Lake Viverone->La Spezia by bike, August 16, 2024

... and further on the good path Part 2 of the bike tour

August 16. From Lake Viverone via Asti to the Parco Rocchetta Tanaro, 95km 470m ascent.

During the night, water is dripping from the tent onto my shoulder. There is no sign of rain. It's sweat water. There's not much I can do except slide a bit to the side so the drops don't hit me. This morning, I can finally go swimming again. On the quay, a man is doing yoga. That inspires me to do the sun salutation as well. At 7:45, I start into the fresh morning. There is immediately a climb of 65m to tackle on the SP41. Right in Alice Castello, I find an open café. From there, I ride through orchards. I feel like I'm going downhill, but the water in the Canale della Mandria flows against me. In Crescentino, the streets suddenly fill with people: there is a market here. Shortly after, I cross the Po, which has surprisingly little water. To have a breakfast break on its shore, I have to fight my way through the undergrowth. On the small and very quiet SP3, I slowly climb 150m in altitude to Sant Antonio. The landscape now consists of many small hills, with a town visible on each one, complete with a church tower. It's a gentle up-and-down until I reach the SP22. A small tractor overtakes me, and I can ride in its slipstream at 35 km/h. Unfortunately, it then turns off, and the last 7km to Asti are very boring. A poster here announces a horse race on September 1. Presumably, like in Siena, individual districts will compete against each other. I find the streets in the different districts decorated with various flags, and in the church, there are many different banners in a side chapel, which could also belong to this event. After an extensive city tour, the navigation takes me through a closed private road across the agricultural floodplain of the Tanaro. On the bad path, there are partly huge puddles covered with green algae that are not so easy to avoid. Now and then, I worry that the path won't lead any further. I cross the river and ride a short distance into the Parco Rocchetta Tanaro. Here, I spotted a picnic spot on the map that I want to use as a sleeping place. It is in the middle of the forest and looks a bit run-down. I am completely alone, and I still want to stay here for one night.