Bob on BAC Trans Alps 2008

Please visit August 25 slideshow

Entering Italy

I really slept well last night. It must have been because of the exercise, the altitude ( 5000 feet) and the quietness of our location. We got up at 6:30, had breakfast at 7:30 and were on the road at 8:30. The weather was clear and cool hovering around 50.

We started by climbing out of the valley we were staying in for about 6km. Then we had a fast downhill for 9 km into a different valley. This valley was wide and flat compared to yesterday where it was narrow and hilly. We turned onto a bicycle route and rode along a river for several kms. Along the way, we crossed into Italy. This was a non-event. There were no border markings on the bicycle route so we had to look to our left on a parallel road to see the old border crossing buildings. We rode over to the road and Jeff took some pictures.

Family Bicycle Path


Off Road Cycling

The bicycle route continued for a long ways. It was fairly flat. We saw hundreds of cyclists riding in family groups. Maybe it was a holiday in Italy, because nobody seemed to be working. The shops in the villages along the way were open, though. We stopped in S Candido/Innichen for a snack - chocolate filled pastry.

After a while at about 36 km the bicycle road turned to compact gravel. It was easy to ride on for the most part. We had the option to ride on the main highway, but we decided to keep on the gravel. The trail turned into mountain bike single track for a stretch of about 1 km. There were several muddy, slimy spots as well as some very short major downs and ups. I walked through a couple of these but Jeff powered over them.

The trail ended shortly before Durrensee/Lago di Landro. We stopped at a restaurant at the lake for lunch. The outdoor patio overlooked the lake and it was warm enough to eat there. I had the house macaroni while Jeff had a huge salad. We ate with Ralph and Larry. Cynthia and Steve arrived while we were eating. Steve and Jeff negotiated for our extra loop going up to Tre Cime. I eagerly volunteered to ride along with Cynthia along our main route to Cortina. (My legs were toast).

Lago Misurina

We had two more climbs. The first was towards Tre Croci Pass. At the top was the picturesque Lago Misurina. The last was over Tre Croci Pass. Neither one was very difficult or long although they both had some 12% sections. The final downhill was steep and fun. I was held back by some cars, so I couldn't go very fast.

When we got to Cortina, our route to the hotel took us through the main shopping/strolling street. There were lots of upscale shops along the way.

We arrived at Hotel Majoni, parked our bikes and checked in. Jeff was still on the road coming in from his Tre Cime climb. When he got here, he reported that it was extremely difficult but worth it for the views. Our room is large, clean and comfortable. It comes with free internet.

We had Happy Hour at 5:30. It lasted for an hour. To kill time before our 8:00 dinner, we walked up and down the main shopping street. Our dinner was a buffet. It had all sorts of antipastos, salads, fruit, meat, seafood, pasta, etc. There was too much to explain. Jeff and I grazed and came away happy.