Day 47 - June 25th: Classicissima

Bordighera to San Bartolomeo al Mare: 29.7 miles / 1,258 total

I had a strong rebound yesterday and I arrived at our hotel at 4:30 PM with plenty of time to take care of the essentials and get ready for today. At 7 PM we ventured out to a local pizzeria which in Italy means solid Italian food including Pizza. We were treated to a great Caprese salad and my favorite, linguine and white clam sauce that was, using my good friend Joanne’s favorite word, fabulous. Since we were in Italy, we decided on finding gelato and a block away were two options and we were not disappointed!

Doug, I think you will really enjoy running in this area as you will see in the write up. Bob, you know me so well but unfortunately, I can’t stomach wine! In the beginning I was sampling the local grapes in every town and now, I’m only good for a cold draft. Happened to me crossing the United States in same way. But, I’m sure I’ll be back!

In Italy, finding a place that will accept Jax is challenging whereas France was a non-issue. The combination of high season and pet policy is making it difficult for Christina to secure lodging but yesterday and today I was able to run into and out of the hotels.

Jax and I broke camp at 8:15 AM, later than I’d like because of the 7:30 AM breakfast but I just had to roll with it. Under cloudy skies with high humidity, we set out along the beach promenade.

Same as the coast of France, we went up and over a hill into the little seaside cove of Termini that became Ospedaletti, each sporting a little beach with clubs lining the promenade on the beach side and shops/restaurants on the other. Cruising through these I hit another hill and on the other side was Sanremo, a town that hosts the legendary Milano–Sanremo race—one of professional cycling’s oldest and most prestigious one-day classics, first run in 1907. Known as La Classicissima, it’s revered for its distance (almost 300 km) and its suspenseful finale often decided on its coastal climbs.

I’ve watched the Milan-Sanremo classic and couldn’t wait to see if I recognized any landmarks. The town was definitely a sports town and right away there was a cycling/pedestrian path. There were tons of cyclists out both avid as they whizzed by in groups and those cruising, as well as tons of walkers and runners. The marina was huge, much bigger than Monaco, and there were a ton of yachts docked. The town went on for 7k with beach after beach, I was impressed.

Once again I saw a big hill that ended the town and on the bike/ped path I entered a tunnel that took me left and then opened onto another coast and Sanremo and its coast line were gone behind me. The perfect path continued through a few more tunnels and dumped me into the seaside village of Bussana where I met Christina to hand off Jax as the clouds had cleared, the temperature risen and the humidity too much for him to handle. As she pulled up, Jax jumped into the car with no objection, 14 miles done, see you!

An unidentified goop from years of water dripping on the inside of the longest tunnel

A river came out of the Alps from far away and emptied into the sea between Bussana and Prai. I could see layer after layer of these mountains in distance.

I ran through one seaside town after another each with a beautiful beach, promenades, clubs and retail—Riva Ligure, Santo Stefano al Mare, Cavi, Aregai, Piani-Ciapin, Piani Paorelli, and then San Lorenzo al Mare. The bike path continued through each village, making it easy to just take in the vistas on my right without having to worry about any traffic.

Leaving San Lorenzo I hit another tunnel and as I ran in, I was disoriented by the sound of music. Amazingly, this tunnel that ran about 400m had been wired with music. The rails-to-trail system in this area is second to none!

On my way to Imperia I passed small secluded beaches that were rocky and the winds were different around each bluff I came through. I had missed lunch and it was almost 2 PM, my breakfast long gone, so I found a spot for gelato and a Coke. I wanted something more substantial but the heat biased me to something cold.

I left Imperia and began a climb on a mountain road after the bike/ped came to an end after 30 km. It was about a 3k climb that took me up about 500 feet. The air felt cooler, the humidity lower, and it was forested with pines. At the top I saw a sign for Diano Marina and then a short while later a pullout into a forested area with a beautiful view looking down to the village.

I also noticed there was a commemorative plaque and the busts of four cyclists. I realized I had just climbed one of the Capo Mele–Capo Cervo–Capo Berta trio—three legendary climbs on the Ligurian coast that come late in the Milano–Sanremo race and often play a decisive role. The busts of Felice Gimondi, Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, and Costante Girardengo are a who’s who of Italian cycling royalty. These riders not only dominated this race but helped define an era of cycling grit and glory.

I cruised down the other side, much slower than the cyclists, into Diano Marina and my final spot for the day. It was an epic seaside crawl along a perfect bike path and then into cycling glory at the end. I sent Christina a message that I’m 1k away and as she does each day, met me with Jax near the hotel to bring it in together.

Thanks for the support and following along.

Cheers,

David.