We've only gone and finished it! As i said in the update yesterday, we had a shorter day to finish today which meant a more leisurely start and just a few hours on the saddle! It was a good days cycling with spirits inevitably high - singing at the top of our voices as we passed through sleepy Sicilian villages. Anything from Suspicious Minds to The Lion Sleeps Tonight to All Together Now was on the playlist of the Progetto Swift Quintet.

We got there at about 2pm - a bit later than maybe we would have as Ben had to change a tyre within spitting distance of the end (just over a km to go)!

We then celebrated with a beer (Becks for me, of course) before heading slightly north east to the nearest town - Portopalo, where we have been relaxing ever since with more cool beers safe in the knowledge that we don't have to clamber onto the bikes for any significant distance! BLISS!

It really has been a great trip - so many great memories, which i will go into further in my final update over the next week or so once i have had a little more time to reflect and a little less to drink!

Thanks to all those who have commented on the blog (once i finally sorted it out) - its been really good to know people are following our progress.

Final stats North - South Italy:
Day 1: Brunico - Trento 154km 7hrs 11mins
Day 2: Trento - San Giovanni Lupatoto 114km 5hrs 37mins
Day 3: San Giovanni Lupatoto - Portomaggiore 134km 6hrs 20mins
Day 4: Portomaggiore - Miramare 144km 6hrs 48mins
Day 5: Miramare - Sirolo 126km 6hrs 9mins
Day 6: Sirolo - Pineta 119km 5hrs 43mins
Day 7: Pineta - Termoli 119km 5hrs 39mins
Day 8: Termoli - Orta Nova 121km 5hrs 21mins
Day 9: Orta Nova - Matera 139km 6hrs 28mins
Day 10: Matera - Oriolo 145km 7hrs 4mins
Day 11: Oriolo - Cosenza 124km 5hrs 28mins
Day 12: Cosenza - Vibo Valentia 117km 5hrs 52mins
Day 13: Vibo Valentia - San Alessio Siculo 122km 5hrs 34mins
Day 14: San Alessio Siculo - Siracusa 135km 6hrs 24mins
Day 15: Siracusa - Isole di Corrente 67km 3hrs 19mins
TOTAL: 1,883km 88hrs 57mins 21.2km/h (1,170miles 13.2mph)

14 down, 1 to go!!! We've put in the miles over the last couple of days to give ourselves the chance to have a really enjoyable final day's cycling.

Having crossed to Messina from the mainland, we did another 40km before settling on a campsite in San Alessio Siculo. We discussed the possibility at this point of having a massive day today (200km) to finish a day early, but dismissed it pretty quickly!

Instead, our target was set as Siracusa - a mere 135km, leaving us about 70km to complete our adventure tomorrow. Today was tougher than we expected, with the road leaving the coast and giving us a few climbs to deal with. Navigating our way through Catania also caused a few interesting moments, but we got in to Siracusa at 6.30pm which should give us a nice relaxing evening.

First impressions of Siracusa are very good - we're considering spending our extra days here to do something a bit cultural & hopefully it will offer us the opportunity to have a couple of evenings on the juice!

Next update tomorrow from the southernmost point of Sicily all being well!!

Stats so far:
Day 1: Brunico - Trento 154km 7hrs 11mins
Day 2: Trento - San Giovanni Lupatoto 114km 5hrs 37mins
Day 3: San Giovanni Lupatoto - Portomaggiore 134km 6hrs 20mins
Day 4: Portomaggiore - Miramare 144km 6hrs 48mins
Day 5: Miramare - Sirolo 126km 6hrs 9mins
Day 6: Sirolo - Pineta 119km 5hrs 43mins
Day 7: Pineta - Termoli 119km 5hrs 39mins
Day 8: Termoli - Orta Nova 121km 5hrs 21mins
Day 9: Orta Nova - Matera 139km 6hrs 28mins
Day 10: Matera - Oriolo 145km 7hrs 4mins
Day 11: Oriolo - Cosenza 124km 5hrs 28mins
Day 12: Cosenza - Vibo Valentia 117km 5hrs 52mins
Day 13: Vibo Valentia - San Alessio Siculo 122km 5hrs 34mins
Day 14: San Alessio Siculo - Siracusa 135km 6hrs 24mins
TOTAL: 1,816km 85hrs 38mins

Our rest day now seems like a distant memory. To be fair, it seemed like a distant memory after the following day - a gruelling 143km day with plenty of climbs throughout the day, peaking at 860m. We eventually arrived at Oriolo in the dark (the second time so far this trip).

