milan to venice: lake como, alps & dolomites 2022 tour wrap
wow what an amazing, spectacular 13 days riding from milan to venice via lake como, the italian alps, bolzano, the dolomites and prosecco region!!! 824kms and 16,500m of climbing (for those that ticked off all the ‘passo’) - fuelled by plenty of gelati, pasta, spritz, pizza, risotto, local cured meats, cheeses…and more!
After welcome aperitivo at our hotel in Milan, our group of 21 set off the next morning for the shores of Lago di Como - a rolling road snaking between villages, gardens and villas along the shores of the lake a perfect start before we tackled the climb to the famous Madonna del Ghisallo cycling chapel! The Euro heatwave definitely caught a few of us out (some having just arrived from chilly Melbourne winter) - luckily a dip in the lake and gelati were the perfect post-ride refreshments before our welcome dinner in a perfect lakeside setting!
After a great ferry crossing the following morning to Varenna and more lakeside cycling, we enjoyed the Valtellina cycle path - through one of Italy’s less well known gastronomic regions - and tasted the local dishes of sciatt and pizoccheri, washed down with nebbiolo as a welcome storm came in - breaking the heat and clearing the skies for the following days…
The conditions were indeed perfect for the Passo Mortirolo!!! “Morte’ meaning ‘death’ in Italian… absolutely without doubt the toughest climb I have ever done - many many stops to recover before tackling ramp after ramp of 15%+++ !!! An incredible effort for those that tackled it and made it - a real achievement!!! And huge kudos to Mark R who rode it less than 24 hours after arriving from Australia…
2 nights in Bormio in our bike-hotel was perfect - a more leisurely ride of the hairpins to the Torre di Fraele and Lago di Cancano was beautiful, with stunning views of the Alps and lakes. Strudel beginning to feature on menus - and we certainly enjoyed our fair share.. with morning coffee stop in a refugi by the lake.
Stelvio Day is always a highlight on tour - we were lucky with perfect conditions again - the threat of rain but the skies stayed dry. Cooler conditions meant the climb from Bormio was a pleasure - as we weaved our way up the road to the Passo - incredible views of the glaciers, the dinging of cow-bells (and the buzzing of motorbikes!) the atmosphere we will never forget - soaking it up for an hour or two at the top as we warmed up with Bratwurst, hot chocolate and more strudel…!!! Then…. that descent…48 hairpins … WOW! Just WOW! And the best bit - everyone who started the climb completed it, with 20 members of our group riding the Stelvio!!
We had (perhaps) our best meal of the tour in the tiny village of Stilfs - where we enjoyed family mountain hospitality at our Albergo. Perhaps the best ravioli ever… some said, as we started enjoying the wines of the Alto Adige.
A ride along the Via Claudia Augusta (old Roman road) now converted to a sealed off road cycle path was the perfect way to spin the legs out after the Stelvio. Gradually downhill through apple orchards, small villages, beside the river and with a fun gravel segment through the forest. We visited the Forst Brauhaus (brewery) and some lunched at a spectacular venue perched above the valley floor (absolutely everyone had to walk their bike up the steep road to get there!) - but it was worth it. Overnight in cosmopolitan Bolzano - spritzes in Waltherplatz, and dinner sheltering from the rain!
Clear skies again for the biggest day of the tour - Bolzano to La Villa via 3 famous Passo of the Giro d’Italia - Costalunga, Pordoi and Campolongo . An incredible day on the bike - the Dolomites mountain scenery spectacular. And perhaps a favourite climb was the tiny little road through the forest to the chapel (those who know, know!). Well done to those who completed the day - nearly 3000m ascent in under 100km… there really wasn’t any flat, was there..!!!?
We enjoyed 3 nights in La Villa at our superb hotel - incredible multi-course meals, cable car rides, Spritz on the terrace and the odd Grappa or two (John!)… but don’t mention the “C” word…. ! The Sella Ronda (55km cycle loop around the Sella Massif) is perhaps THE BEST 55KM LOOP ANYWHERE!!! The Campolongo, Pordoi, Sella and Gardena passes offer the most beautiful scenery and (mostly) manageable gradients. A group of 11 rode it together, stopping along the way for strudel, coffees, gelati, lunch… and as we neared the end… spritz! Such a fun day on the bike!
We departed the Dolomites via the Passo Valparolo and glamorous Cortina d’Ampezzo (shopping, anyone…?), another cycle path along an old railway line, a downhill extravaganza to Belluno, the eerie Passo San Boldo (tunnels in hairpins..!!)… and our favourite overnight stop in Revine Lago, the pool and prosecco tasting with head sommelier an incredible evening and highlight of the Tour.
Our final day was stunning morning riding through the Prosecco vineyards with a visit to a Prosecco house… before the weather warmed up to 35 deg C as we reached Venice… arriving in style by private water taxi!! An incredible end to an incredible tour! Thanks to our Crew (Emma, Liz, Noel and a couple of days with Laurie)… and to Pepe, Granny and Grandpa for keeping Max and Leo entertained with cable car rides , “ding-dong” towers, and gelati! Can’t wait to get back to Italy - for now… my new favourite - a negroni spagliato.. and some cicchetti at home may have to do…! See you in 2023, and if you’d like more photos, check out our Instagram page and Instagram Europe 2022 Highlights Story.
