04-29-2026 Ride/Walk

This was a tough day on the bike. It started out super early, as both of the other guys in my hostel room were loud snorers. I was able to sleep until about 3:30, then I listened to music to drown out the noise. Got up around 5:20 and gathered all my stuff to clear the room. I had some breakfast food, so I went into the common area and ate that. I took too long for breakfast and had to scramble to be ready to ride at 6:00. Checked out after waking the night clerk up to get my bike. When I went to load the route in, it wasn't in the list of rides on Elemnt. Couldn't figure out why, so I wasted about 15 minutes getting the route loaded (I'd originally mapped it as a run, not a ride). But I was glad I did, since the map on my Wahoo was much more visual and easy to follow than the verbal Google Maps directions. Got going a little after 6:15, and it was generally okay at the start. I had to pay attention to the map, since I wasn't getting turn-by-turn instructions on my Wahoo (don't know why). Headed out of Padua, had a little difficulty getting onto the gravel bike path, but with just a little backtracking I got on the path, which was gravel to begin with. The gravel part was about ? miles, then it transitioned into a paved path that was easily the best part ot the entire ride. I think there was another gravel section before I got into Vicenza. This is a spread-out city, and I was lulled into a false sense of being ahead of schedule by the signs upon entering the city. I stopped for a cappuccino, chocolate croissant, and banana at a nice little cage on the outskirts, debating whether to do the out-and-back to Campagnolo headquarters. I decided to do it, probably the right call but it ended up causing pain. Headed over there, and I missed a turn, causing me to backtrack, this time for more significant distance. Found my way and had to ride through an industrial area to get to the headquarters. I found it, took a couple of pics, including a memorable one with me in the foreground and the logo on a wall in the background. I wasn't even halfway done and could see that my energy level was going to be challenged. Retracted my route back to the outskirts of Padua, but it was a challenge. At some point I either got off-route, and my Wahoo wasn't updating me on progress on my route. I think this was after the route back stayed on roads through little villages instead of being on the bike path. Anyway, I tried to stay close to the projected route, and eventually I was able to get back on-route. Retraced the route on the same initial gravel path, which brought me into the vicinity of Padua (still a ways away). Here's where it got frustrating. I followed the route to a place where the bike path was blocked along a canal, tried riding on the other side of the canal but got to a point where it was obviously veering away from the intended direction, so I rode back and had to find my own detour (again!). I kept the planned route visible on my Wahoo map and found some surface streets that roughly paralleled this route. It took quite a while before I was able (it wasn't trivial, in this case) to get back on-route. I rode roughly the same direction as the previous day, but thank the Almighty that I didn't have to navigate those narrow gravel paths again. Nearly all of the time was on paced roads or bike paths, pretty good conditions. But I was running out of gas. All the way back I was riding into a northeasterly headwind whenever I was heading east or north, and I was riding, from Padua to Marghera, basically northeast. It was brutal stopped for a break by this fancy mansion along the Brenta River, ate the pastry I'd bought the day before, and that gave me a little boost. But my legs were toast, had to pedal softly and slowly just to keep moving for those last 18 miles or so. When I stopped, I think it was around mile?, and I 2as definitely counting the miles to the finish. By my calculation at that point, I thought I was going to ride about 80 miles. Sent a note to Gianluca at 12:20, saying I planned to be back around 1:00. He sent me  text soon after saying the office was closed from 1:00 to 2:30, so I really had to dig deep and try to make it back before 1:00. One last little backtrack to deal with, and I pushed to get to Travel & Bike at 12:50.

Avg speed = 13.2 mph. Total mileage = 77.9 mi

Avg power = 137 W. Weighted avg power = 148 W

Total elevation gain = 670'

Avg heartrate = 136 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 245 (!)

