Text & image: Gerrit Vermeulen

The descent is steep and my brakes are screaming. Not from pleasure.

All great adventures come to an end, and so does the South Tyrol Expedition. After spending two days in mountain huts at an altitude of over 2,000 meters, we now wake up in Hotel Sachsenklemme. We had nothing to complain about in the Pfitscherjochhaus and in the Dürrensteihütte. These mountain huts are basic, but equipped with all necessary amenities (shower, toilet, restaurant, bed). But spending the night at Hotel Sachsenklemme in Fortezza is a different story. Still, it's nice to experience a little more luxury after the mountain huts. And we earned it. We are at the start of day four. We now have more than 300 kilometers and almost 6,000 meters of elevation behind us. One more day of fun and we are back at Hotel Penz West in Innsbruck.

The body says: stop!

During dinner the day before, it became clear that the Expedition was starting to take its toll. Bob indicates that he does not want/cannot go any further. The body is empty and morale has dropped below freezing point. The problems with his bicycle are largely to blame for this. Although he also admits that he underestimated the South Tyrol Expedition. This bike packing adventure is for very well trained toughs. And I certainly don't want to say that Bob isn't a very well-trained tough guy. He is well trained and mentally strong. But he's encountered quite a bit in recent days. It's safe to say he took all the bad luck on himself. Was there a fall? Bob lay there. Was there a material problem? Then it was on Bob's bicycle. And yet this strong guy continued to fight. Respect! But there comes a time when body and mind agree with each other. FUSES!

We are going to Innsbruck by bike

Bob actually wants to take the train to Innsbruck. But that's not how we got married at CYCLOsportive. We all started this adventure together and we will all finish it together. I give Bob a number of options. 1 we get on the train together and cycle the last 40 km to Innsbruck. 2 we remove a tough gravel climb from the route and cycle the alternative route to Innsbruck together. 3 we cycle to Fortezza train station and put Bob on the train to Innsbruck. But arriving in Innsbruck by bike is of course the most beautiful end to our South Tyrol Expedition. After a night of sleep, Bob made a choice. It will be option 2. Bikkel!

Bob's choice means that the group is split in two. Pascal, Rick and Klaas-Jan take the route over the Brenner Grenzkamm. Bob and I ignore that one. It saves us a lot of height and unpaved meters. The best choice for Bob's body and bike. We can cycle with the entire group up to the Brenner Grenzkamm. The route follows a quiet cycle path with a view of the Brenner Pass. Not a bad view. When people say that this route is also very beautiful, I say that we already cycled here on the second day of our trip. “Huh? Are you serious?" Yes, only then we had the mountains at our backs. “Damn you're right!”

Smear for the church

Shortly after Vipiteno our paths part. That's why we decide to have a cup of coffee in the center of this cozy town. The town is more than worth a visit. The historic center is beautiful and the terraces are pleasantly full. And of course the coffee is more than good. After all, we are in Italy! When leaving the terrace, my eye falls on a participant of the trip (I will not mention his name). After being in the wilderness for a number of days, there is apparently no sign of any gene anymore. Four days of cycling, it does something to your body and mind. The area surrounding the libraries in particular is suffering heavily. Chamoise cream is the solution to care for and relieve this part of the body. But to take care of the bibs with this cream, in the middle of a busy shopping street, against a church, with your hand in your pants, is going a bit too far ;-). Fortunately, the unnamed participant just took the trouble to stand with his back to the shoppers.

Descend nine kilometers to Austria

After this smear scene we can get back on the road. The aforementioned three head towards the Brenner Grenzkamm and Bob and I drive quietly towards Brenner. The route is not difficult and goes upwards along a quiet cycle path until the border. Every now and then we leave the road to grab a piece of gravel. As soon as I hear the gravel crunching under my tires, the main road is immediately far away. How wonderful it is to be away from the hustle and bustle! At Brenner, Bob and I enjoy a plate of pasta before starting a long descent. We don't have to pedal a meter for more than 9 kilometers. Also nice after all those horrible altitude meters of the past few days. At Stafflach we duck under the railway line and reach another beautiful gravel road. Enjoy here! The descent was nice, but busy with motorcycles, cars and freight traffic. We are alone again on the gravel road.

