My pre-Stelvio training camp in Garda is almost over. My goal was to get used to long steep climbs before my main challenge at Stelvio but not to wear my legs too much.
First of all I have to say that Riva del Garda is a heaven on earth for mountainbikers. Road cycling is ok as well but You can find better destinations somewhere else in Italy. There are many rental shops for both mountain and road cyclists and organized tours are easy to find. There are also shutle-bus service to mountains… (for those who don’t have the power to climb)
My first ride was a short climb to a near by Lago di Tenno. Nice easy climb, but a lot of sweating because of the heat.
Second ride was organized by a local rental shop. It was mainly flat terrain with couple of short but steep (maximum of 13%) climbs.
At the rental shop I met a Finnish cyclist from Team Donna Agile, a women’s cycling club based in Oulu. With a Donna named Anna we desided to climb to Monte Baldo the next day.
We headed off in the morning first to Nago then Mori and started to climb from Avio. There is a paved bicycle path all the way so You don’t have to ride on a road. This is a very good and wise option, since the road from Riva to Mori is narrow and busy.
I will link my route later.
It was a nice ride with total climbing of approx. 1500 meters. Descents were very fast. My maximum speed was 76 km/h.
Now last night in Riva and tomorrow to Stelvio!
Project: Passo dello Stelvio 