Reader story: To the Mediterranean by road bike
Text: Stefan Wolf
Summertime is cycling time! So this year, our tried and tested group - five men and one woman - got together for another adventure. While last year we cycled from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean through the Pyrenees, this time it was to be the Alps. But not just over them. Instead, we were going to cycle the length of the Alps in a west-east direction, from Constance to Trieste to be precise, covering around a thousand kilometres and 18,000 metres of altitude in nine days. And because racing cyclists don't like having luggage on their backs, we treated ourselves to a minibus as a support vehicle, as we did last year, which was driven by one of us every half day in turn.
Day 1: Start at Lake Constance
We set off from Constance at eight o'clock in the morning in perfect weather - and then immediately crossed the Swiss border. Past Kreuzlingen and on small, well-paved roads to Rapperswil, over the dam on Lake Zurich to Pfäffikon and on via Schwyz to Lake Lucerne and the first small "mountain test", the Sattel Pass. At 930 metres, not really high and therefore good for acclimatisation. The end point of the first day was Altdorf, where, according to legend, the story of William Tell took place.
Day 2: The first real mountain
The St. Gotthard Pass at 2,091 metres with ascent via the north ramp from Andermatt is the first alpine challenge. At the top, the bus is waiting with lunch: Bread, cheese, chopped vegetables and fruit. A dip in the summit lake to cool off ... and off we go again. This time downhill over 14 kilometres through the Val Tremola to Airolo, very picturesque, and on to Roveredo in Graubünden, near Bellinzona. During the night, a heavy thunderstorm unleashes with heavy rain, but in the morning everything is clear and sunny again.
Day 3: Breakdown
We start today at a cycle-friendly 18 degrees and head for the San Bernadino Pass, 2,065 metres above sea level. We make our way from the almost Mediterranean Ticino over many kilometres of ascent through a wide variety of landscapes to the top of the pass, where we find ourselves in a rugged and rocky high mountain landscape - the contrast couldn't be greater! But now, unfortunately, we also have our first puncture. For some unknown reason, the left-hand crank suddenly falls off for the writer of these lines - you need special tools for that! And once again our bus proves its worth: a quick call, the defective wheel loaded, driver change. The rider who had actually been assigned to the bus gets to enjoy an (unexpected) 1,000 metres of climbing, while the other rider looks for (and finds) a competent mechanic on the other side of the pass, in Thusis, who fixes everything. Meanwhile, the group enjoys a fantastic, long descent and admires the legendary Via Mala gorge, among other things. In the evening, we all meet back at our accommodation in the Engadin village of Filisur.
Day 4: Cycling through the World Heritage Site
Our hunger for mountain passes is awakened: Today we drive - among other things - over the Albula Pass, 2,615 metres high. A pass straight out of a picture book! Not much traffic, the narrow-gauge railway runs from Preda through the Albula tunnel. The trains of the Rhaetian Railway appear to us again and again on the boldly constructed viaducts during the ascent by bike. This railway line is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the top, after 23 kilometres of ascent from Filisur, we have a cappuccino - and a special encounter on the café terrace: a sprightly elderly gentleman from Switzerland sits down at our table, drinks tea and eats his nut croissant. He tells us that he is travelling through the Swiss mountains on his e-bike, staying overnight spontaneously and carrying his luggage in his saddlebags. When we ask him if he is doing this alone and how old he is, he replies: "I'm now 87.... and I don't have anyone else to go with me." Wow, we think - and chapeau! Strengthened, we continue on to Pontresina near St. Moritz, but then immediately head uphill again, past the Diavolezza over the legendary Bernina Pass at 2,330 metres. Directly in front of us are the giants Piz Bernina and Piz Palü. After a short downhill section, we turn left and head uphill again to the Forcola di Livigno. The last descent of the day leads to Livigno, a winter sports centre and free trade zone, our destination for today. Now in Italy, we reward ourselves with an Aperol Spritz for today's 2,300 metres in altitude. Later, the pizzeria serves Schmucker beer on tap (!!!) from our local Odenwald. The world is that small.
