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Day 1: Bunnik - Amerongen - Rhenen - Doorwerth - Nijmegen - Berg en Dal - Groesbeek 101 km
I am looking back. My neighbors are still waving. Then I am out of sight and I am gone. For
the tenth consecutive year in a row I am doing a medium to large cycling trip. This time
I will be staying in Europe. The idea is to go through Germany to southern Italy over
Sicily and to cycle back home over Sardinia, Corsica, France and Belgium. An overall
estimate shows me that it will be around six thousand to seven thousand kilometers
to fully realise the plan. But I will not be looking forward this far. The last months
have been very busy. Yesterday I have had exams, this morning I packed my things for the
journey, I did not have any time at all to barely think about global route options.
The beginning will be easy in any case. Thursday, I agreed with Marco Duiker and Willem
Hoffmans to meet in Gulpen, Southern Limburg. They will be cycling with me for three
days and then they will take the train back home.
It is pretty sunny and quite warm. It is 12 o'clock in the morning as I am cycling towards the Utrechtse Heuvelrug.
I would like to take in as many hills as possible. So the first option for climbing is the Heuvelrug,
a little climb called the Ruiterberg. I pass this area regularly on my racing bike.
Now I am cycling with a trekking bike with heavy luggage so I am proceeding almost
two times as slowly as I am used to. I cross the Heuvelrug again over the Amerongse Berg and
I am cycling further to Rhenen and I am crossing the Heuvelrug for the third time over the
Grebbeberg. I will remain in the rhythm of climbing and descending these small hills
and now I am climbing a new hill called the Wageningse Berg. After Doorwerth a last
major hill in the Veluwe called the 'Italian road' I cross. I reach Oosterbeek where I
take the ferry over the Rhine. I am in the Betuwe region now. There is a lot of headwind
on the flat areas on the way to Nijmegen. In Nijmegen the hills return in a region
valled Berg en Dal, literally 'Mountain and Valley'. As there are no real mountains
in the Netherlands the Dutch have come to think these tiny hills are true mountains.
After a few nice climbs in the Berg and Dal region I finish my first day in Groesbeek.
I succeeded to take in as many climbs as possible in the "Dutch Mountains". Tomorrow
I will be on my way to South Limburg.
Day 2: Groesbeek - Arcen - Venlo - Roermond - Geleen - Schinnen - Valkenburg - Schin op Geul - Gulpen 166 km
It is a beautiful summer morning as I start cycling at 8 hours in the morning through
the last hills of Berg en Dal. The landscape is strikingly hilly, I feel like being
abroad. But the Berg en Dal area is only small and soon I am back in the uniform plain
countryside that the Netherlands for the large part consists of. An atmospheric piece of
Limburg leads me to the National Park Maasduinen. I am crossing the area over numerous small
bike trails. The Maasduinen appears to be a mysterious phenomenon. You do not see them
but you do feel the climbs. More specifically, the climbs are there nbut they do not bring me
an inch higher. The wind is starting to bother me as well. After almost 3 hours I have done only
45 kilometer when I see a bicycle sign: 24 kilometer still to go to Venlo. I am looking desperately
at my map: is it still that far? I had agreed with my friends to meet in Gulpen tonight so
I do have a bit to go. At least a 100 kilometers. How could I misjudge the distance? The
next time I will study maps before I go away. Weather strikes also. The smooth blue sky
has been replaced by a uniformly gray sky. But the air is still warm and humid after the weather
change. It is sodamp that the air around me itself seems to sweat. Along the beautiful
small town Arcen I cycle to Venlo, where I followthe River Maas towards Roermond. Not a
nice route but I must make haste. The highlight of the day is a bike path from Merlich
to the beautiful village of St. Odiliënberg. A threatening black sky hangs above the river Roer.
Finally the rain comes and so the desired coolness. The wind turns to the west, so that
the headwind is gradually tirning into a backwind. I am gaining distance significantly better
now. I manage to avoid getting lost in the industrial ares between and Sittard to Geleen and
I reach Schinnen at the foot of the hills of South Limburg.
A beautiful, steep ravine brings me to a plateau but an unfortunate choice of route brings me on
a road that leads me back again to Schinnen. I try one road further, which leaves from
Spaubeek. This time I am more successful and after the climb to the plateau I descend into
Valkenburg. On the way from Valkenburg to Gulpen I see the Keutenberg. The Keutenberg is
a famous climb of the Amstel Gold Race. The climb has remarkably steep sections (21%) and
is thus unsuitable for a fully loaded bike. But it is a nice climb and I think that
it is a nice test. So I pull my bike up the steep slope. As I reach the top, I am
immediately punished with a hellish Thunderstorm because of this idle vanity. The storm
comes my way. As fast as I can I cross the plateau and descend to Gulpen. I climb
to the campsite and I am just in time at the camping before the storm breaks loose.