We then had a flat but very uncomfortable day from Oriolo to Cosenza. Gone were the coastal breezes, replaced by gusts that only served to warm us up. At least the route was kind...

We then had the killer day and our final day crossing the mountains. In the first 2hrs, we had climbed up to a peak at 1050m (higher than Scafell Pike) and then had another 400m climb to our final destination, Vibo Valentia. Still, we got through it and the views were amazing...as were the descents!

We are now waiting to catch the ferry over to Sicily - WE'VE FINISHED THE MAINLAND!! 240km awaits us in Sicily and then we've completed this journey and will have a couple of days well earned rest! Really enjoyed it so far - 2 more days to get through unscathed and we'll be there!

Stats so far:
Day 1: Brunico - Trento 154km 7hrs 11mins
Day 2: Trento - San Giovanni Lupatoto 114km 5hrs 37mins
Day 3: San Giovanni Lupatoto - Portomaggiore 134km 6hrs 20mins
Day 4: Portomaggiore - Miramare 144km 6hrs 48mins
Day 5: Miramare - Sirolo 126km 6hrs 9mins
Day 6: Sirolo - Pineta 119km 5hrs 43mins
Day 7: Pineta - Termoli 119km 5hrs 39mins
Day 8: Termoli - Orta Nova 121km 5hrs 21mins
Day 9: Orta Nova - Matera 139km 6hrs 28mins
Day 10: Matera - Oriolo 145km 7hrs 4mins
Day 11: Oriolo - Cosenza 124km 5hrs 28mins
Day 12: Cosenza - Vibo Valentia 117km 5hrs 52mins
TOTAL: 1,558km 73hrs 40mins

Right. I have changed the defaults for this blog. YOU CAN NOW POST COMMENTS. Please feel free to add to our blog - nothing too offensive if possible (aimed at Rory in particular!)

We have now been cycling for 9 consecutive days and the landscape inland has changed markedly - the terrain is undulating, gone is the greenness of the coast and towns are few and far between - not ideal when water stops are a must!

Still, we're making progress - nearly 1200km down, with six cycling days left. Last night we made a democratic decision to take a rest day in Matera - something some of us have been craving since day two and fuelled by the beauty of the place. We never expected to see the ancient citadel in the middle of this landscape. Worth a look...

So, we have had a bit of time to consider the trip so far. There are reasons why this cycling trip is great:
1. You get to see Italy in a way you wouldn't be able to in a car.
2. Seeing places you wouldn't have thought to stop in, but are amazing places in their own right - Timoli, Sirolo, Matera...try googling some of those!
3. Being able to consume vast amounts without worrying; our typical daily intake is a croisannt, at least 1 bag of haribo, half a pack of biscuits, half a big bar of chocolate, equivalent of half a full size baguette, whole pizza, plus the extra bread and snacks...and probably more! EACH.
4. Being caught by the Google Street View camera in the middle of nowhere - look out for us on that!
5. Tailwinds - amazing the speeds that can be hit!
6. Rest days
7. Cameraderie - good atmosphere and the fines are totting up (Particularly for Ross!)

Things that are not so good about cycling are:
1. The sore bottoms
2. The numb hands
3. The aching body
4. The stray, rabid, dogs that try to attack you...as we've discovered further south.
5. Missing us thump the Aussies in the cricket

Stats so far:
Day 1: Brunico - Trento 154km 7hrs 11mins
Day 2: Trento - San Giovanni Lupatoto 114km 5hrs 37mins
Day 3: San Giovanni Lupatoto - Portomaggiore 134km 6hrs 20mins
Day 4: Portomaggiore - Miramare 144km 6hrs 48mins
Day 5: Miramare - Sirolo 126km 6hrs 9mins
Day 6: Sirolo - Pineta 119km 5hrs 43mins
Day 7: Pineta - Termoli 119km 5hrs 39mins
Day 8: Termoli - Orta Nova 121km 5hrs 21mins
Day 9: Orta Nova - Matera 139km 6hrs 28mins
TOTAL: 1,172km 55hrs 16mins

Time for another update - its been a couple of very interesting days to say the least!

We have spent the past four days riding down the Adriatic Coast, which has been great - the sea has been a refreshing resource for lunchtimes and evenings.

