The first 3 days of riding primed us with a few decent climbs and a 100+km day into Levico-Terme. We stayed at the relatively luxurious Hotel Sorisso, had another great dinner and rested up for the next day's possibilities.
On Day 4 there was the option of an easy ride around the lakes or a climb into the nearby hills with Rich ....
DAY 4: Levico-Terme Loop (33.2km/1137m)
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| They still love Pantani here. |
It was raining early today so we waited until noon to set out for a short but tough local loop climb. The road went straight up from the shore of the lake to Compe where I needed some food .... so I stopped for a Piatto Freddo and some agua frizzante, before riding a few more kms up to Vetriolo Terme.
Meanwhile Rich rode on the the Giro stage finish at Panarotta ski area. After waiting awhile for Rich and figuring we'd missed each other I descended solo east through Assizzi (true name) back via the lake to Levico Terme. Rich, naturally, was already home.
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| Memorial on the climb to Compet. |
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| Hairpin on the climb. |
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| Piatto freddo for lunch. |
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| View from Vetriolo Terme. |
DAY 5: Levico-Terme to Mezzocorona (82.1km/2155m)
Today was another day where we opted for the longer, climb-ier option. I figured it couldn't be too bad after Day 3's effort ! We set off in fine weather but as we climbed up the valley towards Bedolo my left shifter started jamming and when we met the van for a stop I got Larry and Davey to check it out. It stuck the front derailleur in the big ring, limiting my options somewhat. The solution was to transfer my seat and pedals to Davey's red Pinarello as a temporary option. It turned out to be a nice ride for the next couple of days until the shifter was able to be replaced.
We rounded the top of the valley, dropped across to the valley of the Avisio River and followed it downstream back towards the Aldige and our stop for the night at Mezzocorona. We were in for a treat here as Larry had organised a wine tasting at a local winery. This proved more than a quick tipple, with a complete coverage of a selection of wines and the presentation of local hams and cheeses to accompany them. We spent at least 2 hours there and tehn went off to dinner at a local restaurant. The trip was proving to be quite the gastronomic journey, in addition to the great riding so far.
Day 6 and 7: Mezzocorona to Bolzano (Rest Day)
We rounded the top of the valley, dropped across to the valley of the Avisio River and followed it downstream back towards the Aldige and our stop for the night at Mezzocorona. We were in for a treat here as Larry had organised a wine tasting at a local winery. This proved more than a quick tipple, with a complete coverage of a selection of wines and the presentation of local hams and cheeses to accompany them. We spent at least 2 hours there and tehn went off to dinner at a local restaurant. The trip was proving to be quite the gastronomic journey, in addition to the great riding so far.
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| Climbing through terraced vines on Davey's red steel Pinarello. |
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| Descending on Davey's Pinarello. |
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| Rich and I rolling towards Mezzocorona. |
Day 6 and 7: Mezzocorona to Bolzano (Rest Day)
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Where's part 3?
ReplyDeleteI'll get to it eventually - soon I wont be sharing the laptop anymore !!
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