 |
| Option 1- Girolibero |
 |
| Option 2.- Girolibero |
 |
| 3. The chosen route - Girolibero |
Cycling trip from Bolzano to Treviso.
346km by bike, 15km by train.
The idea started of having a bicycle trip started when we decided to move from
Bolzano to Macerata. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cycle the whole way or just
to Venice. The possible routes were many and it was hard to choose. Three main routes existed though and in the
beginning I only considered two of them:
1. Bolzano, Verona, Vicenza, Padova,
Venezia.
2. Bolzano, Trento, Valsugana valley,
Bassano del Grappa, Treviso, Venice.
and the third option, which I only discovered a few weeks prior to departure
3. Bolzano, Bressanone, Brunico,
Dobbiaco, Cortina, Belluno, Valdobbiadine, Treviso, Venice: total 391km.
As soon as I read of the third option, it convinced me. It
would be the more demanding of the 3 and also longer. But the idea to visit
areas that I’d never seen before, up amongst the mountains, was thrilling!
I had bought a MTB, Ghost SE1200, in the spring and had spent the spring and
summer training somewhat, but I wouldn’t say I was in hard training or
anything. I used to go to Lago di Monticolo, which is about 18km from Bolzano,
on a uphill (so 36km round trip) about once a week – 1 every second week, and also
did some longer trips to Bressanone (84km round trip) and to Lago di
 |
| Gerta, my bike. Ghost SE1200 |
Garda
(125km there and 45km back) a few times.
I’d never done any longer trips where I would ride several days
consecutively.
I found all the information (which wasn’t very detailed, but it was enough)
online on http://www.italia-radreisen.it/ http://www.girolibero.it in English, bought a map(also not particularly detailed 1:250,000), bags for the bike and I
was off! Thanks to the information I had gathered earlier I was able to make a
rough plan on how far to go each day, dividing the route into 9 parts of
30-40km intervals, making it possible to do more or less, depending on how I
felt.
 |
| The plan. The ride divided into sections. |
1/9: Bolzano (262m) –
Bressanone 42km.
My good friend Giorgio had come
up to Bolzano for my birthday (big 30th) the Friday before. I told
him about my crazy plan and he decided to come along for the first leg of the
trip. We went slowly preserving energy for the days to come.
Travel conditions: There’s a really
nice bicycle path going the whole way which is in perfect condition. It goes
along the old railway
 |
| Giorgio and I getting ready to leave. |
line, along the Isarco river, through the Scilliar valley
leading north. The Scilliar mountains
are to your right
(east) and Sarentino
to your left (west). You pass by a few little villages, such as Chiusa, and
there are also several “Bici-grill” along the way, restaurants/snack bars
especially for cyclists needing a little break.
Sleeping: We stayed at the youth hostel in the very
center of Bressanone. It was definitely one of the best I’ve stayed in. Clean,
very large rooms with just 3 beds in each one, friendly staff, very central
(part of the churches headquarters) and fair price (27 euros per person).
2/9: Bressanone – Brunico 34km (15km train, 19 by bike), + 298m.
I had read that this part of the
journey wasn’t a nice place to ride your bike and I’d
 |
| City center of Bressanone. |
previously been suggested
to take the train. Although, the same morning I met a cyclist at the hostel who
said it was doable although he still suggested taking the train. Once on the
train I met two more cyclists who convinced me to get off a few stations
further up and continue by bike... So that’s what I did.
Travel conditions: alternatively dirt roads and bitumen.
2/9: Brunico – Dobbiaco
30km, +403m
This was the true turning point
in my travel. I was a bit nervous about going on, knowing that there weren’t
going to be any more trains in case of injury (or simply changing my mind) and
not knowing what to expect.
Travel conditions: From Brunico you
go along the river, upstream
 |
| Arriving into Bressanone along the bike path |
(which also means up-hill) passing little villages
such as Valdora di sotto, Valdora di mezzo e Valdora di sopra (literally
meaning “at the bottom” “in the middle” and “at the top”. For the first 10-12km
you’re on a dirt path in the beginning and a bit more immersed in the forest
surrounding the river. The last part is
a bitumen bike path/secondary small roads.
The scenery is beautiful having green hills close to the path and high dolomite
mountains in the background. I was one of the only cyclists on the second part
of this leg.
2/9: Dobbiaco – Landro 15km
 |
| Tre cime seen from Landro |
I really don’t know why I didn’t
stop and spend the night in Dobbiaco (1,241m), as a friend of mine from there
had suggested where to stay, but I felt energetic (don’t ask me how that’s
possible) and wanted to continue. At Landro, which is a site overlooking the
Tre Cime di Lavaredo (2999m), one of the most spectacular part of the
dolomites, I stopped at a huge hotel along the road to ask for something to
eat. The old lady informed me that the kitchen had closed (I was probably only
about 20 years late). After seeing the disappointment in my eyes, she offered
to make me some pasta, which was much appreciated. I was telling her about how
far I’d come and she asked if I wanted to stay the night. She said that she has
a “simple” attic where I could stay cheaply. She couldn’t give me a normal
room, as it was a 5 star hotel. The attic was fine, a 3 bedroom room with a
private bathroom. She said to come down later on and we could have a chat. That
said, around dinner time, I came back down and she had prepared an onion soup
and some bread. Speaking to me (and herself) about all kinds of people I could
impossibly know.
 |
| An old border control house. |
After a while I realized she had become quiet and in fact
fallen asleep right in front of me!
