The Wobbling Sprocket » Corsica

Corsica – Casamozza 20 May 2011

Bob_Thompson — Sat, 21 May 2011 16:35:08 +0000

We got up today and rode down past Evisa to ponder the Spelunca Gorge before having a nice breakfast provided by Alexandra and her little shop. She made omelets for us and supplies the town with bread. Her jams are made from scratch. I liked the chestnut version.

We had a 10k climb before going over the Col de Vergio which is at 1467 meters. The GR20 intersects the road at the top. From there it is about a 30k downhill…part of which is through the Golo Gorge.

Everyone made it through in great shape.

Rusty is off to Paris. Greg is doing some more solo riding around Corsica and then taking the ferry to Italy. John and Robin are renting a car to explore parts of the island that we did not reach and Chantal and I have another day (we'll go explore some new bike routes) before heading home.

This has probably been the most perfect weather week we have ever had on any tour.

Thanks to this group for being so easy going and good natured!

At the top

The Golo Gorge

Yeah, it's a long way down.

Corsica – Evisa 19 May 2011

Bob_Thompson — Sat, 21 May 2011 16:18:33 +0000

Everyone made it out of Ajaccio with no problem. It is kind of a confusing town. We made our way back to Sagone on the beach where we stopped for some quiche and some great deserts at a Bakery. We then continued for the long climb to Evisa. Today is no doubt the toughest climbing day. The weather was perfect and that helped a lot. We checked in to the Scopa Rossa and then checked out the town before making our way to Gite d etape for some real home cooking by Mary-France. I think I would count it as the best meal we had all week. It's family style. No menu. You get what she cooks. You will have to come and find out for yourself.

Greg A making his way up to Evisa. This picture doesn't do the climb justice. This section is steep and long. It's all most people can do just to stay upriight.

Here is a good shot of John N and the day's scenery. John is not a hardcore cyclist, but he sure rode like one.

We came across this when we were walking to dinner at the gite....a Citroen CV2 in perfect condition. If I lived in Corsica I would definitely have one of these...and eat goat cheese every day.

Corsica Ajaccio 18 May 2011

Bob_Thompson — Wed, 18 May 2011 21:01:55 +0000

Rusty took off a little bit early today and we did not see him again until the rest of us pulled into Ajaccio. That is probably because we stopped for a one hour hike onto Les Calanches. Les Calanches are dramatic rocks, some of which have been carved into strange shapes by the wind.

The ride today was fairly challenging with 3 climbs. We arrived none too early and I think most people were glad to get there.

No topless bathing this time at the lunch stop in Sagone…..a little too cold. The weather was perfect again for biking though.

Robin making her way past Les Calanches

Taking a break during our hike in Les Calanches. No stubbed toes despite Greg wearing flip flops!

The view back towards Porto

The boats at Ajaccio

Everyone was on their own for dinner tonite. Chantal and I took a bretak from fine dining at ate at this place. It was actually very fine. That is a Napoleon Bonaparte hat on top.

I ran into this Basque group of riders and they let me take their picture. There were 13 of them and they all had high end carbon fiber bikes. I could barely understand them. I think they were speaking Basque.

Corsica – Porto 17 May 2011

Bob_Thompson — Wed, 18 May 2011 20:40:40 +0000

The day's ride into Porto is probably about as dramatic as it gets. The last bit of road is etched into a cliff. We arrived pretty early so everyone had time to check out the town. There is a lot of diving here. We also saw a bunch of kayakers. The town isn't crowded though. I am not sure where every one is. Perhaps it is the economy. We ate dinner at Le Maquis…one of my favorites. We took 3 empty wine bottles home with us as they had the Corsican head molded into them and they make great water carafes.

The view from the road into Porto

This is what you see if you look straight down.

The Genoese Tower as seen from the balcony of our hotel room.

John cruising into Porto

Corsica – Calvi 16 May 2011

Bob_Thompson — Wed, 18 May 2011 20:18:41 +0000

We had a great ride into Calvi via the backroads that go up through Belvidere. The weather conitnues to be perfect.

The gang at the beginning of the tour: L to R Rusty, Chantal, Robin, John and Greg

Rusty heading around the Cap Corse

This is the "high road" around the Cap Corse. Each lane is about 3 feet wide. It doesn't matter as there are no cars.

The CAp Corse

Not so tough

The Citadel in Calvi as seen from our hotel room.

Corsica – St Florent – 15 May 2011

Bob_Thompson — Mon, 16 May 2011 05:09:42 +0000

The site has been down. Apparently someone managed plant a phishing page on my site in Venezuela. I have no idea how they managed that. We are back now though.

