This is exactly what makes stage rides so appealing. Every day is exciting: seeing how the contour lines on the map turn into landscape. To feel the tyres whirring over the asphalt and the incline tugging at your muscles. Without tasting the grappa, we swing into the saddles. Once past the suburbs of Bassano, the road meanders leisurely through the vineyards at the foot of the Alps, through spruced-up villages whose churches resemble small cathedrals. Our legs are fresh, the kilometres fly by easily. We still have to get used to our rucksacks, but the weight doesn't yet spoil the fun of the ride. Then the first hurdle approaches with the Passo San Boldo. And with it the first of many memorials that remind us of a dark chapter in the history of the Southern Alps.
The entire 24-page special booklet and the GPS data for these stages can be downloaded below:
Day 1: Bassano del Grappa - Ponte nelle Alpi
Rolling in on the edge of the Alps (kilometre 89, elevation gain 1,500, max. gradient 9 percent)
Day 2: Ponte nelle Alpi - Ampezzo
Unknown dream passes (kilometre 114, altitude difference 2.50, max. gradient 10 percent)
Day 3: Ampezzo - Forno di Zoldo
Highlights on the edge of the Dolomites (kilometre 88, altitude difference 2,400, max. gradient 12 percent)
Day 4: Forno di Zoldo - Mezzano
Crux Passo Duran (kilometre 61, elevation gain 1,800 metres, max. gradient 15 percent)
Day 5: Mezzano - Bassano del Grappa
Historic mountains (kilometre 103, altitude difference 2,500, max. gradient 15 percent)
GPS DATA: TOUR offers the tour data for free download. You can download the tracks in GPX format directly onto a GPS device or view them on your computer in Google Earth or Google Maps.