Just as the storm is over, Willem and Marco appear.
Day 3: Gulpen - Epen - Gemmenich (Belgium) - Kelmis - Lammersdorf (Germany) - Kesternich - Heimbach 84 km
To my surprise the weather is good when we get up. We pack our gear and now we are cycling over
Epen to Eperheide. In a cafe at the foot of the Camerig hill we are having breakfast
and enjoy the beautiful weather. After our breakfast we climb the Camerig and follow
atiny road to the Belgian border. Over Gemmenich and Kelmis we proceed and a few hills further
we are in Germany. The weather has deteriorated and it is raing now and then. The
last miles we follow a dirt road along a lake in the Rur. After the continuous climbs
and descents through the Ardennes and the Eifel regions and after the 166 kilometer yesterday
I am glad as we arrive at the camping of Heimbach. Time torest,
Day 4: Heimbach - Hergarten - Kallmuth - Pesch - Schönau - Adenau - Nürburgring 83 km
Our second day in the Eifel region. After the forested landscapes of yesterday,
today sees more open landscapes with grain and corn fields on the plateaus. The gray,
windy weather remains but sometimes there are bright moments as well. The occasional
spooky circumstances adds a special atmosphere to the day.
After 83 kilometer we find a campsite at to the Nürburgring racetrack. The circuit
is located at 600 meter altitude close to the higher peaks of the Eifel. The camping
is an experience in itself. We find ourselves between car and motorcycle freaks. The
site is very large but nevertheless quite full. Before each tent there are towers
of beer crates. Everybody plays music and plays it awfully hard. It appears that AC/DC
is still extremely popular but also inferior German hard rock bands blast with full volume
through the speakers. The dress regulations are clear: as much leather as possible. We
seem to be quite out of tune with our cycling clothes and fleece pullovers. All in
all I still quite like it here. Oddly enough the campsite is very decent and clean.
The bathroom is spick and span. Along the edges of the camp are restaurants that offer excellent quality.
The camp store is run by a delicate old lady, who apparently has no fear of the rough-looking men.
Between eleven and twelve hours, everywhere the music is turned down and I have a very good nights
sleep.
Day 5: Nürburgring - Kaisersesch - Pommern - Treis - Beltheim - Oberwesel 88 km
We are crossing the last hills of the Eifel. This part of the Eifel has volcanic origins
and sometimes there are faint crater shapes visible in the landscape. The weather is
still unstable. Bright spells and jet-black clouds play a game of light and shadow.
Marco does not feel well today. Still he wants to continue and so we proceed and down
we go to the Mosel and steeply up again to the plateau between the river Mosel and the
river Rhine. This is the area where the two rivers cut deeply inside the landscape.
The slopes along the Moselle are pretty steep. No vertical cliffs though but impressive enough.
New showers and a cracking thunderstorm try to hit us but they miss and in an agitated hurry
the black clouds roll over the fields, away from us, contrasting wildly against the
brightly lit grain fields. The last kilometers to the Rhine Valley we cycle on a dirt
road and escend into Oberwesel, a medieval town full of atmosphere and stuffed with
mediaevil towers. We have made it, despite Marco's physical discomfort. This is the last day
together. We celebrate our last evening in town, wining and dining. Tomorrow Marco and Willem
will return back to Holland by train and I shall be on my own again, cycling further towards
the sun.
Day 6: Oberwesel - Bacharach - Bingen - Wörrstadt - Worms - Lampertheim - Mannheim - Schriesheim 136 km
We say goodbye at station Oberwesel. I am alone again. I pick up the thread and along the river
Rhine I bike to the south. There is a bike path along the Rhine. I can dream away on my bike
unimpeded by cars. Again, it is gray but dry weather. The road leads through beautiful towns with an abundance of
timbered houses and steep vineyards. Bacharach is very nice, and so is the view to Kaub at the other side
of the River. Untill the small town of Bingen the river Rhine wrings through the hills of
Central Germany. South of Bingen the valley widens and the beautiful landscapes are more or less gone.
This is the place where I leave here the Rhine Valley and I climb up to the plateau south of Bingen,
also to avoid th congested areas around Mainz. I cycle over Wörrstadt to Worms,
a surprisingly nice open route with panoramic landscapes with waving corn fields.
