Our Favorite Rides: the Dolomites
I have been fortunate to take my bike to several countries across multiple continents and have had some truly beautiful riding days, many of which I’ll never forget. Ascending Col de La Colombiere through morning fog and then a few days later descending Gorges de la Nesque certainly fits that description. As does a foggy morning on St Helena while ascending out of Medellin. But even against that standard, there is probably one ride that stands above all others: an absolute spectacle of a day in the Italian Dolomites. Which isn’t to suggest that it was without mishaps, but it definitely makes the cut for one of Our Favorite Rides.
The Location: NorthEast Italy
This was one leg of a week-long Italian journey that was centered around bikes; we were based in Bolzano at the spectacular Mirror Houses - two small modern homes hidden in an apple orchard just outside of town. This proved to be a perfect base for hitting both the Dolomites and the Stelvio in the few days we had in this region. For the former we drove about an hour into the mountains to the ski town of Sëlva. With ample public parking and plenty of restaurants for post ride beverages, this proved to be a great kicking off point.
The roads: Quiet with Beautiful views
From our start in Sëlva we ascended out of town and prepared to mirror the Maratona dles Dolomites route, which was easily mapped out for us to replicate. On this mid-week morning in June the roads were largely quiet with most of the vehicular traffic in the form of the touring motor bikes that are so common in this region (note: they were a lot more abundant and thus less pleasant on the Stelvio). The planned route was a basic one - just four right turns to make a big loop - but the scenery was just shockingly beautiful from nearly the first pedal stroke. The dramatic mountainside cliffs hands down made for the best backdrop experienced on any of my travel bike routes.
The Ride: One Big Mishap, but Zero Regrets
Unfortunately mid-way through the ride, we discovered that Lisa’s wallet, complete with all of our Euros and credit cards, had fallen out of her pocket somewhere in the first few hours of the ride. We were left with nothing but a USD20 bill (tucked for emergencies in her saddle bag) and several hours of riding ahead of us. With several days in Italy yet to come, we decided to double back in hopes of finding the wallet. But it was not to be - the wallet was forever lost to the mountain.
Thankfully a kind clerk at a hilltop restaurant took pity on us and let us use our USD to purchase the water required to get back to our start point. While our inability to complete the full planned loop was a disappointment, the ride was still incredibly beautiful as an out and back route.
The Route and Logistics
For mapping purposes, we started with the Maratona dles Dolomites route and other than our unexpected doubling back to hunt for our lost wallet, we were not disappointed in the slightest.
We stayed about an hour from our ride start point in Sëlva and didn’t have much trouble with parking in town. After riding we had a beverage in town and then headed to a mountain chalet above Sëlva for a post-ride meal with the best backdrop for montainside cheese plates.
There is also a plethora of hiking available in the area if you’re looking for off the bike activities.
The Photographs
A New York City based cyclist and sometimes photographer. Part adventure rider, part crit racer, and fully obsessed with an English bulldog named Winifred.
Instagram: @photorhetoric
E-mail: matthew@tobedetermined.cc
