Made it!!

But it was a hard final day's cycling. I managed to get some help from the hotel and the tourist office re. route instructions, which compensated for the lack of a proper cycling map. A driving map had to suffice - which wasn't too bad since I cycled along a lot of quiet roads - avoiding big ones like the plague! I met Fabio in Bagnolo and asked him for some directions. He was so impressed by the trip, he showed me the route by driving ahead of me for a while. It felt like doing one of those time trials in the Tour de France!

The main problem was the heat since I set off so late. Apart from consuming about 5 litres of water and pouring it on my head and back to cool down, I had to stop three times at cafes because I was beginning to feel a little dizzy. At least I got to see the first half of Rangers v Chelsea in one bar...

As I traveled south, the land became more arid and the colours more earthy - apart from an encouraging amount of tomato plantations. In my mind, they were all for that prized plate of spaghetti bolognese awaiting me in town.

Eventually after over 100 km, I could see Bologna in the distance, with the hazy Apennines on the horizon. Good thing I don't need to climb them. As I got closer into town, there was a distinctly ashy smell in the air and soon enough, smoke from two fires was visible - which was surprising so close to a major city, but it was one of the hottest days of my trip. I saw one of those extinguishing helicopters head towards the scene.

It took me a long time to get to the centre and find my hotel, so I was more tired than euphoric when I arrived. That changed when I got some food inside me. I also met Nikos from Crete, who runs a Greek bar near my hotel. He gave me a couple of free beers to celebrate.


The reward: Pasta ain't never tasted so good

Actually, "tagliatelle ai ragu" is the more authentic version of what we call "spag bol". Thanks again to Ali for helping me find the perfect place to eat.

So that's that: I have fulfilled my dream of crossing the Alps by bike and can be a mild mannered janitor again until the next adventure calls. I have 24 hours to discover Bologna before catching the night train to Munich.

Today's run: 125 km

Tour recap: Wittenberg-Torgau-Meissen-Decin-Prague-Kamyk-Zvikov-Frymburk-Obermuehl-Passau-Braunau-Kraiburg-Rosenheim-Kufstein-Innsbruck-Landeck-Reschen-Meran-Rovereto-Verona-Mantova-Bologna

Total for the trip: 1842 km (which is much shorter than Goole Earth predicted, but we did take a few short cuts - I'm not complaining, it feels like the perfect time to stop).

Oh yes, today for the very first time, my bum actually did feel sore.

Bad move, good move

There were no proper cycling maps to be found anywhere in Verona, so I took the tourist office's advice and headed towards Mantova - leaving the Via Claudia Augusta and heading for the "Ciclopista del Sole", which is part of the Eurovelo 7 trail from northern Sweden to Malta.

But to get there, I had an absolutely disgusting 40 km along main roads through the heat, smog, soot, lorries... I was the only one cycling around here and I know why.

If I did this trip again, I would definitely go via Lake Garda after all and miss Verona altogether (or pop in by train, since the centre is so beautiful). It would have avoided 70 km of stress going into and out of Verona.

But just as I was seriously regretting my decision to take this route, I hooked up with the cycle path at Burghetto and was really rewarded for my efforts. I stopped for a drink in the beautiful 14th Century town.


Looking down from the bridge


Looking up at the bridge

I quickly had a fruit bar for lunch and enjoyed the lovely ride along the River Mincio. As you may have noticed, these fruit bars are an essential part of my journey. They taste a bit like lembas bread dipped in Orangina.

While we're on the subject of essential items, meet my tub of, er, horse cream:

Tina's recommendation is suitable for hide, hair and human skin and really puts a spring back into tired legs.

Sighting of the day: As I was speeding along towards Mantova, I saw a long, slim, blackish snake slither across the cycle track. It must have been over a metre long since it covered more than half the path. Unfortunately, as I slowed down to take a photo of it, the snake sensed me and sped off towards the river. I wondered what the Romans would have thought about a black snake crossing their path on the penultimate day of a campaign. Should I turn back and call the whole thing off?

I'm glad I didn't because Mantova is a delightful town - much fewer tourists than in Verona and only about 14 palaces and churches to see.

Unfortunately, there were also some tiny, but voracious mosquitos that wasted no time consuming me as I consumed my prawn and zucchini pasta on the main square. I now have 8 bites on a single foot - should make for some itchy cycling tomorrow.

Even so, it looks like I made the right decision to come this way rather than head to Ostiglia. However I do have a long ride into Bologna tomorrow.

Trip today: 67 km
Total so far: 1717 km

Rovereto to Verona - Leaving the Alps behind me

I set off reasonably early and continued along the lovely cycle path, expecting this to go on for ever. Soon there was a turning off to the nearby Lake Garda, which looked inviting, but would have been a detour.

