The final tour plan for the Dreilandergiro, German for three countries tour, was based around the Munich Venice Cycle Route, with us starting from Holzkirchen in Bavaria, riding across the Alps via the Brenner Pass, then through the Dolomites via Passo Cimabanche to Belluno before diverting onto the SxPiave cycle route to Feltre. From there the route ran down the valley of the Torrente Cismon to its junction with the Brenta and then the Valsugana Ciclovia to Trento.  The four participants, Mick, Vanessa, David and Alistair were reduced to three when Mick suffered a slipped disk a couple of weeks before the off.

Tuesday 18th June

It was an early start from Basingstoke for the 8:25 Easyjet flight from Gatwick to Innsbruck. The flight arrived on time in bright sunshine and we took the bus for the short journey from the airport to the central station in Innsbruck and then a tram to our first overnight stop at the Hotel Bierwirt, a traditional Alpine style hotel on the edge of the city and overlooked by the impressive Schloss Ambras perched on the hillside above. After dropping off our bags we walked a short distance to catch a bus into the town centre [well for David and I it was more hobbling than walking due to a sore knee and ankle respectively - oh the joys of getting older]. The bus took us to The Aldstadt [Old Town] where we wandered about admiring the architecture and stopped for coffee and cake in the sunshine in the square next to the Goldenes Dachl. [Considered the city's most famous symbol, it was completed in 1500, with the roof decorated with fire-gilded copper tiles for Emperor Maximilian I to mark his wedding to Bianca Maria Sforza. The Emperor and his wife used the balcony to observe festivals, tournaments, and other events that took place in the square below.]

After some more sightseeing we took the tram back to the hotel for helmets and shoes and then caught another bus to Crazy Bikez to pick up our hire bikes. We hired conventional bikes for our previous tour from Innsbruck to Verona in 2018 from Crazy Bikez. Although none of us on the tour have e-bikes, this time we had hired good quality German trekking e-bikes with Bosch CX motors, 500Wh batteries and a Deore drivetrain with a respectable bottom gear. After adjusting the bikes to suit, we rode back to the hotel and locked the bikes away in the garage.  In the evening, we had dinner at the hotel - good traditional Austrian fare. Whilst in the bar we used the OBB app to get our tickets for next morning’s train from Innsbruck to Kufstein. 

Wednesday 19th June 

After an excellent breakfast, we loaded our panniers onto the bikes and headed to Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof and caught the 9:40 OBB Cityjet train to Kufstein - nearly empty and with loads of bike spaces. At Kufstein, we bought tickets for the next part of the journey to Holzkirchen from the German DBahn ticket machine and had enough time between trains to get a coffee. Shortly after we left Kufstein and crossed the border into Germany, police officers came through the carriage looking at the passengers and checking the toilets and then questioned and subsequently detained a man - possibly about an immigration issue. We changed trains again at Rosenheim for Holzkirchen and when the conductor checked our train tickets said they were not the correct ones even though our tickets and receipt clearly showed we had bought tickets for the whole journey. He said the ticket machine was wrong but was quite friendly and happy for us to complete the journey without penalty. 

We arrived in Holzkirchen on time at 12:28 and rode a short distance from the station to a bakery where we bought coffee and sandwiches and enjoyed them at an outside table in the shade. The sun was fierce, so we applied more sun cream before setting off again. This eastern section of the MV Radweg ran on quiet roads through the countryside to Gmund am Tegernsee, a holiday resort at the northern end of the large lake. After stopping for photos, we turned off the MV onto a linking cycle route to the western section of the MV at Bad Tolz. As this section crosses between two river valleys, there was a climb over the ridge to Marienstein but other than that was fairly flat. We rode into Bad Tolz and stopped for coffee and cake at a bakery at the top of Marktstrasse, the pedestrianised main street. We rolled down the street admiring the well-preserved mediaeval architecture and across the River Isar to pick up the western section of the MV that ran beside the river on a good gravel track. Later on, we diverted off the route for a look around the town of Lenggries before continuing to our overnight stop at the Landgasthof zum Papyrer about 3 miles outside the town and immediately on the cycle path.Bad Tolz

Once checked in, cleaned up and the washing done, we met up in the hotel garden restaurant. The owners were Thai so we chose Asian dishes from the extensive menu and washed them down with local wines. The restaurant was very busy with reserved tables and obviously attracted people from some distance away.

