Day 10, Near Ancona to Near Rimini, via San Marino

This day we rode to Rimini Lambretta Centre, via San Marino.

I couldn't sleep well in the hotel. To say the bed was interesting would be an understatement. You lay on the mattress, and you sank in to it. Very uncomfortable. I woke up at 4am, and played on the iPad for a few hours. Finally, as 6am I got up and changed my front tyre as it had worn unevenly from the problem with the forks.

We left at about 9:30am, but didn't even get out of the carpark as my new front tyre had decided to deflate. So, I had to put the old one back on again. We were now off to San Marino... another one ticked off my list of world's smallest countries. I've been, now, to the Vatican City, Monaco, San Marino and Lichtenstein.

As we went along the road, we realised that:

1) There was a much nicer hotel just up the road
2) If we had kept going, we had done the hard part and that the last 25km was MUCH easier.

Still, the ride to San Marino was fantastic, especially climbing up to the castle. It was, though, a very hot day at around 39C. The height gave us a brief respite from the heat, and we were rewarded with some stunning views.

When we got to the main town centre, we stopped and had something to drink. We hapenned to pick a corner where loads of young students were constantly filing past and going into a liquor store. I can only surmise that teh drinking age is lower in San Marino. The tour guides were certainly friendly with the store owners. The Lambrettas caused a bit of a stir, and were admired by many... but we weren't at the top yet. So, Ron and I got on the scoots and rode up as far as we could go to the entrance of the old castle.

When we had finished in San Marino, it was back down towards Rimini. I wanted a new inner tube, and get the front wheel changed. So, we decided to stay at an agriturismo in near the RLC that had been recommended by Dean, and that Ron and Suzanne had stayed at before, Antiche Macine. This place was stunning, and I couldn't wait to get back there after Rimini.

RLC were fantastic. One guy came down to the Agriturismo to escort me up to RLC, and I met Marco to start. He soon got the guys working on my scoot and then Dean arrived. Amazingly, we discovered we were from the same part of the UK and that he knew people I knew when I was a teenager. My god he can talk quickly. Full on. Great guy. He rode my scoot and was appalled at the handling (remember this is better than it was), and tried it without shocks... which was better again, so standard single action shocks were put on. We were looking at the shocks that had been there, and one of them just fell apart... so no surprise it was bad. Again, an improvement in handling, but still not perfect. The forks are definitely not true.

Finally it was time to go and enjoy that wonderful swimming pool and the last of the evening sun. Bliss!

Dinner was, once more, just amazing. Fantastic food. Of all the places I've stayed on this trp, this is one of my favourites. I wish I could've stayed another few days.

Day 9, Foggia to Ancona, nearly

To leave Foggia, we first had to get the car out of the underground carpark with the very steep entrance. Just turning it around down there was an art in itself, but then getting it up the ramp was problematical as the car only just fit. I had scenes of the Top Gear episode where they stop traffic in Paris trying to get 3 super cars out of a similar car park.

Ron had suffered a bit on the ride the previous day, so we decided to pick a near location, which was Porto D'Ascoli, and a stretch goal of Ancona, which was founded by the greeks in 327BC. Porto D'Ascoli, was a modern city founded in the 13th century, so nowhere near as interesting.

The drive along the coast was quite breathtaking, and the tunnels a welcome break from the beating sun. We stopped near San Vito Chietino for Lunch, at a beautiful beach side area. You could see lots of Africans walking the beach with these huge bags containing all kinds of things, such as swim suits, t-shirts, sun tan lotion, etc... trying to sell their wares. I also noticed the support van for the Swiss Laverda Club, who had been at the MiTa, were there and that they had been to Cornwall (Kernow sticker on the back door)

We soon got to Porto D'Ascoli, and decided to push on to Ancona, and so we reserved a hotel there. We then entered a 75km traffic jam! Eventually, after 3 hrs, we gave up as we just could not face the last 25km, and pulled into a roadside hotel that used to be, but was still advertising as, 3 stars.

The hotel, you could see, had had quite a bit of money spent on it in the past, but it was now past its prime. Still, beggars can't be choosers and we settled in. I will say, though, that the food from the "restaurant" was again, extremely good. Can't fault it at all.

The bed's were interesting, in that Akiko and I sank into our beds, whereas Ron and Suzanne's were, apparently like rock. I didn't sleep too much, as it was so uncomfortable.

