This is another of my “catch-up” posts, this time from earlier in the year in Italy. I wrote some brief posts from Rimini when I worked there in May but I dashed off to Australia and New Zealand before I finished my photos and other content.

In just two weeks time I am seeing the group I was with in Rimini again so I decided I need to get the gallery posted.

We had a lovely evening ride in the sunshine around the historic centre of Rimini. It was a complete contrast to the congested and artificial environment along the holiday beaches. This was much more the ancient heart of a city that has existed since as a Roman centre since 268BC.

The car free city centre preserves the atmosphere and much of the historic squares. I can hardly imagine it when the city is packed with summer visitors but May was a great time to visit with nice weather just before the peak season.

It also showed us who Rimini is a real cycling city. Like so many towns that have closed their city centre to cars a bicycle is by far the easiest way to enter and cross the historic centre. A network of lovely linear parks also threads around the historic walls meaning that much of our ride was car free and completely leisurely.

And of course what I always like about the group rides I do with ECF colleagues is the sense of sharing. Our multinational groups are always fun as we share our backgrounds and experiences while cycling. How about this for a mix this time – Italian of course, but also Dutch, Danish, Austrian, Belgian, Greek, British, French, Slovenian, Croatian, Maltese, German, Romanian, Bulgarian. Outstanding.