The owner of the bar opposite the boy’s hotel in Grosseto was a master of the art of “upselling”. The plan was just to have a beer before finding a restaurant, but he was having none of that! First a plate of bread, olive oil and fresh tomato slices, quickly followed by sausage, more bruschetta and then an enormous metal tray with enough tagliatelle to feed a small army. Needless to say, the lads needed no more encouragement, and Italy’s most entrepreneurial bar owner had secured his profits for the night, Good Work!
Day 7 of the Grand Finale would see the awesome twosome tackle a long, flat(ish!) stage from Grosseto to Pisa – some 98 miles up the coast. Although the weather was fine, the wind direction had swung 180 degrees and was now a steady 10 mph headwind. It doesn’t sound like much, but the effect is quite noticeable – the first 20 mile section to Follonica taking 1 hour 45 minutes at 12.5mph, when yesterday the average was 16 mph. Tough going, especially as the roads were arrow straight with gentle but relentless gradients for long sections.
Day 7 would prove to be the hardest of the trip so far, with the boys virtually running on empty. Every, 10-mile leg was a real struggle, but the heroic warriors kept going, thinking of the amazing support everyone at home would be giving to the cause.
At 55 miles lunch was a welcome relief for 30 minutes, and suitably re-fueled with fresh sandwiches and energy gels, the boys took on the 40 miles to Marina di Pisa, where the days stage ended.
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/the-grand-finale
Guys, keep up the amazing work :):)