Today and tomorrow looked like pretty big days for elevation gain at 4,000 and 3,800 feet respectively.
I left the hotel after a hefty breakfast and 3 cups of coffee, and stopped in Bolzano to see what I could find in a co-op grocery store. But darned if I could find that grocery store, even though I knew exactly where it was. So I figured that there would be places to find food along the way, and I had an apple, a couple energy bars, and some nuts to take with me.
The weather is definitely improving, but changeable, with sun one moment and bits of rain the next.
Looking at the elevation profile of the ride before I left, it didn’t seem like it was going to be 4000 feet of climbing, but I steeled myself for what could be. But then, when I saw the first tunnel appearing in front of me when my cycle computer told me I had a big climb, I realized that today was not going to be as bad as I thought! The ride was lovely, but it was made even more pleasant by the gradual rise of the road until the very end when there were two certified, real climbs of about 1200 feet to get to my final destination.
Although I haven’t reached Austria yet, architecture has changed into a Tyrolian mountain architecture, and signs now appear first in German and then in Italian. I hear German spoken much more than Italian now.
Today, I saw again many cycle tourists, of all ages. They were a few large groups of about 20 cyclists but mostly smaller groups of 2 to 3 people. And again were mostly electric bikes, although I saw some traditional adventure bikes with gear like mine. Anyone with electric bikes has plenty of options for charging, as cafés, hotels, and other places that want to attract cyclists have charging stations.
The road surfaces were mostly smooth and paved, but I had a few sections of barely visible grassy track and then a dirt/gravel road through a forest. That’s one cool thing about this route is that there’s always some variety.
I stopped for lunch along the way and ordered myself a pizza, ate half and took half of it with me to eat a bit later. It seems like pizza, with its combination of salt, fat, protein, and carbs could almost be considered health food while on a ride like this!
At that restaurant, I talked to an Austrian guy who was riding down to Bologna to see the Tour de France. This year, I believe it starts in Florence, as I saw signs welcoming the Tour de France on one of the roads I was on while there.
Today’s ride felt a lot like riding in a long park, with a rushing river for company next to you. It was truly a delightful day. Yes, there were a few sections where one rode on the path which was right next to the highway, but that didn’t spoil the overall effect.
Arriving to Mühlbach, it seems like it’s very much an outdoor adventure center, with a number of outdoor shops and many people walking around with small backpacks and walking sticks.
Leave a Reply