Temperatures really started to ramp up while we were on the coast - it was 38 degrees at 10.30 the other morning, which is clearly too hot to do anything, let alone cycling! But cycle we did and learnt a few things on the way.

We did a bit of night time cycling, arriving at a campsite in darkness, which bought a new challenge in terms of dealing with Italian drivers!

We also discovered the answers to the following 3 questions:
Q1. When is someone going to accidently cycle into the back of a parked car?
A1. Day 6. Joe was looking backwards answering Ben's question and ploughed into the rear of a Fiat Uno
Q2. What happens when a lorry doesn't give you enough room at traffic lights?
A2. Simple. Ross punches it on its way past in the opposite direction, a pannier being ripped off and desposited a few metres down the road
Q3. Who comes off worse when a car door is opened in a cyclists path?
A3. The Car vs Iain. Iain won. Cycling at about 15mph, a car door opened literally a second before the imminent impact. I have a bit of a bruised shoulder, but nothing serious - the car door barely closes after being almost ripped from its hinges from the impact. Car mirrors sadly underused in Italy!

We are now in Southern Italy, having left the Adriatic coast and crossed "the poverty line" and are in the best hotel we've stayed in so far, just outside Orta Nova. This is mainly, but not only, due to the presence of a swimming pool. Early start tomorrow to get to Matera for our ninth days cycling.

Stats so far:
Day 1: Brunico - Trento 154km 7hrs 11mins
Day 2: Trento - San Giovanni Lupatoto 114km 5hrs 37mins
Day 3: San Giovanni Lupatoto - Portomaggiore 134km 6hrs 20mins
Day 4: Portomaggiore - Miramare 144km 6hrs 48mins
Day 5: Miramare - Sirolo 126km 6hrs 9mins
Day 6: Sirolo - Pineta 119km 5hrs 43mins
Day 7: Pineta - Termoli 119km 5hrs 39mins
Day 8: Termoli - Orta Nova 121km 5hrs 21mins
TOTAL: 1,033km 48hrs 48mins

Day 2 continued. . .in fair verona we sort of laid our scene - well we eventually navigated our way round it anyway, ending up in san giovanni lupatoto. Feeling pretty good after totting up another 114km... On to portomaggiore.

Day 3, 136Km. Back on the saddle...feeling it a bit on the backside, but powered on nonetheless. Last day in the mountains. Punctures were a feature of the day - first Iain - though he kept it going for another day or so - then Ross, then Ben. Really started to feel the heat - hit the road a tad too early after Lunch, wanting to press on, but lesson learnt - it gets hot here! The wind hit us on the final - and hardest - 11km. Arrived, found hotel, more pizza and bed. coast awaits...

Day 4 - the first day that we exceeded our planned distance and actually ended nearer sicily than we had planned. Off early and got 25km in before brekky which set us up for a cracking days cycling. We've ended up 10km south of Rimini in a city centre, party camp site - looking forward to a good nights sleep tonight!

So, all in all, health wise, we're all in pretty good shape - i'm sure you can use your imagination as to where we are hurting...

Stats so far:
Day 1: Brunico - Trento 154km 7hrs 11mins
Day 2: Trento - San Giovanni Lupatoto 114km 5hrs 37mins
Day 3: San Giovanni Lupatoto - Portomaggiore 134km 6hrs 20mins
Day 4: Portomaggiore - Miramare 148km 6hrs 48mins

132km?! Pah! Day 1 finished with us having cycled 154km to Trento due to a cycle path taking what seemed like the longest and most unnecessary route into Trento. Having cycled past a road sign assuring us that Trento was only 15km away, we then spent 25km in the saddle as the cycle route snaked its way through the Italian countryside, up one side of the river and back down the other. This was, needless to say, not what we wanted. It had all started so well - we knocked off the first 25km in little over an hour, seriously annoying some Italian drivers in the process and got to Bolzano for lunch at 2pm.

Still, we made it and had a quick meal and then into bed to get refreshed ready for today...

Day 2 is going well. We have now stopped for lunch in Rivoli Veronese after a 75km slog which included our first proper climb - a gruelling 2km uphill.

We're aiming for San Geovanni Lupatoto for this evenings accomodation - should be about 40km down the road, route permitting of course.

Stats so far:
Day 1: Brunico - Trento: 154km 7hrs 11mins