Good one, Rich! You won't regret it.
This time last year I did what was possibly the best bike ride I've ever done out there. It was my last day and as it was a Sunday, there was no group ride organised, but I wanted to do a long ride to finish off the trip, and get over to the wild west of the island. It was just over 100 miles and, to fit it in before I had to hand the bike back, I had to start in the dark, and rode up the hills through a sea of cloud. I then had the mountains in the centre more or less to myself for three or four hours as the sun broke through.
Then there was a descent where I had to keep stopping to let my rims cool, and another 1500m climb through bits of rocky desert, then pine forest. Then a big lunch, a twisting 1000 metre descent with about 100 curves (which I first did in a hired VW Polo 20 years ago before they'd tarmac'd the road) and finally an undulating, curving ride along a clifftop with the sun gradually sinking down on my right. Utter bliss...
What made that extra special is that it started snowing here just as my plane was on the tarmac at Gatwick.
While I've not done a bad ride there, two bits absolutely not to miss are:
- going up the Tauropass (the curvy 1000m one mentioned above). I've not been up the Stelvio but can't imagine it is prettier.
- the road going south from Santa Lucia towards Sardina: spectacular twisting and rolling stretch with great views.
I'm going back there again in February - can't wait!
