Sardinia - Human Powered Bikes Only, Please

It would really be better to say nothing at all, because there are already too many German-speaking motorcyclists who enjoy the smooth, curvy and rolling roads of Sardinia. And on Sundays the locals come out on their crotch rockets to join the fun. Their noise, smell, and threatening mass can really ruin a good ride, but so far it's been manageable. Last Sunday, between Alghero and Bosa, on one of the most beautiful stretches of road you can find on the island, it was the worst, but we still enjoyed the up-and-down along the Mediterranean. The way out, by way of Villenova Monteleone, had been as quiet and beautiful as always. The rains had stopped just hours before our arrival, and as a result the vegetation (wildflowers, all kinds of green stuff, tall prickly stuff) was particularly lush and fragrant all week. Upon returning to Bosa, there was some talk of riding all the way back to base camp for a real century, but just one magic word, "gelato," left the opening-day distance at 70 miles. Two consecutive rides in the interior brought fewer motorcycles and several opportunities for nice, steady climbing. The climb to Teti (from Olzai) is a comfortable 5 kilometers, which I did mostly in the 19. Climbs like that can make you feel you're quite a rider, but it would still be horrible to do it in a race. The longest climb of the week, through Desulo, runs for just about 14 kilometers, is steeper, and tends to take it out of you more, even if you ride just to get there. I used the 21 mostly, but needed to stand up quite a bit to keep it going. On this "Teti-Tetiana-Tonara" ride there's one more climb, through the town of Gavoi, but usually you'll have stopped for gelato in Fonni, so that's very doable. The Laconi ride takes some driving to get to, at least if you're staying in the Oristano area, but it's worth it. There's a very smooth, easy climb of 4 kilometers or so half-way between Laconi and Gadoni, and a harder one (but still very nice and, as always, beautiful) on the other side of Gadoni to Seulo. More climbing after what's probably the nicest downhill we know (toward Lago del Flumendosa), and then the up-and-down grind, usually into the wind, back to Laconi, by way of Isili. For a short rest day ride, you can ride toward Putzu Idu, and in the afternoon you can get into the Mediterranean. Floating in that cool, clear water after a couple of hot days on the bike in the hills is really something else. Another classic ride, usually the longest with the most climbing, runs from Guspini, through Arbus, toward Buggeru (and the most beautiful stretch we know). The hardest climbing we know is here, between Buggeru and Nebida, and you can also break 50 miles an hour on certain downhills--if you really have to. Then, after turning inland again, you get to the ugliest stretch we know (four miles we just can't avoid) toward Iglesias. After that, it's beautiful again, with a long, winding climb and equally long, widing downhill toward Fluminimaggiore. The temperature had reached the nineties in the meantime, which made it harder. There's more good climbing after Fluminimaggiore, then some miles of up-and-down, and then Arbus appears again, draped against the hill and pass that lead back to Guspini. 81 miles, which back in Guspini led to first four, then three more scoops of gelato. A perfect warm-up or cool-down ride runs gradually uphill from San Vero Milis, through Seneghe and Santu Lussurgiu up Monte Ferru, then down into Cuglieri, and if you're lucky there (we weren't that lucky this time), you have a tailwind on the ten downhill miles to Santa Caternia di Pittinuri. It was mid-90s again, and the last day, so after lunch in Cuglieri, we stopped for desert (four scoops) in Santa Caterina. After packing up the bikes, we made it back to the beach one more time. If you do go, stay here--as long as you realize that when you do, you won't able to decide which is the better part of your trip: the riding or the food.