Verona to Salzburg: A Truly Epic Cycling Experience
Verona to Salzburg is one of Ciclismo Classico’s classic tours of truly epic proportions—not just in the rides, which are sure to challenge even the strongest of riders, but culturally as well.
The tour starts with a short warm-up ride through the beautiful vineyards of Amarone and a walking tour with a local guide through the romantic cobblestoned streets of the city of Romeo and Juliet. The city alone warrants a longer stay, and we recommend guests arrive a day before so they can indulge in the once-in-a-lifetime experience of an opera in the famous 2nd-century Roman Arena di Verona.
We leave Verona riding along a bike path system somewhat designed and orchestrated by none other than the great Italian cycling champion Francesco Moser. The path takes us to the base of our first major climbs: Passo San Valentino and Monte Baldo en route to Lake Garda.
From Riva del Garda, we continue up to Pinzolo and Madonna di Campiglio and over Passo Carlo Magno, through the apple orchards of the Val di Sole (“Valley of the Sun”). We then bike over Passo Mendola, descending to the bustling city of Bolzano in the heart of Sud Tirol (the Italian part of Tyrolia).
From Bolzano, we begin to tackle some of the most celebrated passes of the dramatically beautiful Dolomites, which are often the decisive climbs of the Giro D’Italia. Here we start “bagging” passes such as Pinei and Passo Sella on our way to the quintessential Tirolian town of Canazei. We’ll stay overnight here at the beautiful Hotel La Cacciatora, whic is owned by the family of Ciclismo Classico’s own super guide GP Fosco.
Here, we are in the very heart of the UNESCO-supported Dolomites and it is truly spectacular, but there is no way out but to climb! While climbing we experience some of the most breathtaking scenery anywhere in the world, climbing over Passo Pordoi and Falzarego, with an incredibly exhilarating descent all the way down to the little glitzy gem of the Dolomites, the town of Cortina. We spend two nights in Cortina to rest and soak up some of the glam.
On the rest day, we’ll rest our tired cycling muscles and afterwards, continue to take advantage of our close proximity to some of the most beautiful walks in the world. We hike around the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, the three most iconic peaks of the Dolomites, which takes us to the center of 360 degrees of spectacular scenery.
After our share of ritz and recovery, we leave Cortina and climb over Passo Tre Croci, making our way to the Val Pusteria and crossing the border while riding through the lush pasturelands of Tyrolian Austria. We then make our way to the town of Lienz for a Herzlich Willkommen in Osterreich! Don’t let the flat pasturelands of Austria fool you, as we’ll soon find out that the Dolomite climbs are but mere training for the culminating climb of the tour: The truly epic of mountain climbs, Austria’s famed Grossglockner High Alpine route.
This route is considered Austria’s most coveted road and as such needs to be treated with respect. With that respect, good weather, luck and determination, she will grant us safe passage, as well as up-close-and-personal views of “His Majesty” himself, the so called “Black Mountain of the King.” The epic descent from the “King” is one of the best there is and it drops us directly into the scenic lake town of Zell Am See.
Other than stunningly beautiful scenery dotted with a few rather famous ski towns, the most important stop between Zell Am See and Salzburg lies the tiny little town of Werfen, famous in Austria for its castle, and Zopf Hat factory (both of which we visit on tour). But moreover, it’s world famous for the Restaurant Obauer, where we’ll be hosted by brothers Carl and Rudolf Obauer for an ecstatic culinary experience!
Our final ride into the magical musical city of Mozart is mostly a celebratory parade, similar to those on the final days of the Grand Tours, such as the Tour de France or the Giro D’Italia. It’s been known to happen on this tour—we’ve all rolled into town culminating in a champagne toast on wheels in the centre of Mozartplatz, complete with “Symphony No. 40” being played on violin by two local street musicians. It doesn’t get more epic than that.
See you in Verona in 2017!
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