go out for coffee in Siena, then sit in Il Campo and map out our bike
route for the day. It was so nice to take our time and enjoy the town (our
favorite so far) before all the tour groups showed up! 

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Stay tuned for Monday's ride to San Gimignano! 

Bike Route: 29.4 miles // 2,711 ft of elevation gain. [10]https://
www.strava.com/activities/986032513

[11]May 15, 2017 /[12]Claire

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References:

[1] https://twonerds.net/
[2] https://twonerds.net/
[3] https://twonerds.net/about
[5] https://twonerds.net/blog/radda-in-chianti-to-siena
[6] https://twonerds.net/blog/radda-in-chianti-to-siena
[7] https://twonerds.net/?author=590f29c99f745610d38765af
[8] http://www.tuscanybicycle.com/en/
[9] http://www.baronericasoli.com/
[10] https://www.strava.com/activities/986032513
[11] https://twonerds.net/blog/radda-in-chianti-to-siena
[12] https://twonerds.net/?author=590f29c99f745610d38765af
[13] https://twonerds.net/blog/siena-to-san-gimignano
[14] https://twonerds.net/blog/firenze-to-radda-in-chianti-our-first-day-in-the-saddle