Day 8 - Torchiarolo to Foggia

We started the day at the Lambretta Store in Puglia, where Ron did some maintenance on his scoot, which consisted of adjusting his front brake, checking the oil, and replacing a screw that had come loose. We had a good look around Enzo's store, and particularly at his restorations, for which he is getting a good reputation as the quality is excellent, but he can only manage to do 4 a year.

I got to discover the monetary damage from the repairs, which was very reasonable as I had a huge favour done for me, and also what the problem was:

Basically, the rods were not correct. They have a ball on the end, and the ball was too big, thus they did not sit in the cup on the links properly, and the springs were too weak. To add to that, one of the rods was bent! Oh, and the bolts in the fork buffers were cross threaded. To say I was a tad unhappy would be an understatement.

Ron was finished with his servicing, and Enzo wanted some pics with us. So, once more we posed. Obviously we were more than happy to do so, as Enzo had been such a gracious host.

I had one more treat in store for me though... I got to ride Tino Sacchi's Targa Twin that had been in the Milan-Taranto. Enzo took us down the road towards the beach, and I opened the throttle and, very quickly, everyone else became a dot in the background... and I wasn't even full throttle. I had it up to 140kph, and it was still accelerating! And smooth? I was on a rock hard ancilotti seat, and could hardly feel any vibration. What a beautiful machine.

Finally, we were off once more, on our way to Foggia (Fodge-ee-ah). nOt much to say about the ride, except it was about 300km of motorway riding and so we mainly saw barriers, with an occassional stunning view. We were supposed to stop in Molfetta, but due to me not understanding how to program my GPS correctly, we rode straight past it. We then carried on to Barletta where we stopped for lunch, parking neatly beside the road. Which was pointless, as the Southern Italians don't believe in doing the same.

Part of the reason for stopping at Barletta was to see the magnificent castle, which was initially built by the Normans in the 2nd half of the 12th Century and restored in 1996. When we went to see the Castle, it is open 6 days a week... unfortunately, it was the day it was closed. Barletta is famous also for the Colossus of Barletta, which we missed, and also because it was the first place of Italian resistance to the Germans in 1944.

When we arrived in Foggia, Ron asked someone about a hotel, and we were directed to the Mercure, Hotel Cicolella, which was an amazing art deco hotel. Very nice. The room even had its own sitting room, and a bath! Ah, the glories of a bath when you've had a hard ride. The only downside of the place was that the carpark was extra and a whole block away... which was enough distance for Ron to get lost.

We met Ron and Suzanne for dinner around 8:30pm, and were about to go out when we discussed the option of the set menu in the hotel restaurant for E35 a person, including wine and water. We decided to go for it. It was superb and, once again, it was huge.

Day 7 - Getting the forks fixed

We rode to Torchiarolo in Puglia (Pooh-lia), where the previous night the owner of the Casa Lambretta Consesionaire had offered to help with the forks. It was about 90km of very scarey riding. It was OK when going fast, as the gyroscopic effect of the wheel made it go upright, but as soon as I hit a bump, or had to slow for a corner, it got quite hairy.

Still, we made it into town. It looked like a place out of a spaghetti western. All the shutters were closed. I half expected to see a kid run across the street, or hear a dog barking, and then have Clint Eastwood appear, but instead right outside a bar was an LI series 2, so we pulled up... the owner was a member of the local Lambretta club, and offered to call Enzo for us... who was uncontactable as he was too busy having fun on the twin. Meanwhile, we needed somewhere to stay, so this woman, Amelia, turns up racing through town in her Fiat Panda, to make sure we stay with her, and that we are OK. So helpful, it almost hurts.

Enzo showed up, we had some beers and then he took us to his workshop. Which is extremely well stocked and has some beautiful machines that belong to him. Once more, it was "go away and leave it with me, I'll fix it". So we went off to the B&B, which was also recommended by Enzo, and was walking distance away.

Akiko and I wanted to go to the beach, and Amelia gave us directions with her broken English and a map. She kept asking if we wanted her to accompany us to make sure we were on the correct road (Torchiarolo is a maze), but we said no. We were working our way through town, and she suddenly appeared. She had decided to look for us and do it anyway!

The beach was fantastic. Water was beautiful and warm, and the section we were on was not crowded at all. I christened my first ever Bikini, and we sunbathed for a while (How nice to not have a sun that cooks you in 30 mins flat), and just enjoyed the ability to relax.

Then it was back to the B&B and time to get ready for dinner. Enzo had called, he had finished the scoot and was going to show up with it later. He then going escorted us to a bar, then he went home to get changed. We sat there at the bar, and watched as the locals started to come out of their homes, and as the town started to come alive.

