The Dolomites and Beyond: Alpine ride
Last night was raining hard but this morning it has somewhat dried up and the sun is trying its hardest to peek through the clouds. We set off from Seefeld and head down to the Inn valley before turning off and heading up the Oetz valley. There's a fair bit of traffic but as we reach Soelden and beyond it thins out. We stop at the Top of the mountain Motorcycle museum for some refreshments and a quick look around - it's my first time in here since it was rebuilt and it's great to see all the machinery they have here! We head through the toll gate and up towards the top of Timmelsjoch but are completely enshrouded in the cloud so there's unfortunately no picture taking until we are a few hundred metres down on the other side. We enjoy a delicious lunch in the Sandwirt and then we are off again to wrap up the afternoon. It has dried up some now and there's less cloud so we have a great ride up and down the Jaufen Pass and then another great ride up and down Penser Joch. The sun is out now and again to play and there's no traffic so it's a great finish to the day. It's just after 6 when we arrive at the hotel but the big grins on everyones face confirms it has been a fantastic first days ride. More to come tomorrow hopefully......
The restday tour took us from Collabo first to the Mendola Pass, then to Lago di Santa Guistina and back to Collabo via the Gampen Pass. The 200 km tour was really enjoyable. Although the weather forecast had predicted unsettled conditions, we didn't get a single drop of rain.
Today we leave at 08:00 - It is Alfredo's birthday and he has organised a paragliding ride and we need to get to the gondola at Ciampinoi by 09:40! We make slow progress but arrive in good time - the 3 guys go up and have an awesome flight around the Selva-Wolkenstein mountains. Afterwards we have a relaxed coffee before setting off to the Sella pass. The sun has come out, it has warmed up nicely so we enjoy the amazing views from the top of Sella - the Dolomites really are just very special. We go down into Canazei and the head east towards our lunch stop at Lago di Fedaia. Panini and coffees for the group and then we are back on the road again making a really nice loop around the Marmolada via Caprile, Alleghe and the San Pellegrino pass. We stop for a gelato in Soraga di Fass before finally heading up the Niger pass for another quick foto stop. Then it's down to Bolzano and back up to Collalbo - it's been and awesome day and a fantastic way to celebrate Alfredo's birthday!!
What a day. Today there were endless curves on a route covering approximately 250 km. The tour led from Klobenstein to Levico Terme via the following passes: Pinei, Gardena, Sella, Pordoi, Santa Lucia, Valles, Manghen.
The weather is somewhat warmer in Levico - it's cooler in the morning but about 15 degrees when we leave but the sun is shing and it's warming up. Out of Levico we immediately hit the Kaiserjaegerstrasse a military road built n the late 1800's - it's steep and super narrow but a great ride up and gives us a great view down and over Levico. Next on our list is Passo del Sommo and then we are onto some tiny backroads taking us up over Monte Bondone before we head down towards Torbole and Riva del Garda. We stop for a well deserved break and coffee by the lake but today is a long day so we are soon on the road again. We run along the lake shore in and out of the tunnels that run along here but there is some traffic and it's a little slow going until we reach Gargnano, where we head up into the mountains. This is an awesome stretch of road that winds its way up to Lago di Valdestino and then on to Capovalle. Eventually we head down into Idro and our lunch stop and the smiles on everyone's faces tells the story. Pizza for lunch - and maybe a little to much for some but then we are heading along Lago d'Idro making our way back towards Riva del Garda. Another great ride over by Lago di ledro before we hit some traffic around Arco. A quick coffee stop at Castel Toblino and then it's the last stretch back to Levico. It was an awesome day today - a long ride but there's no doubt in anyone's mind that it was well worth the effort!
Today we headed south from Levico Terme towards Verona. The route took us over the Xomo Pass, the Xon Pass, and the Fittanze Pass before returning to Levico Terme via the Kaiserjägerstraße.
It's another perfect day for riding in the Italian Alps - there's not a cloud to be seen, just blue skies and the sun shining. We set off from Levico on the high road and have some great views already as we are leaving. We skirt Trento and then straight away head up the switchbacks and the top of Monte Bondone. It's a gorgeous view from up here and we take in the sights while enjoying coffee and strudel - yummy. We have a relaxed ride down towards Sarche and Stenico, then we are back into the small winding side roads again as we climb up to Passo Daone and down the other side. It's a great reminder of why the Italian Alps are my number 1 for riding - the great roads, great weather and all the pretty little villages to ride through, plus the stunning backdrops - it really is just beautiful here. We head up to Madonna di Campiglio and stop for lunch there in a small restaurant away from the main road - the food is sublime and he locals so friendly. But we need to move on so we say our goodbyes and head down to Dimaro before turning towards Passo Tonale and then turning off again to Passo Gavia. It's another stunning ride up here - single track roads in some places and oncoming traffic make it tricky, but it is a pleasure to ride. At the top we stop again just for the views and a quick coffee to keep us going. Then we are down into Bormio and out the other side heading up towards Livigno. The sun is going down behind the mountains and a chill is creeping into the air but we arrive at the hotel where Thomas greets us with a boot beer. What a great way to end the day :-)
Today we headed for the queen of Alpine roads: the Stelvio Pass. The route took us from Livigno over the Ofen Pass and the Umbrail Pass, then to Münstair and Glorenza, and back to Livigno via the Stelvio Pass and the Foscagno Pass. On the Stelvio Pass, we naturally stopped for the obligatory sausage at Bruno's.