DAY 2 Dallaglio Cycle Slam – Four seasons in one day

 
By Andrew Croker

If ever Continental want to promote their excellent 4-season tyres, they should set today's footage to the Crowded House track and sit back!

A cold start under spectacular blue skies and we set off north into the Tuscan countryside, and rode our way through the wine list at Riva – Lawrence's favourite Barnes Italian where these mad schemes are hatched – from Montelpuciano onwards.

The longest day of the Slam at 167km, and all going so well up to half way. Then came out of a tunnel to fog and snow, and worse still got lost and ended up sliding down and walking back up an unmade road. Lost an hour, lost another map reading and seven hours turned in to ten.

Up past Siena and in to San Gimignano. Thank God for William from Giant, who led us out for long spells and we ended up doing 185km.

Serious sense of humour failure which may pass. Short fun day tomorrow to recover mind and body.

Paul Kimmage wisely swerved today to finish off Neil Warnock. Lee Dixon summed him up in sentence. Can't be hard – and Les Ferdinand said his hardest day ever.

Lawrence Dallaglio’s Cycle Slam is a quest to pedal over 2,800 kilometres to all Six Nations stadia in support of the Dallaglio Foundation and Sport Relief. A 250-strong squad of challengers is cycling to Rome, Paris, Twickenham, Cardiff, Dublin and Edinburgh to raise over £1million for these worthy causes. Garmin has donated Edge cycle computers to the many celebrities taking to two wheels along the way.