Tutti Dolomiti Photo Roundup

This is a collection of photos that I didn’t get a chance to post on the post for the day, because I didn’t have the photo at the time (i.e. I got it from someone else) or that I took the photo after I posted the day’s photos.

A roadside photographer got a picture of me descending the Passo Rolle
A photo from the roadside photographer of me climbing the Stelvio
Nathan and me near the Switzerland border after descending from the top of the Stelvio
A nice evening in Bormio after dinner on the rest day
The Chiesa di San Vitale in Bormio looks very nice lit up at night
I’m warming up in the cafe (Rifugio Bonetta) at the top of the Gavia, where I’ve taken off my wet jersey so that I can warm up more quickly while it dries a bit
I neglected to post this photo of the fine Negroni that I enjoyed in Torbole, one of many that I was served in Italy
There was a small traffic jam going into Garda, so I did what I saw a local doing, and started passing vehicles on the left when there wasn’t much room on the right

Tutti Dolomiti Day 15: Torbole to Verona

A sad day, as this was the last day of this wonderful tour and spending it with a great group of fellow riders.

I’m happy to have finished without any major issues. Sure, I had a cold and there was rain a’plenty. But overall I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

I’m looking forward to the next tour, whenever that happens, but I’ll enjoy the memories of this one until then.

A look back at Torbole on a nice sunny day
A fine castle overlooking Lake Garda
It was a leisurely day today, with time to enjoy a coffee break
And then a short ride to our lunch stop
Most of our group here at the lunch stop
A church tower overlooking our bikes
Our finish was at this old bridge and fort
A close look at the tower
The group gathered around the food table waiting for everyone to arrive
Our little contingent of California riders
Final group shot
A memento commemorating a successful tour, where everyone made it to the finish, with no crashes (which has not been the case on previous tours, so good job, us)
A final look at Verona before heading to the airport

Tutti Dolomiti Day 14: Mezzana to Torbole

The last two climbs of the tour. The first one, the Passo Campo Carlo Magno, came early. At 15km it was a steady climb, with a nice shallow upper half. We got rain on the climb and the descent was wet so caution was advised.

The sun came out by the time we hit the valley, and the second climb, the Passo Daone, was a steep, but relatively short, climb on a narrow densely forested road.

Lunch was at the top and the descent was pleasant with a short section where construction required some walking.

After a journey through a gorge, we reached the river valley where a lovely bike path brought us to the finish in Torbole.

Not a lot of pictures today with the rainy weather.

Nice views on the second descent
Cloudy skies over the valley we passed through
The river rushing through the gorge we traveled through
The mouth of the gorge we traveled through
Motel cat. She’s a real sweetie
A nice sunset at Lake Garda where we’re staying tonight

Tutti Dolomiti Day 13: Bormio to Mezzana

We did the last big pass today, the Passo di Gavia, which topped out at 2621m. Not a steep climb but long (25.4 km). It was foggy and overcast coming down which made the descent … interesting.

The climb was closed to motor vehicles so it was quiet and peaceful, and that also made the descent less stressful, not having to worry about oncoming vehicles.

After the descent, we hit the second climb, Passo del Tonale where we got some rain. That climb was nice and steady, so I was able to push a good pace.

With a nice downhill from the top of that, it was a quick finish getting to the hotel.

About halfway up the Gavia
Looking down the climb where you can see some other riders far below
More gushing waterfalls
At the top of the Gavia, where it was foggy and cold
Foggy
I stopped at the top for some hot chocolate and strudel, and to get warm
After breaking through the fog, the view down the valley was nice
A World War I memorial at the top of the Tonale
At one of the barriers on the Gavia
A well deserved drink after getting cleaned up after the ride

Tutti Dolomiti Day 11: Stelvio to Bormio

This was the queen stage of our tour. The Stelvio is a legendary climb, and the one I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. We took the classic route from the east, starting from Gomagoi, close to our hotel.

