After a very good night sleep it was time for breakfast. For those of you who know me I have three great loves in life (after my family, of course)- cycling, Rudy, and prosciutto. Prosciutto was available for breakfast and I was more than content. I topped it off with yogurt with local honey, fresh juice, fruit, a hard-boiled egg, and a café Americano. Nina and I headed out on foot to see the town of Radda in Chianti. There were male cyclists everywhere- forget Dante and his inferno, Emily has found heaven! Five minutes into our walk we discovered a store filled with cycling jerseys and I couldn’t help but get one to add to the collection. The town is a series of small winding streets, little cafes, and cyclists were abundant. I made a mental note that is a town I plan on revisiting. We came back to the hotel and I had my necessary nap. I 
began reading the Rick Stevess’ guide to Florence and Tuscany and quickly remembered why Rick Steves is one of my favorite writers- he incorporates history, humor, art, and, most importantly, gives step by step directions. Included in the book is a two day itinerary for visiting Florence, which will come in very handy during my few days in Florence.
We met up with the rest of cycling tour group, introduced ourselves, and sat down for lunch. Lunch included a vegetable salad, pasta with tomatoes, bread and olive oil, and… champagne. After changing and fixing up our bikes we headed out for the first ride of the trip. The roads were windy and beautiful. We rode to Castellina in Chianti. According to our guide information the district is part of the League of Chianti that has protected central Tuscany since the 14th century. The view was breathtaking. Of course we paid dearly for every descent with climbing, something which 
my legs are not used to. Halfway through the ride we stopped for gelato, it was just as good as I remembered. A hilly ride back to the hotel and a hot shower later it was time for dinner.
For dinner we ate as a group at the hotel. We had a carpaccio of zucchini over a bed of salad to start. For the second course I chose risotto with funghi followed by a third course of pork medallions with fruit compote. Desert was pannacotta. We had two different wines with the dinner- don’t ask me what they were I didn’t understand.
I hope my legs will recover for tomorrow…
