Nathan’s stats: 62.58 km, 555m climbing, 3:11 riding time

After breakfast, we started out in nice cool air, cruising down the bike path. We were really impressed with the bike paths in this area. It’s so nice to be able to ride from town to town for long distances almost without riding on roads at all. Our guide Rosita told us that one town nearby did a study and found that the investment they made in bike paths was paid back in economic activity five times within 4-5 years.

We stopped for lunch at a lake where water from a hydro project was running past. The water was cold and nice for swimming but it wasn’t officially allowed. After lunch, the Rebel Swimming Group (Katie, Rosita, Scott, Wendy, Greg and Suzy), found a secret place and went in briefly. They were very refreshed and happy.

We still had 20 km or so to our finish, but before we got to the hotel, we stopped at Bianca Vigna, a Prosecco Winery, for a tour. The tour through the production facility was interesting but I think most of us were most excited about the tasting. A very long table was setup outside for us, and once we moved it into the shade, we were set. We sampled four types, a standard Brut DOC, a DOC Rose and then a dry and a sweet Rive (top quality) Prosecco. This was really fun and refreshing too.

From the winery we had a short ride to Conegliano, and soon were checked in to our hotel. After showers and some relaxing, we headed out on a walk to dinner. There was a gelateria right next door, so even though dessert was limone sorbet (the kind you drink), most of us had second dessert next door. Then we took a detour downtown and stumbled upon a Friday night party (all night every Friday in July). It seemed like the whole town was there! We saw little kids racing on toy tractors, dance contests and an amazing game of foosball played with humans who had their hands taped to the bars.

Nathan’s stats: 68.06 km, 516m climbing, 3:21 riding time

After yet another yummy, decadent breakfast, we started out riding in cool temperatures, with many people wearing jackets. The day was nearly all downhill, and there were some fun sections of gravel in the beginning. We stopped in a little village where the guy who invented the gelato cone lived. It was slightly raining but afterwards, the weather improved.

We carried on – the bike path here was a rail trail. It was gently sloped down, sometimes paved and sometimes gravel. We went through tunnels and really enjoyed the views of the dolomites as they got smaller and smaller as we headed down in the direction of Venice. Every few kilometers we passed through another village with its cute but defunct train station. We stopped at a lake for lunch and a swim. It was a gorgeous setting and the water felt fantastic.

After lunch, we continued on to Longarone. After we parked bikes, checked into the hotel and had showers, we checked out the memorial church for the victims of the devastating 1963 disaster that killed 80% of the town. A giant rockfall into the lake created by the Vajont Dam caused a 250m high wave and air blast supposedly stronger than the blast at Hiroshima to destroy the town. Sobered by the memorial, we walked back and had dinner in a nearby restaurant.

As planned, after breakfast, we headed to the bike shop that rents Via Ferrata equipment. It was quick and soon we were walking to the gondola base station behind the 1956 Olympic Ice Stadium. It was sprinkling a little but we didn’t worry. During the ride we had a beautiful view of the town and two giant rabbits chasing each other on the ski slopes. About 15 minutes later we were 550 meters higher and … it was raining. The next step was to hike down 20 minutes and take a chair lift to the bottom of the Via Ferrata Ra Bujela route. We waited in the restaurant for the weather to improve, but it really didn’t. We had some hot drinks and tiramisu, but after watching it rain for 90 minutes we decided to call it a day. We noticed a few lightening flashes and thunder and sure enough, when we got to the gondola entrance it was stopped; being suspended from a long cable in a lightening storm is not a good idea.

After some more time relaxing, the gondola finally started back up and we descended back to Cortina d’Ampezzo. As we walked back to return the equipment, the rain stopped and then the sun came out. Suddenly, everywhere we looked around the valley looked clear and fine.

Plan B was quickly made: don’t return the equipment, have lunch and head back up and do the route! We walked the 1.5 km back to the gondola station only to find that the whole system was shut down due to high wind. It was windless and sunny in the valley so this felt weird, but there was nothing to do except make a plan C. This was to drop off the climbing equipment at the hotel and take another cable car up to a point called Refugio Faloria. We were laughing as we tried to imagine what condition would occur to thwart this plan, but it actually worked and soon we were in a 40-person cable car, quietly moving fast up the steep slope.