Thursday 20th June

We set off after breakfast, continuing on the MV that ran between the road and the River Isar until we passed through a cycle tunnel that came out at a lake, the Sylvensteinsee. As we admired the scenery, the Skoda pro cycling team were doing a photoshoot on the road on top of the dam with the lake and mountains in the background. At this point we opted for the longer official MV route around the lake rather than the easier option of riding on the main road. We stopped on the bridge across the lake for photos before turning off onto the gravel track through the woods. The track climbed up to give some lovely views of the lake and we had to be careful descending as there was loose, deep gravel in places - I was not careful enough at one point as my front wheel washed out on some deep gravel and I slowly tumbled off. The extra four miles finished with a steep ramp back to road level after crossing a covered bridge over the river. Shortly after this, we crossed the border back into Austria and could see queues of vehicles on the adjacent road for a border check. Sylvensteinsee

At Achenkirch we stopped at a nice bakery cafe for coffee and cake just before it closed for lunch, and managed to find some shade from the fierce sun at a table outside. About a mile further down the road there was a supermarket so we took the opportunity to pick up sandwiches and bananas for our picnic lunch. The cycle path then reached the Achensee where we found a bench overlooking the lake to have our sandwiches. This six-mile-long lake, surrounded by high mountains, is a holiday hotspot - so the path was busy with holidaymakers walking and cycling along it. At the end of the lake the path ran beside a heritage rail line served by a steam train, though we did not see it. 

At Maurach, we diverted off the MV onto a local road that descended steeply straight down to the Inn valley below, losing 400m elevation in 2.5 miles - great fun and we had no trouble keeping up with the traffic! The steep descent ended in Jenbach where we picked up the MV again as it ran between the River Inn and the motorway.

We crossed over the river to have a look around the picturesque Altstadt of Schwaz and stopped for a gelato before crossing back again to the MV. After this the MV wandered through the countryside before we crossed over the river into Hall in Tirol and through the town centre in the rush hour traffic to our overnight stop at the Garten Hotel Maria Theresa, inevitably up a hill. However, the hotel had a problem with their booking system and there was no room at the inn. The owner had arranged for us to stay at his brother's hotel, the Gasthof Purner, which he said was about a kilometre away. This in fact turned out to be about 2 km away in the next village of Thaur and all uphill! It was a nice hotel of the same standard as the one we had booked. After we got cleaned up and sorted out, we took a local bus back into Hall in Tirol [we got seniors discount on the bus!]. We walked around the picturesque Aldstadt and stopped at a bar for a glass of wine where a group of three musicians were playing. When they had finished their set, we wandered through the streets and stopped at an Italian restaurant where we enjoyed dinner in the garden. Whilst we were eating, the same musicians turned up, now with quite a following, and started playing again - great music to go with the good food. We were close to the terminus for the bus back to the hotel, so everything worked out fine.

Friday 21st June

After another good breakfast, we set off down the hill to the MV again and then crossed the river Inn at the edge of Innsbruck and past the Hotel Bierwirt that we stayed at on our first night. The path ramped up steeply from there to join the busy main road - 63m ascent in 400m, average 16%. The road snaked up the hillside for the next mile or so at an average of 9% where we then turned onto quiet back lanes and the gradient eased as we followed a cycle route although with occasional steep ramps through woods. The cycle route joined a path that ran beside a railtrack to the town of Igls where we stopped for a welcome coffee. Here we picked up the MV again and followed this on the quiet back roads to Patsch where it joins the busier L38 road that runs high up on the hillside on the eastern side of the River Sill valley with the autobahn that ran on a series of high viaducts on the opposite side of the valley. The road crosses a series of tributaries to the Sill, involving descending down to the river and climbing back up the other side. Just after Pfons we stopped to look at the pedestrian suspension bridge that crosses the river to an old castle on a hill - nice views from the bridge. The road then descended down to the River Sill at Matrei am Brenner and continued beside the river to Steinach am Brenner where we found a supermarket to pick up supplies for lunch. After this, the route followed a gravel path that climbed higher up the valley side overlooking one of the construction sites for the new Brenner Base Tunnel until there was a very steep slippery descent through a tunnel that we had to walk the bikes down to join the road again at Stafflach for the start of the steady climb up to the pass on the busy road. We found a bench in the shade to eat our lunch at Gries before the gradient steepened and we slogged up the road to Brenner at the top of the pass. Brenner is more shopping mall than town and we only stopped for a coffee at a busy cafe where the waitress was very grumpy to David and Vanessa. Cycle path nr Steinach

