Touring the Dolomites Argentine style
Eventually everyone has arrived safely, even if a little later than anticipated. We make a quick briefing to get everyone settled and then rush down to the garage and get the motorcycle handover completed. Then we have to rush to get dinner as last call is at 8pm. Afterwards there are some brave souls finishing off the evening with a grappa or two bust for most its bedtime in anticipation of tomorrows ride
We are blessed with a beautiful sunny day and after a hearty breakfast and a quick briefing we get underway. Down towards Bolzano then we head across country towards Passo Pinei and our coffee stop in Ortisei. It's monday but theres still a fair bit of traffic. Afterwards we head up to Passo Gardena and stop to take in the views with photos at the top. Then a quick run down to Corvara before we turn south towards Arabba. We stop at Passo Pordoi for lunch but decide against going up on the cable car. Then we make a straight dash for the hotel as there's some ominous clouds in the distance. We gas up and arrive at the hotel before rain, then time to freshen up before an early dinner - we are in Italy!
It's another glorious day, and with rain forecast for Wednesday and the rest of the week looking sketchy we decide to head to Stelvio. We ride down into Bolzano then hit the autostrada to make the km's as fast as possible. After a quick blast along the autostrada we stop for some refreshment in Algundo before hitting the valley road to Spondinga which is single lane and always busy. But it's not so bad today and we are rewarded when as we make the climb up the famous 48 switchbacks we meet only light traffic. At the top its photos and then lunch at Bruno's sausage stand. We head into Switzerland and take the Umbrail pass down before turning towards Glorenza where we stop for coffee and ice cream. Then its back towards Bolzano with a nice curvy ride over Auna di Sopra to finish off the day.
Well the weather wasn't playing nice with a lot of heavy rain, so the team decided to have a rest day today. Some of the group just chilled at the hotel while the rest decided to take a quick tour around Bolzano - there's plenty to keep one occupied there for a good half day or so.
The sun is shining again this morning and it's looking great. We head out along the back roads down to Barbiano and then up the other side towards Ortisei. We stop on the top of the Sella pass but the views are strikingly different today - the clouds in the valley give some perspective and it still looks fantastic. As we are about to leave there is the start of some rain so we don wet weather gear, which turns out to be a good decision. It rains on and off until we reach Cortina, where we stop near the station for a really good lunch. Afterwards a quick walk through town but then it starts to rain again so we decide to head out. It's already late in the afternoon so we retrace our steps from earlier and stop to warm up with a coffee in Ortisei. Then it's a quick dash back to the hotel as if we are late we will miss dinner. of course we made it ;-)
The rain has gone again and its another lovely sunny day, just a bit cooler to start. We run down into Blozano then head straight up the other side of the valley towards the Karer Pass. We continue on our way towards Lake Fedaia and stop for a quick coffee on the way. We drive across the dam to take a view of the splendid Marmolada and of course the view up the lake. Passo Fedaia awaits and we are up and down superfast before making our lunch stop in Caprile. We still have some beautiful roads ahead of us and have some wonderful riding over Passo Duran, Passo Cereda, where we make a quick coffee break and then Passo Rolle. The day is moving along quickly so we have to give some gas and move towards the Hotel. We sprint up from Bolzano to Collalbo and then more or less head straight to Dinner. It has been a very long day but we take away some great memories with us.
Our last riding day and it's another scorcher. We ride down and through Bolzano and then it's just a few more km's until the start of the Mendel pass. We do a free ride up from the bottom, but as it's Saturday there's quite a lot of traffic so the going is not particularly fast. At the top we stop for a coffee and some great views down over the valley before we head right up to the top of Penegal for more photos. We head down on the reverse side and make our way to lunch, which eventually ends up being at the top of the Gampen pass. Late afternoon sees us heading back to the hotel. A quick stop at castle Katzenzungen followed by a descent into the valley. Up the other side to Jenesien for a last foto stop over the Rosengarten range. Then it's back down to Bolzano before a final climb through the twisties through Aun di Sopra and back to the hotel. It has been a great week of riding with just a little rain to dampen the spirits but there is nothing that can stop the enjoyment of riding in the Dolomites.