The Final Countdown. Well we made it. After eleven and a half days of cycling, over 1000 miles covered, no punctures and some seriously big mountains we are at Lake Como. The last two days have been a challenge as the urge to wind down has creep up on us. Each hill has been more of a struggle knowing that the end was in sight. Yesterday’s ride was 102 miles riding northeast towards the final campsite. Den and I took turns in leading and maintained a healthy pace. Den’s music system playing out as we sped through Italian village after village. Strangely, Den’s musical taste seems very Queen based and despite him saying it was on shuffle, we did have a lot of Freddie. Italy is, despite having more cyclists on the road, not a great place to cycle. I felt very much as I was a moving target for most motorists and my tally of near death experiences rose dramatically. The road surfaces are also nothing like the pristine tarmac of France and make one constantly weary of potholes.After dragging ourselves to the final campsite we found it to be a bit like the Jungle in Calais. The site consisted of lots of ramshackle sheds and caravans squeezed together in a maze of small roads. I can only guess this was where the poor Italians came on holiday. It felt like a refuge camp rather than Butlins. We got up and headed off for the final ride a 25 mile climb to Bellagio. The long winding road took longer than we thought – maybe our legs had had enough, but finally we reached the final destination. The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Ghisallo was a place I said years ago I would visit and that little nugget of an idea grew into what Den and I have just achieved. I cannot describe how emotional it felt to have made it and both Den and I needed a moment. We chatted to a Dutch man who could not believe what we had done. He complained bitterly about the hills, not being used to anything greater than a speed bump in Holland. As we road off another rider came in, a large Australian guy with two artificial hips, the Dutch guy turned to him and started regaling our story to him and how we had travelled from England to visit the Sanctuary. That’s when I realised what Den and I had done and as I whizzed down the mountain I started to think of what to do next…
