Porto Flavia | Half Day Ride

Weather this time of year in Sardinia is fickle. As large an island as it is – comparable in size to the US state of Vermont or the country of Belize – it has the weather of an ocean liner lost at sea. Sun, rain and clouds are all equally likely, any time of day and often within the same hour. Picking the right time to ride is a throw of the dice. Weather adventures await.

And so it was with our 170km ride to Porto Flavia.

It was partly sunny and balmy when we took off. About 17C. We were drenched by a downpour 10km east of Iglesias. Blasted by the sun arriving on the coast half an hour later at noon. Then chased away from Flavia itself by dark, water-buckets-bearing clouds by 12:20pm. Min’s glove rain protectors proved their worth. My own hands were well moisturized. In both sets of gloves.

But it was well worth it.

First, about half way between Cagliari and Iglesias, we came across the ruins of a castle perched high on a lone rocky mountain.

Then, as we pulled off to snap a couple photos, we also discovered a little off-road farm road.

…with a river running through it. Brace yourself — film and literary references for the next 5000km 😉

The historic part of Iglesias is small and quaint. Do take the time to walk around. Our premature and haphazard cafe selection was rewarded with an unacceptably bad cappuccino and an even worse americano. By Italian standards. Perfectly common back in the US.

All was forgotten when highway SP83 hit the Fontanamare beach.

…with its pristine aqua marine waters.

The coastal ride. What we came for. Great in a car, divine on a motorcycle.

Porto Flavia, our destination, two minutes before the downpour.

Gear

For the second time this week, we tested a very light excursion setup.

• (2) 4 liter Giant Loop bags (tools, medical kit, tire kit)
• (1) 22 liter Mosko bag (spare clothes and gear, mostly empty)
• (1) 9 liter Kriega backpack (documents, camera equipment)

I mounted the Giant Loop bags forward of the expedition rack for better weight distribution. The Mosko bag works well for storing the Loop pouches and bringing them with you when walking around town as the bikes sit unattended.