After about 45 minutes, Enzo showed up again with a friend and then took us back to the beach for a fantastic meal and to meet his wife. It's amazing, but the town had not only come alive, it was packed! It really is a nocturnal existence in this place. Again, the company was fantastic, as was the food. Enzo's wife was an absolute delight.

We had tjis very strange table mat which was an advert. It showed a woman cupping her breasts and looking very happy. She had rings on her fingers. I was trying to work out what it was selling. In the end, I asked..... jewellery.

Finally, to bed, and then up again the next day to collect my scoot. Find out what the problem was, and for Ron to give his scoot a service.

Day 6 - Finish. Bari to Taranto.

As today was the last day, I decided to wear my Innocenti overalls, as they used to do. It was also a lot cooler than wearing the leathers. However, I must admit I felt very vulnerable. It was a short day and started at 11am, but we had to ride to the start again, so we left the hotel at 10am. Today, just a short ride from Bari to Taranto.

As I came up to the start line, I felt the same sense of buzz as I did when we started back in Milan. Even though I didn't do 200km, I had a grin from ear to ear. I was going to complete the Milan to Taranto on my scoot. I felt sorry for Howard as he wasn't able to complete the ride, but he was looking better than yesterday.

We started, and were on our way. Each section was very short. We kept riding past these circular stone houses called Trullo, collective known of Trulli. Apparently very sought after as they are cool in the summer, and warm in the winter.

One town we pulled into, we rode through a Roman arch into the town square, which was paved with extremely slippering limestone pavers. There was a wedding on, and the bride, in a vintage style dress, was getting her photo taken with all the bikes and scoots. She seemed to be lappin it up.

The last stop of the day, we rode down a street and the whole town was out in the heat welcoming us in. When I got to the end, I looked back, and it was a fantastic sight, with an amazing church at the end.

They took our cards for the day, and we had to wait for everyone to come in before we could eat. This is because everyone left together to ride the last 20km's to Taranto. So, a few of us took the opportunity to go for a beer (Had I mentioned how cheap Beer and Wine is in Southern Italy? Beer is the price of Coke, about €2, and wine is about €5 for a reasonable bottle).

Finally, nearly everyone was there and we were allowed to eat. Then suddenly, with no announcement, it was everyone on their bikes, and we were off for the last 20km. There they stopped us. We were to cross the finish line in number order. However, my scoot had decided to throw one more wobbly.... literally.... at me. During the event, I had noticed the handling was not that good, and now it was diabolical when I went around a corner. I looked at the front wheel and it was leaning over. It was just about rideable, and I was determined I was going to finish. I also took this break to introduce Donato to a great British food tradition, the icecream soda!

I had one more, good surprise, for me. The last 500m was a straight line sprint to the finish. Ron and I were on the line, and the flag went and we belted down the sea front in Taranto, going through the chequered flag. Then time to pose for some pictures, and be interviewed by the event for video. Then off to the final night... fortunately in our hotel.

Unfortunately Ron and I didn't place, but we got trophies for competing,as well as distance travelled with Hide-san, from Japan, and the Kiwi, who actually got furthest travelled.

Day 5 - Bugger, Caserta to Bari

Day 5 was Caserta to Bari. It started well. We actually started from right outside the hotel, and had more scarey riding throuh the traffic of Caserta, but once we got into the countryside, things started to calm down. I wasn't happy riding without a spare spark plug, but Adolfo in the support van couldn't find the new ones.

The next checkpoint was Montesarchio, another hill top town. This time one that surrounded what looked like a fantastically well preserved Normal Castle. I got a fairly good Spark Plug from Donato. This was a welcome stop, as it was damn hot again. Drank plenty of water, and stayed in the shade.

We left the check point. Everything was going well, but then the scooter cut out... right infront of a couple of guys standing by the road watching. I Changed the plug and whilst I did that, one of the guys produced 3 more plugs for me. She started up again, but within about 3 km, she stopped once more. I then put in one of the very clean used plugs provided to me by the spectator and that enabled me to get going again. I went long enough that I actually began to think I was going to make it, but fate had a different idea. 2 more plugs later and my scoot wasn't going anywhere. It was either the CDI or the pickup on the stator plate. I had about 60kms to go to the next checkpoint.

Malcolm and Colin, in the LDV picked me up. Just outside just outside Montemilleto we spotted a scooter shop with a whole bunch of, what I thought were Vespas outside, . As the CDI is actually a Vespa unit, we pulled in. They were about to shutdown for Siesta, but I persuaded them to stay open. We unloaded the scoot to try and get another CDI. As it turned out, they were LML's, not Vespas, but the unit is nearly the same. However, they only had some used ones, but no new ones. I decided to risk it.

