Tassenbach to Cortina d'Ampezzo: 728m ascent

Saturday August 18, 2018, 36 miles (59 km) - Total so far: 5,552 miles

(8,934 km)

Posted via email Sun Aug 19 21:25:02 2018 PDT

The day started with another stint along the Drau cycleway. We set off at about 9am, and there were already hoards of Italians coming the other way (as we saw yesterday). So bizarre!! The bike rental company have clearly done some good marketing! This continued until the station at Innichen San Candido, where one of the bike hire hubs is located. Presumably they all roll downhill and then take the train back!

Things quietened down to 'normally busy' after this and, if anything, the scenery became even more spectacular. We stayed with the Drau to Toblach, where we joined one of the Dolomites cycleways. This one continued all the way to Cortina. The scenery is nothing short of spectacular! Which takes your mind off the gravel of the bike path...actually mostly fine, until the top of the pass (if you can call it that), where at least the first section is terrible. We hopped onto the road for the descent and would recommend doing the same - beautiful hairpins with incredible views, albeit a bumpy road surface and some precipitous sections!

We ummed and ahhed about where to stay, as there's a nice campsite a few km North of Cortina. We probably would have stayed but reception was closed for another hour, and we knew all sites would be very busy so didn't want to risk it. The other three sites are clustered together a few km south of the town. It was good to ride through as the setting is incredible, so it whet our appetites for rest day exploration!

The three campsites look very similar. We ended up at Cortina because Rochetta was full, and it's pretty good. Busy, but this is the peak of peak season, so we were glad to find a space anywhere!! There's plenty of shade, a pool, a bar and a small shop. And free wifi, although it isn't brilliant.

Rest day tomorrow before the real hills begin!