Perfect

Today was perfect. Actually it started off pretty poorly, then it got better and better. We woke up to a thunderstorm and LOTS of rain. No good when you have a 4 hour ride to do that includes 2 big climbs followed by 2 big descents. On Italian roads descending and rain usually equals falling down. Not something I was feeling like participating in. Plus I was tired and unmotivated and coach Frank had a pretty dang hard workout in store for me (WHAT?? I thought all the hard training was over with. Remember I celebrated with a fat Ned chocolate chip/strawberry muffin?)

However, the cycling gods smiled upon us and everything got better as the day went on. First the sun came out, warmed up everything and dried the roads out. That's when we started. Then we met an actual "real pro"; Brian from team Discovery. All together we rode to the base of the first climb which looked strangely familiar to the climb we did in the Giro for the uphill Time Trial (it was). Then we descended and as we came around a left hand corner the most beautiful view I have ever seen of the ocean came into sight. I almost ran into the guard rail due to ooggaling at the scenery instead of the road.

Katheryn's i-phone doesn't really do it justice, but you get the idea.

At the bottom of the decent, since we are in Italy, we stopped at a coffee shop and I had a cappuccino and a chocolate filled croissant. Yummy.

Then on to climb #2 where another "real pro", Martin from CSC joined us.

Four and a half hours later, Katheryn and I returned home in happiness. Today was pure riding joy. Not something you get to enjoy everyday. Lucca rules.