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day these would be testing climbs at the end of an exhausting ride . Fortunately , we were distracted by a climb to Castello di Gradara , a medieval fortress located in the region of Marche . Our base Cattolica is conveniently located on the border of this neighbouring region , with is divergent yet equally pleasant delights . The castle is one of the most visited monuments in the region , no doubt due to the legend that the castle was the scene of the famous and tragic love story of Paolo and Francesca , caught in each other ’ s arms and killed by Gianciotto , Francesca ’ s husband . This love story was immortalized by Dante in his Divine Comedy . Snow globes and fridge magnets safely nestled in pockets bulging with energy bars , our group moved swiftly on , passing the private race track of Valentino Rossi , Italian professional motorcycle racer and nine-time winner of the Grand Prix World Championships . We were headed to a much-talked about wine tasting at a local winery . Family owned , one of the sons had actually joined us for the day ’ s ride , am extremely tall , skinny man ; built like a pro and boasting that
wine . He led us to an area called Croce di Montecolombo where his family ’ s Agrituristica Fiammetta , with its vineyards and olive groves ,
introduced to his family , discovering that the Fiammetta wines are all named after his mother- a typical Italian touch in a family business . Wine tasting in Italy , much to the delight of famished cyclists , is actually a great food fest . Each wine has to be enjoyed with its own particular nourishing partner , be it local cured meats , freshlymade cheese , the farm ’ s own olive
almond cake . Polite acceptance and a curiosity to know regional natural produce overcomes the more temperate thoughts of descending unknown potholed roads under the
and furious , no doubt due to the high sugar content found in wine . The third day was the main event : The Gran Fundo degli Squali , which means shark as the event starts at Cattolica ’ s aquarium . Now in its second year , the event attracts 2000 riders due to its challenging hilly routes in a beautiful landscape at a time when the heat is nourishing rather than energy-sapping . There is an ironically-named short course of 84km and 3770ft of climbing , but wishing to eke out as much
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as possible from my short time here , I opted for the 136km route with a challenging 7380ft of ascent . Writing about such events is almost as challenging as riding them . You get into race mode , bury the head and pedal , oblivious to the names
yourself to take the time to glance sideways to enjoy the landscape you are eating up . I know I should stop and take pictures , but there are points when I fear that if I stop pedalling I might seize up and never start again . Food stops could be opportunities to meet the locals and fellow riders , but all you actually do is load calories and get moving again . I hope I ’ m not portraying the ride as an ordeal because though challenging , it was a luxurious route with dramatic views that I did take the trouble to enjoy , and even photograph , before embarking on ridiculously fast descents , followed by further long , gruelling climbs . In fact , I blame my savouring of the ride and three banquet style food stops on the way for my 136th out of 138 placing in my age cat of VET2 , ride time of 6.25.15 . The route was a well-signed jaunt through the interior with excellent road closure and junction control .
Gradara , it led to a 20km climb to Mont Monte Altevelio . After a rapid decent to Casinina , it climbed again to Urbino , then rollercoasting with climbs to Montefabbri , Montegridolfo , Fiorenzuola di Focara and then climbing to the bitter end of Gabicce Monte . I arrived so near the end that they were removing barriers and packing away the pilchard party ; though must confess that partying and eating pilchards was the last thing on my agenda . Plastic medal sporting a grinning shark around my neck , I was thankfully welcomed by some Canadian ride buddies from the previous days . Rehydrated by our varying means , mine being just water feeling queasy after overconsuming sports drinks , we rolled down the hill to a welcoming meal and jacuzzi at our cycling-themed hotel . Most probably sleep or celebrate with numerous beers , but I get to play in the empty plastic playgrounds littering the beaches , having made this into a family holiday . I do so joyfully , using climbing frames to do some stretching . Non-riding time was wonderful family time ; riding hire bikes to soak up local delights , be it history , scenery or food and wine .
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Cobbled climbs of Castello di Gradara
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