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. Clear and sunny, but not too hot on the climb. Lots of people at the top definitely added to the atmosphere.

This is one of the best days I’ve had on the bike. The Stelvio is almost a religious experience, especially when the road opened up and we could see the many switchbacks up above us.

There was still lots of snow at the top, so I did a few obligatory bike-on-snow photos. On the descent we did a quick side tour into Switzerland, which was notable only because there were no border controls at that point.

The descent into Bormio was fast and fun, with numerous tunnels to keep things interesting.

Now, we stay in Bormio for two nights where we’ll get a chance to rest and enjoy the area.

The morning was bright and clear; a perfect way to start the ride
There are 48 hairpin corners on the Stelvio
Mountain Vistas, as usual
As we ascended above the tree line, we could see the road snaking up the mountain
A few of our riders enjoying a snack before continuing
After reaching the top, I looked down to see where we came
At the top, there was a faux podium and champagne, a perfect cheesy photo opportunity
Lots of snow at the top, as you can see
My bike, some snow, and the road I climbed
With Nathan at the top
A pan of the Stelvio
The road down was very fun, with tunnels and lots of twisty switchbacks
A torrent of water coming down from up high
Our destination was Bormio, which had just hosted a stage of the Giro a few days ago

Tutti Dolomiti Day 10: Sterzing to Stelvio

Only one big climb today, and it started as soon as we left town. The Passo di Monte Giovo (aka Jaufenpass) is a classic Alpine pass with a length of 15.9 km at 7.1%

It was cool at the top but thankfully no wind today. We descended amongst the holiday weekend traffic comprised of motorcycles and fast sports cars, but no issues with that, thankfully.

The rest of the ride was a pleasant day, where we did a gradual climb up the valley towards the bottom of the Stelvio where we’re staying tonight. It was warmer in the valley today, warmer than we got earlier in the tour.

Tomorrow is the queen stage, as we climb the infamous Stelvio pass.

Easy to guess what Rosskopf means
Can sort of see the top from here
Switchbacks leading to the top
This sentinel was guarding the cafe at the top
Pose at the pass
Good views of the valley and surrounding mountains
A very typical alpine photo
The town of Merano at the bottom of the descent
We rode on this very nice bike path for most of the way up the valley
Entering the Stelvio National Park, in anticipation of our big day tomorrow
The town of Stelvio where we are staying is perched on the hillside
The streets are quite narrow and can be very steep
Not sure what this is called but it used to be a place where the log would fill with water and the locals would do laundry in it
Scenic views of the mountains in the evening

Tutti Dolomiti Day 9: Klausen to Sterzing

Today we left Klausen for another two pass day. The first pass, the Auna di Sopra, was not a high pass, and it is comprised of three small climbs separated by short flat or downhill sections.

The second pass was the Passo di Pennes, which is a classic Alpine pass, ascending through a long valley, and where the switchback segments are much longer than some of the previous climbs. We had a long gradual uphill through the scenic valley before reaching those switchbacks.

The weather was mostly sunny but the wind was strong and cold, especially at the top. As a headwind, it make the climb that much harder, but was welcome when it was a tailwind, although those moments seemed much to short to enjoy.

We’re now deep in the heart of German-speaking Italy, as a result of this region being part of Austria until after the First World War. The towns have two names, the German version presented as the first and the Italian version as the second. So our start town is Klausen/Chiusa and the destination town is Sterzing/Vipiteno. German is the first language used here, although everyone knows Italian as well.

Me at the start of the ride. I look so young and innocent, unlike at the end of the ride
Nice clear day to start
More boring mountain vistas
Honig is a nice winery in California, so I needed to take a picture of this. Honig means honey in German.
A lot of the last climb was through this valley
One of the crew took my picture on the climb
“Look! Mountains!”
Finally, I made it to the top
The road I took to get to the top
Still a lot of snow at the top
The usual chalet at the top. I didn’t check out the inside as I was cold and it was windy so I just put on warm clothes as quickly as possible and descended
Sterzing has a nice old central area
Nice clock tower with a tunnel that leads to a square where I had a drink at a bar with outdoor tables

Tutti Dolomiti Day 8: Misurina to Klausen

Another day, another Dolomite. Two big passes today, which were

Passo di Furcia
Passo delle Erbe

After yesterday’s wet, cold conditions, today started cool but sunny. It started to become cloudy, with some wind later in the day but the rain that was predicted didn’t materialize, so a nice day to ride.

