by Ashley, Team Athleta
We all tumbled out of the plane in that travel fog, groping for our passports at customs and pulling our monster bags off the carousels at baggage claim. We were in Italy! It was maybe 80 degrees and sunny. The air in Pisa had that burning wood smell that comes up off the countryside out there, like the whole thing is a Disney movie for all your senses. As we drove the 45 minutes south to Castagneto Carducci, we talked to the others around our seats. Flights. Italy. Food. Where we all lived. Who’s been to Italy before. How we all ended up on the trip. When we arrived at Campastrello Sport, we piled back out of the bus, met Colleen Cannon (who founded Women’s Quest after her career as a professional triathlete)…

by Ashley, Team Athleta
Today, we headed out fairly early for a ride to Monteverdi. I know the roads out there so I was tying to hold myself back from charging, but I’d slept really well (that deep deep sleep you only get after being up for most of 40 hours straight) and I wanted to ride my bike. I mean, come on — we’re in Tuscany…

by Ashley, Team Athleta
Today I knew we were going to ride about 60K, but I wanted to get in some slightly longer miles, so I took off in the morning for 50K on my own. I climbed up into Castagneto Carducci. The road goes into switchbacks as you climb up into the hillside, and pretty soon, you can see the sun reflecting on the Mediterranean offshore. The land below is perfectly-manicured in tiered gardens and landscaped groves, olives and vines as far as the eye can see. And the empty eye of a castle stares at you from an adjacent hillside…

by Ashley, Team Athleta
Today we moved over to Trequanda for two nights. The plan was to take the bus to Siena, spend the day walking around and shopping, and then get back on the bus to Trequanda. It’s a town further inland in Tuscany, close to Montalcino, where the roads are just as beautiful but different. And we were set to stay at Fattoria del Colle, a winery and olive estate owned by Donatella Cinelli Colombini, who produces award-winning Brunello di Montalcino wines (including the Prime Donne that is produced entirely by women)…

by Ashley, Team Athleta
Today we rode to Pienza. Colleen and I talked on the climb, continued our conversation from the day before about the living meditation, the moving meditation. It is living that IS the meditation, we agreed. Life is the journey. Action is the venue in which consciousness takes place. No wonder all these women want a moment to be near Colleen and talk with her. She’s not just someone who has a written philosophy of life…

by Ashley, Team Athleta
I couldn’t sleep all night. I don’t know why. I borrowed Cheri’s mask of Zorro to keep the light out. I had earplugs. The whole nine. And Fran had even come to take the spider out of my room when I started screaming bloody murder after dinner. I got up grumpy from lack of sleep. And feeling like I was getting sick. I had a sore throat. My head felt stuffed up. I went to breakfast and had a couple cappuccinos. Italian cappuccinos can fix many of the world’s woes. And I don’t even drink coffee in the states…

by Ashley, Team Athleta
I woke up to beating rain. Went to yoga and had breakfast. I opted out of the walk into town in the rain, since I didn’t think it would help my little head cold much. When the rest of the ladies returned for lunch, we sat at one end and Colleen told us about the dolphins she’s been swimming with in Hawaii for twenty years. Afterwards, we went out to the beach to do our Ceremony of the Heart’s Desire…