Munich→Venice Day 5 to Dobbiaco

Nathan’s stats: 81.11 km, 1056m climbing, 4:10 riding time

After an early morning stroll through the village, we sat down to breakfast. Based on the dinner the night before no one was surprised that it was about the best breakfast ever. All the foods were amazing. People loved the omelet bar and there were all kinds of extra treats like homemade smoothies.

We started out riding the longest stage of the trip really well fed, carrying nice lunches we packed. The route was down the valley, rolling, almost all on bike paths. It was pretty warm and a little humid. We passed through little villages, along the river. There were occasional castles and quite a few other bikers cruising. This is the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol where German is the first language.

By the time we had ridden 50 km and climbed 450m, we arrived in Bruneck – Brunico (all towns here have dual names, German – Italian). We had our picnic lunch on shaded benches next to an fountain where we refilled our water. Nathan had a nice refreshing smoothie and Katie had … gelato … again! The final ride after lunch was about 30 km. The bad part was that it was now the hottest part of the day and some of the climbs were really roasting. The good part was that we had plenty of fountain stops for soaking our heads and bodies. Katie even stopped at a lake and went swimming in nice cool water. The last 8 km was spectacular with amazing views of the Dolomites.

We checked in to our hotel in Dobbiaco and enjoyed cold showers. We had a walk through the town and sat in a shaded café for drinks and snacks. Then it was time for dinner. We sat with Geoff and Betty and it was a relaxed and tasty experience, with many courses and plenty of wine. Geoff and Nathan also had the local beer. After dinner as we got ready for bed, we were treated to a thunderstorm.