Day 5: Scary moment on the Stelvio
begins with the Lombardy pass duo of Eira (2,209 metres) and Foscagno (2,291 metres). We remember the cycling legend Eddy Merckx, who laid the foundations for his third overall Giro d'Italia victory here in 1972. This is followed by another beautiful, long descent to Bormio in Italy. But the main act of the day is still to come, the Silftser Joch. After the Col de l'Iseran, this is the second highest Alpine pass at 2,758 metres. At the end of the day, we are informed that the pass is closed to traffic due to road damage caused by storms - and indeed: a little way after Bormio, we are faced with a roadblock. What to do? Two racing cyclists come towards us and encourage us to ride anyway. Indeed: a few stones and some gravel don't really hinder us and the Italian road workers kindly let us pass. The Stelvio Pass project is saved, with the added highlight of not seeing any cars or motorbikes on the otherwise busy pass road. Instead, there are marmots romping around on the tarmac. Brilliant - you don't experience something like this very often in your cycling life. Then probably the longest descent of the entire tour - with rain in between - down to the village of Prad. We cycle leisurely through the South Tyrolean apple orchards to Algund, right next to Meran.
Day 6: Overnight camp on the yoke
Our route first takes us through the busy city of Bolzano - very unusual after the rather lonely mountain days - on to Castelrotto, Ortisei, Santa Cristina and Selva di Val Gardena at 2,121 metres. We spend the night at the top of the pass and enjoy the bizarre mountain world of the Dolomites below the Sassolungo, between the Sella Pass and the Puez Group.
Day 7: Through the Dolomites
The next morning, we head downhill to Corvara, which on this day is the transit point for the annual "Maratona dles Dolomites" racing bike spectacle with thousands of participants - we barely make it through the crowds. Today's "mountain classifications" are Passo Valparola (2,192 metres) and Passo Falzarego (2,105 metres). We then head down to the Olympic town of Cortina d'Ampezzo and on to today's destination of Kartisch in Tyrol. There is no dinner at our Hotel Garni, but there is a comfortable sauna - not bad either ... and the pizza service works too.
Day 8: From Carinthia to Friuli
We cycle along a hilly road with little traffic via Obertillach and Maria Luggau to Carinthia. In Podlanig in Lesachtal we are greeted by brass band music. We learn that the annual district brass band meeting is taking place this Sunday. A feast for the eyes and ears! We cycle on through the Gailtal valley to Nassfeld and then up to the Nassfeld Pass or Passo Pramollo (1,530 metres). Carinthia's largest ski area is located here - and the pass lives up to its name. At the top, shortly after the border with Italy, it rains heavily. We pass the time with a relaxed cappuccino at the top of the pass. The descent is then rather unspectacular, but with lots of splashing water. Our destination today is Tarvisio. This time, fellow traveller Franz takes care of the evening stop. Our requirements: A maximum of 200 metres away from the hotel (due to rain), good reviews on the internet and typical local cuisine (we are in the culinary hotspot of Friuli after all). And Franz does it really well: full marks for a very nice osteria, which even serves the Friulian speciality frico, the delicious cheese and potato flatbread. Perfetto!
Day 9: Final on the Mediterranean
At the start: pouring rain! We split up. Three cyclists get on the bus and three ("the tough ones") get on their bikes. At the Passo del Predil (1,156 metres), the border between Italy and Slovenia, it is still raining. The descent past Bovec and Kobarid is then dry and our lunch picnic by the beautiful Soca river even takes place in glorious sunshine. After the break, the obligatory driver change on the bus again. The second half of the day takes us on a fantastic cycle path along the Soca, through many small, picturesque Slovenian villages and finally to the Adriatic coastal road. We see the Mediterranean for the first time and our destination - Trieste - in the distance. A gentle downhill roll, the traffic steadily increasing, past the small Miramar Castle, built between 1856 and 1860 for Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria, the brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I. Once we arrive in Trieste, we get a taste of the harbour air before heading into the city centre for a "reward drink". Trieste was part of the Habsburg monarchy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire for a long time - splendid city villas bear witness to this era. We have booked a holiday flat in the city centre for our last night. We spend one last evening having fun and reviewing our trip. We have experienced so much in the nine days, it's amazing! The next morning, the six bikes and our luggage are loaded and we head back to Constance on Lake Constance - and for three of us to Griesheim the next day.
Note: The "Reader Story" is a format in which TOUR readers describe their cycling experiences in words and pictures. The editorial team has no influence whatsoever on the creation and realisation. The editorial work is limited to technical and orthographic adjustments.
