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- Leader: Rick Mathias 778-277-4735
- Tour Contractor: SITNICA, Alen Augustin
- Trip Dates: Thu, 14 Sep 2017 -- Fri, 29 Sep 2017
- Trip Classification: Intermediate with hills
- Trip Fee: $3275 CAD
- Trip Numbers: minimum 12 , maximum 14
- Trip Registration Opens: Wed, 8 Feb 2017 5:00 PM (pacific time)
- The required Trip Registration Close date has not been specified.
Experience delightful cycling through the Alps from Munich to Venice, through four countries, four climes, and Alpine-Mediterranean environs. The route is moderately hilly with larger ascents on only two days, and then with the major mountain passes being avoided by using a train and tunnel.
The route includes parts of the beautiful Isar Trail, the Lake Constance to Konigsee Cycleway, the Alpe-Adria cycle route, and bike trails through the cities of Munich, Salzburg and Venice. Stunning tourist regions and romantic towns include Bad Tölz, Bischofshofen and Bled. The element of water and mountain vistas is a constant companion on this cycling tour. One can jump into the water or take a waterfront rest in a snug beer garden.
Accommodation Reservations:Small hotels are usual accommodations with double occupancy. In some cases more than one hotel may be necessary in the same or adjacent villages. There will be time for local tours or sightseeing on the two rest days, day 6 in Salzburg and day 11 in Bled.
Riding Conditions:The 793km route is about 50% travelled on paved or fine gravel surface bicycle trails. The remainder of the route uses secondary roads with mostly low traffic volume. A total of 12 days of riding with an average daily distance/ascent of 66 km/ 400m. Refer to the daily distances and ascents in the itinerary.
The longest day is 90km, but flat. The greatest climbing day is about 1200m but occurs on a shorter 52km day.
Trains are used to carry riders and bikes through tunnels below 2 alpine passes on day 8 and 12. Depending on the specific dates, mountain weather can be expected, more so as the fall season wears on. Bad weather gear is necessary.
Fee Includes:The fee is $3,275 in Canadian Dollars and includes a contingency allowance to cover currency exchange rate fluctuations. Accommodation – 15 nights - 15 breakfasts (at hotels) - 2 dinners (welcome / farewell) - Supporting vehicle + luggage transport - Water, fruit in the van - Trailer for the bikes if needed - English speaking cycling guide and driver of the van (guide and/or driver also speak German / Italian) - Maps + day by day route descriptions - GPS route maps - Transfers as mentioned - SITNICA liability Insurance- though each participant should have own medical insurance - Technical assistance with bicycles for minor repairs - Train tickets Tauerntunnel (Austria) and Boh.Bistrica – Soca railway
Fee Does Not Include:- Dinners except welcome - and farewell dinner - Lunches (buy or sit down in a restaurant / cafe / picnic in nature !! ) - Transfers on free days - Bike Rental is available from SITNICA travel agency: Eu300 - for the whole period - Arrival/ transfers from Munich airport - Departure transfers from Venice airport – not done by SITNICA but locals - Health Medical Insurance - City guide (in case you need one for Munich / Salzburg / Venice) - Supplement Single room : Eu 375 - for whole period - Extra nights before or after the trip can be paid directly with the hotel.
Itinerary:
Day 1 – 14/09
Meeting in Munich
We will be sorting out the bikes for those who have rented or assembling those brought from home, and having a nice welcome dinner.
Day 2 – 15/09
Munich – Bad Tolz; about 56 kms / 350 m elevation
We start our adventure at the German Museum, founded by Oskar von Miller more than 100 years ago ; it houses one of the biggest and most important scientific-technological collections of the world.
Today we will mainly be following the ISAR river with its clear and green shimmering water and the flat gravel banks. We finish cycling in Bad Tolz. The townscape is a mirror of wealthy bourgeoisie. The facades of the gabled houses in the Market Street are especially impressive with Lüftlmalerei (special façade painting technique in Upper Bavaria and Austria). The cobblestones of the Market Street highlight the festive character of the town centre. The citizens call their air even “champagne air” due to its freshness and clarity.
Today's route is about half on paved cycle path and half on paved local roads.
Day 3 – 16/09
Bad Tӧlz - Neubeuern; about 75 km / 500 m elevation
Leaving theTölzer Land we make our way to Gmund am Tegernsee ("Gmund on Lake Tegern"), on slightly undulating country roads , passing the mountains Sulzkopf, Rechelkopf, Luckenkopf and Kogelkopf . Set amidst rolling forested hills this small resort sits at the northern end of a picture-book Bavarian lake.
