September 15
September 15: Calvi - Porto
Leaving Calvi we’ll begin an unforgettable ride along a route which is widely recognised amongst cyclists as one of the most beautiful coastal routes in Europe. The first stage undulates along a rugged coastline of tiny beaches and turquoise coves. The surface might not be the smoothest we’ll encounter this week but the views do more than compensate and will take your mind off the odd lump or two! The road improves as the morning progresses and by the time we reach our coffee stop we’ll be cruising along. A beautiful 11km climb (Col de Palmarella) follows, taking us to a stunning viewpoint 400m above the coastline.
Dropping down from the summit, we’ll have lunch before pushing on through numerous coastal villages. Again the views are breathtaking as we approach the tiny, eucalyptus flanked town of Porto where we stay for the next 2 nights.
A stunning ride indeed! A bluebird day. Barely a cloud, and temps that climbed to the mid-30s. A tad too warm for this girl, but still better than the alternative. The coastal views here are incredible! And they go on and on and on.......... Our road today was very narrow; certainly two vans would have a hard time getting by each other. The surface wasn't bad except for about 10 km in the morning. Made me glad I didn't have any body parts that could come loose.
We made a 8 km detour for morning coffee stop. Seemed pointless for me as I don't drink the stuff. Oh well - a cute little seaside village. Galeria. And one with a lot of history. Here's what our guide, David, shared with us. "In the spring of 1960, the peaceful coastal region of Galeria became the focal point of a major national standoff. President Charles de Gaulle was determined to establish France as an independent nuclear superpower. After detonating France's first atomic bomb in the Algerian desert, his government secretly looked for a secure European location to conduct underground nuclear tests. Government scientists selected the abandoned Argentella mine, located just up the coast from Galeria, believing its dense granite rock could safely absorb nuclear explosions. To calm the public, the prime minister claimed the testing would cause no harm and would take place only between November and April, strictly outside the summer tourist season. This statement backfired completely, deeply offending the Corsican people. The islanders felt they were being treated as second-class citizens and used as nuclear guinea pigs. The response was immediate and fierce. A massive, spontaneous uprising united locals of all backgrounds, from mayors and trade unions to fishermen and shepherds. Local farmers and villagers from Galeria and the surrounding region prepared for a siege. They gathered whatever improvised weapons they had available, taking up arms with pitchforks, hunting shotguns, and agricultural tools. These determined locals formed a physical blockade around the access roads leading to the Argentella mine, ready to fight off the government technicians by any means necessary. This imagery of rural farmers standing at the barricades with pitchforks against the might of the French military state sent a powerful message. Faced with a highly determined population and the very real threat of a violent, bloody conflict on the ground, Charles de Gaulle's government chose to back down and less than two months after the project was proposed, the government officially canceled the plan, and the nuclear technicians left the island in a hurry. Today, this short but intense standoff is remembered as a historic triumph. By successfully protecting their pristine coast, marine life, and valleys from radiation, the people of Galeria achieved what is now recognized as one of the very earliest examples of a successful environmental victory in modern European history. It laid the foundational groundwork for modern Corsican regional identity and collective resistance.
After the coffee stop we had an 11 km climb of over 400m. Ugh. Nothing too steep, but it was getting pretty warm. I found it hard enough though; doesn't bode well for what lies ahead.... The terrain we rode through was a bit inland, so no spectacular views until we reached the top. Then we got good views out to the Sea once again.
A lovely downhill all the way to lunch, which was just at a shaded pullout by the side of the road. A nice wooden guardrail to sit on and look back out to the water.
The rest of the ride was lovely - just a bit of uphill and wonderful views and rock formations. The road was narrow but ok; I just don't know why they had this strip of what looked like some type of road repair that wandered over our lane forever and ever. Most of the way at the edge of the road are these stone barriers or low stone walls. Saw this cute guy by the side of the road.
We can often see huge distances of where we're going or where we've come from. The road cut into the side of the hills is very distinctive.
Lots of coves and beaches again this afternoon. It's nice to have a few boats in the picture to give one a sense of perspective. The Sea is such a beautiful blue!
Occasionally there are these water spigots along the road; great for filling water bottles.
And at about 85 km the village of Porto appears below us. Beautiful - except for the thought that we have to climb out of here in two days' time. The village has a population of under 600, but has hundreds of hotel rooms. I'm guessing it wouldn't have a reason to exist these days without the tourism business. What a beautiful setting, though! View from my hotel room.
I'm not a fan of eating late (7:30 seating seems to be our norm) but at least we got to see the sunset before moving to our restaurant.
There is a Genoise Tower right across from our hotel. It is lit up at night, and I was pretty happy with how my phone camera captured it.
All in all, another great day.
Stats for the day:
Garmin: 90 km. 990 m up. 1000 m down. (approximate since I/my gps had issues early on with the fact that the gpx track left from last year's hotel).
RWGPS: 90.4 km. 2225 m up. 2244 m down. I don't know why the RWGPS is sooo much higher. Maybe too much bouncing for my phone in the handlebar bag).
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