Today we woke up to COLD! I broke out my Ibex wool arm warmers and leg warmers and layered on a long-sleeve jersey over top of all of that and I still thought it was possible I might freeze to death when we departed from Hotel Post!
A shuttle took us up the major part of the climb and dropped us off near a bike path north of Glorenza. From there we rode up into Austria for lunch via a lovely loop around Lake Resia and the sunken village of Curon.
From our loop we saw spectacular views of the Alps. It’s amazing how these mountains seem to rise out of no where and then are just suddenly surrounding you in all their snow-capped glory!
The village of Curon has a sad history. During the Fascist regime, the citizens of Curon were given very little notice to evacuate their houses. The government was seizing the land and had plans to flood it to make way for the expansion of Lake Resia for hydroelectric power. The entire town was destroyed with dynamite in preparation for the flooding, but when the blasts were set off, the charges attached to the bell tower of the church didn’t explode. Thus, the campanile of Curon still stands in the Lake Resia, a mournful reminder of its history.
After stopping in Curon for a regroup and a lovely little snack of local cheeses and breads we headed on our way to lunch in Nauders, Austria. I thought that the entrance to Austria would have more fanfare, but because of the European Union, the border is literally invisible. And since the Sud Tyrol/Alto Adige region has so much Austrian influence, the landscape didn’t change hardly at all. It wasn’t until I had glanced down at my route notes and noticed that we should have crossed the border did I realize that we were in an entirely different country!
When we arrived in Nauders we thought it would be a good idea to explore the town a bit since our restaurant was on the outskirts. There was a rapid descent into the town and when we got to the bottom we all realized that what goes down must go up! Instead of doing a lot of exploring with our free 20 minutes we decided that we had better head back up since it could very well take another 20 minutes to brave the climb! That hill brings a whole new meaning to “Humiliation Hill!” Luckily I was able to make it to the top, lost chain and all, without walking. I eard my lunch that day!
We had lunch at a nice little place in Nauders, and we were fortunate enough that Sally & Larry (two people on the tour with us) lived in Austria for a couple of years and knew some German. My spotty Italian was getting me no where fast so we got a quick lesson in German. I’m happy to say I won’t starve if I ever end up in a German speaking country because I now know how to order a ham & cheese sandwich! Schinken käse toast bitte.
Leaving Nauders, the wind picked up a lot and we found out that “descending” into anything in a loop is never a good sign of things to come. Wind + grade = difficult cycling. There were quite a few short, but challenging climbs, especially for a trip that touted itself as being “mostly flat or downhill.” I think that it would have been a great deal easier if it hadn’t been windy and if I had been used to cycling at such high elevations. Mom got her own private cycling clinic when I had to leave her behind on a climb (it was climb or fall over at that point). So, by the end of the trip she was an absolute pro at shifting and choosing gears!
From Cece S:
You left Jean Jean the Biker Queen behind??? As I say to Ivan, good thing your mother has to loves you even when nobody else does! Cyclismo is having a photo contest. You should enter the Belltower picture. It is just gorgeous. Keep it up, Rock Star bikers!
From Whitney Claire:
Hey… forward motion up a climb waits for no woman… not even her mother!