I start riding down the mountains to cross the valley of the Crati river into the Lucanian Appenines. The morning is already warm up over 1000 m elevation and it only gets hotter, as I descend further through Acri and Bisignagno. At noon at the valley bottom, it’s 38° C in the shade. The strong wind feels hotter. I feel like I’m inside an air fryer. Time for a nice long lunch break and siesta.
I continue as the heat slowly recides and still use up almost all my water until I come to Castrovillari where I can dill up again. The outskirts of the town are dominated by my estimate hundreds of villas of all sizes and shapes next to the main road. Some are well kept, some abandoned, some rebuild modern. This must have been a wealthy region for a while. I skip the town entirely, going around and then come upon the best cycleway so far: a repurposed railroad track. It leads all the way up the mountain, around the town of Morano Calabro clinging to a hillside, and even has a well-lit tunnel. A great way to end the day.
110 km, 2000 m elevation