30 Sept - 15 Oct - Holiday!

MOT due a the end of Sept.
As a result of a challenging bonnet vs Motorway incident the bodywork is not in good shape and the interior is trashed as the car was used to transport all kinds of materials during construction period.

So before holiday departure made a one-way trip to the scrap yard and am now in train & bicycle mode, so far so good.

 

Took a very cheap flight from Bournemouth to Carcassonne and drove along the French & Italian Riviera to Tuscany to take part in a bike 'sportive' in the glorious countryside between Florence and Tuscany.  L'Eroica is an annual homage to vintage rides partly on white gravel Strada and on steel bikes of strictly pre-1987 construction.

  

Unfortunately I had a accident on day 2, misjudged a roundabout and at low speed went sliding across the smooth tarmac in the hot sunshine.  Mostly superficial burns and a swollen thumb.

With the aid of  Ibuprufen I enjoyed an adventurous day in the saddle and managed to avoid any punctures or mishaps on the treacherous gravel.

We returned to France with a brief visit to Florence and overnight stop-overs in Lucca and Arles

On my return to Bristol discovered that the swelling resulted from a broken hand so required 3 weeks in a plaster cast, not good!