Day 8: of climbs, lunch and the way to Genova

Today we start optimistic: we're getting close enough to our goal that we can start counting the days left to Verona with one hand (the ambiguity works here because we calculate that we're between 4 and 5 days away from the end of the bicycle part of this trip). After a quick breakfast and checking both the weather ( somewhat cooler than yesterday) and route (supposedly flatter than yesterday) for the day, we engage in leaving Imperia.

The coastline here is, as usual, quite beautiful. Rocky beach towns nested between wooded hills and jagged rock outcroppings with the occasional small islet thrown in for good measure. The sea is always a deep blue, darker in the morning and turning metallic with the afternoon sun. All in all, the perfect ingredients for an enjoyable ride.

The towns we pass, normally separated by some sort of hilly terrain, are normally quite busy, this being a popular beach destination. It is this, combined with the hills mentioned earlier, that start to threaten to make this day slow going. 

Still, with our legs cramping a bit but still in high spirits, we stop for some sort of baked good at around mid morning. This time, we add an extra to our ritual: coffee, which in Italy is always the best. Now empowered with the combination of an enjoyable amount of calories and high octane caffeine, we feel we can ride all day.

And so it goes, hill after hill; bay after bay; beach after beach. Today is a great day and no amount of climbing dampens our spirit. The ocean flows always smoothly, the sun shines and reflects on everything and the trees help with the shade and the smell of salty resin which provides the perfect contrast to the otherwise overpowering brightness.

After around 95 km of this, we decide to stop for lunch and, after a short look around in the small town of Cogoleto, we find a sea food restaurant where we order almost half the menu. Something to know: lots of cycling makes you very hungry. The meal is, of course, delicious: different kinds of fish and seafood served with pasta. As we're leaving some of the other patrons ask us for our story. In some strangely coherent mix of Italian and Spanish, we have a very nice conversation and, as is the norm in Italy, some tips for the road. This is the first time we stop in Italy to "eat out" and it's a great experience.

With few kilometers to go, and our energies recovered, we strive to get to Genova early: our camping reservation needs us there before 5. Based on the experience of the day, we're confident to get there way before. Everything also improves once, though some combination of luck, opportunity and Google maps, we find a couple of shortcuts through bike tunnels: the day continues smoothly.

Arriving at the outskirts of Genova, we're greeted by the impressive harbor view. We quickly orient ourselves and, through the application of some improvised bike maneuvers, we start the climb to our camp. Apparently saving the "best" for last, we get a huge climb to the foothills around Genova. We finish it spurred by the thoughts of resting early. Tomorrow we start our first Italian mountain stage.

The camping, as an appropriate epilogue to this day, is an excellent place with very nice installations and friendly staff. We learn quickly we got lucky once again today: we got the last tent pitch left.

Note: if you went through the article expecting something wrong to happen, then you get our feelings today. The day went so smoothly we were suspicious often. All in all, today's route is a very nice experience for people looking for some climbs to exercise and some great scenery. Despite this, not a lot of photos today, I guess we just rode fast and enjoyed the view.