The day began with a true northbound transition out of Carovigno, riding between the Adriatic and the salt pans after deliberately skipping the trulli villages already seen southbound. After lunch, Gargano delivered a beautiful second stage — until a giant boulder blocked the road and forced a return through the same spectacular coastal curves.
Today was the first real northbound stage after the Carovigno basecamp.
The morning began by leaving the heel of Italy behind. No trulli stops this time — those belonged to the southbound chapter. This was about moving again: Carovigno northward, along the Adriatic side, with the route passing between the sea and the salt pans.
That first stretch had a different character. Wide light, flat coastal rhythm, salt basins, straight sections, and the feeling that the expedition had shifted from exploration mode back into progression. Not dramatic, but important. A transition road.
By lunch, the day had already changed shape.
The second stage became the real ride.
After the break, the route pushed into Gargano: greener, sharper, more technical. The coast rose, the curves tightened, and the Adriatic appeared below in fragments between trees and cliffs.
Then the road ended.
Not symbolically. Literally.
A giant boulder had broken off the mountain and blocked the route ahead. No passage. No workaround. The only option was to turn back and ride the same section again.
But that return became part of the day’s value. The pressure to progress disappeared, and the road became pure rhythm: coastal curves, mountain edges, sea views, and the machine working exactly as it should.
First stage: leaving the heel. Second stage: Gargano refusing passage.
A perfect Long Circle South day, in other words.