Have a cousin that lives there. Will likely go for 1-2 weeks next Summer. Cousin is not an athlete. Curious, to see where people recommend to train, particularly for cycling. Might drive once or twice to a ride, but, mostly like to leave right from where we’re staying.
Thanks,
Chris
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I am no expert in your area but check out the san boldo pass, one of the most spectacular roads there is and only about 30 k from feltre.
Thank you. Appreciate it.
You’ll be on the footsteps of the Dolomiti, should be plenty of awesome rides to do.
I don’t know the area at all. But I had some ideas by a quick googling and what I recognise from the map:
Some world class gravel riding in the region. Just need eyes in the back of tour head for the drivers.
Interesting… That’s always the case. Quick question - are drivers are really that bad in that area? Asking because Southern Italy had some crazy drivers… Less so in Tuscany region, but still not as good as almost anywhere I’ve been to in Spain. Was figuring maybe the more north I’d go, or into the countryside a bit, it be better… Maybe I’m wrong… idk…
Bad is maybe the wrong word, they’re not too different to most countries I’ve been too, they just don’t care too much about cyclists and will pass you close no matter what. I never had any accidents but it’s the only place I would never cycle with music on, even bone conducting, and I always tried to find the quietest roads.
I was living in Ravenna so was cycling mainly there but went up to the Prosecco hills and the Dolomites several times. The gravel is no issue for cars, maybe the occasional tractor during low light with no lights on but that’s not too common.
I’m Italian and live in Italy now and have lived and cycled in various places in the world.
I wouldn’t come to Italy and expect this to be a particularly unsafe place to cycle. I don’t think it’s less safe than the USA for instance. At the same time I feel safer in other places (Spain, Netherlands of course).
The engineering university Politecnico di Milano has just published a study with maps of cycling related accidents in Italy Craft .
Keep in mind northern Italy is a lot more populous than the south and cycling is a lot more popular in the north so most bike accidents do actually happen in the north.
The main problem is that Italians have a lot of cars and use their cars a lot even if our cities are really not made for cars. In fact it turns out a lot of accidents do happen in cities or urban areas.
I find whenever you’re in hillier or less urban areas it feels a lot safer and drivers are a lot more careful. Also, some cycling routes are really really popular and there’s always some safety in numbers (a lot of accidents tend to involve cyclists riding alone).
Yeah. I find the same. It’s why I try to stay away from busy roads. Generally, you ride slower due to extra hills, windy roads, etc… But, better than having to deal with too many cars.
There is good riding but mostly on road/climbs that nobody has ever heard before. San Boldo is nice (once) but a pain to get there or going back from Valdobbiadene. Grappa has plenty of options and the direction towards Asiago or the north (Val de Mis) also offers plenty of options. If you don’t want to take the car (for the first bit) the real dolomites are too far away. Bring the road bike. You only find busy main roads in the valley and hilly riding on the smaller roads. Gravel is Ok but I’d not rate it as a gravel paradise. You are better off with a MTB.
Thank you. Yeah. Thinking of maybe also tacking on some days staying in Bormio or Valdisotto after the family visit.
Non-Europeans might have a different perception of distances. From Feltre it’s 2hrs by car to get to the heart of the Dolomites (Val Badia) and a half-day trip to Bormio or some access to the Swiss boarder. In 4hrs you can even drive down to Tuscany or the Austrian Alps if that is what you want. 