The weather has been perfect and this morning we are in St Florent after riding around the Cap Corse yesterday. Greg A went the long way which is 85 miles and everyone else went 72 miles…which is long enough for most people.

Our group is small, just 6 people including me. That makes things pretty easy.

We are staying at a new place in St Florent, the Hotel Tettola, which is right on the beach. The Med was rough yesterday but I am looking out over the water right now and it seems the water has completely flattened out.

Today we will ride to Calvi. It's a climb through the "Desert of Agriates" then back down to the coast after which we climb up to Belgodere and a bunch of other small towns before returning to the coast and Calvi. It's a great ride. I will probably dump the van in Calvi and then ride backwards to meet the group.

Pictures are coming. I need to shrink them down so they are easier to post. Rusty is the photographer of the group. He is stopping more than anyone else and we looked at some of his photos last night at dinner. I will try to borrow his camera card and get some of those up.

I hope all is well elsewhere. I have completely lost track of the news…and I have only been gone a couple days now….perhaps that is a good thing.

Best,

Bob

Signed up: Greg A (Seattle WA) for Corsica

Bob_Thompson — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:58:27 +0000

Greg is going to use the Corsica Tour to kick off an extended Euro-trip. After the Isle of Beauty he intends to cross over to Italy. He has an entire month to check things out.

It's not a bad idea. Livorno, Italy is only a short 4 hour ferry ride from Bastia, Corsica. Once in Livorno, the train line can take you to Florence Rome or Turin. The nearest airport is in Pisa….15 minutes away by train.

Greg is bringing his own bike so he can make the most of it.

The narrow gauge train in Corsica is also interesting. It traverses many Genoese bridges as well as switchbacks. The rail cars are mainly vintage. The hotel we use outside Bastia is only about 400 meters from a station. You can even bring your bike on the train (for a fee).

Corsica and 4 weeks in Italy to look forward to. Not bad!

Signed up: Kris and Buzz S. (Tucson) for Corsica

Bob_Thompson — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 15:09:21 +0000

Buzz and Kris know how to do it right. They are joining our tour in Corsica and then plan to head right over to Italy for even more biking with their club, Cactus Cycling Club. Corsica happens to be closer to the Italian mainland than the French mainland although the Italian island of Sardinia is really only a stone's throw away (actually a 45 minute ferry ride). Mainland Italy is about a 4 hour ferry ride.

Buzz told me that Kris likes to climb. That's a good thing since there is plenty of climbing in Corsica. It should be a good warm-up for Italy.

Buzz and Kris mentioned that they would attempt to entice some others from their club to join them. Actually, for anyone, a little enticement can be a good thing given we have a referral program ($100 discount for you and $100 discount for anyone referred . It's also a good reason to test drive our "Facebook Cycling Friend Finder tool". Which you can find at the bottom of our Referral/Discount Page.

Here's a pic of Buzz and Kris:

Great pic...I was expecting desert and mountains.

Signed Up: Paul T. (Rockville MD) for Corsica

Bob_Thompson — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:12:09 +0000

It's great to have Paul aboard for Corsica. I don't know all the places Paul has biked around the world, but Corsica won't be his first time in France. In Corsica we don't get quite this high (we go over Col de Verghio which is 1400 plus meters), but there is plenty of climbing in Corsica, rest assured.

Here's Paul-

Paul T - Galibier

I haven't been to Galibier, but if I go I'm bringing some Far and Away stickers for that sign. Looks like everyone and their brother has pasted a sticker..

Paul – Welcome aboard for Corsica, I'le de Beaute

There is one day left for the Early Bird discount on Corsica.

Just found this:

Galibier

Stickers on top of stickers. Popular place.

Signed up: Rusty W (Steilacoom, WA) for Corsica May 14, 2011

Bob_Thompson — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:31:51 +0000

Rusty and his son, Jan, were on the Lao Tour in January, 2009. It was one of the few tours that I did not go on so it is going to be a real pleasure to finally meet up with him in Corsica this Spring.

Rusty is not taking the usual path in doing Laos and then Corsica. It's typically the other way around….do a tour in Europe and then move on to something in Asia. We like them all though. Variety works for us.

Since I wasn't on the tour, I don't have too very many pics from Laos, but here are a couple.

At "The Golden Triangle" where Burma, Thailand and Laos all meet. Rusty is second from right.

Golden Triangle

And at Vientiane's Version of the The Arc de Triomphe, Patu Xay, in Vientiane. Rusty is on the left.

Rusty is taking advantage of our Columbus Day deal which ends tomorrow: $400 off any 2011 tour on the schedule. If you'd like join Rusty or take advantage of the offer on any other tour, you can do it right here: Tour Sign Up