Linda was in the car with us and we met quite a number of our group on top. Several of us did a short nature walk with amazing views of the valley over 1000m below. We walked to the ruin of the “Cliffhanger Lodge”, used in making the 1993 movie Cliffhanger. The two of us did another short hike before returning to the Refugio for some cold drinks in the shade, entertained by Art and Shelley’s hilarious stories.

We took the 4:40 cable car down, then returned our unused Via Ferrata gear. We had gelato to reward ourselves for having fun regardless of what happens, then walked back to the hotel for showers and a rest. Dinner was the usual affair, in a big group with lots of tasty food in the hotel restaurant. We had tasty eggplant parmigiana followed by polenta with massive slabs of fried cheese.

Nathan’s stats: 59.19 km, 1327m climbing, 3:27 riding time

Katie’s stats: 19.2 miles, 1250′, many hours, relaxed style

Instead of starting the day right after breakfast with riding, we walked a bit from the hotel to a local cheese factory. We had a fun tour, and really got to see exactly how they make cheese. The tour ended with a tasting session, complete with wine and breads and crackers. They also had a delicious quince-based mustard sauce.

We didn’t start riding until 11, but it was a short day, only about 32 km if you took the quickest route. We headed up the most gorgeous valley into the Dolomites, on a gravel bike path that was perfectly graded. We passed a couple of lakes and mountain scenery that was off scale. We pedaled by cliffs that seemed to be taller than those of Yosemite.

At the second lake, we split up. Some people (Nathan included) headed out for an optional ‘extra ride’ up to the top of the Three Peaks of Lavaredo–see more about that below, while the rest of the group continued on to the Province of Belluno (the home Province of Miriam) and on down to Cortina. Katie, Scott and Rosita of the famous “Swimming and Gelato Team” took a relaxed ride back with a deliciously cold and refreshing swim in the lake, followed by a rest in the shade at the Provincial border to await Miriam driving the support-van (with cold water to refill our bottles and dark chocolate) and making many stops, mostly for photos but the last one being for a gelato cone from a young Gelato ‘Pedaler’, whose business is aptly named ‘Il Gelato Pedalato‘.

The most bicycle-adventurist members of the group did (or attempted) the optional 13 km ride up Tre Cime di Lavaredo, climbing 925m. It averaged 12% and had long sections of 15-16% grade. Several riders became disheartened and turned around, and a few others succeeded with some walking. Nathan rode with Geoff and Betty on their E-tandem and successfully summited with a few others. It was hot and sweaty work – likely Betty would have a far worse description for it. The views from the top were amazing.

It was a zoo on top with hundreds of cars and many busses. Luckily on the descent, it was possible to pass both cars and busses and cruise at speed. The hairpins required lots of strong braking though, on one of them, slowing from 80 kph to 30. The descent felt like it took 5 minutes vs over an hour for the climb.

We met back up with the bike path, then opted for the paved road for the last 13 km down to Cortina. The hotel was right at the bottom of the lively downtown area and quite nice. Cold showers again felt SO good.

We went out for a walk around town and noticed a video screen showing a Via Ferrata (equipped climbing route that anyone can do without a guide, using simple safety gear). We enquired and were directed to a rental store who said we should come by at 8:30 the next morning and gave us a couple of recommendations for “starter” routes.

Then it was dinner time which was fun and loud as usual, in the hotel dining room. Dinner started with a delicious pumpkin gnocchi and salad. It was Greg and Wendy’s 25th anniversary today so we had an extra toast with prosecco.

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.

Nathan’s stats: 72.41 km, 1298m climbing, 3:37 riding time

It seemed like a normal day starting out: wake up, pack up, breakfast, drop off our bags, get on the bikes, wait a while until everyone is ready, then take off. Actually, since Suzy had just arrived and our group was finally complete, we did a group photo with our jerseys before starting.

After just a few km, we started climbing steeply – a long section of 10-13%. It touched 15% a couple of times. By the time we had done less than 10 km, we were already seeing amazing mountain views.