We climb to reach our next goal, Schliersee. Here is a stylish town hall, originally built as a courthouse and is one of the most remarkable buildings in the entire pre-alps. Continuing along the bike path to Fischbachau, known for its Birkenstein pilgrimage chapel.
Then onwards to Bad Feilnbach's mud baths and natural healing village, then further to Wendelstein, Raubling and eventually finishing in Neubeuern am Inn whose valley location earned it Germany's most beautiful place in 1981.
The route follows the Boden Lake-Konig Lake cycle path, paved except for 12km, and local country roads.
Day 4 – 17/09
Neubeuern – Traunstein; about 56 km / 400 m elevation
Onwards via Rohrdorf to Aschau. Here an absolute must is the boat crossing to Herreninsel ("Lords' Island") - hosting another palace of eccentric King Ludwig II.
Equally interesting, "Ladies' Island" - here a small 8th century monastery and the whole tiny island can be experienced in half-an-hour. Then the Bergener Moors - from which a cable car takes us up the Hochfelln mountain with its magnificent panoramas.
Down in the valley we continue through Siegsdorf, home to the South-East Bavarian Natural History and Mammoth Museum which vividly depicts the region's history. The river Traun leads us to the historic market town of Traunstein.
The day's route follows the Boden Lake -Konig Lake cycle path, paved except the last 6km.
Day 5 – 18/09
Traunstein – Salburg; about 80 km / 500 m elevation
Onwards through Teisendorf and Lake Höglwörther; Anger and Piding; to Bad Reichenhall. Besides guaranteed relaxation, there are the salt works to visit and a Freiluftinhalatorium - an open air saline experience in the royal spa gardens with the finest mountain air enriched with 2 - 3% sodium. Beyond Bad Reichenhall our route leads us through the Bavarian Gmain and to Berchtesgaden with its impressive 485 year-old salt mine, and its unforgettable Königliche Schloss ("Royal Palace").
We're now only a stone's throw away from saying goodbye to the first country of our Tour , Germany and saying hello to Austria and Salzburg , the Mozart town .
The route continues on the Boden Lake cycle path and then on the Mozart cycle path with some local roads.
Day 6 – 19/09
Free day in Salzburg
Salzburg is one of the most famous cities of culture the world over and annually the quaint baroque city hosts around 4000 cultural events. Think Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Michael Haydn, Stefan Zweig and Hugo von Hofmannsthal.
Day 7 – 20/09
Salzburg – Bischofshofen; about 54 km and 390 m elevation
The first stage of the Alpe Adria cycle way which we will partly follow till the Austrian Slovenian border , begins in the middle of Salzburg City, leading you on a leisurely ride southwards next to the River Salzach, and into the mountains of Salzburg’s Limestone Alps, past numerous natural monuments, high rock faces and impressive gorges.
World-famous for the annual finale of the Four Hills Tournament.
The route uses a cycle path which is paved except for about 10km.
Day 8 – 21/09
Bischofshofen – Mallnitz; about 55 km and 1200 m elevation
The second stage of the Alpe Adria adventure takes us initially alongside the reservoirs on the middle Salzach to Schwarzach, then a climb before the Gastein Valley. A bike path leads us to Bad Gastein, a magnificent location with Gastein Waterfall in the center of town; then Salzburg Alps. After the Tauernschleuse, the bike train through the Tauern mountains, we find ourselves in Carinthia, one of Austria’s most important tourism regions.
Our final goal is Mallnitz , since 2009 one of the "Alpine Pearls" - 29 holiday resorts in 6 Alpine countries, all of which represent sustainable tourism in regionally typical Alpine resorts.
The cycle path is paved except for about 12km.
Day 9 – 22/09
Mallnitz – Villach; about 82 km and 120 m elevation
The Alpe-Adria bike route follows the Lower Mölltal valley, nestled amidst some 3,000-meter tall mountains. Outstanding include the town center of Obervellach, Falkenstein Castle, Bernitz Waterfall, the Reisseck and Kreuzeck lifts, Barbarossa Canyon, a rest area on the shores of the Möllstausee in Mühldorf, and the Teurinia Roman Museum outside Spittal. In the county seat of Spittal itself, we find beautiful Renaissance Schloss Porcia, the Museum of Folk Culture.