Now it was downhill all the way to our overnight stop at Sterzing with the tarmac surfaced cycle paths making for a smooth ride. We diverted off the MV just above Gossensas on a shortcut that ran down steeply to the valley below and through Gossensas to Sterzing - nice fast ride down the quiet twisty road. At Sterzing, the route ran through the busy pedestrianised main street where we took the opportunity to stop in the main square for a beer [gelato for Vanessa]. Our hotel, the Hotel Brenner, was situated adjacent to a large lorry park at the edge of town. The hotel was clean, bright and modern with nice rooms and an underground garage to store our bikes. In the evening, we rode our bikes back into the town centre and settled on a restaurant just off the main street where we dined well in some style. Overnight, there was a spectacular thunderstorm [according to David and Vanessa].

Saturday 22nd June

After another good breakfast in the hotel, we set off again on the MV as it followed the valley of the River Eisack downhill to Franzensfeste Fortezza where we went into the impressive Hapsburg era fortress, viewed the exhibits and enjoyed a coffee. At the confluence with the River Rienz we continued on the MV to climb up to Muhlbach perched high up in the valley over the Rienz and stopped there in the central square to apply more sunscreen. Back closer to the river, the route now climbed gently and at Kienz we stopped to look for lunch supplies but the supermarket was closed so carried on past Ehrenburg fortified by jelly babies to the village of San Lorenzo where we stopped in the shade in the pretty central square and ate our sandwiches purchased for the supermarket there.

We continued on beside the river into the larger town of Bruneck where we parked the bikes and walked round the old town centre and enjoyed a beer/tea before continuing. At the edge of the town the path was barriered off in our direction at a junction, so we took the other path that then led to another path that looked to be headed in the general direction we wanted to go. This path went increasingly steeply uphill then deteriorating to a rough mountain bike trail. At the top, we chatted to a couple that were touring with fully loaded camping trailers who said that the path was closed as a power line had come down over the river. Sure enough further on there was a repair team working on it with a helicopter to lift the cable. The other paths were all blocked off so we diverted across a field of crops to a track on the other side that eventually came out onto a road. The problem was that the MV path crossed the river on a bridge at the closure point and there were no other bridges for a few miles. A check on cycle.travel showed a possible diversion route so we loaded that onto the Garmin and set off. As we were climbing through some woods, it started to rain so we stopped under the trees to put our jackets on beside the same couple we saw earlier. They were an interesting couple, she was English and he was Slovenian and were cycling to Slovenia having started in England, sometimes camping and sometimes using hotels. 

By the time we rejoined the MV at Valdaora a short time later the shower had passed. We rode beside the lake there with only a short distance to our overnight stop at Hotel Hell in Monguelfo. The owner, Hans Hell, checked us in and after we had settled in, met at the bar for a glass of wine before dinner at 7pm. It was a half board arrangement with a salad buffet, starter, main course and dessert - excellent food and service. Afterwards, we strolled up the hill to look at the old Castle Welsberg on the hill above the town.Lago di Braies

Sunday 23rd June

It had rained during the night and at breakfast the forecast was showing heavy rain all day but there was only light cloud and it was dry as we set off, but with jackets on. We rode along the MV and turned off onto the cycle route leading up to Lago di Braies. As we climbed up, at Schmieden, the route turned onto a rough gravel path, so when the track met the main road again, as the traffic was light, we just kept on the main road with the gradient steepening with the last two miles up to the lake at 10%. The picturesque setting for the lake nestled in the mountains attracts hordes of people, so after a coffee we joined the throng to take our pictures - it is stunning and well worth the diversion and the climb up but must be manic on a sunny day in peak holiday season. On the way down we just stayed on the road as we easily reached the 60km/h speed limit and kept pace with the light traffic. We turned off onto a pleasant back road to rejoin the MV at Niederdorf. At Toblach, the MV turned south and the surface changed to a gravel track for the next 17 miles as we headed into the Dolomites. After a couple of miles, the path ran beside the Toblachersee where we stopped for photos and then another couple of miles later, we visited a poignant WW1 cemetery - this area was fiercely fought over between the Hapsburgs and the Italians. As we continued the gentle climb, we came to the viewpoint for the iconic Drei Zinnen, a series of three mountains that rise starkly above the plateau, where we stopped for photos with a group of German cyclists.  Dolomites - Toblach to Durrensee