The angle eased off as we continued toward the famous Brenner Pass, but the temperature was rising. At one point Nathan caught up to the Santa Cruz squad and it seemed just perfect – and a little comical with us all in our checkerboard “lederhosen” jerseys. But just when you start thinking it’s perfect, something happens. In Nathan’s case it was the clang of a broken spoke – and on these bikes you can’t continue really. We adjusted as much as possible to try and get the wheel to spin and our amazing guide Fabio rode the bike down quite a steep hill, wobbling like crazy and making scary sounds as it rubbed. There was a cycling race on so our support vehicle wasn’t allowed to proceed. Nathan ended up waiting an hour for the van with a replacement wheel, then headed up to the pass at a good pace with Fabio.

We were reunited at a gorgeous little café, high on the mountain where Katie and others were taking a break. After that, there was another 10 km of climbing, some of it on gravel and the final section was on the road but super hot; this was tough for lots of riders. On top of the pass, we entered Italy and came upon the Santa Cruz squad again, swilling beer at a nice outdoor bar. We ate a second lunch, drank some radler (cold beer mixed with lemonade), and reunited again.

We had heard that the 32 km to go after the pass was up and down but it ended up being the most gorgeous, continuous, smooth and perfect downhill ever. The bike path is really just perfect. If we had paths like this in the US, cycling would be so much more popular! It was a dream descending. Fabio and Nathan raced a guy on an e-Bike and won soundly on a section Nathan had unicycled in 2012. Everyone was having fun. Some people had taken the train up, either all the way from Innsbruck or from a higher station, but you would not want to miss this descent for anything.

We had another refueling stop with the van, then headed the last 10 km to the hotel. Chilled watermelon was brought out to the bike garage which seemed surprising but we didn’t fully realize the extent of our luck until later. We had a suite, spacious and nice. After delicious cold showers, we sat outside drinking more radler, chatting away the afternoon. We walked around the extensive grounds…what a place.

Finally it was 7:30 and time for the main event: dinner. We have been having three course meals, with soup or salad, a main course and a desert, one drink included. Tonight was six courses with two drinks and off the charts. We heard many people say, “Best meal in my life!” And it was! We found out toward the end that the chef has a nearby restaurant with 2 Michelin stars. The service, the presentation, the tastes…off the chart. When you are here, stay at Romantik Hotel Stafler.

Nathan’s stats: 32.47km, 100m climbing, 1:46 riding time

We had a half day of riding today with no climbing to speak of, so we had a late start, just before 10am. We rode bike paths along the river and through corn and barley fields with views up to the tall peaks.

Almost before we knew it we were pulling up to a swimming area at a lake, in the outskirts of Innsbruck. It was quite warm so a swim was just what the doctor ordered. We hung out for maybe 3 hours, as check-in at the hotel didn’t start until 3pm.

The water was cool but not cold and it was really relaxing, sitting on the grass in shade, and later having drinks at the little bar by the lake. Finally it was time to go and we cycled the last little bit, arriving just before 3. The hotel was right downtown, next to the entrance of the old town. It’s ultramodern and new.

After some relaxation we met at 5pm for a walking tour. A pretty funny local guide gave us radios and earpieces so we could hear him even if he was a ways away. He took us around for a couple of hours, talking and telling jokes pretty much constantly.

We saw lots of historical stuff, but the best was last: the cathedral. It was incredible, a truly amazing space. Come here and see it!

Dinner was in the hotel restaurant, and we really enjoyed sitting with Jim and Scott. A bunch of us went out for gelato after, second dessert, as is just about required on bike tours. All in all it was a nice day, light on the cycling.

Nathan’s stats: 74.6 km, 631m climbing, 3:38 riding time

Our second day riding was similar to the first in distance, with a little more climbing, but even more scenic and fun. After breakfast we rolled out of town on a gravel bike path that gradually climbed. We had a nice rest stop on top of a dam at 25 km, with snacks and chats with a German cycling group also doing Munich to Venice.

After some more riding we crossed the Austrian border and were happy to see that the bike path continued.

There was one steep gravel section that was hard to ride – Nathan had to figure out how to shift onto the small chainring which the bike didn’t want to do. Answer: push it with your foot. Soon we arrived at lunch at a gorgeous lake. There were so many other cyclists enjoying this valley and the lake – most of them with “E” (electric assist). In our group, we have 9 with “E” and 16 without.

