Day 15 Ascea – Diamante 125 km (ca. 2000 meter in hight)

Ralph
Mar 17, 2022
4 min read

Updated: Mar 20, 2022

That started this morning already really hard. Out, underpass and then from a standing start 200 meters altitude on 2 km. Bähm hello awake. The decision when to take off my sweater was made quickly. It was so steep that my navi even indicated that I was going backwards. At one point (curve) I actually had to do the Willi. Since the passing cars do not honk, I was probably right. So completely I trust the navigation app probably no longer. Navi also said 15%, what that means I was allowed to experience again later. But that's not enough, barely above it went down again. On the other side, above a bay I saw already where it went up again, straight as a die. Arrived there, I saw the evil from close range, 2 ramps. The first I drove up, 12% said the Navi, the speedometer said 17%, which I rather believe. 17% !!! With luggage. Then short break, second ramp. Had to break off and make the Willi. There was just something missing. Today I regretted a bit not to have more my 26/32 reduction, I would do the grade while sitting. But with 30/30 just not. Not enough, there was more height today, but fortunately not so violent ramps. Since the next mountain was pending, according to Naviapp high to 600 meters in altitude and with 15% gradients was shown (probably then 20% +) I turned on a competitor product. And lo and behold at once another way, high to 350 meters altitude and no such steep slopes. And so it came. I had both apps run and compared the times and lo and behold, the old app took then on this path as well. I drove then nice and relaxed up there, the people in the villages along the roads greeted all nice. All always in sight of Roccagloriosa (wow) and then a pothole down again to the sea at Scario. Unfortunately I can't really step on the gas on the steep downhills, not because of oncoming traffic. Rather because of the damn potholes. Whenever I bang through one, it hits, the bike groans and moans and that doesn't have to be. You do not have to provoke it. In Scario there was a coffee and with me another guy in the coffee and every second car honked to him. Seems to be a celebrity in Scario. Very annoying. Here in Calabria the people are also a bit different. Refuse to speak English completely and chat you just without point and comma in Italian, as if you would understand it then eventually. All right. Well then it went on, scenic really great, so on 100 - 200 meters altitude up, then down again. Quite great road along the sea, hardly traveled, very very nice. Really! Not quite Amalfi, but still close. Two years ago or so I would have still panic because of the height or the steep precipices to the sea, had. Today I did not mind. Even a few bridges where it went directly 100 m into the depth, no problem, despite crosswind. I seem to have done something right, I didn't do any therapy to cope with the fear of heights, it just disappeared as it came. I think this is due to the little stress I have at the moment? Seems to have been the right decision to quit the job. I didn't do it because the job was so great, but because I didn't want to put up with the personal hostility and insults anymore, actually I have a thick skin, but there are limits and they were clearly exceeded, several times. When seven people (out of 12) leave within a year, that's not a good working environment, even in academia, and the bar is not high. When it was announced that I was leaving, another 4 people quit or didn't renew their contracts. I know for sure from two of them that they didn't want to stay in the department without me. Anyway, I'm digressing, but I think my disappearing fear of heights including the associated panic attacks can certainly be correlated with that. I'm quite happy to be rid of that. Crossing the Alps in 2020 with a fear of heights took some getting used to. So height and abyss is much more pleasant, now. Could really enjoy it today, have probably a bit much time lost because of taking photographs. Therefore, I had to speed up the last 50 km again, which is why not so many photos were made. Tomorrow it will probably rather flat and in this sense good night and dear Mr. Putin, please end the war. Thank you

P.S.: I would love to grab everyone on the side of the road and shake them and yell at them if they know how nice they have it here.