Training Load = 288

Intensity = 67%

https://www.strava.com/activities/18304296784

Took the pedals and head unit mount off quickly, then I unloaded the stuff from the rear pannier. My voice was hoarse from dehydration (ran out of water around 12:30), so it was a chore talking to Gianluca. My legs had started to twitch in those last 10 miles or so, but I was able to manage it. Even still, as I was taking the pedals off I got a severe cramp that forced me to stand up and stretch it  out. The turnaround for the bike was pretty quick, I was out in front of the store with my stuff by about 1:00, so he could close the shop. He pointed out the bus stop, so I put my shoes on, packed up my bike stuff, and walked (slowly) down there. I had enough time to buy a ticket using their WhatsApp interface, it worked slowly but was ready just before the bus showed up. Initially I sat on the bus, but my two bags made it uncomfortable, so I stood instead. That might have been a mistake. It was a short bus ride, but about halfway I started feeling faint and mildly queasy. This was an after-effect of the effort I put into the last part of the ride, which really drained me. It helped to lean over and feel a cool breeze, and I was able to keep it together until the bus stopped near the Venice train station. Got off and walked carefully to a little stand, where I bought a larger bottle of Coke and went to sit down. I've probably had better Cokes, but I can't remember one hitting the spot so clearly as this one did. I did some more rearranging of stuff in my two bags, texted with Ann and Laura about their plans (this was really disappointing, they finished lunch and went directly to Murano, one of the reasons I had hustled so much during the ride was to get back in time to go with the, but apparently I didn't fit into their schedule). Then I walked to the Airbnb, taking in some of the sights on the way. Dropped my stuff off, had a very little to eat, then took a long hot shower to wash off the accumulated salt. That felt really good. Changed and then did a longer walk over to the Grand Canal (not easy to find by yourself, it helps to follow the crowds. I ended up at the Rialto Bridge, which is a central point in Venice. Took some pics, then went to find a beer to buy so I could sit by the water and enjoy it. That was nice, although it was cool with the breeze coming off the canal. From there I walked along the Grand Canal as far as I could, then meandered through the streets looking at sights. I ended up walking about three miles on tired legs, no fast pace on this day. Got back to the flat just before they returned from their afternoon sightseeing. Later we went out for dinner at a place nearby. I had a four-cheese pizza that was probably the best I've had this trip. Was a little agitated at the start of dinner but calmed down after a while. Back to the Airbnb, where we pack up most of our stuff, then I went to bed.

Some general highlight/lowlight comments from my first overnight cycling trip:

• The weather was just about ideal, not too hot, not too cold, no rain (although there was a chance in the forecast). For the future, I need waterproof panniers and a waterproof backpack or cover.
• Distance on day 1 was too short and on day 2 was too long. If the weather had been unfavorable on day 2 I might have been in a real bind about how to get back to the starting point. 40-60 miles/day for a bikepacking trip seems about right. I might be able to go longer if I stick in a long break somewhere in the middle, as long as I don't go too deep in the first half.
• Definitely stay away from using Google Maps audio directions. That was a nightmare on day 1, had to stop, look at the route on my phone, and backtrack quite frequently.
• Plan on an average riding speed of 12-14 mph for flat terrain, not including stops. I likely can't ride faster than that over a long period of time, especially on a route with lots of turns through cities and towns.
• Stop every hour for at least five minutes and have something to eat, also use energy/electrolyte drinks in water bottles. On this trip I got dehydrated and calorie-deprived in the second half of day 2.
• Keep your phone charged by having it plugged in to a power bank all the time. It's just too risky to be out in the middle of nowhere with a low-battery phone.
• A backpack is nice and portable but not a good solution for bikepacking. Much better to put all your gear in bike bags (panniers, extended saddle bag, handlebar bag).
• Travel as absolutely light as possible. I definitely took too much stuff with me,didnt use all the clothes I brought, took two bike locks and repair kits, etc. Every pound is another burden to move, especially if there is a lot of climbing (there wasn't on this trip, thankfully). This goes for the bike as well. My rental was robust but really heavy, especially in the rear.
• There is a dilemma to resolve about which tires to use. The terrain I rode on definitely needed gravel tires but perhaps not as wide or knobby as the ones I used. The max speed I recorded was about 20 mph, and I was regularly pushing steady power with few breaks (no downhills). That wore me out faster on day 2. There is something to be said for extensive training under the same kind of riding conditions that you will experience.