In Worms I reach the Rhine Valley once again. And what a difference with the Rhine Valley
at Oberwesel and Bacharach! Here the Rhine lies in a broad valley with many industries.
I need to cross the Rhine Valley here in order to reach more beautiful hill landscapes
to come. Two problems arise: there is a strong headwind and the distance that is
indicated on the signs to the nearest hillside village is much longer than I had expected.
I have no accurate map of the area covered but I decide that I 'feel' that I can find a
faster route. That decision raises a third, fairly predictable, problem. I get hopelessly lost.
The hills are visible, so I know what direction I should continue but all the roads
in that direction eventually bend towards the huge industrial areas and urban ugliness of
Mannheim. It is like an evil curse is working against me, everything turns up messy.
Whatever I do, like a magnet I am being drawn to Mannheim. In a final attempt to avoid the big city,
I cycle into a forest on a dirt road without indications. There is still nothing indicated
and I get lost more and more hopelessly. Overall I have cycled for fifty kilometers in
a completely unfocused way yet, it is 8 o'clock in the evening and I have to ride at
least twenty kilometers still. At random I find my way through the woods and half an hour
later I have finally found a way out of the woods, in the civilized world. Civilized...
That means I am finally in Mannheim in the end, despite my frantic efforts to avoid Mannheim.
Shows the meaningless of fighting against fate. And now I have to try to leave Mannheim
as soon as possible. But also that project does not run smoothly. I try and try to find a way
but I am stuck in residential neighborhoods. Eventually I decide to leave Mannheim
over avery busy road, unsuitable for cyclists, in the hope that I can find a quiet side street
soon. This time luck is finally on my side, as there appear to be bicycle paths
towards the hills. After one hour cycling I reach the first camping in the hills. In the end
everything is okay.
Day 7: Schriesheim - Heidelberg - Neckarsteinach - Mosbach - Möckmühl - Jagsthausen - Künzelsau 141 km
Today I want to reach the heart of Schwaben. I want to visit a friend of mine in
Künzelsau. Along the edge of the hills of the Rhine valley, I cycle to the
south. It does not take a long time before I reach Heidelberg, the oldest university
town in Germany. The center of Heidelberg indeed breathes the atmosphere of a university
town. Unlike most large German cities, the old town has been preserved during the Second
World War. The city lies on both sides of the river Neckar, one of the main tributaries of
the Rhine. After a brief visit to the old town of Heidelberg, I follow the course of the
river Neckar. On both sides of the river there are forested slopes of three hundred meters
high. The river winds its way through the landscape in wide arcs. As along the rivers Mosel
and Rhine there are bike paths along the river which attract many cyclists.
The bike path is relatively flat. It passes through some beautiful villages, particularly
Neckarsteinach and Hirschhorn. In Mosbach I leave the narrow valley of the Neckar and
I climb to a slightly undulating plateau with panoramic views, which are accentuated
by the low-hanging, passing clouds. Slowly it is becoming sunnier and warmer. If I
descend from the plateau I reach the village of Möckmühl. The clouds have
finally dissolved. The wind is still strong but because the wind is in the back, I
have nothing to complain. Along the river Jagst I cycle to the east, to bend southwards
briefly at Jagsthausen to climb over a ridge and descend into the valley of the Kocher.
The last twenty kilometers are easy as the wind is blowing in my back and pushes me forward.
I reach the small town of Künzelsau, where I will spend the coming weekend,
a break before the 'big' Alpine stages that are coming soon...
Day 10: Künzelsau - Vellberg - Kammerstatt - Abstgmünd - Aalen - Neeresheim - Demmingen - Mörslach 140 km
After a weekend with a social program, now I am alone on the bike. I have got rhythm from the
first minute and I am feeling much more equipped for things to come than during the first week
and I am really having fun now. I am cycling through rolling hills along the Kocher tot BraunsBach.
Here start a series of partially unpaved roads towards Vellberg. A nice ride through the hills
and valleys brings me to the small fortified town of Vellberg. There are beautiful views over
the valley of the Bühler. Germany appears remarkably bicycle friendly. Most of the time it
is possible to cycle over well-built bike paths. Except for the area around Mannheim, where
I actually got lost myself by constantly ignoring the road signs, I have had good experiences:
quiet bike paths, patient behaviour of the car drivers, good and relatively inexpensive facilities.