Shortly after that, I left South Tyrol and entered Veneto - upon which the cycle path finished immediately. The rest of the route was meant to be along quiet country roads, but I was forced onto a main road due to construction work and had quiet of lot of traffic to contend with, including lorry drivers who thought they were Mario Andretti.

However, the detour meant I got a good look at a narrow gorge called "Berner Klause", where Napoleon defeated the Austrians in 1797, allowing him to progress to Trento. The gorge is a kind of gateway to (or in my case, out of) the Alps. As I came through it, there were suddenly no mountains either side of me for the first time since Rosenheim... seems like an age ago.


Looking back at the "Berner Klause"

From then on, I never found my way back to the original cycle path, taking lots of main roads through industrial areas (mainly marble) and unnecessarily going up one big hill. But it gave me a brief glimpse of the southern end of Lake Garda in the distance, so it wasn't all in vain.



I entered Verona from the scummy end and was hot and stressed when I checked in near the station. But a nocturnal stroll through the magnificent old town made up for everything. They were performing the Barber of Seville in the Arena as part of the Verona Festival (so my room was bloody expensive) and there was plenty going on.

After an excellent pizza thanks to some advice from Ali, I tried a Sprizz Aperol (the in-drink in these parts) at a bar on Piazza Erbe, watching the flame throwing acrobats on the square. Lovely!



Today's distance: 83 km
Total so far: 1650 km

Only two more stages to reach Bologna. I only have to work out whether it is better to continue along the Via Claudia to Ostiglia, or to take the Ciclopista del Sole to Mantova. Time for a visit to the tourist office. Should be nice and full...

Long hot run to Rovereto

It took me a while to get in and out of Meran. I also went to 4 different petrol stations to get some oil for my chain, which was very squeaky after the long journey and the rain - found some eventually. After that, I got back onto the perfect cycle path down the valley. Slowly the apple orchards around me turned into vineyards and the occasional kiwi plantation.

Excitement of the day:
I was speeding along nicely - mainly downhill, when a group policemen, guns in hand, blocked off all cycle paths and roads along the river. A helicopter hovered very low nearby. It turns out there had been a bank robbery and one of the robbers was hiding in the fields! Now I really knew I was in Italy. Apparently, the thieves thought they could take the train as a getaway... German speakers can read an article about the bizarre event here: http://www.stol.it/nachrichten/artikel.asp?ArtID=97212&p=1&KatID=da
I've now seen a body, an enormous funeral and a full scale man-hunt on this holiday. I dread to think what's up next.

In the end, three of us cyclists waiting for over half an hour decided to take a rather large detour to get around the security zone and continue normally from there. But for a while afterwards, I saw police cars hidden in the vineyards taking a good look at anyone going by. I was a bit worried my black bags looked like swag...

About 20 km further along the road, my front wheel started making ominous knocking sounds, which worsened steadily. I checked everything I knew about (which isn't that much to be honest), but couldn't find the problem. It was very hot anyway, so I decided to stop for a Coke in Trento and talk to the local Bianchi man. Sure enough, I needed a new front wheel, but it wasn't too expensive (20 €) and my nice little German bike now has a cool Italian component. I was amazed how many slick amateur racers with stylish gear were out and about - especially since it was 36 degrees. It seems the current scandals in France are not stopping people from enjoying this great sport.

I eventually got to Rovereto, which was a bit of a disappointment, partly because I chose the wrong hotel with a crappy room (only one socket in the room - either TV or fan), but it had been a long ride, the food was OK and I fell asleep early as usual.

Today's run: 133 km
Total so far: 1567 km

Reschen to Meran - Thunder storms into the Vinschgau valley

When the hotel's boss mentioned there would be thunder storms, I didn't think he meant 5 minutes later. Hardly had I set off, there was that worrying rumble bouncing off the mountain peaks - and it wasn't my belly for a change. I didn't like the idea of being so exposed (arf, arf) cycling along the lake as the thunder storm encroached (I seemed to be the only idiot doing so), so I hastened to the info point opposite this famous church spire sticking out of the lake - the result of some criminal industrial planning in Fascist times.



As you can see, the storm passed as quickly as it came. The next storm scared me a bit because I was on the top of a hill and could see the lightning strike into the cliffs not too far off. But there was nothing to do but continue as fast as possible, since the descent was not far off. The other problem with thunder storms is they can be rather wet and sure enough, I had to tackle with some aquaplaning on steep descents (19% and 20% were the worst) as the water washed diagonally over the cycle paths.

But things looked up as I reached Burgeis, where a fantastc cycle route began and continued along the River Etsch/Adige (as I discovered later) for the best part of the 200 km towards Lake Garda.



The third thunder storm was fortunately in a stretch of forest, so I decided to use it for a lunch break - fruit bars and gummibears again.