After a break in Spittal we proceed towards Villach’s most popular mountain, the Dobratsch, located in a nature park of the same name, famous for its vibrant lifestyle: its Fasching festivities and the Villach Fair.
The riding today includes a big downhill section on local roads into the valley, then along cycle path beside the Daru River, about 18km unpaved.
Day 10 – 23/09
Villach – Slovenia – Bled: about 66 km and 870 m elevation
Saying goodbye to Austria today and visiting the 3rd country on our road to the sea:
Slovenia on the sunny side of the Alps. Stop in Cranks Gora, a cosmopolitan Alpine village and afterwards following the Radovna river. Slovenia has only one island but its uniqueness makes it absolutely attractive; its charm has made it a symbol for centuries with its thousand year old town, Bled.
The route uses quiet local roads, and includes a tough climb to cross into Slovenia, unpaved for last 10km into Bled.
Day 11 – 24/09
Free day in Bled
Bled Castle, sales, exhibitions, galleries, a touch of magic.
Day 12 – 25/09
Bled – Kobarid; about 45 km and 350 m elevation
This day is divided into 2 parts. In the morning we will cycle through the valley between Bled and Bohinj; train to leave the Bohinjska valley to the emerald green Soca river valley.
Most na Soči is located on a rocky crest above the confluence of Soca and Idrijca rivers.
From here we will follow the Soca river towards Tolmin.
The riding is on paved local roads through small, sleeping mountain villages, and avoids the unpleasant main road between Tolmin and Kobarid, a town known for great cuisine, our host for the night.
Day 13 – 26/09
Kobarid – Udine; about 52 km and 140 m elevation
We wave goodbye to mighty Mount Krn; we are about to enter our 4th country, Italy. We follow the Natisone River to Udine, capital of Friuli region with its friendly squares, Tiepolo masterpieces and traditional osterias. Admire Udine from the top of its hill, where the castle stands. Following the legend, the hill was built with the ground transported by Attila's soldiers in their helmets, in order to create a rise, from which their chief could see the city of Aquileia burning after his devastating crossing.
The riding is on paved local roads.
Day 14 – 27/09
Udine – Bibione; about 82 km and 0 m elevation
Heading for the blue Adriatic, passing some wonderful destinations like Palmanova, a masterpiece of Venetian military architecture, a fortress town designed and built to defend the regional borders against foreign threats, particularly from the Turks.
The final goal is Bibione, “sun in the heart of Europe”, the lovely Veneto tourist resort, with sun, the sea and the fine beach. Treat your self with a dive in the Adriatic and relax before your final cycling day.
The route is back on the paved Alpe-Adria cycle path.
Day 15 – 28/09
Bibione – Venice; about 90 km and 0 m elevation
We cycle to the finish line of this Tour in the world famous city of Venice, the consummate magician. It makes marble palaces vanish into silent fogs, labyrinthine calli (streets) disappear at the whim of moody tides, and can even turn the most pedestrian of people into fantastical, masked creatures. It is a perfect end to a magical tour, with an Italian farewell meal to round it off.
The route follows paved local roads to the town of Mestre, at the gate to Venice, the final destination for the cycling and the night's accommodation.
Day 16 – 29/09 Departures
Registration and Participant Selection:A $2.00 non-refundable registration fee is required at tour signup, which must be done online. Participants will be selected first, on the basis of registration time; secondly, on fitness and experience in relation to the tour rating (see above); and availability of rooms to suit the number of couples and shared singles with same gender roommates.
Registrants will be contacted within 72 hours of registering, and if accepted will pay the first installment of $1,000 online within 72 hours and a second instalment of $2,275, to be paid online, is due July 1, 2017.
If the tour fills, registrants can be placed on the waitlist, but will be expected to let the tour leader know if they no longer wish to participate. Those cancelling will not be refunded those monies spent to cover fixed costs unless a replacement is found.
Participants:Daniel Carey, Charlene Dorward, Ray Duggan, Bill Eberlein, Charlotte Eberlein, Delores Franz Los, Andrew Hind, Robin Howe, David Kolic, Barbara Mathias, Richard Mathias, Max McClanahan, Richard Morris, Bob Myrick, Allen Olsen, Larry Wilson, Trish Wilson
Wait List (in priority order):Suzanne Robert, Denise Howes