February 24 :: Siena, Italy

February 24 :: Siena, Italy :: 47km / 154km total

The nuns in the monastery were absent in the morning, so I had to stay behind to pay, while the other 5 set off towards Siena. By the time I was packed and ready one of them showed up, and I set off quickly to ride the group down, half an hour ahead of me. Out of San Gimignano the road plummeted down a long, steep, winding, foggy descent to a valley bottom, then turned abruptly upwards, switchbacking to gain elevation. Just at the very top of the 4km climb I caught the tail end of our group and I was impressed with how well they had managed to get through the hilly terrain. From there on into Siena the road flattened somewhat, now rolling hills rather than the semi-mountainous landscape that we'd been traversing for the past 3 days.

Siena is another classic medieval town and it was a beautiful ride into it's centre where our hotel was waiting for us. Tomorrow is a well-deserved day off for all, time to heal up various sore knees, legs, and ankles among the group.