62 miles cycled – 491m climbed

The day turned out to be hotter and harder than expected. Essentially we cycled downhill dropping from about 5000 feet to about 2000 feet but still managed to climb around 1500 feet in the process. Interesting dynamic that!

After breakfast we had a 2 hour coach drive from Munich to Brenner which meant we didn’t get on the bikes much before 12 noon and then we only cycled 10 miles to our lunch stop. A HUGE plate of very good spaghetti bolognese may seem very appealing but when you then have to cycle a further 52 miles it does really sit comfortably. 

Most of the day was on a cycle path, some of which was actually a really good surface but other sections were off-road through woods and farmland which combined with the impact of mountains distorting our actual GPS position on our Garmins made life a bit interesting to say the least.

But it is a beautiful part of the world. Pine forests with a view of snow-capped mountains in the lad of really good pasta and ice cream…….

We are cycling with a great bunch of people. Obviously it was great for me to meet up with Murray and Heather almost one year on from when we started our trip across America but in the course of today we met more of our fellow riders who come from all over the UK and also one chap from Canada.

This part of Italy is German speaking but with a definite Italian accent which is quite captivating to listen to. All place names are in both languages but the ‘structure’ to everything is definately Italian. We are staying tonight in Bolzano which is a picturesque with a mixture of old and new buildings.
Tomorrow is a longer day but we will start early so not have to cycle so much during the heat of the day. At least that’s the plan.