Sardinia

Sardinia rides on Komoot

I spent nearly two weeks in Sardinia resting then riding, and after the cycling, I need another rest. What a fantastic place to ride !

I arrived by ferry – from Toulon to Porto Torres. It was a very quiet trip with not many people on board and we arrived at about midday. That gave me time to have some lunch in the town square before checking into the Airbnb that I’d booked.

Porto Torres is pretty quiet and so was I. I slept well.

My plan was to have a five day break in Alghero before a week of riding to Cagliari and another ferry to Sicily.

The break was great. After many months of riding in Europe, I badly needed it. Unfortunately, being February, the weather was unpredictable and gradually became worse during my stay. When I left Alghero, it was cold and steadily raining. 

Alghero is a nice place but it’s definitely a summer place. Most restaurants were closed which made finding food a little more difficult than normal, so I had a very quiet time with plenty of rest, eating, walking around town and bingeing on a few series.

While in Alghero, I took ‘This Moment’ to the bike shop (Officine Fundoni) where I met a great couple running the place. Matteo found my brake problem – the line was cracked, and now my brakes are trustworthy again. The front one isn’t great, but I’m super happy with the service and to meet such nice people. They were happy to work on my bike immediately and I’m so grateful for their work. Thanks ! Highly recommended !

Luckily, an hour of rain was all I had, as I rode down the west coast from Alghero to Bosa. Despite the weather, the coastal scenery was breathtaking. There was hardly any traffic and Bosa was gearing up for a festival when I arrived. It’s a beautiful town, set beside the river just inland from the coast.

The next day, I did a short but fairly steep and windy ride to Cuglieri which is another nice town on the side of a hill with views to the coast.

I continued down the west coast and was really pleased with my choice of route. After Cabras, I turned east and cut across the island to the mountains  on the other side. The couple of days that it took to get there, were full of quiet roads and villages and like the rest of Sardinia were really enjoyable.

The challenge came in the last few days, with plenty of climbing and some more remote areas but these were the most fulfilling of all. Even the last descent into Cagliari had plenty of rocky roads and steep hills. It was a relief to get there – another nice town where I got the weekly ferry to Sicily the next day.

If you’re thinking about cycling Sardinia, then it’s possible to choose a route that does whatever you want. There’s challenges to be had (if you choose), beautiful villages to see, landscapes that are absolutely breathtaking and rugged coastlines to follow. The two weeks I spent there were two of the best on this trip, and that was in the dead of winter. I think spring and autumn would be the best times to be here, but you can enjoy it anytime.

A note about the dogs : Up in the hills, in unfenced areas, I encountered a few flocks of goats, and a few of sheep. They were being protected by Italian Maremmano dogs. The dogs barked and looked threatening and took up a position between me and their flock. However, the flock was usually scared of me and ran away which meant the dog left too. I just had to be patient.

I also encountered some stray dogs, but they only made a bit of noise and left quickly. One came up towards my tent one night but left as soon as I saw it and yelled at it

Blog Posts from my time in Sardinia