Today was a designed rest day–tomorrow is The Stelvio. Tomorrow will also be declared Race Day, I believe.

We loaded up the vans, mounted our bikes and left La Perla by 9:30 AM, not bad given the “no later than 9 AM!” orders we were under. Today’s itinerary was a single climb out of Corvara over Passo Gardena, then downhill all the way to Bolzano. That seemed unconscionable to the Boyz so, after consulting Mathias, we added a short, steep side climb along the route. It would help us stay off the busy road.

Our ride went as planned and we arrived in Bolzano by 1 PM with 40 miles, 3200 ft. vertical to our credit. Our surrounds as we glided down the the Elsarco River valley would have been noteworthy for normal riding but by now we were jaded by the Dolomitic grandeur and we focused on keeping out of the way of oncoming traffic. Cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles kept coming at us (or around us) all day. High alertness was essential to survival.

The Dolomites have been long discovered by European tourists and seem to be on everyone’s travel itinerary. It’s not a surprise, given their drama and uniqueness, but it leads to an unpleasant consequence for cyclists, one that counterbalances the thrill. Tour buses and motorcycles have been constant companions, generally polite enough but not always patient. Add in lots of cars–both local traffic and tourists–and we haven’t found many pristine moments on quiet roads.

Tomorrow’s road over The Stelvio promises to be a bit more subdued. The 48 individually-numbered hairpins are great for traffic control, according to Mike, and dissuade motorists from using it as a through-route.