Monday, October 10, 2016 | Domenico Schiano Moriello | Europe
Unfortunately the last riding day of this wonderful tour has come, today we went back to Innsbruck, but it was another very full day and, to get the full experience of the Alps, we could also "enjoy" some snow on the Timmelsjoch!
Michael, Hector, Paul, Robert, RIchard, Leonardo, Bruce, Brian, Ennessie, Mark, thank you for a great and safe ride together! Keep the rubber side down, and see you hopefully again!
A very long ride today, but how nice! We could experience the Dolomites at their best, with good weather and no traffic! Passo Manghen, Passo San Pellegrino, Passo Valles, Passo Rolle, Passo di Giau, Passo Tre Croci... all these names can just give an idea of the roads and the sceneries we passed through today. Dolomites are probably the most beautiful mountains in the world! We reached the hotel around 7pm, but it was worth it... enjoy the pictures!
Today we headed south to Lake Garda (through the narrowest road in the world!) and entered into a completely different world. For a while it looked more like being at the Mediteranean Sea than in the Alps. After a nice break by the lake in Riva, we rode on the western coast of the lake until Limone and then turned into the Valvestino Valley. Looking at the map, we were not far from our lunch place in Idro, but there were soooo many curves! For lunch we had the biggest pasta plate ever and then we were ready to continue and face some traffic around Trento before reaching our hotel. Now it's time for a good rest, because tomorrow the Dolomites are awaiting us!
Not many pictures today, 280 kilometres of curvy roads do not leave much time for breaks... but what a beautiful ride! The weather was simply amazig all day long and we could enjoy the alpine roads to the max! Leaving the hotel, we reached Bolzano and then little backroads took us to Merano. After a quick coffee break, we rode on the Passo Palade and then down until we reached Molveno just in time for lunch! After that, we still had hundreds of curves left to ride Monte Bondone up and down, reach Trento and finally our hotel in Levico by the lake.
Today we can really feel blessed, perfect weather and visibility on the Stelvio and Gavia pass! What a ride! We left our hotel and soon after the Reschen Pass we entered Italy. A coffee break in Glurns-Glorenza (most towns here have both a german and an italian name because until World War one this region belonged to Austria) and we were ready for the first big challenge of the tour, the legendary Stelvio Pass! Lunch at Bruno's, coffee at the Tibet House and then down again, and then up again on the Gavia, another incredible road! Reaching the valley, the road became wider and the switcbacks turned into sweepers... but still a lot of fun!
Good morning from the beautiful Alps, the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe! Being at the centre of the continent, the Alps have been crossed througout history for war and commerce, and by pilgrims, students and tourists. Crossing routes are known as passes, but back in time people who built these routes didn't know how beautiful it would have been in the future to cross them on a motorcycle!!! So, after saying thank you to our ancestors, let's get ready to ride the Alps! Stay tuned!