I got a lot of grief from people that wanted to hear about biking, not drinking! Here goes, while I’m still in Veneto after-glow:
Biking in the Veneto is, along with the Basque coast of Spain, my favorite place for biking in Europe. Why? How’s this for a short list: 1) you ride along bike trails, not roads, so there is no traffic whatsoever, 2) the scenery changes every day as you ride one day through vineyards, the next along seaside resorts (Lake Garda and Lake Caldaro), and then along the river Adige with the dramatic mountains of the Dolomites on either side, 3) it can be easy riding if you stay along the river, or some of the toughest riding in Europe if you decide to be gnarly and ride up into the mountains. 4) Three, count them, three wine regions: Alto Adige (wonderful whites and Lagrein, Pinot Nero), Trentino (Bordeaux blends), and Amarone Country.
And yes, in reply to those comments on the SL entry, we brought along plenty of Aveeno diaper cream. It really is the best kept secret among bike tourers. Nothing else works like Aveeno after a 75-mile day of riding!
Thanks to First Light Tours out of London. They did a great job outfitting our trip. Loved the bikes, the route sheets were easy to understand, and as we moved our base camp every two days, our bags would miraculously appear at each new hotel. We stayed in four-star lodging the whole way. All this, and for a third of the cost of a guided trip!
charles butler October 6, 2008
Hi Robin i just got back from Italy…what a strange thing…i brought back a 1994 Alzero Cab Franc…it had a taste of Amarone..we need to talk about this wine…i was in rome ..Deruta…Remini…Bologna…Parma…Milan Pogno..went to Lugano and back to the usa in 4 working days.. great food and wine..enjoy yourself..
Pat Brunson October 6, 2008
Ciao, Robin. Thanks for allowing us to visit Italy with you. I am back on the bike but taking it easy. Looks like you are having a lot of fun.
charles butler January 20, 2009
what did you take off again??? I saw the movie and it is not what you have explained…totally different…lets drink some wine when you get back..CCB
rstark January 21, 2009
some people complain that the movie wasn’t factual, but i didn’t have a problem with that. it’s not like it was supposed to be a documentary or anything. i thought that many parts were really funny and alan rickman was fabulous. my only problem was with the triangular love story (“jules and jim” this film is not). the good thing about seeing it on dvd is that you can fast forward through it!
look forward to drinking more wine ….. SOON!
Dane Winters August 17, 2009
This is tangential…Do you have any opinion on the quality of bike & barge tours with “Holland Aqua Tours” vs “Cycle Tours Holland” ? Also I loved your comments on Wine Bars in Rome.
Regards, Dane
rstark August 18, 2009
You can read all about the different bike tour companies at http://www.BikeTourReview.com
This very helpful site has a comparison chart of the top bike tour operators, and prints hundreds of reviews submitted by riders.