Blare of trumpets!

I have sent the email invitations to participate to the first group of people. 

Map presentation

If you have visited the wiki at https://sites.google.com/a/keogh.net.au/apennines/home, the pages for the individual days have a map of the day's ride. These have been built using the online facility at www.bikemap.net, using the .GPX files originally built in Garmin Basecamp. The bikemap.net site has been going through some glitches as a consequence of a major upgrade to the site's software. I hope it stabilises soon. One of the "coming soon" features that was broken by the upgrade will allow me to replace the primitive map that is on the home page.

Perhaps one day Google Maps will have similar functionality and I will be able to use it instead.

Second thoughts about Anghiari and Sansepolcro

Change of plans: we'll stay in Sansepolcro, and take a day trip back to Anghiari if we want to. The logistics of getting to and from the festival in Sansepolcro looked difficult and it is better to stay where the action is!

The other advantage of the change is that it shortens by a little the next riding stage to Novafeltria, which is likely to be the most challenging day of the entire trip in terms of climbing.

I've updated Basecamp and the wiki and located a hotel.

Early Bird fares are out

The Emirates early bird fares for next year are out. They are cheaper than the same fares in 2010 and 2012!

Hmmm.... can we include the GIRO DELLA TOSCANA?

I've just discovered this cycling event. In all probability it will be on the Sunday before our planned ride. Participants may choose to adjust their schedules so that they can participate!

Luggage transfers?

Just in case... I have sent out feelers to several companies that might be in the business of offering luggage transportation services. I have had a couple of "no sorry" replies, and only one positive one, who want to charge €2400 for the eight transfers, approximately twice what I'd see as reasonable. Not that I think that we need this service anyway, but when the group is finally confirmed it would be good to be able to offer the choice. I have also asked Andrea of Vinarium (who we used on our last trip to Tuscany) for pricing and he has quoted €1750.

Also, thinking that the Emilia Romagna transfers might be costly coming from Firenze, I have asked Davide who has the taxi service in Novafeltria. His prices like quite reasonable, so given that some of the other sectors are quite short (via the main road), I am encouraged to think that the entire trip's transfers could be organised for significantly less than €100 per day, using only three taxi services (Firenze, Arezzo and Novafeltria). This is what I have found:

As yet unidentified:

• From Firenze to Montecarlo
• From Montecarlo to Firenze

For this two it is only one night away, we should be able to carry one night's requirements without panniers. I'd use handlebar bag + under seat and that should cover it. The other possibility is to get the train from Firenze to Montecarlo, drop off the luggage there (the station is still 2Km from our hotel), then ride the 5Km down to Altopascio and catch the train onwards from there. This still leaves the issue of how to get it back to Firenze on the 10th. I have asked the hotel in Montecarlo for some advice...

• From Firenze to Greve in Chianti (this one should be easy by taxi)

From Arezzo taxi:

• From Greve in Chianti to Arezzo €132
• From Arezzo to Anghiari €50

From Novafeltria taxi:

• From Anghiari to Novafeltria cost €90
• From Novafeltria to Longiano cost €50
• From Longiano to Rimini cost €50

Day 3 Update

After consulting Bikely and an other couple of web sites I have made some improvements to the Day 3 route. Now we will continue east along the Arno for a little bit, which takes us around the busy and hilly section from Firenze Centrale to the autostrada. So now instead of going through Impruneta we go through Grassina and join the previous route before Strada in Chianti. It is a little shorter and takes out one descent into a valley and climb out again. More importantly it puts us on quieter roads in Firenze.

I've updated the Wiki page for day 3, and also added a browsable map of each stage to the relevant page. There are now enough changes that I've republished a new whole-of-route map and profile too.