Day 26 Mon Feb 25th About turn!

Breil- sur- Roya to DianoMarina  80 km

Last night I was trying to figure out what was wrong with the Col de Tende. My GPS route showed a sharp spike of altitude to 1826m whereas the map showed a fairly straight main road (and a railway) passing over the top. A bit of research on the internet revealed the answer. A 3km tunnel. And guess what. Bicycles not allowed through the tunnel. The old road over the col has 48 hairpins and becomes a dirt track near the top. Not an option in the winter. My intended route to Milan is closed.......I'm going to have to go back down to the coast tomorrow, go along the Via Aurelia (the SS1) and turn inland and head north to Milan just before Genoa. So be it.

I explained my predicament to the patron at the bar over my morning expresso (porridge eaten in my room). As I was just about to pedal off he emerged and told me of an alternative. "Why don't you take the train from here, through the tunnel to Cuneo". I was by now completely focussed on my new coastal route and replied "No, that would be cheating, catching a train". He seemed to understand.

Back down hill - I finally make it into Italy

I get sucked into a fresh fruit and veg market - lots of goodies I've been missing in here!

Halfway down to the coast at Ventimiglia I thought to myself "How stupid am I? That train idea was really good, I could have been in Milan by Wednesday". Anyway, at least I was now in Italy, the weather was sunny and there was a fantastic fruit and veg market in Ventimiglia where I stocked up on some healthy (but so heavy) goodies.

I hate headwinds!!  This is a kiteboarding day

This route running alongside the Med has some nice stretches of cycle path using a disused railway line. I spent the rest of the day working hard against the blustery cold  ENE wind coming off the sea and finally camped on the beach just beyond Diono Marina. I'm writing this during a bout of insomnia; it's 3am and raining. And I'm as snug as a bug in a rug. I want to get an early start tomorrow and clock up some mileage (weather permitting!)

An early morning view from my beachside campsite