May 2nd: Brescia to Bergamo ~ Bloopers, blissful riding and warm vibes….
- Grant Cameron-Smith
- May 3
- 4 min read
As you may all know, the team behind this whole endeavor consists of many people, from the marketing department at Resourgenix, to the management at Logwood, the A team behind the scenes providing extra encouragement and of course Grant and Julian recording the journey, taking photos, recording messages, flying the drone and even plotting and replotting the trails and routes which have changed with weather, inclines, construction and muddy fields.
None of this happens without human error, forgetfulness (some of us are a little older than others) technical challenges and a blooper here and there!
Sometimes it’s a lot of photos of bike cleaning in bathtubs, muddy wheels, photos of many courses of delicious food without labels, places with no reference, a whole note about all the different wildlife they saw but no pictures to go with the story…the list is long and interesting!
Julian has made it his mission to teach Grant how to use Instagram – thus the very many selfies Grant has posted of himself drinking beer/Aperols/Prosecco, with text and a filter at times during this rather long month. We look forward to some other photographic endeavours G! Wooohoooo!!!
We have also had some very short videos- those that seem like they are being recorded but only a snippet has actually been videoed before the finger slips off the big red dot….
At the end of everyday Julian and Grant record a message so that I can write the blog and then G posts his story on FB. Some of these days I have received a blank message other times a very abrupt shortened one and sometimes none at all.
Today was one of those days….so I’m transcribing Grant’s FB message and giving you some background.
Six years ago, we did a similar thing, with a lot less technology, a tiny team and a long time of recorded messages and blogging. It made such an imprint on all of our lives, and this time although the story was about a father and son, we also managed to raise almost R300k for Logwood – the safe haven for so many adults who rely on this incredible residential facility as their safe space, their home, and the place they can find refuge from a world that is not equipped to cater for their specific needs.
They need help and you have all showed that you care by following along and by donating to this wonderful cause. Thank you! You have made a difference and can continue to do so by sharing this story and making a contribution!
The ride from Brescia to Bergamo….
By Grant Cameron-Smith
A wonderful cycling was to be had again. With the weather still playing its part, today was going to be a short ride. 64km and under 400 meters of climbing - and we deliberately tried to slow things down just a little. Today we moved past the 2400km mark too.
Most of the ride was on cycling paths as we zig-zagged across the countryside between the towns.
We left Brescia at about 9am and headed northwest towards Bergamo. Once again, we passed through numerous towns with markets but chose to stop after about 40km in Cologne at a small café. It had become quite warm, and Julian was in dire need of his newest most favorite of favorite drinks - Lemon Soda. I have to say, it’s pretty friendly.
We chatted with a number of patrons from Albania, Macedonia, and Italy about where we had ridden - ate a few pastries, had a few drinks and when I went to pay, our bill was already paid. What a kind gesture.
We continued on our way today, passing many fellow bike packers heading both in the same and opposite direction to us, and looking at what many were carrying, it seemed that they had also brought their washing machines and kitchen sinks.
We pushed on and at about the 58km mark we once again stopped for more drinks. We had flattened most of our 4 litres and needed a small top-up for the last 6km into Bergamo. Some salty crisps also hit the mark.
We reached the city quite early. Showered and headed out to explore.
Bergamo is in two separate sections - the "new city" at the bottom of the hill and the "old city" at the top. By top, I mean top! We walked about 3km across the "new city" and took the funicular to the top. Whilst it was quite beautiful up there, it was crazy busy - and that was disappointing. We found a small restaurant to have a pasta dish - and headed back via an outdoor cafè for a cleansing few drinks before the prep for our ride tomorrow.
Tomorrow the Crazybikeguys head to Lake Como for a two-night stop.
Their Garmins are screaming at them for a rest day, and its beautiful place to gather the energy for the final stage into Milan.
THE JOURNEY ISN’T OVER YET! HELP US MAKE THE BIGGEST IMPACT FOR LOGWOOD VILLAGE AND KEEP THE CRAZYBIKEGUYS PEDALLING STRONG THROUGH THE FINAL STRETCH OF THEIR INCREDIBLE RIDE. YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT MEANS THE WORLD!
How you can help!
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