(Versione in italiano)

Saturday morning-ride:
Brescia Castenedolo – Bedizzole – Padenghe – Soiano – (Lake Garda)  Gavardo – Botticino

Before leaving, I have a look at ilmeteo.it , othersiwe called, by me,  ” cosmic pessimism “; it forecasts non stop rain from 11am.
I normally sleep 5/6 hours . Tonight , however , I think for the only time since the beginning of this new millennium, I have  slept nine hours and , inexplicably, I am dead !

I go on the balcony and have a look at the skyp.  I do this every morning and like every morning , I realize that I cannot see the sky , as there is the terrace curtain.  But , just in order  to find a plausible excuse for not cycling, I go back inside  and say to my husband : “I think it is going to rain. Pretty soon .” It doesn’t work, he knows I am lying.
We get ready.
Last night my husband put a new pair of  lenses on my sunglasses. These ones are polarized, orange, and are the ideal choice for the bad weather or foggy days.  I wear them and I look fabulous: more or less like an internationally wanted human organs dealer . Beautiful . ( I put the photo of the glasses, avoiding , however, the effect they have on me)

To  complete the Barbamamma autumn / winter look: a new jacket . My husband bought it for me (if it wasn’t  clear yet , he is the one in charge of my cycling outfit ) the winter jacket is black (and so far ok) with a nice ENOUMOUS WHITE BAND that goes from the neck to the end of the zipper. Something very nice to underline your… curves .
Very well. It’s freezing . It is 10 am and 7 degrees Celsius . But it can only get warmer, can’t it? Sure, but if has  snowed all around and a very chilly wind blows very strong…, no, it won’t heat up so much … at least not now.

I place the Garmin device on the bike and I press the GO button. I feel that maybe I missed something , but it works , so I do not worry .
We leave home  and I say to my husband that I’d like to cycle only for about  50 kilometers because I am too sleepy to cycle further more . He answers, “ Of course! ” And when he says “Of course ” , it usually means the opposite.
We go towards the south of Brescia, and while I’m pedaling I think that if one wanted to commit suicide , and he wanted to do it on a bike , this would be the perfect place. Trucks, cars whizzing by , non-existing bike path … a real jewel…

I realize that I have underestimated how annoying the wind can be.  But it also brings an advantage : the sky is opening up and it is deep blue, the view is as far as the eye can see. The mountains of Botticino in the distance are beautiful. The light marble , carved into the rock ,  seems brilliant with the  contrasting green of the pine trees.  I suddenly  think that those marble mountains seem to have been eaten by  a giant dinosaur. Then I think I have to stop watching cartoons with my daughters.

We pass over the highway and head towards Bedizzole to get to the Lake of Garda.

We see the signs of a castle and we would like to see it. My husband turns right,  OBVIOUSLY, not waiting for me. I guess I have spotted the castle, but I have neither the time to pause and see well , or the occasion to tell my husband , because the road is downhill and , of course, he is already at the very end of it.

We follow the narrow road. We do not know where it leads , and we find ourselves in the middle of nowhere, and I must admit this nowhere is beautiful.  Only a few cars , bucolic landscape . This small, county road takes us to the village of San Tommaso and then at a crossroads that we already know and that is tied up to the path that goes down to the lake Garda. (via Bagatte ) My husband , at the entrance of the road, turns to me and says : “See where we ended up ? All planned! . ” Obviously it was a stroke of luck .

We cross the countryside of  Bagatte , PonteZocco and Sedena , then get to  Barcuzzi . Right here , among other things, on October 7 , opened the Ciclovia del Benaco , a  cycling  path that leads up in the province of Mantua , Castiglione delle Stiviere .
It would be nice to do it, but I have read that there are some pieces of dirt road, so you should ride a  mountain bike.

We follow the cycling path towards the lake. the view is truly breathtaking. The sky is deep blue and the clouds look like whipped cream . I am gaining energy . Of course , if I had eaten something , rather than just drink a coffee, maybe I’d feel better ….

We cycle next to next to the castle of Padenghe and then turn left, following the path. The road surface is not the best for road bikes because it has rained for the past week . This is perhaps my favorite part of this path. The fields , the hills in front , the snowy mountains … every time it is the same and different. Every single time this landscape gives me so many positive emotions. It is as if these places hold me and wrap me, with their positive energy. I feel free and happy.

If you cycle along the path towards the lake , in Levrini  road, remember to turn right and follow the sign “Salò.”. At the only intersection here, remember not to stop in the middle of the road because it is slightly downhill and it is possible that some cyclist has to suddenly brake because of  for your presence . (I say this because that’s what I did to take some pictures of the wonderful clouds in the blue sky : ) )

A few meters later , we do not follow the  cycling path (which is on the left though a small forest)  because it certainly would be full of needles and pebbles. So we try a new road and continue straight ahead . Shortly after,  the road then rejoins the main route 25 . The view of the lake is wonderful. Today it is so clear that you can clearly see the peninsula of Sirmione. It is amazing.
We cycle uphill  towards Soiano . Also from here you can see the lake and it is wonderful . We both stop to contemplate the landscape. It seems to be in a fairy tale.

The sun is warm , the clouds ” turned ” far away and thanks to ilmeteo.it forecasts I am still wearing the polazied lenses and in this sun my eyes are painful.

We go to Polpenazze and the road is very steep.. too steep for me … a guy who is jogging overtakes me … and with the typical dialect from this area, turns and tells me , ” going up is hard here, isn’t it ” Oh yes, it surely is!!

Then, finally, after  Castrezzone and Muscoline  we are in Gavardo . After 60 miles, I’m so hungry that I could eat my husband!

At the table on a bar, on a terrace,  I order a toasted sandwich but it takes too long and it’s freezing outside! It’s better to go and ride!

I have cycled on this cycling path  many, many times, but it has never been like today.

I don’t know if it is because of the marvelous light , the white clouds or  fog  glasses ( ! ), but today this cycling the path is magic.

” A river Seems a magic thing . A magic , moving , living part of the very earth itself. ” – Laura Gilpin

We then stop to take a couple of pictures. We are speechless looking this wonderful landscape.
( Back home , I did a little ‘ research about this river that flows next to the Gavardina. At bottom of the page you will find a few links that I found about this Naviglio and other interesting places nearby)

In Mazzano we leave the cycling path and we continue on the road . We go through  Virle , Rezzato , Caionvico and then finally home .
I notice that my Garmin hasn’t  loaded the map of this ride . Very well! I find out that when you turn it on , you should wait it to display “GPFIX acquired “  otherwise it doesn’t keep record for your track.

( I am posting my husband’s bike tracks because he had waited for the ” GPFix acquired” signal)

We cycled for nearly 4 and a half hours . Apart from the first hour, it was really beautiful. Each ride  is unique and each time it really gives me so much energy . Kilometers cycled today : 82.9 . Just a nice ” shot ride” as my husband would call it ! 😉

Places of interest:
Castle Bedizzole :
http://www.5castellibedizzole.it/5castelli/note % 20castelli/castbed.html
http://www.mondimedievali.net/castelli/lombardia/brescia/bedizzole.htm
http://www.bresciainvetrina.it/bresciaturismo/bassabresciana_bedizzole.htm

Padenghe Castle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padenghe_sul_Garda

Archaeological Museum of Gavardo
http://www.comune.gavardo.bs.it/museoarcheologico

Fashion Museum – Ciliverghe of Mazzano
http://www.museimazzucchelli.it/

The Naviglio Grande
http://www.silvanodanesi.info/?page_id=188
http://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/dolly/oggetti/443/bookreader/ # page/1/mode/2up