Epilogue

 Some general conclusions on a variety of subjects

Planning

• The route planning, scheduling and accommodation planning went well from my perspective.
• The overall riding distances allowed for plenty of time for sightseeing and to deal with minor misadventure and the need to provide R&R time.
• Not one of the daily routes was a disaster.
• I had chosen the route and accommodation to provide a mix of experiences and we got that!
• I did the research before selecting May and this could not have been better - not too many tourists, excellent weather and being able to experience the festival of Sant Efisio in Cagliari.

The overall experience

• Fantastic. Sardegna is as I expected with the laid-back feel of rural Italy, but without the crowds of much of the mainland.
• The parade in Cagliari was an unforgettable experience.
• Almost perfect weather until I got back to Milano.

Food and drink

• It is easy to get good food in Sardegna, either "generic" Italian, or those dishes and ingredients that are indigenous to the island.
• Wine is good - Vermentino and several red wine varieties were good. Bovale (Graciano) and Cannonau (Garnacha) both produce good wines, and remind me of the close links between Sardegna and Catalunya. There is also good Carignan and to a lesser extent Monica.
• Cheap - coffee and cornetto for €3-4, lunch and a beer for €6 or less, dinner for €20, bottle of wine for €20, about half the price of Milano! We didn't even look for bargains.

Traffic and road experience

• Similar to much of mainland Italy, although lighter traffic throughout.
• Just as courteous as mainland Italy, although a tendency to drive fast on country roads.
• Quite good road surfaces comparted to (say) Puglia.
• The Maremma sheep dogs (which some other visitors to Sardegna have found daunting) were all well behaved - warned us to leave the sheep alone and apart from that were just vigilant. Compared to the magpies of spring cycling in Australia it was trivial!

The hire bikes

• A very good price, but the city bikes were not really up to the task of climbing with loaded panniers. Next time I would spend more and get better. Certainly something mid drive.

Technology

• Faultless - the Garmin 1050 is a beast.
• Three weeks of travel with a data-only SIM was fine.

Health and Fitness

I went into this trip with some question marks over my durability:

• Would I have a reoccurrence of recent problems with tendons in my hands?
• Would I have a reoccurrence of knee problems from overuse?
• How would my feet go?

All came through with flying colours and my body felt great for the entire trip! It was Spring, so I had some hay fever. That's it!

Day 25, On the way home

With the train strike scheduled for today I had to travel to the airport early, but in practice I woke even earlier, so I showered, packed and departed on the 6am Malpensa Express. Almost empty train crossed the flat Po plane in patchy fog that reminded me of Tree Of Wooden Clogs.

At the airport, the fog has lifted, but still a couple of hours till check-in.

The first flight leg to Singapore went like clockwork, but the second leg less so. There was a scheduled 16 hour layover, so I booked an airside hotel room and had a shower and a shortish sleep, then planning to do some leisurely dining a window shopping before the 10:30pm call to the gate.

Unfortunately the 00:30 departure turned into a 03:00 departure due to "operational problems:. Not enough time for more sleep...

Then the 03:00 turned into 08:00, so still no real opportunity for sleep. This also meant that I missed the bus to Canberra, so had to overnight at Rydges Airport which was very nice, then a morning bus on Monday. Oh well, in the grand scheme of things not too bad.

Singapore Airlines apologized to me multiple times, gave me voucher for food, an apology gift at the gate lounge for each passenger and a later S$100 voucher to spend on online shopping as a further apology. I can't fault their response.

Day 24, Rainy Milano

I woke to heavy rain and some wind. I ventured out for breakfast and  to double check the arrangements for tomorrow's transfer to Malpensa. Bottom line, I will be at the platform ready to go at 7:30 tomorrow.

Venturing further than the station in the rain was fraught since the water was 3-4cm deep on footpaths and road crossings, so I caught the Metro one stop to where you can walk undercover into Decathlon... waterproof shoes! Now I can set out to explore in the afternoon and evening.

I had a plan... on the opposite side of the block from my accommodation is a deli/enoteca Chiù Bistrot e Bottega which has a great display of formaggi and salume in the window with lots more besides. So I negotiated to buy an (excellent) bottle of nebbiolo, drink some of it for lunch and come back for more in the evening. Worked a treat.

Day 23, Cagliari to Milano

A warm and sunny morning at Cagliari. I had my usual colazione and departed for the airport. There was a cab waiting at Piazza Yenne to take me to the airport. No queues. Uneventful flight with good views of Cinqueterre and the Po plain.

Fiume Trebbia

The impending train strike and weather report had driven me to make changes to accommodation. Instead of staying at Vicolo Lavandai I played it safe by staying at the same accommodation that I use at the beginning of the trip, right at Cadorna station. This gave me only a short dash from the station to and from the accommodation, and the quickest exit to Malpensa on Friday morning. It worked out well.

Day 22, Sightseeing in Cagliari

My accommodation was quite close to the bastion and do I climbed the stairs to take in the view. 

