#RoadsFromRome Day 5 - Short N Sweet To Merano


I had a good night in the cooler temperature of the Dolomites last night - it was a change to need to wear all of my clothing to bed, and use my sleeping bag rather than lie on top of it.

The day started with a great little descent down one of South Tyrol’s many beautiful dedicated cycle paths. Weaving through apple plantations, it felt like familiar ground; I really do love this region.

Today was always planned to be a short day, and because of a change of schedule I was even more keen for it to be - rather than stay in Merano for two nights, I have decided to push on into Austria tomorrow, in the knowledge that my pace over the passes is slower than planned, and also because of forecast weather coming in. In effect, it means today is my rest day.

The only climb of the day was up and over into the Val d'Ultimo. I stopped for breakfast at the bottom, and then cracked on with the decent length climb. It still clocked over 1500 metres elevation gain, but on almost deserted singletrack road. Beautiful.

The descent down to Lana and then onwards to Merano was equally Ultimo. Weaving round wide bends, and blasting through long tunnels.

By lunchtime I had arrived at Meran. I checked into the beautiful Hotel Terme Meran, and now plan to spend the rest of the day in their Sky Spa and thermal baths, before a full four course meal. Time to hopefully rejuvenate the muscles ahead of the next big mountains.

Catch up with the day's photos on Instagram: @tim_wiggins1
Labels:


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SwissStop Disc Brake Pads Comparison Test Review – Are All Disc Brake Pads Made Equal?

Image
The market for disc brake pads for gravel bikes, mountain bikes and road bikes is saturated; there are hundreds of different brands producing disc brake pads claiming to last longer and perform better than the competition. So, what is the difference between a set of low cost disc brake pads from eBay/Amazon versus the high-end pads from SwissStop? Are SwissStop disc brake pads worth the extra money? To find out, I have been doing some extensive disc brake pad testing over the last few months. October to February is obviously a period of wet winter riding, and I have been testing the following list of brake pads on road, gravel and mountain bikes—to create the ultimate test for any disc brake set-up. The disc brake pads on test:  SwissStop Disc 34 RS (Shimano Road/Gravel)  SwissStop Disc 32 RS (SRAM Road/Gravel)  SwissStop Disc 31 E (MTB SRAM Avid)  Superstar Sintered Shimano Road Disc Brake Pads (Shimano Road/Gravel)  SOMMET Resin and Semi-Metallic Disc Brake Pads (SRAM Road/Gravel
Keep reading

Recipe – The Ultimate High Energy Flapjacks

Image
This traditional flapjack recipe is packed full of energy for long days on the bike. The oats supply a great low-GI fuel source, while the dried fruit offers instant energy and sweetness. Whether on or off the bike, these flapjack bars are a great high-energy snack for cycling. You can adapt the recipe by adding in other dried fruit, seeds, nuts, and spices to make these even more varied and flavoursome. I particularly like pumpkin seeds and chopped crystallised ginger added to the mix. Ingredients 200g butter 100g brown sugar 1 tbsp golden syrup ½ tbsp black treacle 300g porridge oats 100g raisins 75g soft-dried figs 50g soft-dried apricots Method Set the oven to 150°C or 140°C for fan-assisted oven. Place the shelf in the middle Stick a big pan on the scales and measure in the butter and brown sugar Heat the pan on the hob until the butter and sugar are all melted Add a tablespoon of golden syrup and half a tablespoon of treacle to the mix Add the porridge oats and y
Keep reading

Review – Selle Italia SLR Boost Gravel Superflow Saddle S3

Image
The Selle Italia SLR Boost Gravel Superflow Saddle is designed for gravel bike riding. Featuring gel inserts to reduce vibration, titanium saddle rails to absorb trail buzz, and a sleek low-profile design to offer style and performance—this is a saddle made for adventure. The SLR Boost Gravel is Selle Italia's latest offering for the growing Gravel segment of the market; engineered specifically to enhance riding comfort on difficult terrain and during endurance gravel events. Available in two sizes, I opted for the smaller version (S3), and have been testing it out over the last month… I have become a great advocate of the cut-away design for saddles—it offers greater flexibility in the centre of the saddle and reduces pressure on the sensitive perineum region. The SLR Boost Gravel Superflow is a superb example of this kind of saddle design; with a cutaway section, short nose, and flared sides to effectively support your seat bones. To improve comfort on rough terrain, Selle
Keep reading

Review – TRP Spyre SLC Cable Disc Brakes

Image
Cable actuated disc brakes get a lot of bad press. There is some justification for that — most of the systems lack the modulation and performance of their hydraulic counterparts. There is however one set of cable disc brakes that shines above the rest: the TRP Spyre SLC Disc Brake. This lightweight and sleek cable disc caliper excels in both design and functionality. My Kona Private Jake arrived in 2016 with a set of TRP's Spyre-C disc brakes fitted as standard. Those brakes worked very well for over 25,000 kilometres of use and abuse; I rode the bike for daily commutes (including a salty daily ferry journey), and I rode the bike fully loaded over the highest cols in the Pyrenees on the #CoastsandCols tour. The Spyre-C took all this abuse in hand and always produced the stopping power I demanded. This year, with the Kona Private Jake hitting a 25,000 kilometre anniversary, I decided it was time to upgrade and replace a number of the parts. To be honest, most of the component
Keep reading

Review – SunRace CS MX80 (MX8) 11-46T Cassette for SRAM

Image
If you are running a SRAM Force or Rival 1X drivetrain set-up, then you may well find yourself wishing for a lower gear, especially on bikepacking adventures. The SunRace MX80 / MX8 11-46 tooth cassettes supply two additional low ratio gears than you get on the standard 11-42T SRAM cassette. That is an upgrade worth considering... On my Kona Sutra LTD build , I was concerned about a lack of low end gear spread for the Tour Divide . Whilst pure grunt will usually get you up most things on an 11-42T cassette, I thought with the cumulative fatigue and long climbs on this 21 day bikepacking route, I might need something lower... SRAM rate their SRAM Rival and Force 1X rear derailleurs as suitable for a maximum of a 42-tooth cassette—I was keen to see if the SunRace MX80 and MX8 cassette would work with the derailleurs and provide that sought-after lower gear possibility. You may well not have heard of the SunRace brand, but you likely have heard of Sturmey Archer—the iconic hub gea
Keep reading