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.

July 4 started with gray weather, and it was clear it was not the day to go paragliding as we had hoped. So after breakfast we hit the road, driving our little Golf for the last time. It took a couple of hours to get to the Munich Airport where we gassed up and dropped off the car. Then we had an easy ride on the S-Bahn to town and a short walk to our hotel where we would meet all the other riders.

After showers we set out to see downtown, quickly running into Greg, Mary Ann and Fabio on the street. We joined up with Fabio and took the S-Bahn a few more stops to Marienplatz, in the heart of the old town. It was past lunch time so we sat down at the first restaurant at the top of the stairs from the station, which was right next to the famous Rathaus. We each had Heffeweisen with lunch and it was nice to just sit down a while and relax, watching people going in all directions.

After lunch, we walked around the old town for an hour taking in sights – here are a few pictures, courtesy of our team photographer, Katie.

After a little relaxation back at the hotel, we successfully accomplished two missions: We found euros for Katie (in an ATM machine) and we went with Jim and found ice-cream. It was a pretty low-key day, but we’re both really excited to meet up with the rest of the group tomorrow and start riding the day after.

After a nice German breakfast featuring bread and cheese, we worked on the blog, then headed up the hill to the Honenschwangau Castle where we had a 11:25 tour booked. We took the steeper route up, then hung out until precisely at 11:25:00 (this is Germany after all). Then the machine let 15 of us scan our QR codes and pass into the castle. We got to walk through 10 rooms with a guide, checking out the original furnishings and decorations. Indoor photos were not allowed.

We took a roundabout route back, on small trails with a lunch stop. We even walked down part of the route Nathan and Beau had unicycled in 2005 along the Alpsee.

Next up was Castle Neuschwanstein, maybe the most famous castle in the world. We hiked up quite a bit to get behind and above it for some incredible views. There’s a bridge which was so crowded it had a video sign telling how many people were on it and how many more could fit (max of 200, always full). It’s crowded because the view from it is just amazing. We took the obligatory selfie, then headed up the trail for some higher up views of the two castles and the surrounding ex-fiefdoms.

The crowds thinned out immediately as we climbed. A trail sign said that the trail went to Tegelberg and the hike took 3 1/4 hours. From the map we could see a cable car going back down from the summit so decided to try and make it all the way up. We switchbacked up and up and up, with occasional view stops and a couple of snack stops.

On top, we first checked the schedule for the cable car and found we had time for a beer! We sat out on the deck in the sun, loving the view in all directions.

We took the cable car down, ears popping, dropping 1000m in no time. At the bottom, we were going to hike back home but it was only 4:45 which left 15 more minutes to enjoy the Rodelbahn! It was Katie’s first time enjoying these crazy little curvy tracks where you ride a toboggan-like sled and go as fast as you dare – super fun!! But it was too fast for taking a video.

After a nice 2 km walk home through fields of flowers, we took showers and had a little rest before dinner. We found a second restaurant that was open, a beer garden, and this one advertised vegetarian and vegan food. We both had quinoa bowls with falafel – very tasty.

Instead of just heading home we walked to the lake shore, where we watched some ducks, soaked our feet, then heard a strange horn-like sound. Maybe it was a brass band practicing in a boathouse across the lake? We heard several short “songs” and we applauded with everyone else but didn’t know what we were applauding or where it was coming from. We walked around the lake and up the trail a bit to find out. We soon found three guys in lederhosen in the forest, with giant alpenhorns! After a couple of songs, they changed positions pointing across the lake to the tall mountains for the final number and the echo was so long and amazing! Then they carried the horns down the road and set up in front of the museum, now with a crowd of over 100. It was magical. What a lucky encounter to end an amazing day!

We woke up a little sore from the last days of hiking, but were looking forward to more adventures. After breakfast we checked out of the hotel and walked up to the cable car station. We rode down to Gimmelwald and got to see a little bit of the Via Ferrata route we missed this time – a great reason to return someday! The second cable car took us down to the Lauterbrunen valley at the Stechelberg parking lot where we had parked.

We drove down the valley a little and stopped at Trümmelbach Falls, an amazing river that has cut deeply into the limestone cliffs so far that the waterfalls are actually inside the mountain.

From Trümmelbach it was a bit under 3 hours drive to the town of Trimmis, where we met Nathan’s unicycle friend, Florian Schlumpf, in his new and updated workshop. Besides the world’s best shiftable unicycle hubs, Florian makes kinetic art, clockworks etc. He calls them Time Machines. Check out his website. He gave us a wonderful tour, then we sat on his second floor deck, enjoying drinks and delicious snacks, chatting until about 5pm.

After we said good-bye, we had a 2 hour drive through the tiny country of Liechtenstein and a corner of Austria, to Füssen, Germany. At one point in Germany, the little speed limit sign on our dashboard just showed a circle with a slash, meaning we were on an autobahn with no speed limit. We kept our speed to mostly under 100 mph but were passed at one point by someone going at least 150 mph.

It was about 7pm when we arrived at the “Romantic Pension Albrecht” and checked in. Right from our balcony we had a view of the famous Neuschwanstein Castle which was exciting. We walked downtown and found the one open restaurant and had a giant, filling dinner including pasta with lots of local chanterelles. Nathan ordered a beer Maß (one liter) and Katie ordered a small beer and was surprised when hers was 500 ml. After we ate our fill, we walked back and settled in for the night.

It was a first for us: we got up and took off WITHOUT any breakfast! It was really exciting to see blue sky and the best views yet. We walked the 5 minutes up to the cable car station and took a 15 minute ride up two cable cars through the clouds to the summit of the Schilthorn (2970m).

We went outside and marveled at the view in all directions. It was a chilly 4°C with some wind.

There is a rotating restaurant on top of the Schilthorn called the Piz Gloria. This is the place where the James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was filmed. We went inside where we had a reservation for the special “James Bond Brunch”, courtesy of our hotel. As we ate, the restaurant rotated almost all the way around. While it was luxurious and lovely, we were both a little disappointed with the emphasis everywhere on 007, rather than the mountains themselves. It has changed a lot since Nathan was here in 2012.

It required conversations with four different employees to get directions to start the walk down, but once we were on the route and through the construction zone, it was great.

There were some flowers, even at the top, but there were more and more as we went forward in the season by descending. There were snow patches, some hand rails, a river to cross, but mostly pretty easy walking on the 4200′ descent.

We wound our way down to town and had a snack at the hotel, then a short nap before a yummy pizza dinner. All during our time here, we looked and looked for Swiss Ibex but only saw one stuffed in the Piz Gloria. But here are a couple of wildlife shots from today…