I am cycling dozens of miles through pleasant hill landscapes. At the end of the afternoon however
dark clouds roll in from the west. This time there seems no possibility to escape the rains.
It is completely cloudy when I reach Neeresheim, a village that lies between the beautiful
green hills of the Danube region. A huge monastery with many elegant, baroque ornamentation
dominates the view. The dark weather adds to the atmosphere. I am climbing over the hills and
descend into the valley of the Danube. It is still raining when I descend to the wide
plains of the Danube. In Mörslach I reach the campsite where I will spend the night. I meet
Andre and his wife and son. Andre and I are having interesting scientific and philosophical
discussions. Do trees really live inside or do not they? Is life animate or do we only
respond to chemical or physical laws or does something or someone else as pull the strings
like a puppeteer on the strings? Is there a cause for life on Earth or is life a cosmic
aberration? What do we really understand of the essence of life?
Day 11: Mörslach - Dillingen - Oberschönenfeld - Reinhartshausen - Reinhartshofen 68 km
I am riding to Sebastians house now. I met Sebastian in 2005 in the Indian Himalayas.
The landscapes near Sebastian's house in Reinhartshofen has been significantly more
interesting than the area south of the Danube. Early in the afternoon I reach my goal
for today. The last kilometers promise much good for tomorrow when I will be riding
towards the Alps...
Day 12: Reinhartshofen - Schwabmünchen - Landsberg am Lech - Vilgertshofen - Schongau - Wieskirche - Schloß Neuschwanstein - Füssen - Reutte (Austria) 148 km
I am awakened by a thunderstorm. A moment later Sebastian and I are having breakfast
together. It is only half past six now, Sebastian has to work the whole day and for me it is
okay to get up early and I will have a long drive ahead. I could be able to reach the foot
of the Alps today. At half past eight we say goodbye and I continue my journey. The storm is
over now but heavy clouds are still hanging around and heavy showers still reign over the surrounding
hills. In one or another way I am lucky to cycle between all the showers to Landsberg am Lech.
I am at the 'Romantische Straße' now. This famous route roughly follows the course of the river
Lech in the direction of the Alps but sometimes the route meanders through the surrounding hills. There
are beautiful towns, impressive castles and baroque churches along the Romantische Straße.
Dozens of kilometers in the distance I can already see a part of the broad wall of the Alps
between the clouds and the rain showers. But now I am in the hills and I reach the village
of Vilgertshofen. The village is known for its baroque Wallfahrtskirche which is beautifully
situated between the hills. When I arrive, I see a young man walking around the church,
the first person that I see outside since a long time.
Twenty kilometers later I meet the same young man again. Elmar also appears to be cycling;
he is doing a pilgrimage to Rome. We both want to see the famous baroque Wieskirche
in the foothills of the Alps and we are continuing together now. After climbing out of
Schongau we start to climb the first foothills of the Alps. The mountains themselves
cannot be seen. It has started to rain and it is really pouring now. It does not make
the increasingly hilly landscape less atmospheric. Numerous small, winding bike paths
lead us through pine forests and alpine meadows. After one hour or two we reach the Wieskirche,
which lies in a beautiful alpine meadow against the backdrop of a high mound with dark green
conifers. After a visit to the lavish, high baroque church, Elmar and I say goodbye.
Elmar follows the Claudia Augusta route to Rome over the busy Fern Pass, while I want to
cross the much more alpine Hahntenjoch tomorrow. The dark clouds have gone now. The sky
is cleared from the clouds completely and for the first time since the Netherlands
the landscape around me is bathing in sunlight. As I am reaching a little pass,
the Alps are suddenly at my feet. The rain has flooded all the dust out of the air,
the views are razor sharp now. The sun is already low and lovely lights patterns provide
a fascinating game of light and shadow. Below me lies a broad grassy plain with large
lakes and many small villages. I descend to the plains and set course towards the Alps.
I am cycling along the foot of the mountains and the dazzling Schloß Neuschwanstein, famous
of its presence in numerous jigsaw puzzles, towers on a rocky point above the valley.
I leave my bike and now I am climbing to the snow-white fairy tale castle. The castle rises
slender and straight towards the skies and out of the immense bastion numerous towers emerge, all
seeking their own way up into the air. High Romanticism meets pure megalomania but the result
is certainly impressive. After my visit to the castle I continue my route to Füssen and
late in the evening I reach the Austrian border. The weather is so beautiful that I want to take
advantage of the circumstances as long as possible to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Eventually
I find a campsite in Reutte.