Shortly after we came to another lake, the Durrensee, where we stopped for lunch at a restaurant overlooking the lake and mountains - stunning setting. From there it was only another 4 miles to the top of the Passo Cimabanche. We were now running downhill on the gravel track, though regular washouts and sections of deep loose gravel meant that we had to concentrate and keep the speed moderate. The path changed to tarmac about 7 miles from the top of the pass, and we quickly arrived in Cortina d’Ampezzo only to find that the cycle route was blocked off. We ignored the diversion signs and instead rode into the pedestrianised main street. It then started to rain so jackets were put back on and we headed out of town. The rain stopped within a couple of miles before we got to another section of rough gravel path. 

After this the route was on a tarmac surfaced rail trail that generally followed the contours as we headed for our overnight stop at the Pieve di Cadore, a hill town perched far above the valley below. When we turned off the rail trail, it was a steep climb up into the town and the Hotel Belvedere.  The bikes were stored in a room with lots of e-bike charging points but we took our batteries into the hotel. In the evening, we dined at the attached Italian restaurant and strolled around the small old town centre where Titian was born and commemorated.

Monday 24th June

After a modest breakfast, we set off and descended steeply through the town to the MV that here was on the local roads rather than a dedicated cycle path. The descent continued to the river below as the road wound its way down the steep valley side in a series of hairpin bends. Once across the river we continued on the road as it followed the picturesque steep sided valley cut through the Dolomites downstream. The sun was up, so we stopped to apply more sunscreen where the road levelled. Just before Langarone we crossed the river to the east bank and the route continued on quiet roads through Dogna to Soverzene where we crossed over the dam back to the other side - the road across the dam was closed to traffic but open to cyclists. The route then skirted around the town of Ponte nelle Alpi on some narrow gravel tracks then back on quiet roads and into the large town of Belluno where we headed to the main square for coffee and cake. Belluno is built on a spur above the river so we had to follow a convoluted route to get to the bridge across to the other side. This led us through the historic heart of the city where we stopped to admire the architecture.

Once across the river we followed the SxPiave cycle route as it wandered about the countryside on quiet roads and gravel tracks. When we reached Limana, Vanessa spotted a sign for a supermarket where we bought some bread and cheese. As the route crisscrossed the Via Roma where the traffic was light, at the next junction I suggested we just take a shortcut down the road rather than loop away from it again as we would be riding on the same road further down anyway. The road was quiet at first but there was a junction visible ahead where it merged with the SP1 main road. Rather than go back [it's a man thing] we carried on the busier main road until we got to a cloverleaf junction and had to loop back around to pick up our route on the other side - there was considerable muttering at the back about riding down a main road! Once back on the quiet roads we carried on to San Felice where we stopped to eat our lunch on a bench at a church. The route continued in the same vein on tracks and quiet roads until it turned up a steep narrow track up to the small town of Mel with its pretty town square.

At Busche we crossed the river and the route joined a busy main road, the SS50. We stopped to check the map but there was no other option but to continue on this road in the heavy traffic to a roundabout before we could turn off to pick up the route again at Nemeggio. The quiet road took us into Feltre and directly to our hotel, the stylish Hotel Doriguzzi. We locked our bikes up in the garage, got cleaned up and at about 5pm went for a stroll through the town climbing the hill through the historic centre looking for a restaurant for dinner. Being a Monday, whilst there were lots of bars open, there was a dearth of restaurants - the fact that Italy were playing in the Euros that evening may have had something to do with it. David eventually found one that opened at 7pm where it turned out that we were the only clients - we enjoyed a pleasant meal attended to personally by the owner. 

