Last time we saw Mum, we all agreed that it was hard to believe we'd barely been home two weeks. For my part, I've really struggled to get back into the swing of things at work - not helped by pressures caused by my absence, and some pretty foul (cold and wet) weather.
Anyway, time to look back on what was an incredible trip. This being a cycling blog, I'm going to try to keep it focused on what might be most interesting to contemplating a visit to northern Italy with bicycles.
Vital statistics
We spent 23 nights in Italy, staying in 9 different spots: Bormio (4 nights), Bellagio, Canazei, Paderno del Grappa and Edolo (3 nights each), Lorenzano di Cadore, Trieste and Malpensa (2 nights each), and a single night on the outskirts of Venice.
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| Driving loop was clockwise: Bellagio, Bormio, Canazei, L' di Cadore, Trieste, Dolo, P' del Grappa, Edolo, Milan |
I logged 1236 kilometres, accumulated over 17 rides, with a duration of 78 hours. Total climbing was about 26000 metres. We had five rides over the 100km mark, with the longest being our last ride together over the Gavia and Mortirolo passes. That ride was almost 3200m of climbing - not quite knocking the Umbrail-Stelvio loop off the top perch at 3400m. We had two rides at 2800m, and another three around the 2000m mark!
To put all that into perspective, my total logged climbing in 2024 was about 100000m, so this three week trip was roughly a quarter of that annual total. I'm very grateful we got away with it - both Sarah and I clearly have a lot of solid riding locked away in our legs, and they largely seem up to the task even if we don't manage to prepare well leading up to a trip.
Road trip format
Other than a few family MTB holidays in New Zealand, I've had very little experience with cycling road trips. Sarah, Khulan and I did try our hand at a campervan mission, visiting Tasmania in late 2023. The fully supported Tour de France One Day Ahead trip in 2018 is another exception, but there I was treated like royalty and had a full logistics team around me, and never had to touch a steering wheel, let alone organise anything!
The car was both a blessing and a curse.
I'm comfortable driving on New Zealand roads, and while fairly tolerant to road riding here, I shudder when thinking about the adjustment cycle tourists from Europe, Asia and any other "civilised" parts of the world will have to go through when they discover not only the absence of decent cycling infrastructure, but also the absence of a duty of care for more vulnerable road users.
It is interesting to note a role reversal - during this trip, while riding I had well-founded confidence that other road users were going to do their utmost to keep me safe. On the other hand, behind the wheel, I found the highway speeds a bit hectic (130km/h a lot of the time), the roads narrow, and other drivers not that inclined to yield!
After poring over online reviews, I finally settled on booking with Avis. I'm sure it is in the fine print of the original contract, but there were a few extras (location surcharge in particular) that ensured the bill crept up well beyond the original "Estimated Total". On the other hand, the fee for the damaged tyre (and tow) was very reasonable indeed, so I guess it's a case of win-some-lose-some.
While integral to the success of the holiday, that car ended up being about $200 NZ per day, and was was the source of occasional peak stress!
Despite these grizzles, I did love discovering some of the epic tunnels up the valleys, and we'd have been oblivious to them without the car.
Bicycles
We both road Open Cycle U.P. bikes in sweet Italian road mode, i.e. running 700c wheels with 32mm road tyres (GP 5000s for Sarah, and 4 Seasons/Gatorskin pair for me). Our GRX groupsets were ample, and if anything, the gearing was way more suitable than compact road gearing would have been.
The only issues we had were with the brakes, which don't always take kindly to flying, and the wheels constantly going in and out for the driving legs. It was also lucky that I had a spare seat-post clamp for when I stuffed mine. A good thing to carry, especially if you know you'll be removing the seatpost regularly...
The famous climbs
There's no denying the allure of the storied roads of the cycling world, and on this trip, Sarah and I were lucky to tick off the Ghisallo, Mortirolo (two ascents), Stelvio, Umbrail (virtually a second ascent of the Stelvio), Gavia, Pordoi, Fedaia, Croce d'Aune, and Monte Grappa.
I'm nowhere near as familiar with the history of the Giro d'Italia as I am with the Tour de France, but even without sporting anecdotes to lean on, these long climbs were more fun to ride for knowing that they were in the coffee-table books. Seeing with ones own eyes the way the final stretches of the Stelvio cling to the hillside is really quite special.
100 Greatest Cycling Climbs of Italy by Simon Warren was a handy resource.
But wait, there's more...
From the hundreds of kilometres we rode, there's a stretch that really sticks out in my memory, namely, the incredible descent we took off Monte Grappa. I don't recognise a single (rider's) name in the Strava Top 10 times of the climb shortly after the photo below was taken, whereas one of the segments on the main climb we took has all but two of the top 20 times set during this year's Giro, and I recognise almost all of those names!
The moral of this story for me is that the "best roads" are not necessarily ones that can fit a Grand Tour peloton, let alone their vehicle support. Indeed, if "cuteness" is a criterion, you almost surely need to look elsewhere.
It is entirely possible that part of why I loved that road so much (and, e.g. the climb I did alone on my final ride of the trip, from Edolo), was knowing that it was unknown, relatively speaking. Feeling like you've stumbled upon something special adds to the sense that it is special.
Sustenance
Italian cuisine is right up a cyclist's alley - no surprises on that front. Most nights we ate pizza or pasta, and these went a long way to getting us through the next day's ride. We carried very little food on the bike - I'd even go so far as to say too little, but we did get away with it. Thanks in no small part to dinner, but also for the fact that many mountain passes had food available at or near the top, and that stretches between villages tended not to be too long.