Day 13: Reutte - Stanzach - Hahntenjoch (1894 m) - Imst - Landeck 82 km
I am cycling through the lovely valley of the deeply azure River Lech. The mountains
of the Allgaüer and Lechtaler Alps on both sides of the river with their gray rock
walls and dark green pine forests are a dramatic counterpart to the lovely river valley.
The area is sparsely populated and whole passages I am cycling through vast valley forests.
It is an unusual experience in Europe to be in a broad valley that is still a natural area.
Usually valleys are used for agriculture or habitation. In the village Stanzach I take a rest
and I start talking to a 90 year old woman. Her eyes are still full of life and she wants to
know exactly what I intend to do. As we say goodbye, I have to promise that I will be careful.
Not long after this little interlude the ascent to the Hahntenjoch begins and the climb immediately
proves to ruthless. The road lies parallel to the valley and soon I have climbed high
above the valley floor. The first real climb of the trip is really something. After
one kilometer the road turns and goes up in a side valleyof the Lech valley. The road
is less steep now and leads through alpine villages and green meadows. The last
five kilometers to the pass are on average ten per cent steep. Difficult stuff. The
Hahntenjoch appears to be a very ambitious start in the Alps. Once at the top I am enjoying
the views. The landscape on the southwest side of the pass is even rougher than the east
side. Large walls of gray limestone dominate the scene. The road goes down right under
these huge limestone walls over big slopes of scree. I am going down between the large
rocks and in a short time I descend into the Inn valley in Imst. I find out that it
is very hot in the Inn valley now and I limit myself to an afternoon ride along the Inn
to Landeck. The first Alpine crossing has been done.
Day 14: Landeck - Prutz - Pfunders - Nauders - Reschen (Italy) - Graun 66 km
Today I will cycle with Dietmar. At least the first kilometers through the valley of the Inn
towards Italy. Two days ago, I met Dietmar at the campsite of Reutte. Since then he
cycled across the Fern Pass to Landeck and I took the Hahntenjoch route. Dietmar has got
an injury on his knee today and he will not be cycling any further than Pfunders,
just before the climb to the Reschen Pass. I will continue to cross the Reschen Pass,
the border with Italy.
After breakfast it starts to rain; the mountains are hanging in the clouds completely.
The view is restricted to the valley of the Inn. It is not cold though, the circumstances
are by no means burdensome. Nevertheless, we take more coffee stops than I would have done
otherwise. After one stop Elmar takes us over, the German man with whom I cycled to the
Wieskirche. With three men we will proceed in the direction of Pfunders. Elmar and
Dietmar both follow the Claudia Augusta Road, Elmar through Verona to Rome, Dietmar to
Verona. Both men have beautifully designed books with him. Getting lost is something
of the past. If we approach Pfunders, the rain stops unexpectedly and the sun breaks
through the cloud cover. In Pfunders Elmar and I say goodbye to Dietmar. It is around noon now
and Dietmar has got the whole afternoon and evening time to reflect on the things of life.
There is not much else to do; the village is very nice but also very quiet. We exchange
addresses and Dietmar promises to let us as know whenever there are major philosophical or
spiritual insights to be reported.
After pfunders we cycle along the Inn through the border area between Austria and Switzerland.
At the Swiss border the climb to Nauders and the Reschen Pass begins. The climb is not
steep and also the altitude difference is not impressive. After a few kilomters of climbing
we reach a small pass and downhill we go to Nauders, it is not so far anymore to the
Reschen Pass. The combination of the Fern Pass and Reschenpass is probably the easiest
way to cross the Alps. In Nauders Elmar and I have one more coffee break. As we wait
for the order, we see two cyclists. One of the cyclists looks incredibly much like the famous
Dutch world cyclist Frank van Rijn, I seriously suspect him to actually be Frank van
Rijn. I decide to simply ask and it shows that we are indeed dealing with the now
61-year-old man who has dedicated almost a whole human life to cycling across all the
continents and to writing some great books about his adventures. Within a short time
the stories come loose and we forget about time. The partner of Frank is called Hans;
he is a veteran of 66 Swiss years old. His dry, earthy humor is a great asset to our company.
With the four of us we are heading fot the Reschen Pass. From Nauders we hardly need
to climb. But there are still some kilometers up with a significant headwind. We reach
the pass and hence the border with Italy. We see that black clouds are rolling in from Italy.
We will not be able to avoid the bad weather. The Reschen See is directly beyond the pass;
A dam was built under Mussolini and since then the whole reservoir is under water.