The next morning she had made me breakfast with cakes, bread, and yoghurt and
when I went to pay, she said she didn’t want a dime, but that I had to call her
when I arrived, as she’d be worrying about me otherwise.
Travel conditions: A dirt bicycle path
the whole way, a few cyclists here and there, passing absolutely amazing
scenery that can’t even be described. Sometimes I just had to stop and soak it
all in. Only when you are so completely immersed in nature do you realize how small
you are.
3/9: Landro – Cortina:
20km
 |
| Between Landro and Cortina |
 |
| Landro - Cortina. Along the bike path with gravel. |
Travel conditions: The dirt
bike path continues. You continue having a view of monte Cristallo (3221m).
Here I met up with several large groups of mountain biking tours. I cycled with
a group from Germany for a while, practicing my German. I was happy about how
it went actually. But when they decided to stop for a cappuccino break for the
2nd time I decided to continue without them. I was liking the
cycling by myself anyway. The landscape
leads you through a forest with mountains on either side. It was here that I
met Gerta. A big stubborn cow,
standing in the middle of the path, not budging, looking me dead in the eye.
But she was calm, and reminded me not to be in a hurry. We exchanged a mutual
gaze and I spoke to her calmly and finally, she moved. This is when, I realized
I would call my bicyle Gerta: strong and
stubborn.
Cortina is well…magical. The landscape is breathtaking. Sadly, I’m not the only
one that thinks so, so it was very full of tourists. I stopped for lunch and
then continued.
3/9: – Calalzo: 40km
Travel conditions: This is a bitumen bike path, with some parts
becoming dirt paths, passing through S.Vito di Cadore, Vodo di Cadore and Valle
di Cadore. The views of the Marmarole (2932m), and later on of Monte
Antelao (3263m) and Monte Rite (2181m). I was enjoying this downhill ride and
it didn’t take long also considering the good condition of the path.
3/9: Calalzo – Belluno: 40km
Travel conditions:
Accomodation: I got info at the tourist information and gave me the name of
3 B&Bs that all had similar prices for single rooms: between 28-32 euro. I
chose the most central one not bothering to look around too much.
4/9: Belluno –
Valdobbiadine: 75km
Travel conditions: Secondary roads leading back up into the
mountains. A 171m rather steep climb that felt like it was never ending.
 |
| Did I get lost? How did I get back to Bolzano? |
At the tourist information in
Belluno I was given a bike map “Lunga via delle Dolomiti”. That sounded lovely I thought and, despite the route was 20km
longer, I decided to take this way to Valdobbiadine. I wish I had studied the
map more carefully though, as what I didn’t realize was that instead of a relaxing
60km downhill ride, I would be going on roads going back up into the mountains,
taking me on a further 171m steep climb. At this point of the travel I was
getting tired and had really looked forward to the downhill. The path wasn’t a
bike path at all, but secondary roads with hardly any traffic. Although there
were some points when climbing that darn mountain where visibility was low. The
so-called “bike path” finished in Feltre and from there I still had to get to
Valdobbiadine, which was about 15km away. That last part of the trip wasn’t
much fun, on a highly trafficked road. I put on my most flourescent tops, tied
another one around my bags for visibility. It also started raining so it wasn’t
exactly the best part of the trip.
Once in Valdobbiadine, the district of Prosecco, I stopped at an Agriturismo
asking if they had a free room. It seemed like all the German tourists had
booked up all the rooms in the area. I was exhausted, wet and hungry, so this
wasn’t good news. Meanwhile they offered me some Prosecco which made everything
feel better again. One glass after the other, trying all the different types, and
I realized I’d been there chatting to these friendly people for almost 2 hours.
The landlady called around and found a room for me at a closeby small B&B,
where, obviously, they offered me more Prosecco. The young girl and her
boyfriend took me to dinner at a delicious restaurant and of course, we had
more Prosecco.
The B&B and winery was really nice and I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping
there. Price: 30 euros. They also talked
about the possibility of modernizing their winery next year and the possibility
of working together for that project.
5/9: Valdobbiadine – Treviso: 65km
 |
| Treviso |
Travel conditions: Small
local roads. Relatively flat.
I got thorough information from the people at the B&B about the first leg
of this trip, and the first part went smoothly. After that I got lost and it
felt like I was riding around in circles. I asked for directions several times
but nobody seemed to know the way to Treviso, despite they didn’t live very far
away. I finally got there though and in the end the trip was quite nice as it
took me on tiny local roads through farms and wineyards.
Treviso is lovely. It’s a small city with a beautiful historical center
with canals. I wandered around the city for several hours, enjoying a nice
lunch. And there, overlooking a canal, I suddenly realized that my adventure
would stop here. 346km of cycling. I
slowly walked to the train station, bought myself and Gerta (my bicyle) a train
ticket, and took the train to Macerata.