My brakes are screaming

When we arrive in Mühlbachl, we have already covered almost 60 kilometers. Only 25 kilometers to go and then we are back where we started our adventure: Innsbruck. The fein is in the tail again today. From Mühlbachl we ascend over a distance of just a few kilometers from 1,000 to 1,220 meters in altitude. At the beginning of the climb we still cycle on asphalt. You might think that's nice, but here the asphalt goes vertically into the air. We can continue cycling, but we will have to wander up the road. Almost at the top the asphalt ends and the last few hundred meters we can enjoy an unpaved road again. To reach the top, Bob and I ignore a sign indicating that the top cannot be reached due to roadworks. We continue on, turning around and back is not an option. In the forest we indeed come across a large excavator. Fresh, tightened gravel behind the excavator. Our tires leave a mark in the newly renewed road surface. It doesn't seem to bother the road workers. The descent is steep and my brakes are screaming. Not from pleasure, the end of my brakes is near. Fortunately, they can still manage this descent. I don't really want to replace my brakes so close to Innsbruck. Just to be sure, I check my brakes. Remove my front wheel from the fork and briefly touch the brake disc. OUCH! It's hot! I should have known, of course. Fortunately, I see that the brake pads will last a while.

We made it!

It won't be long before we can say that we are the finisher of the South Tyrol Expedition! We continue our way in a descending line. The steep and long climb is behind us. On one of the small climbs just before Innsbruck we are overtaken by an older couple. They express their appreciation and respect for our fully loaded bicycles and apologize for their electric bicycles. We enter Innsbruck in full descent. Happy, tired and satisfied we cycle to Hotel Penz West. What a blissful feeling when I stand in the shower! A few hours later, Pascal, Rick and Klaas-Jan also arrive. The Brenner Grenzkamm was a killer climb and ditto descent. But they also enjoyed it. We made it!

• Read previously published reports about this day one, day two and day three.

Next year we will go on another expedition to South Tyrol. If you are enthusiastic about our adventures, register quickly for Expedition South Tyrol 2022. There is room for 6 participants. With two supervisors we will ensure that CYCLOsportive's journey runs smoothly!

https://www.cyclosportive-travel.nl/expeditie-zuidtirol

Text & image: Gerrit Vermeulen

It doesn't matter, just go for a nice bike ride and pay later.

Finally! After two days of riding in a dirty set of clothes, it's time for a clean shirt and pants! What a pleasure. The smelly stuff is stuffed deep into the saddlebag. I shuffle to the restaurant in my hotel slippers (all guests have to take off their shoes in the Dürrensteinhütte). We have nothing to complain about here. An extensive breakfast is ready for us. We eat a big breakfast. Today the Queen Stage of the South Tyrol Expedition is on the program. The marked route from the Dürrensteinhütte to Fortezza is 112 km with an elevation gain of 2,900 metres. Good luck!

Online banking is also allowed

Once we have packed all our bags and strapped them onto the bikes, I will go and pay with Helga. “Cash please.” Oops. “Online banking is also allowed.” Fortunately, there is one small problem. At an altitude of over 2,000 meters, the internet connection is not optimal. “Try it outside, that's often better,” Helga advises me. But unfortunately, I have no reception outside either. “It doesn't matter, just go for a nice bike ride. As soon as you are down in the valley, you will have telephone reception again. I will give you our bank details. Then you can pay as soon as you have coverage.” I do not abuse this trust and pay immediately when we arrive in the valley.