Without taking into account the Sudtiroler population, whole villages were put under
water, including the village of Graun. The villagers of Graun have moved the church to
the edge of the lake, so that the church is half under water since the commissioning of the dam;
only the spire soars above the water. Precisely at this special place the storm breaks
loose. Thunder and lightning, fiery winds and torrential rain. We hurry to the
village where we take a small hotel. After a nice shower, we go out for dinner.
Frank van Rijn proves to play chess (ex-champion from a smalltown of 40.000 residents).
The discussion concentrates on the national German search for the greatest man of all time.
That proves to be Adenauer, Beckenbauer and Mozart (who actually was an Austrian man).
Subsequently, the discussion moves to the greatest Dutch man; William of Orange and
Pim Fortuijn were chosen. I argue that Frank perhaps also deserves his place in this
illustrious list of names. Frank suggests that not he but his family member Rembrandt
deserves that high position. And that Mozart derserves the first in Austria (and not in
Germany). I respond that a the best music ever was recently chosen in Austria; although not
a movement of Mozart was chosen, he was nevertheless in the spotlights as "Rock Me Amadeus"
by Falco was voted by the Austrians as the best song ever. Unfortunately Frank has missed
this quintessential work that had put Austria back to the internation hit parades in the middel eighties.
I try to imitate the stuttering ADHD performance of Falco, including all the mimics and gestures.
Frank nods his head with a bewildered face.
Day 15: Graun - Mals in Vischgau - Glurns - Prato - Stilfserjoch / Stelvio (2757 m) 59 km
It is still raining when we wake up, but not in the huge quantities of yesterday evening.
But rain is rain and it makes you wet whatsoever. And if there is something that Frank does not
like - besides spicy food - is rain and cold weather. As it is both wet and cold now,
Frank and Hans decide to remain in the hotel. Elmar and I decide to continue. I will go
in an opposite direction than the other men whatsoever. They will head for Bolzano as I want to
cross the Stelvio.
The weather has been quite extreme tonight. The snow line is extremely low, at only 1700
meters altitude, only slightly higher than where we find ourselves now. We descend to
Prato, at the foot of the Stelvio or Stilfserjoch, 2757 meters high and one of the highest
cols in the Alps. The descent leads through many beautiful villages of Sudtirol like
Burgeis, Mals in Vinschgau and Glurns. The atmosphere is in fact more Austrian than
Austria itself.
We say goodbye in Prato. Elmar will continue to follow the Adige down to Verona,
I will cycle up the Stelvio. The Stelvio is one of the largest and longest climbs
of Italy and Europe. From the foot of the climb in Prato at 949 meter altitude to
the col at 2757 meters elevation, nearly 2000 meter altitude difference has to be overcome.
It is 2 o'clock in the afternoon now and it is still drizzling. I do not feel like
spending the rest of the day at the campsite of Prato so I decide to cycle up to one third
of the climb to Pradoi, where another campsite can be found. But as I reacht the place,
I find it half deserted and the cold, rainy conditions will not make a long stay a pleasant
experience. The road has been closed all day because of the snow but the road has just
been opened. There is no traffic however. I decide to continue. I am all alone
in the landscape, now that I have passed the last village before the pass. From Pradoi
I cycle a little bit further up to one of the mountain refuges. Soon I am in the middle
of a snow-covered landscape but the road itself is snow free. The first mountain refuge
appears to be only a restaurant, so I have to continue. I climb above the tree line and
a little bit later I reach the Franzenshöhe, at the foot of the dramatic final climb.
I take a short rest here with a hot chocolate before I return to the snow and wind conditions
of the final ascent.
The Franzenshöhe lies at the foot of a huge white arena. The road winds itself up
over the snow-covered scree slope that lies between impressive snow-covered rock walls. Part
of the mountains are hidden in the clouds and is just about visible but the higher mountains
of the Ortler range are completely dissolved in the clouds. The Stelvio is one of the few alpine
cols in high-Alpine sceneries. The Ortler, which is not visible now, rises to 3908 meters
altitude. The road winds steeply up over the snow-covered scree. The wind increases as
I get higher and the snow intensity increases. Slowly it is getting cold. But sooner than
expected Ireach the top of the Stelvio, 48 hairpins above Prato, four hours after I started
off. As I look down, I see the long and winding road in the further pristine white
landscape. I take a hotel at the pass in the hope that tomorrow the sun will shine
as I descend to Bömio. There a new giant will await me: the 2.621 meter high
Passo di Gávia.
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