Eventually, the sun came out around 3ish and the Vinschgau presented itself in all its glory. I had been told it would be a lovely stretch and was not disappointed. Beautiful medieval castles and towns, endless apple groves flanked by impressive snow-capped cliffs...



When we were in Meissen, we stayed in Joerg's hotel. I promised to meet his daughter Lisa near Meran when I was passing by, so now it was time to keep my word. It meant fighting my way up a long, steep hill to Schenna, a picturesque town overlooking Meran. It really is a stunning part of the world - lush vineyards, mountains and almost a mediterranean climate.



Lisa found me a cheap and cheerful room and I had a nice drink with her and her boyfriend. (Werde Fotos schicken, Joerg!)

Today's distance: 97 km
Total s far: 1434 km

Over the top (Part 2)

Landeck to Reschen

(Sorry for the long delay with my posts. South Tyrol is a great place, but still offline unfortunately.)

I left Landeck with a certain degree of aprehension since this was the big stage and I wasn't sure how I was going to manage. So I proceeded gingerly for the first 40 km through some pleasant forest trails and climbs, occasionally crossing the now lively River Inn. The river turns sharply southwards, swirling up the water and there were a number of white water rafters about. The weather was dry, but windy at times, depending on which corner of the narrow valley you were riding ing along.

Then I had my brief 10 km forray into Switzerland, which treated me to some dramatic views of the pass, a "warm up" 1070 m climb and a really nasty headwind. It felt like riding with a puncture, even when I was going downhill.

After a light lunch (fruit bar and gummibears) and a chat with the Swiss border guards, it was time to say goodbye to the River Inn, our trusty companion for hundreds of kilometres, ever since Passau.

I crossed into Austria again and headed up and over the Reschenpass. 11 hairpin bends awaited, all numbered. After the first 3, I thought, cool, I can do this! Then things got steeper and hairpin 4 didn't arrive for ages. Turns 5+6: Nice distraction as a couple of old timers drove past and waved encouragingly. Turns 7+8: Time to shift into the granny gears. It didn't seem like I was going much faster than walking pace. The wind got stronger, sometimes pushing you up the hill, sometimes slowing you down to virtually standstill. Turns 9+10: Well yes, this is quite hard work, but not long to go now. Turn 11: The euphoria of defeating the mountain dragged me up and it was a great feeling to be on top, looking down into a whole new world.

It took about 40 minutes of exhaustion to get to the top. By comparison, the professionals needed a mere 18 minutes (a Category 3 climb for them) when they came up here during the Tour de Suisse earlier this year - and they didn't stop to catch their breath at the top. They must have their own special gummibears...

The final bit to Reschen was supposed to be easy, but there were some extremely strong winds that later made the local news and taxed us cyclists up at around 1500 metres. On one occasion, the people coming up a slope could freewheel, while we hardly made any progress working our guts out to get downhill!



When I got to Reschen/Resia (now in Italy - border crossing No. 12), I arrived just in time to witness the whole town in a funeral procession to the church. So it took a while to find a hotel with anyone in it. I was ready for bed very soon after a celebratory pizza.

Today's run: 67 km - more than enough today!
Total s far: 1337 km

Bad weather forces rest day in Landeck

After putting Tina on the train in Innsbruck, I sped on along superb asphalt cycle paths for 50 km and decided to do the whole leg without a break. Things got tougher for the last 40 km, mainly because the terrain is changing. The valley is getting narrower, the mountains are getting higher, now regularly over 2000/2500, and they are much closer together - ganging up on me. I spent much of the afternoon eyeing the peaks to the south in an attempt to soften them up before the big showdown, but they weren't having any of it.

So I arrived in Landeck around 5ish - it was still over 30°.

Here's a photo of Landeck that will have to do until I get to a proper Internet cafe instead of a coin-box machine in a pizza joint: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:Landeck20050508.jpg

The run was 90 km again, making a total so far of 1270 km. I was quite tired when I arrived and especially thirsty, because I drank all my bottles and had to wait a long time to fill up at a tap since there weren't many places around to buy a drink. And everything is shut in Austria all the time anyway!

Unfortunately, I was warned about some possibly adverse weather conditions on the pass I wanted to climb today (Reschenpass: http://www.dreilaendertour.com/typo3temp/5e8b0cc254.jpg), so I decided to put in a rest day. Actually, we only had a few showers (and nothing like the conditions in England and Bavaria at the moment!), but I wouldn't want to take any risks on the most difficult climb of the whole trip. The weather tomorrow is expected to be fine and clear, so I'll be able to see more on my way up too.

I made use of the rest day, visiting the castle museum, which showed me how historically important Landeck has been as a key location en route across the Alps since Roman times. There were some great views of the mountains from the tower too.

I'm opting for an early night and an early start. Hopefully, my next post will be from Italy.

Good luck with the weather in England and Germany!