Spent most of the day quietly and had a low key dinner. All the washing and packing done by so all ready for the trip home.

Day 21 A day at the beach

A day for exploring.

 I caught a bus to visit the (temporary) San Benedetto markets. The traditional one is being refurbished. A quiet day for the markets which suited me. Had a good look at the produce. 

Then down to the beach! I walked about half the beach and found a beachfront restaurant for a dual celebration: Julie's birthday and a celebration of a successful conclusion of the holiday. 

After lunch the onshore wind was increasing and the kite surfers and wind forgets came out to play

Day 20, Pabillonis to Cagliari

Three short rides: from Pabillonis to the train station, then from Cagliari station to my accommodation and finally to the bike shop to return the bike and to collect my luggage.

We made the ride to San Gavinio Monreale rather than the original plan of using Decimomannu because it is a much more bike-friendly station (we had to do big flights of stairs at the beginning of our trip).

So we arrived in Cagliari! The tourist parts of town were a complete zoo with THREE cruise ships in port. Horrible. There must be a special operation that cruise passengers are subjected to which removes all sense about how to behave in traffic, whether that is motorised traffic or just other pedestrians!

Garmin data

The bike shop opened specially for us early in the evening, and everyone was happy with the bike return! By the end of the ride, not one of the bikes was in perfect condition. Keith had his puncture problems, Ross had a motor that overheated on the steeper climbs and by the end I had effectively zero brakes, but given that these bikes were not designed for laden touring or longer rides I guess we can't complain. IOn any event, the ride was successfully completed.

Day 19, Cabras to Pabillonis

A flat ride through the outskirts of Oristano, then alternating farmland and small towns. One of the towns, Arborea, is the home of one of the island's milk producers. We stopped at a bar for coffee and watched a very elegantly attired primary school group on an excursion near the church.

Garmin data

Some of the riding was on safe-feeling secondary roads and some on even quieter rural lanes. As we got close to Pabillonis there was a missing bridge on our route (looked like it had washed away), but it was only a couple of km extra to reroute.

We had good accommodation at Pabillonis, so we checked in and because our host advised that there is no other lunch available in town, rushed around to the supermarket before afternoon closing, where the very friendly staff were happy to custom make panini for us to take away. That plus a couple of beers to wash it down did the trick.

Dinner at the local pizza restaurant where 8pm saw a rush of takeaways collected.

Day 18, Bosa to Cabras

A moderate length day with a fair bit of climbing at the beginning, then down to the coast and mostly flatish from there. Once again, perfect cycling weather.

Garmin data

The views back over Bosa as we climbed the hill were spectacular.

Before we got too far though,  Keith got a flat tyre (rear of course, on a hub-drive bike), just before Modolo. We found and removed the offending nail and managed to get it all back together and we were underway. Spectacular mountain scenery dominated the first half of the ride, including a lovely back lane (a short cut near Cuglieri) that avoided some climbing and where the hedges, full of spring wildflowers closed in on the path. Lovely. The road was marked as closed at each end and blockaded with large concrete blocks, but no obstacle for a bicycle. I think the reason that it is closed is because of some bridge works on a small bridge, but the site was not occupied. A benefit was zero traffic!

Then down to the coast where there were waves, even some surfers! Found a great beachfront cafe at Santa Caterina di Pittinuri,  serving BBQ seafood and more. Most excellent.

The last half of the ride was straight roads, mostly flat and we made good time to Cabras where we were welcomed at a lovely B&B, Bbsupottai. The couple who own the B&B were very hospitable and the rooms were  very comfortable, furnished in a rustic style.

Day 17, rest day in Bosa

Well not really a rest day. In the morning had a solid breakfast (avo, salmon and egg on toast) and set off to do some exploring. First of all the waterfront.

Then walked up about a million stone steps to the Castello.

The castle is mostly ruins but there is a small chapel with original fresco art.

Inside the walls of the castello there is an almond grove, hence the rather unusual sign:

We got the news that Ross was pulling out of riding the last few days: we will catch up in Cagliari. Keith and I found a fabulous restaurant for dinner.

Day 16, Alghero to Bosa

This was always going to be the most demanding riding day, on a somewhat busy tourist road with twists and turns along spectacular clifftops and with plenty of climbing and descending. It was made more challenging because Ross was still recovering from a tummy bug.

Garmin data

We started out with a very satisfactory breakfast and then headed out in really excellent weather. If it had been windy or raining then this would have been even more challenging as a route, but at least the weather gods were on our side.

In general the traffic was good, with typical Italian patience... only a couple of tourist busses were a bit scary.

The problem was that there was a lot of climbing and really only two possible stopping places to recharge batteries, which in the end Ross really needed. With sterling assistance from Keith, Ross made it to lunch with still a tiny bit of battery charge, so that was a win!

The lunch stop was a restaurant called Casa dei venti, but just for today the winds were not there, although the spectacular views were!

After restorative pasta (and battery charging) it was a short run to Bosa.

