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Day 25 Pavia

📅 Monday 4 May 2026 🚴 78.0 km
It's Ask Us Anything Day! Send a message with your question and we'll post the answers here. --- Tania from Valencia asks: - Do you regret having-not having brought something with you? Mat: I brought two pairs of socks which feels like an extravagance. Maybe also just one pair of underwear! I wish I'd changed the tyres on my bike before we left. They're quite old, and I'm jealous of the new tyres that Kat has. - How are your butt cheeks doing? Mat: I actually had very bad nappy rash the first 10 days but it's gone thanks to some amazing antibiotics and barrier cream Kat: absolutely fine, no issues from me. --- Lesley from Setúbal asks: 1 Who sets the pace and does 'the other cyclist' ever change it? We naturally cycle at a very similar pace. Usually Mat's in front because he's navigating, with Kat 5-100m behind. But if it's a windy day we'll swap who's leading so that the person behind gets an easier time. 2 When AN Other joins you, do you follow their pace? This is quite a difficult thing to get right. When we were riding with Soren he whizzed off up hills and we regrouped at the top. In the past we've ridden with cyclists who have a very different pace, and it's caused some tension. --- The ride today was very flat and not very interesting. We got to the beautiful city of Pavia about 14:30 and went exploring. The most distinctive thing about this whole area is that almost all the buildings are made of brick. Even the cathedral here is brick.
Love, Kat & Mat x
Pavia

The ride today was very flat and not very interesting. There were more flooded fields full of birds.

Pavia

Pavia covered bridge was originally 14th century but was heavily damaged by Allied action in 1945 and partially collapsed, so they rebuilt it in 1949.

Pavia

The cathedral with the remains of the tower that collapsed in 1989, inspiring work to safeguard the Leaning Tower of Pisa.