Tuesday 25th June

After another good breakfast it was overcast but dry as we set off. We made our way on quiet country roads to Fonsazo then took the Via Agana towards Arsie. As we approached the top of the Lago di Corlo the road was cut into the steep cliffs. Continuing around the lake we skirted Arsie then stopped at a cafe overlooking the lake. There was a brief heavy shower whilst we had our coffee but cleared up before we set off again. Shortly after at Rocca the weather broke with thunder and lightning as we crossed the first bridge across the lake and the rain was torrential at the second pedestrian suspension bridge where we sheltered under the narrow arch until the rain passed over. We continued high up beside the lake then diverted down to the arch dam for a look. Another brief shower had us sheltering in the tunnel then we climbed back up to the road again. The road climbed up to the village of Icino then descended on a series of switchbacks down to the valley of the Brenta below. There was another light shower as we rode through Cismon del Grappa to cross over the Brenta on a pedestrian suspension bridge to the Valsugana cycleway on the other side. As we rode on, we saw what looked like a local U3A cycling group, kitted out in waterproofs, cycling in the opposite direction. Shortly after we passed the bar at the start of the dedicated cycle path it was barriered off with danger notices. We did not like the alternative of riding on the busy dual carriageway main road, so we walked around the barrier and carried on, noticing the large rocks that had fallen from the steep cliffs to the side of the path. When we got to the section where the path was cantilevered off the cliffs on steel supports, there had been some rock falls onto the path and caught in the rock netting over the path and water was cascading over the path from a mountain torrent - but it was only a short distance. We continued on the path for quite a way before coming to another barrier that we could not get around so we backtracked and found another track that led through a farm and that joined a road to Primolana and Martincelli where we were able to pick up the Valsugana cycleway again. It was now a warm sunny day, so sunscreen was applied before continuing. We stopped for lunch in the shade at the Tezze Valsugana Bicigrill. The valley gradually widened out as we continued with the high mountains on either side along the well-maintained tarmac cycleway. As we approached the town of Borgo Valsugana, we could see the dark clouds building, so opted not to stop for coffee and pushed on for the last ten miles to our hotel in Levico Terme, the BellaVista Relax Hotel. After putting the bikes away and settling in, David and Vanessa went for a swim in the heated outdoor pool before we went to a busy pizzeria close to the hotel that had been recommended by the receptionist.Valsugana cycleway

Wednesday 26th June

After a fabulous breakfast we set off in the sunshine down to the road beside Lago di Levico to pick up the Valsugana cycleway that continued through the town of Caldanazzo then ran around the edge of the larger Lago di Caldonazzo through San Cristoforo and ending in the town of Pergine. We then took a circuitous route on mainly quieter roads then joined the busier SS47 up to Civezanno before descending steeply for two miles into the edge of Trento. It was a fast descent and I missed the turnoff near the bottom of the hill and stopped at a roundabout further on. Rather than climb back up the hill, we took the busy main road through a tunnel - there was some very unladylike language coming from the rear of the group as we rode through an unlit main road tunnel. We were able to pick up a cycle route that joined our intended route through the centre of Trento to the railway station. After checking that the train was on time and which platform we needed we had enough time to cycle into the old centre of Trento to stop in the main square overlooking the Duomo and the fountain for coffee and cake - reminiscent of our last visit to Trento in the summer of 2018.Lago di Caldanzzo

Back at the station, the train was on time and we boarded our OBB Railjet and loaded the bikes into the dedicated carriage - only six bike spaces on this train. After finding our reserved seats we headed for the restaurant car for lunch. Although we had through tickets to Innsbruck, we left the train at Brenner for what was supposed to be an easy ride downhill for 24 miles. Well, the first section down from the pass was a rapid descent but it was up and down on the long section to Igls, this way round, the ups felt steeper than the downs. At Igls we carried on the main road for the steep descent into Innsbruck, easily keeping up with the busy traffic before turning off onto the cycle route into the centre of Innsbruck. We dropped our bags off at the Ibis hotel and rode to Crazy Bikez to hand the bikes back and walked back to the hotel. In the evening, we had a nice meal at another traditional hotel close to the Ibis.

Thursday 27th June

After breakfast we caught the bus to the airport for our flight back to Gatwick.

An excellent trip cycling 383 miles over 8 days through spectacular mountain scenery

Our resident poet, David, penned this when we returned.