Chasing Italians!

Mani Coast
So, it seems today is Saturday, day 16. Of course we had to start the day with another swim.. everyone would be so disappointed if we didn't. Lovely, but, we can see the clouds turning gray and threatening. After our breakfast Yorgos, who's riding with us today tells us today will be our most challenging climb. We're only going 35 k but it's straight up and straight down. We'll climb another 477 meters but the nice little challenge we have to day is.. horrendous swirling wind and a possiblity of rain. So we'll play it by ear.

Who's this up ahead? A group of cyclists on mountain bikes and full paniers. We find out there are 10 of them, ladies and gents, very friendly, bon journo, bon jorno! (whatever) and we seem to keep catching them all morning. There going about 100K a day, and are touring as a group for 10 days. The wind is tough for all of us but they will really have a time of it with 70K more then us. Yorgos says the wind should be coming and going as we go up the switchbacks and the road is quite good and not much traffic. So we start and it is gruelling with the wind, but it does come and go some. The rain starts as expected and we decide to wait it out in a SMOKE FREE!!! Taverna.. it is pouring too.. but stops in about a half hour and we only have 10K to go.

The rain stops and the wind dyes some. We have the last of this "monster" climb, Yorgos states ahead, but we continue.. Tamra chases and finds the Italians at our destination village.. Thank God!!! Today we stop at Areapoli.