I mainly see a lot of blood

Arriving in the valley turns out to be more difficult than expected. The descent towards the village of Carbonin is treacherous. The road is unpaved and things go wrong in the first bend of the descent. We have not even gone 50 meters and my front wheel lands in a thick layer of gravel. My wheel sinks and although I fall with little speed, the introduction to the stones is quite painful. I quickly get back on the bike, I especially want to keep my knee moving. I'll check the damage downstairs later. A year earlier we cycled here on a good gravel road. But frequent rainfall has left its mark. Literal. We carefully maneuver around deep ruts in the road. There is little left of the beautiful gravel road with small pebbles. In addition to the gullies, large stones also have to be avoided regularly. We all make it down unscathed. Well, I'm looking at my knee. My leg piece is broken and when I take it off, I see a lot of blood... The knee moves well and I don't have much pain. Nothing badly broken. I clean the wound with an alcohol wipe and with a bandage around my knee I can continue. The race waits for no one.

The old railway line to Cortina d'Ampezzo

We continue our way on the old railway line between Carbonin and Cortina d'Ampezzo. It is now a beautiful gravel road through the forest. To enjoy! The road slopes towards the valley. Today we have to climb 2,900 meters in altitude. These are not made on the old railway line. That will soon lead to pain. Just before Cortina d'Ampezzo we leave the gravel path and dive into the Dolomiti d'Ampezzo Natural Park. After the parking lot we see a road in front of us that seems to go straight up. It goes up here for almost four kilometers on 15%! Fortunately on asphalt, but still! Pascal cycles with Rick and Klaas-Jan away from Bob and me. But Bob can't keep up with my pace either. I wait for him on a slightly less steep part of the climb. He comes around the bend walking. Bob is having a hard time. When he passes me, he gets back on his bike. Together we trudge on to the agreed place to wait for each other. At Rifugio Ra Stua we are welcomed with cheers by the rest. What a climb!

Rifugio Ra Stua!

From Rifugio Ra Stua another great gravel path stretches out in front of us. We are still a long way from reaching 2,900 meters of altitude. The legs can rest for a while. But after a few kilometers the road starts to climb seriously again. Bob is having a hard time again. But mentally this Achterhoeker is unbreakable. He fights bravely on a rental bike, which also has defects. The unpaved path becomes increasingly steep and at some point everyone has to get off their bike. To walk! Then walking again and then cycling a short distance we make our way up. We're all having a hard time, but the nature here is so beautiful! Only peaks of over 2,000 meters around us. We really feel like we're off-grid for a moment. Delicious. As we drive over the top, we see Rifugio Fodara Vedla in front of us. A Rifugio with a history that goes back a long way. During the First World War, the Austro-Hungarian army built an encampment with barracks here. After the war, the barracks became the property of the Mutschlechner family. To this day, the family runs the Rifugio Fodara Vedla here. We do not stop here, but descend to Rifugio Pederü.

Up and down: walking

Phew! Where it used to go steeply up, it now goes steeply down! Short hairpin bends are quite a challenge on a gravel bike. We encounter hikers who look after us, shaking their heads. One person thinks we are crazy, the other nods in admiration. On day three, the South Tyrol Expedition more than lives up to its name. At some parts of the descent my wheels are stationary, locked by braking, but the bike continues to slide down. Not nice if you don't have control over whether you stand still or not. Once we have cycled a bit 'reasonably normally' again, it turns out that it can be even steeper. The last eight bends to Pederü are simply too steep for cycling. We try to descend on foot. Not easy. The bike wants to go down faster than my feet. A bend lower I see Bob. He takes the inside bend while walking and before I can shout for him to take the less steep outside bend, it is already too late. He slides, falls over and his bicycle rolls with him. Bob's damage seems to be not too bad, but his bike no longer wants to shift gears.

Shimano GRX, indestructible

During lunch we all discuss how we are going to spend the rest of the day. This morning we got on our bikes at 8:15 am. It's 1pm and we've only covered 20 miles. The terrain has taken its toll. We decide to descend to St Vigil and remove a climb from the route. Bob's bicycle has too many defects to safely cycle an unpaved, steep climb. Safety above all. In St Vigil we stop at a bicycle repair shop. With a lot of force he gets the gears of the Specialized Diverge working again. With renewed morale we set course for the last climb of the day. We may have deleted one climb, but we will still have to cycle over the Passo delle Erbe to arrive in Fortezza.