We actually got the scoot sparking again, and was just re-assembling it when the news came in the Howard Chambers had written off his machine and nearly himself, so they had to leave me....knowing that the main support van was behind us. Later, I had the news that Howard was OK, badly bruised, with a cut above his eye, but still mobile. Apparently a car pulled out in front of him and just crossed the road so he ended up hitting it. My woes, unfortunately were not over. I got the scoot up the road, but it cut out again. It was almost definitely the pickup.

I was collected Adolfo in the team support van, which I found out later, took quite a few phone calls. We were now on the way to the last time point of the day, at Cerignola, via the Autostrada when it came in that Donato had also broken down. We collected him as well and then continued to Cerignola, where it was blisteringly hot and the only relief was the bar which had air conditioning on full blast. Not wanting to completely give up, when I spotted Howard, I checked to see if he was OK. He offered me his spare CDI and we checked to see if it worked. The answer, unfortunately, was no. So it was definitely the pickup.

We drove to the finish about 100km away. To be honest, it was so hot and the roads were awful, and lots of suburban driving through Bari and its outskirts... I'm almost glad I wasn't riding it.

When we got to the hotel, all I wanted to do was unload the scoot. Howard had a spare pickup, and there was a gas powered soldering iron available, but nothing in Italy is easy... especially in southern Italy. We were in a different hotel from the main one, and some people didnt want to go to the main event, Akiko was at the wrong hotel, and I wanted my scoot. Poor Donato was doing all the translating for about 4 simultaneous conversations. How he kept his sanity, I don't know. Eventually, I lost Donato and I asked where he was.... the van was being unloaded. I got my scoot. Took out the tools, lay on the ground and started to dismantle my machine when Donato walked up with Paulo and said "You want the variatronic?", I replied that I did. "OK, Paulo will do it for you". "OK, I'll just dismantle this". "No Paulo will do it for you. You get a shower". "Really?" "Yes, really. He's done 50. Go get a shower"

After the shower, about 8:15pm, I walked down to the carpark. There were 3 scoots being worked on. Donato's was having open heart surgery, and the crank, bearings, seals, barrel and piston were being replaced. Mine was in the process of being reassembled already. I was told to leave them alone and go to dinner.

When I came back at about 11:30pm, the boys were sat outside the hotel with a pile of pizza boxes and beers. Everything was finished. My scooter started wonderfully, better than when it was good before. Donato's was done too, as well as the 3rd one.

Because I started that day, and because I handed in my time card at the end, all I lost was points. I am allowed to start again the next day and, assuming I finish, I will have completed the Milan to Taranto. Unfortunately, in my mind, there is still that missing 200km.

Day 4 - Ferentino to Caserta

"Easy day" today. Only 187km. Ferentino to Caserta. Started with the 20km back to the finish the day before, so it's really 207km. A climb to 570m, down to 200m, and backup to 450m and down to Casino. First, the Ferentino Moto Club saw us off again. We were all packed in this little square back up in the mountain village. The sun was already blazing, so everyone was trying to stand in the shade.

A fantastic view up at Monte Casino, and I was the first family member to be there since my Uncle in WWII. The driving got noticeably worse. There was just no concept of lane control, and this now seems to be the general theme, as well as ignoring he concept of priority from the left on roundabouts. It certainly gets the adrenalin going, as it feels like everyone is out to kill you with their car.

Just outside Casino I broke down. No spark. I changed the plug and still no spark. Our breakdown van arrived and he cleaned the old plug, changed the gap and the machine started again! My replacement plug was useless! I then stepped on it, and tried to make up the lost time, but stuck behind some Germans who took up the whole road and wouldn't get out of the way. T make it worse, they even stopped for a photo, as they entered the control. Consequently, I was 1 minute late leaving the checkpoint. The first penalty point I've gained (It's bad to gain points).

Still, it was the last stop for the day, so as soon as I crossed the line, I turned around and went back for a drink and food. I got a laugh, though. There was an enormous Italy shaped cake, with a line across it, roughly equivalent to the Monte Casino line in WWII and it said "No Germans beyond this point".

Had some great food, and then back on the scoot to Caserta and the hotel.

The Local driving just got worse and worse, as did the roads. Damn glad to get to the hotel. Dinner was in our hotel tonight, and I got us a prime seat right in front of the projector, showing pics from the event.

Dreading rush hour tomorrow morning.