After a short flight to Olbia and an unrestful night at the shore (too many birds, cruise lines and fishermen), I start out at 7.30 to do a quick tour of Olbia, shop for groceries and gas.
I start my ride towards the mountains just after 9, and soon take a first off-road section on a little detour to see a castle and a 12th century stone tomb. Afterwards, the climb up the first mountain on a wide trail is beautiful, until it gets rough and too steep to ride. I push my bike for half an hour and enjoy the gently descending road at the top. That’s the continuing theme for most of the morning: empty roads that flow up and down the hills.
My lunchtime is cut short slightly by some rainclouds. After an hour the sun shines again.
Back on some beautiful forest roads, I pass flocks of sheep and cowbells are ringing everywhere.
On the last descent into the valley of the Riu Sologo I take a wrong turn and the next half hour is a serious test of my material on a rough and steep trail. At the bottom, I’m glad that everything is still attached to my bike and I ride up the next ridge to find a camp spot.
125 km, 2000 m ascent