Passo delle Erbe, a brutal climb

The Passo delle Erbe is a brutal climb. No more gravel for us. The road up will be entirely on asphalt. The now familiar pattern soon unfolds. The trio of Pascal, Rick and Klaas-Jan disappear over the horizon. Bob and I stay behind. I cycle to the top together with Bob. Keep telling him that the view at the top is beautiful. Once at the top, that's not a lie. The view of the rock formations so characteristic of the Dolomites is breathtaking. We put on a jacket. It is already starting to get dark and then it cools down quickly in the mountains. We descend rapidly towards Brixen. But before we reach Brixen, we leave the asphalt one more time to continue our ride on a gravel road. We drive straight through a small stream. On the other side, something goes wrong again with Bob's bicycle. His chain has been wrapped around the crank three times and is completely stuck in the chainring. With great difficulty Pascal manages to get the bike moving again.

Not dressed for 'the occasion'

Darkness falls when we reach Brixen. Another 17 kilometers then we arrive at Hotel Sachsenklemme in Fortezza. Klaas-Jan doesn't feel like it anymore and shows it. “Guys, I'm done with this. How are we going to solve that! Where is the train station, because I don't cycle anymore.” How are we going to solve that? Just cycling man! It's still a little bit. There is hardly any climbing required. We'll be at the hotel soon. We all started it together and we are all going to finish it. With these words, Klaas-Jan's buddy, Rick, gives the final mental push in the right direction. We get on our bikes and arrive at the hotel at 8:30 PM, hungry and tired. Eat first and then shower. The restaurant looks deserted from the outside. Upon entering it appears to be completely full. There are still a few tables available and we can sit down. People look at us with strange, astonished and astonished looks. We're not really dressed for 'the occasion'. We don't care at all!

• read previously published reports here day one and day two.

Next year we will go on another expedition to South Tyrol. If you are enthusiastic about our adventures, register quickly for Expedition South Tyrol 2022. There is room for 6 participants. With two supervisors we will ensure that CYCLOsportive's journey runs smoothly!

https://www.cyclosportive-travel.nl/expeditie-zuidtirol

Text & image: Gerrit Vermeulen

With just four minutes of water I'm back down in plenty of time for dinner.

When I open my eyes, the sunlight is already peeking through a crack in the white-red-checked curtains. When I open the curtains further I see fresh snow on the tops of the mountains around the Pfitscherjochhaus. I quickly grab my camera and open the window, brrrrrrrr. IT'S COLD! Quite logical, we spent the night at an altitude of over 2,000 meters, it is still early in the morning and it has snowed!

When Rick saw the small mountain lake next to the mountain hut on arrival a day earlier, his eyes started to sparkle. “That will be a refreshing dip tomorrow,” were his words. After a night of sleep and the snow that has fallen, he is a little less enthusiastic. “Just showered this morning.”

For the second day in the same dirty clothes

After breakfast we enter the room where we have parked our bicycles. The word stable comes to mind when I open the door. The day before we drove through cow dung. That smell greets me. We have not cleaned the bicycles and our clothes still show traces of the adventure of the day before. The mountain hut on the Pfitscherjoch is fine, but there is no laundry service. Four days of cycling means two sets of cycling clothing. And not washing means that we have to wear the same clothes two days in a row. Nice! All bags are strapped down again and we are ready to leave.

Wonderfully relaxed cycling through the Pustertal

The route mainly takes us in a valley line to the Pfitschertal. The view of the surrounding mountains is beautiful. Compared to the other days of our South Tyrol Expedition, we drive relatively little on unpaved roads today. But after all that scrambling and lugging on day one, that's no punishment. Call it a reward for the hard work the day before. On day two of our bike packing trip through South Tyrol, our final destination is once again at a high altitude. We spend the night in the Dürrensteinhütte at an altitude of over 2,000 meters. The last part of the ride will involve a lot of climbing. But until the final climb we cycle on quiet cycle paths through the Pustertal. The path slopes gently through the valley. Everyone can enjoy it and no one has to suffer here.

