Under The Tuscan Sun
THE TEMPERATURE IS 30 DEGREES AND I AM GRINDING up a four kilometre climb. Having lived in London for too long, I’d forgotten what heat feels like. Sweat dripped along the helmet straps gathering at the buckle and the Lycra is beginning to stick to my skin. The temptation to give up at this mid-way point was strong.
“C’mon!” shouts my new-found friend back at me, “You are a better climber than you think!”
The ego boost was all I needed to keep going, after all, I am chasing former professional cyclist and Canadian National Champion Alison Testroete around the hills of Tuscany. If she says I am a good climber, then I wasn’t going to show any weaknesses.
Most come to this region to visit Renaissance cities Florence and Pisa or the wine regions such as Chianti, but I base myself in Lucca, a
