Day 2: San Marino - Ancona (120 km)

Ralph
Mar 4, 2022
4 min read

From San Marino - Ancona, 120 km. The day started not well. Rain! So rain gear. Pants, helmet with hood, jacket, shoes, socks & overshoes, worked quite well. Despite continuous rain dry "come home", except for the hands. Unfortunately, I have not yet found gloves that are a) waterproof and b) thin and c) cell phone compatible. Maybe I should look in the higher price segment than before, has worked with the other clothing yes. And the socks only, which have cost twice as much as the shoes with which I'm usually on the road. But it worked, neither wet nor frozen. Now they just have to last 20 years. Also the waterproof second cell phone holder on the frame tube has worked well, not perfect but that does not work with water. However, I could navigate, type & charge and the phone stayed dry. Something I had learned from the last tour, for the phone yet to have a dry place. With the Navi-app I have so my problem, the loses now and then my location, or remains on a point and I have to close and open it again and again to update, at some point it plays again regularly with. No plan, maybe I still come on it, works also so. However, I had one point again. The Navi showed a slope of 9%, short stab, but that was not 9%, rather so 18% (in my experience). So make the Willi. Is a bit stupid with the rain boots and the heels on the bike shoes and the slope down force. At some point I was but then on top. 9% I would have managed easily, without effort, but so from 12 - 13% I know since yesterday, it is difficult. Also since yesterday I know that pushing my bike up the mountain reliefs my blockage in the shoulder. The pain is still there, but only slightly, and I expect in one or two days, at least on the right shoulder, to have no more pain. Yesterday it looked quite different. That was really nasty pain, for example, when stretching out my hand to indicate a turn. Nasty. What else? The sun came out, briefly, well at least no rain. Bit up and down the coast, nice view. So to the close minimum distance when overtaking I have to get used again. Sometimes that's tight, on busy roads. Since I can avoid each pothole (and there are a few) only after shoulder view, otherwise I'll be strucked. Well but where should the cars also, the roads are not so wide. And unfortunately, the SUV seems to be slowly coming into fashion here. There was a scene in a village, a small road 2 SUVs wanted to pass each other, did not go. There they stood now and none moved? Old white men in black SUVs. Guys you would not have lost your penis at some point, I would not have to compensate for it now in old age, huh? Well, and today I actually had the first defect. Suddenly there was a jolt through the bike, after a pothole. That was it? I could go on, everything worked. Stopped, first checked the rear axle or frame. Everything was stable. Front wheel lifted and there it was. The front wheel loose. I thought first shit. But somehow only the quick release has opened. Close, brake adjusted, checked a few more times. Seems to work again. Felix thinks I should get me other axis (had once one in the luggage, but....). Whether tomorrow a dealer on the roadside appears. Otherwise, if that comes up again, cable ties. In my mind I'm already putting together my new bike. Steel or titanium frame. Thru axles front and rear, 22 cm brake discs, 4 piston brakes, hub gears and drive belt. And ne reduction would also be great (26/32), currently I have 30/30 as the smallest gear, which explains the "problems" on the mountain probably. What else? I am not as fast as I would like, but hey, it's the 2nd day (and that's always bad, mimimi) and well no longer uh the youngest and I had of course a lot of headwind and by that I have to extend the handlebars to sit more upright (posture) I probably also increased the sail area. Anyway the plan was to make 120 km per day, maximum, so comfortable. And I just manage that. In this sense a "guads nächtle" (must plan now where it will go tomorrow, ferry or bike)

P.S.: (Memo to myself): I should eat earlier what "reasonable". With apples & bananas and a croissant in the morning I do not quite get over the rounds

The English version here is constantly being improved. Please excuse the bumpy English (the automatic translation has to be retranslated and revised manually again and again).