Sardinia's fountain of youth

Trevor Ward explores the exquisite climbs and even more exquisite delicacies of Italy’s Mediterranean paradise

- Trevor Ward

The words of our guide, Enrico, are cruel but true: “Today is another battle in the war between cyclists and food. And I’m afraid you are going to lose again.”

With that, I polish off the last remnants of cheese, ham, almond tart and chocolate croissant from my breakfast plate, say a silent thanks for the elasticity of Lycra and head out to my bike for our latest day of touring the remote mountains and rugged coastline of Sardinia’s world-famous ‘Blue Zone’.

In an age of high-tech wizardry designed to wring every ounce of performance benefits from the bikes we ride, kit we wear and food we eat, we have come to this sun-soaked Italian island in search of the ultimate marginal gain – the secret of a long and healthy life. We’ve been kindly hosted by touring company Tourissimo, who are as keen to show off the island’s culinary delights as the breathtaking riding it has to offer.

This morning we have laboured beneath the soaring, pale limestone cliffs of the Supramonte mountains before ascending a quiet, twisting road to the village of Orgosolo for a class in the art of making the island’s wafer-thin bread, pane carasau.

This mountainous area used to be notorious for untimely deaths at the hands of bandits, but these days it’s the longevity of its residents that makes the headlines. The so-called Blue Zone has the highest proportion of 100-year-olds anywhere in the world, with one recent study documenting 90 centenarians in a population of 18,000.