On my last two trips to Sicily I have seen both  glamour and grit on this amazing island. On a cycling tour you experience the place with a totally different eye and at a slower pace. I saw the majestic countryside, walked inside ancient Greek temples, tasted wonderful seafood, drank local wines and beers. I cycled passed illegal immigrants working in the fields,…and sex workers on country roads during the day outside the cities. Sicily is so very unique with sometime jarring contrasts and textures,… and I loved every minute of it!

The image above shows us stopping for a flock  of sheep which was a common occurrence on our Sicily bike tour. We would see 4 or 5 sheep dogs on the side of the road barely concerned with the flock but very interested in us. After a few barks (they presumably were barking in Italian) they would loose interest and go back to helping the herder. We were on our way to Menfi on some of the roads used in this year’s Giro d’Italia bike race. 

Mary Jane had a flat tire and Alain was quick to assist. In-country expertise and superb service is one of the reasons I love riding with Experience Plus.  Each day one of the guides would head out early and chalk mark our routes and another would ride the van to offer help and extra water or energy snacks.

We stopped for a quick swim in the ocean and lunch at Lido Zabbara. We could see a few ancient Greek temples on the cliffs of Selinunte in the distance.

Colorful changing rooms at the beach.

After lunch we road up the hill to the Selinunte Archeological Park.

Some of temples go back to over 500 years B.C.

The columns were once painted white to look like marble. I was fascinated with the number of Greek as well as Carthaginian ruins. 

This is the view toward the coast below from the archaeological  park. 

The ride down to Toretta Granitola seemed almost lost in time. I’m sure it may get crowded during summer vacation period but today it was almost deserted.

After a coffee and a sandwich I was refueled and ready to go. 

While I was taking a break by an old church with a friendly dog, Philippe, Mary Jane and Randy arrived on our way to Marsala.

An ancient portal near the Hotel Carmine in Marsala. Our hotel was once a medieval monastery.

Philippe and I rewarded ourselves with a fabulous dinner at “Ristorante I Bucanieri” in Marsala after a long hot day riding. I was famished! I started with a an order of wild boar stew with rosemary potatoes and then had an incredible sliced  Chianina beef on a bed of rocket salad with slice cheese. The meal could have served three persons without a problem! LOVED it all!

Philippe opted for the Entrecote Chianina. They flew in the steaks from the Tuscany region.

9 AM in Marsala. Time to hit the road for our final day of riding! The profile looked massive but we were all psyched! 

I stopped to admire the ancient salt flats between Marsala and Trapani to the north. The windmills, some dating back to the 1500’s, were used to pump water out of the ponds for salt production.  We have 50 kilometers of riding before we hit the port city of Trapani.

After the hot 5o kilometer ride to Trapani some of us chose to ride up the long 20 kilometer slog to the ancient fortified town of Erice, high on the mountain.

I’m thinking,…”I can do this,….I can do this!” I was so tired I couldn’t even admire the beautiful Egadi Islands in the distance.

Alain and Shelley shouted encouragement on the side of the road. He called out,…”Do you need anything? Water, energy bar?” I think I muttered something like,…”how about a push?”

I made it!

Erice is a fascinating fortified hill town and very popular with tourists from around the world.  Italian school kids (red caps) go on field trips in May.

The Experience Plus van passed me on the downhill to Trapani. The descent was exhilarating and quick!

Beautiful Trapani and the Egadi Islands in the distance.

This was the view from my room at the Residence La Gancia in Trapani. The hotel is situated next to the old fish market by the oceanfront. 

                     There is nothing better than a long nap and shower after an epic ride! We met for cocktails in the early evening on our hotel roof before walking to our final celebratory dinner in town.  The evening was warm and beautiful by the old Trapani oceanfront.         

I’ve always considered myself to be in pretty strong shape but many in our group were off the charts!

I wanted to stop for some marzipan fruit!

A Trapani alleyway on the way to our restaurant.

Lisa and Alain were amazing guides for our Southwestern Sicily cycling tour. They are the complete package of expertise, support, and friendliness which made our tour so amazing!

NEXT WEEK: A fabulous 1 night in Rome

IMAGES: Dick Gentry, Experience Plus