The finish town of Klausen is super cool with shops along narrow streets and a castle on a hill overlooking the town.

A clear start to the day at Misurina
After a fast pleasant descent, we passed some towns in the valley with interesting clock towers
Another town, another clock tower
Stopping for a snack at Cafe Pfiff
We’re in the part of Italy where places have an Italian and a German name
Great views after the first big climb
Mountain peaks after the second big climb
The narrow shop-lined streets in Klausen
The clock tower in Klausen
Castle overlooking Klausen
Great bicycle planters
Another bicycle planter
A bicycle painter in front of a shop
Lavender bike
I’m all cleaned up with fellow riders after our ride

Tutti Dolomiti Day 7: Cortina d’Ampezzo to Misurina

The route for today was fairly short in distance and elevation gain. That made the planning more flexible, as there was rain forecast for the morning, diminishing in the afternoon with clearing skies.

We started out in the wet and climbed the Passo Tre Croci where we all stopped at the cafe and hung out there for a couple of hours. Once the rain let up, we descended to Misurina, and hung out at the hotel we were staying until our rooms were ready.

I changed into dry clothing and returned to the road to climb the challenging Tre Cime di Lavaredo. This was a tough climb with the last 4 km averaging over 11%.

It was still a little overcast at the top when I arrived but I waited a bit and was able to see the massive Cime up close. Another satisfying day in the Dolomites.

The clock tower in Cortina
Map of Cortina and surrounding areas
The lake at Misurina, where our hotel was located
Hanging out by the lake with fellow riders as one does
Road painting on the climb to the Tre Cime
“Look! It’s the Tre Cime. Can you see it?”
The view from the top of the lake at Misurina
I caught a view of the adjacent valley through the clouds
Winter shelter, which I checked out just in case
The cozy interior of the winter shelter
My bike with the Tre Cime in the background
I bundled up and descended back down to this nice spot with some mountains to look at
The weather continued to improve before dinner, with some lovely sunlight on the mountains across the lake

Tutti Dolomiti Day 6: Canazei to Cortina d’Ampezzo

Another big day in the Mountains. Some of us decided to do part of the rest day loop, known as the Sellaronda. The climbs were

Passo di Sella
Passo di Gardena
Passo di Camplongo
Passo di Giau

Making today more challenging was that I have come down with a cold, so breathing at high altitude was not easy. Fortunately, I rode the day with my roommate Nathan Hoover and picked up another rider, Nick, so we formed a group that stuck together to the finish.

We weren’t the fastest today, and we were also delayed by a flat tire. As well, the rain started falling as we got to the upper part of the Giau. However, it passed soon enough and we were treated to some great views at the top.

Views from a ways up the Passo di Sella
I was pleased to make it to the top of the Sella, as I was really fighting my cold
Incredible peaks from the top of the Sella. I can see why this route was recommended. Seriously, we were surrounded by sheer rocks faces for most of the Sellaronda route
Views from the Passo Gardena. Some members of the Bahrain Victorious development cycling team were doing intervals as we were climbing this part
The switchbacks on the descent of the Passo Gardena
Three passes down, one tough one to go.
A meeting of the bike flat fixing committee was called
The tour lunch stop was right at this very scenic overlook
After battling 10km of 10% gradient, and riding through a rain shower, the top of the Giau was sunny and pleasant
Great views from the top
Me and Nathan at the top of the Giau
Very impressive mountains in the Dolomites
Descending the Giau, we stopped to get a look at Cortina, our destination for today. Cortina is one of the host cities for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.