Thé Bike Ride That Went Wrong

A quick snap from our bike ride today. After the success of our ride with friends in Finale two days ago, we decided to meet up again , rent bikes and take a guide. Unfortunately the same guide was not available so the shop found another one for us. We were slightly concerned when he said on the ride up the mountain (via minibus/trailer) that he was checking a route on his phone.

The route itself had some fantastic sections but the guide was constantly lost and we had to back track. What we hadn’t realised was that he was taking us further and further away from our finish point in Finale. Lunch stop didn’t happen and we only came across a cafe at 17.30. After a quick snack we set off only to get lost again. We ended up with some of the group out of battery, going over a col on a dirt track, in the dark, to a point where the shop owner was able to rescue us at a road access point. 61km cycled and over 15km from Finale when we were picked up at 20h. What on earth was the guide thinking. Luckily, no one was hurt. The shop owner was very embarrassed and said that nothing like that had happened before. He dropped us at a restaurant, paid for our dinner and gave us a full refund. And as for the guide….I wonder will he still have a job tomorrow.

The Bike Ride That Went Wrong will be talked about for a long time. We will all be aching tomorrow and I don’t think we will go out on our bikes! It’s a shame because the route (when we didn’t go wrong) had some stunning sections through the woods and the colours were beautiful.