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Day
11: (Geneve - Martigny)
Unfortunately, we wake up to a grey sky and a cold continuous drizzle
of rain. The miserable looking sky at 6am doesnt encourage us to
get up.
We
were up 'til 1am at a farewell dinner with the fantastic swiss hosts/organisers.
We intended on being in bed by 11pm the night before but as usual,
things drag on. So, we leave 'bains du paquis' (the loveley harbour
in the centre of Geneve where we were greeted) on such a miserable
morning heading for Martigny, which is 130kilometres up the coast
of Lake
Geneve.
Luckily,
the afternoon weather is somewhat better and encourages us to increase
our pace. We arrive in Martigny Municipale at 6pm sharp, where Swiss
press await us and greet us.
Day
12: (Martigny - Aosta)
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| At
Cathedral Santa Cruce in Italy |
Today
is a BIG day as we climb St Bernhards pass, The highest peak in
Europe. The Alps were the most dreaded part of the cycle anticipated
by the cyclists proir to starting our ride, but today, we werent
going to let the sheer 15 degree incline put us off, as we cycle
the 45 km incline.
At
an unbelieveble height of 2500metres, we managed to reach the peak
within 6hours! The whole group surprised itself as every single
cyclist managed to reach the peak, some even by foot for the last
few kilometres of struggle.
I never gave up ON MY BIKE, so I kept going and I made it.
It
felt so amazing to reach the peak and be greeted by the film crew.
The whole group celebrated at the peak with a 10 minute snack break
and then we said farewell to Switzerland as we strolled through
the Italian/swiss border. Italia!!! Here we come!!!
The
fun wasn't over yet, but the pain was for sure! We were now about
to descend 2000 metres down the other side of st Bernhards pass
over a 30 kilometre stretch. Wwweeeeeee heeee. It was soo fun. We
clocked these 30 kilometres in no time. A day I will never forget.
Day
13: (Aosta - Biella)
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| Sanctuario
di Oropa |
Today
was a very nice day to relax our muscles. Of course we were cycling,
but the terrain was quite flat. The weather was also great and our
group spirit was strong, especially after realising how strong we
had become as a group and how able we all were after climbing st
Bernhards pass!
We
strolled into a traditional northern italian town called Biella,
and then were shockingly greeted by a 12 kilometre incline up a
mountain to a beautiful sanctuary known as Sanctuario di Oropa in
the ancient village of Oropa. My what a sanctuary it was. Such a
pleasure for the eyes and ears to be situated near the peak of a
mountain overlooking northern Italy!
Day
14: (Biella - Milan)
The morning sunshine and the sound of the spring water trickling
down a stream along a valley alongside the sanctuary really woke
me up in a relaxing mood. Most of the day was cycling on flat land.
Again, the weather was great. We are now starting to feel the hotter
temperatures as we decend to and remain at near sea level.
We
arrive exhausted to Stadio Meazza (San
Siro) in west Milano at 7pm. We are escorted through the centre
of Milan as we create some noise and are surported by bystanders,
as we spread our message for justice and peace!
We
are then escorted by journalists to the office of Enzo Baldoni (the
recent Italian journalist, victim of a horrific murder in Iraq).
We were saddend by the story of his death as his fellow workmates
explain what happened and about his character). We all sign a book
of condolance and then say farewell.
Day
15: (Milano - Fidenza)
A very hot start to the day as we set off in soaring temperatures.
Again a very dry day and terrain is very flat. Our cycling pace
is good and we arrive in Piacenza for a late lunch at 3 to be greeted
by a handful of journalists.
We
wave goodbye to our lovely supporters who escort us out of Piacenza
(back onto the SS9 mainroad). Off we cycle on at a good pace. We
arrive at a camping site in the small town of Fidenza at around
8pm.
Day
16: (Fidenza - Bologna)
Today is also another hot day, but luckily the roads are also quite
welcoming as we cycle on plains that stretch for all of the 130
kilometres of
our days journey. We arrive quite quickly to Bologna at around 6pm
and are invited for dinner.
Day
17: (Bologna - Firenze)
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| At
a town outside Prato |
Today
welcomes us with beatiful blue skies and sunshine. Somthing we are
really starting to like about summer in Italy. We are on our way
climbing a 60kilometre long incline at around 7 degrees. Morale
is high and everyone puts in the extra effort to get up the mountain
as quick as possible, so that we can have an early lunch.
Today
is a big day for everyone since we are going to arrive in Florence
by the afternoon. We stop for lunch at a town hall in a beautiful
town in the mountains. The mayor welcomes us and
surprises us with a few gifts. We are shortly on our way and charge
down the hill towards Prato and finally into Florence (Firenze)
where we parade the city centre before retreating to our hostel.
Day
18: REST DAY in Firenze
Mustafa's
diary 1 - London to Geneve
Mustafa
will be sending back regular diaries - keep checking back for updates
of how he is progressing.
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