My accommodation was excellent, so did the necessary things (washing, recharging, showering and resting) and then  had dinner with Keith. Pizza and a good Canonau.

By now the rain had arrived, so my new (from Decathlon in Sassari) raincoat got a test drive. We called into a bar for a digestive and shared some of the Coppa Italia with the locals.

A challenging but rewarding day!

Day 15, Sassari to Alghero

After the drama of the previous day we were looking forward to a simple, short ride to Alghero on the coast. It was not to be though, as Ross had come down with a digestive tract bug and so we delayed until he had gotten some cement powder from the pharmacy. After that it was a cautious, if easy ride.  It was quite scenic riding through varied farmland for most of the way, getting a more coastal "feel" as we got closer to our destination.

Garmin data

Another day of perfect weather and we arrived in Alghero, a coastal tourist town that must really bulge at peak season but had a fair crowd even now. It reminded me a lot of Otranto in Apuglia, with a similar fortified harbour, narrow tourist-oriented shopping streets and so on.

Although all three of us were in different accommodation, the structure was the same... an arched tunnel back from the street (so a window only at the front) into what must have been the basements of the houses above until tourism made it lucrative to do a makeover.

Seafood lunch on the waterfront for Keith and Patrick. Whole fish of the day washed down with local vino bianco!

I walked around the harbour fortifications, quite similar to places on the Puglia coast - I guess that the threats were the same.

The tourist shopping streets had the same stuff and we're moderately crowded. Must be hell in peak season.

Day 14, Ozieri to Sassari

This should have been a straightforward day but turned out otherwise.

Garmin data

First of all we had a morning of occasional showers, not heavy, but just enough to be a nuisance. Our first stop was Ardara, a small village where we stopped for coffee and to see the lovely Romanesque church.

It was soon after this that Keith noticed a tyre rubbing: there was a large bulge in the rear tyre and it was rubbing on the chain stay. It was not fixable at the roadside so the question was how long would it last!

We continued on to Florinas where we had a memorable if simple lunch. Nowhere in town was offering anything to eat, but the young woman at the strangely named "Shabby Cafe" prevailed on one of the customers to go back to his corner store and make us panini!

The locals at the bar were a barrel of laughs as well, probably thinking us mad for our travels. So for the princely sum of €2 each we got freshly made panini with mortadella and smoked cheese! Meanwhile Keith had noticed that there was a bus route to Sassari so he ended his ride and waited for the bus which turned out well.

The weather fiued up, and Ross and I enjoyed the down then up ride from there to Sassari, including up the eight or so hairpin bends to climb out of the steep gorge at the edge of the city.

We checked in at our hotel, and then Keith arrived and set off to the bike shop to get repairs done. He had only just set out and the tyre blew, so it was lucky that he had not decided to ride from Florinas.

We had a good and cheap dinner and some good and cheap local wine from the wine bar right next door!

Day 13, Ozieri rest day

This really was a rest day. Sunday is for church and family lunch at home, so not much was open. In keeping with that we had a quiet day. Quiet anyway after breakfast! Our host worked tirelessly to get us to eat more at breakfast. If we took one thing from the table, two were added to replace it. It took many, many negative responses before "no means no" applied. All done with the best of intentions, but loud and fast Italian made the process somewhat exhausting.

Grixoni Fountain

Then I spent the day exploring, mostly going up and down hill!

The town was very quiet early, then everybody seemed to be out for pre-lunch coffee or drinks and then it turned quiet again.

Getting around in Ozieri - next to our accommodation

Day 12, Bono to Ozieri

Another perfect morning for riding. It was straight into the climb which would dominate the first third of the ride. We climbed up until we were significantly higher than the Burgos castle, but that was about it for climbing for the day, with a series of lovely descents to follow. 

Garmin data

We stopped briefly at the old forestry headquarters of the Forest of Burgos, said to be one of the oldest forests in Sardegna and still a location of interest to botanists and other life sciences. The route took us through grazing country, with cattle and sheep and stone fences. At one spot a mob of sheep were out on the road and the handful of guard dogs were keen to get them back inside the fence line before we went past.

Had coffee at Ittireddu, a village where the locals at the bar did not appear to be accustomed to visiting cyclists :-) The was a large quarry there for what I would call scoria, dark red volcanic pumice. 

Ozieri is a lovely town of about 10,000 perched on steep hillsides like so many of the towns. The site has been inhabited since the neolithic with a local cave system the basis for shelter.

Being on a hillside, you end up using steep roads and stairs to get most places. Our hostess, Josephina was VERY, VERY keen to make sure that everything was to our liking, all in very rapid Italian which I struggled with, but we got there.

I visited one of the local sights, a quite attractive fountain.

Dinner was good, at the highly rated Ristorante La Torre where I had arrancini made with squid ink and tuna wrapped in thinly sliced zucchini and then grilled, washed down with an excellent local wine which appears to be a blend of Cannonau (Garnacha) and maybe Cabernet.