A few of our recent cycle tour destinations have really tested my coffee addiction, but this wasn't an issue at all in Italy (Viet Nam, you're still my all-time favourite). Bars are commonplace, and if you're not wanting a mid-morning Spritz Aperol, the coffee machine is bound to be on. Espresso was reasonably priced (usually about 1.25 Euro). A cappuccino tended to be double this price, unless you sit down, in which case the coperto could double the price again!
While food was high-calorie and relatively easy to find, it wasn't cheap to eat out. A panino for lunch was sometimes as much as 10 Euro, which was knocking on double what you might expect to pay in New Zealand. On the other hand, a few were absolutely worth it (the panino caprese we had twice in Ampezzo, I'm looking at you...).
My new favourite pasta dish is pizzoccheri alla Valtellinese, which while not much to look at, is an hors categorie meal if ever I had one.
It was pretty cheap to cook at home, so it was just a matter of compromising slightly on a cultural experience (e.g. filled pasta with some pesto, avocado and mozzarella to feed three was easily within 10 Euro).
Accommodation
I used a combination of booking.com and airbnb for our digs.
Our room configuration wasn't super common, but I generally didn't have too much trouble finding somewhere near a village centre, and with a washing machine. Mostly, we were in apartments, and these came with full cooking facilities (and, critically, a stovetop coffee maker).
The bikes tended not to be a hassle - during the trip they "slept" on a balcony, in a private garage, hidden away in a garden shed, in a shared but secure atrium, and even joined us in a bedroom or two.
Parking the car tended to be a bit more tricky. Occasionally we had dedicated off-street parking, but more likely we'd be directed to a free but public spot. In Trieste, we had to spring for a 24-hour carparking building which was 25 Euro per day, if memory serves.
With the benefit of hindsight...
Aside from not puncturing the tyre in the rental car, I don't think there's much I'd do differently.
The couple of nights in Trieste was probably the most stressful (as tour guide), and we didn't really extract much direct benefit out of being in the city (i.e. no city-based attractions). However, the contrast helped us realise how much we'd been enjoying the valleys and villages, and the ride into Slovenia and Croatia added a lovely dimension to the trip.
I've been thinking a bit about what a cycle tour out of Milan might look like. The loop in the image below gives the broad strokes of a route that would set a fit individual or group up for most of our highlights.
- Day 1: Milan Malpensa to Bellagio via the Ghisallo is about 100km and nice shake down ride after ditching boxes at the airport.
- Days 2-3: A ferry from Bellagio and then the Sentiero Valtellina cycle path to Bormio would be a long day (about 140km). I'd be inclined to go via Switzerland and pass through Livigno and over Passo Foscagno to make it a solid two-days, and just shy of 200km.
- Days 4-5: Three nights in Bormio would give the opportunity to visit Lago di Cancano and to do the Gavia-Mortirolo loop.
- Days 6-7: Bormio to Canazei via the Stelvio would be a solid two-day ride, with a bunch of options for the final half day into Canazei. I'd happily recommend the second half of the loop Sarah and I rode (with a short side trip down to see the lake).
- Day 8: The Fedaia was a beast, but a loop over Passi Sella, Gardena and Campolongo to Arraba, followed by the Fedaia would be a great day's riding (we didn't ride the Gardena and Campolongo, unfortunately).
- Day 9: Passo Pordoi and then Passo Falzarego would be a relatively short day into Cortina. Passo Giau instead of Falzarego would be slightly longer, but either would set you up for an extra 30km downhill run into Pieve di Cadore.
- Day 10: Go to Ampezzo for a panino!
- Days 11-13: Plenty of time to get to Monte Grappa, climb it, and enjoy some of the highlights in the vicinity (e.g. Croce d'Aune and some of the cycle path between Feltre and Bassano del Grappa).
- Days 14-15: Two days to Edolo via Val di Sole and Passo Tonale.
- Days 16-17: Back to Milan via Lago d'Iseo (which looked stunning in the rare glimpses we got of it between tunnels).
All told, that would be an absolutely stunning loop with epic climbs, but no single day too insane, distance wise. There would be infinitely many ways to add loops or detours, with or without leaving Italy and/or the mountains.
To get it down to two weeks, cut out Livigno, forgo the best panino of the trip in Ampezzo, and spend a day less in the vicinity of Monte Grappa. What a parcours - maybe I'll go and test it out some time! And, nothing would make me happier than to hear from a happy adopter!
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Especially with what's going on in the world right now, it does generally feel good to be at the arse-end of the world, miles away from it all, in little old New Zealand. However, it isn't always great to be so far away, and Europe is about as far as it gets.
I've documented some incredible roads on this blog: here at home, in Tasmania, Taiwan, South Korea, between Argentina and Chile, and through South East Asia. The Europeans cannot claim to be the only folk who know how to build spectacular road, and neither do they have a monopoly on spectacular scenery.
On the other hand, I've not seen anywhere else that has so much choice packed into a small area. Where New Zealand has a handful of decent road climbs dotted around the country, it seems to be the case that you could pick from dozens of villages or small towns in the Italian Alps or Dolomites (not to mention elsewhere), and have more choice within riding distance of your accommodation than in the whole of New Zealand. And, the roads you'd find would be longer, narrower, more dramatic, and generally higher quality!
Their legend derives in part from their physical characteristics, but I've no doubt their reputation is established and amplified through their role as hosts of sporting drama.
It was a privilege to spend time there, and having Mum with us only added to the experience, especially given her amazing command of Italian, and knowledge of the cuisine and culture. There were plenty of highlights that would have slipped us by without her company.
The trip also had an important role to play in our adjustment to life without Dad. He was meant to be with us, of course, and the experiences we enjoyed were bittersweet. After weeks of soul-searching immediately following his death in April, the three of us felt we were left with no choice but to go and have the best time we could. I'm sure he'd be proud of us, as we are of ourselves. This one was for you, Pops.