Katie and a few others braved the cold water – Katie made it look comfortable swimming around for quite a while but later admitted it was colder than the Pacific at Santa Cruz.

The final section to Schwaz was about 30 km. It featured a quite steep gravel downhill section with many switchbacks but it seems like everyone made that ok. Nathan had fun drafting Geoff and Betty on their “E” tandem – they do NOT slow down for short climbs.

We made it to the hotel in Schwaz, a little hot and sweaty, but the showers felt great. The bathroom in each hotel room had a transparent glass wall between the shower and the bedroom – first time we’ve seen that.

We had a walk around town, some gelato, and looked through a city park that surrounded a pretty looking old church but before we knew it it was 7pm and time for dinner. The whole group ate outdoors at a nearby restaurant. It was another long, long pre-sunset evening, looking up at tall mountains and enjoying good company and food.

Nathan’s stats: 72.72km, 538m climbing, 3:32 riding time

After another big breakfast, we did a few final preparations with the bikes and got ready to ride.

We left the hotel in a big group, 27 riders, just after 9am. We rode through Munich for the first 9-10 km, through many traffic lights, with the group always getting separated. Finally we got on the official München-Venezia bike path and it was easier to keep together.

The weather was perfect, not too hot and not too cold, with no threat of rain. Everyone was in a good mood as we cruised, mostly on bike paths, some paved, some gravel and even a short rooty mountain bike section through a forest. We rode alongside a river, very scenic. At some point a number of us went ahead and found our wonderful support driver, Miriam, at the promised spot, about 1/3 of the way along. She told us to go check out a nearby castle and it turned out to be a very peaceful place for a first lunch stop. We ate our sandwiches and snacked on cherries and blueberries under shade trees.

After lunch, Nathan ended up riding ahead with John and the two of us just kept cranking along, riding tiny country roads and bike paths until we were at an outdoor beer café, just down a short hill from the destination hotel in Bad Tölz. We had a couple of rounds of cold beer that really hit the spot. As we chatted, we saw most of the other riders pass by and climb up to the hotel.

After lunch, Katie rode with the larger group, often separating and reforming in different groupings. People all helped each other sharing directions and coping with/trying out various GPS systems that were sometimes non-functional.

We headed up and checked in, had showers, then headed out for a walk around the quaint town.

After a couple of hours it was dinner time; we all ate in the hotel dining room. The room was large but very loud, especially as the wine and beer flowed.

We didn’t hear anyone having other than positive experiences on this first day of riding and look forward to many more ahead.

It was fun going down to breakfast and seeing many of our friends from California and other places. We had a good solid breakfast then headed downtown. We came out at the Marienplatz S-Bahn stop as the day before, then walked 20 minutes to the Bavarian National Museum. On the way we came across surfers on the Eisbachwelle which has been quite a thing in Munich for over 40 years. The river has been adjusted so there’s a permanent, half-meter high standing wave that can be continually surfed. The riders were so skilled, jetting across the narrow but quick running river. One guy did a bunch of tricks then flipped into a headstand as he was pushed over the wave.

We walked around some of the museum exhibits, concentrating on the Baroque and Rococo rooms. There were English translations on the descriptions but the audio guide didn’t help much as it covered too much. They have a bunch of amazing old stuff there, that’s for sure, plus at least one piece of Lactation Art!

Soon it was time to head back toward the S-Bahn and to our station. We had lunch in an Italian café by the station, then made it to the hotel by 13:00, the bicycle group meeting time. Down in the basement we had the critical bike fitting session. We rode around and adjusted seats etc. until we were all happy with our bikes.

There was a bit of a nap session after, at least for Nathan. Then it was time to head back downtown, in a group of about 30. We arrived in Marienplatz right at 5pm when the famous marionette show takes place. We had watched it previously on YouTube but here’s our favorite part.

This started a 2 hour walking tour of Munch, with a very good Italian guide, Simone. He explained tons of history.

After seeing lots, we ended up at a restaurant for a group dinner. 7 or 8 of us stopped for gelato on the way back to the station, and before 10pm we were back at the hotel. It’s exciting to think we get to start riding tomorrow. We had a couple of rain showers today but the forecast for tomorrow is good.