On a beach bike through the mountains

Halfway through we look for a place to have lunch. The choice fell on the Zur Brücke restaurant in Mittewald. We sit at a table in our dirty cycling clothes. No problem! And enjoy a delicious lunch. Really, I think it's impossible to eat bad in Italy! When we leave the restaurant I bump into two friendly elderly Germans. You guys, I don't ask their age. But they could have been my father. The men ask where we are going to cycle to. I explain that we cycle from Innsbruck to Innsbruck and do so with a detour via the Dolomites in South Tyrol. And also partly on unpaved roads. The gentlemen nod approvingly. Their eyebrows frown when they look at my bike. “Welche Reifen gibt es auf Ihrem Fahrrad?” I tell them that those are beach tires that I use for beach races in the Netherlands. "Oh? And what do you think about the Schotterpisten durch die Berge?” The other participants in the bike packing trip all cycle on tires with tread. Beach tires have almost no profile. In my best German I admit that it may not have been the best choice to go with this setting. But it just turns on. The friendly Germans themselves are on their way from Munich to Venice. RESPECT! And auf wiedersehen.

Hunger pangs on the way to the Dürrensteinhütte

We continue our way to Bruneck. There we are served city gravel. We reach the other side of this nice town in South Tyrol through a park with a number of tunnels. Italy's National Forestry Commission is working hard here. A few times we have to get off the bike to make our way over the enormous tree trunks. After Bruneck it is not far to the foot of the final climb to the Dürrensteinhütte. Just before Villabassa we turn right and start the climb. Everyone climbs at their own pace. I quickly see Rick, Klaas and Pascal driving away. I'll stay with Bob. But I soon realize I've made a classic mistake. Eating too little and too irregularly, resulting in hunger pangs. I check my stock of bars and gels. Wow, that's going to be difficult. I quickly stuff some food into my mouth, but it's not enough. The legs remain weak. Luckily Bob has a few bars for me. I get over the feeling of hunger and continue cycling with Bob. The climb is 14 kilometers long and 3 km from the top there is a steep section of approximately one km long with a gradient of 14%. We cycle on at walking pace and wandering along the road. A kilometer seems like 3 kilometers.

Helga is strict, take a four-minute shower in time for dinner!

The sun starts to set behind the mountains and it cools down quickly. Just a few more kilometers. After the steep kilometer we are rewarded with a beautiful gravel road for the last 2 kilometers. Silence around us. Or no, not. Only the sound of cowbells breaks the peace. It is a beautiful soothing sound. The Dürrensteinhütte looms before us. Survived another day. Two more to go. When we enter the mountain hut, Bob and I see the rest of the group already sitting at a table. Still in cycling clothes. “I'm going to take a shower before I eat, I'm freezing,” I say to Pascal. He answers that that won't work. Manager Helga tells us to eat with all visitors to the hut at the same time at 7 p.m. If you are not in the dining room on time, there will be no food. When I look at Helga sweetly and say that I want to take a shower before dinner, I hear a loud NO. But after insisting, she gives me a shower mint. With just four minutes of water I'm back down in plenty of time for dinner.

Helga looks at me in surprise and asks if I have showered yet. “The owner is not to be trifled with, I quickly took a shower. The threat of no food works wonders,” I try to be funny in my best German… Helga laughs, the ice is broken. It even gives me an extra tiramisu when the desserts are served. We go to bed with a full stomach. Day three will be a tough day with 112 kilometers and 2,900 meters of altitude!!

• did you miss part 1 of our adventure: read it here

Next year we will go on another expedition to South Tyrol. If you are enthusiastic about our adventures, register quickly for Expedition South Tyrol 2022. There is room for 6 participants. With two supervisors we will ensure that CYCLOsportive's journey runs smoothly!