Waking up, getting dressed and a feeling of excitement in my chest.
This time my friend Giusseppe told me we are doing "pianura" "flat road" I need to recover from 200 k from yesterday. I thought to my self this is my lucky day we are not climbing hills.
But then he suddenly said but I am not waiting for you today, I will teach you how to keep the same speed and cadence. Then I started to think "oddio" "Oh Gosh" this sounds intense.
We headed to Pistoia 32 km approximately away from Florence, not that far compared to the distances they usually do.
The road was flat indeed, keep close to me " A ruota!" "wheel to wheel" he said. This very common when you go in a group is called "Peloton" cyclist do this technique to cut the air and keep the speed. It is very useful. But for me, sometimes I find it scary when we are just two.
However, I know is just practice and little by little you start gaining confidence in yourself and then you realize that the one in front of you is not going to break so it does help you to increase and maintain your speed.
Pedalaaa!! He said "Siamo a 34 km orari"" We are going 34 km per hour"... Wow I was thinking to my self, how lucky I am? How amazing is this? At some point is true the speed starts to be your friend and you feel like flying, the landscapes, the green color of the scenery is just flashing and your mind is completely present. No distraction, no other thoughts It was just wonderful.
We did a small stop for espresso and on our way back I was feeling just so happy, so fulfilled. Surprisingly my legs were exhausted maybe the same as the last time that we did climbing, but with the intensity of the speed is true that you generate a lot of lactic acid and the best thing to release it is keep on pedaling.
But then I thought another thing, it is beautiful to be in a country where you can just go out and live this experiences so freely. In Italy the culture of cycling is very strong, the empathy that the people have towards a cyclist is incredible.
Sometimes I wonder why do I feel so safe? But honestly the people also take care of you and smile at you and when they see you on the roads they respect you. This is what had left me thrilled about this experience, the amount of cyclists that you see in Tuscany is crazy. All of them with their own adventures with their own tough hours of pedaling hills, long distances; real human effort. Thus, what makes this sport so passionate in Italy the vibe and the support.
So let`s get ready for the next road!
Allez, allez!
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