Away about 10.30 straight into heavy traffic all the way along the main route 31 on the north side of the lake. Very slow going, made very uncomfortable because of the heat. It didn't clear till we got on the short stretch of motorway to Bregenz. Then it was off onto the 200 and we climbed into the Alps. A lovely route through some pretty villages, but also quite slow going due to speed limits & the terrain. What bikes are made for though!
The Super Tenere handles brilliantly, fully loaded, on this sort of terrain. Easy neutral steering in & out of the corners, great road holding on the Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2's & that torquey motor!
Stopped for coffee & water on the 200, then on to Warth before picking up the 198 thru The ski resorts of Lech & Zurs. You need to be concentrating fully along it too, because it very narrow, tight & twisty in the main, with unbarriered sheer drops along many sections. Some amazing road building too:
We stopped in St Anton to eat & experienced the first few rain drops of the journey so far. It held off though, as we sped along the A12 to Innsbruck. We needed to make some time up, due to the slow going earlier, so having fueled in Innsbruck, we took the A13 toll route through the Brenner Pass & into Italy.
We dropped onto the SS49 at Bessanone & headed east to Brunico. Steady going again due to traffic & the nature of the road. The final section of the day; south on the SS51 to Cortina. A great bit of road through the mountains, although the surface was poor in places. We hit truly torrential rain with about 8 miles to go. Nowhere to shelter meant keeping a firm hand in the tiller when negotiating the rivers running across the road.
Arrived at Hotel Al Larin about 7pm. The rain had stopped, but we were like drowned rats. The unsmiling, but helpful host welcomed us & the room was small but comfy.
Walked into town on the terraced path & had a great evening. Caught up on LeTour; Grimbergdn; food; wine; stagger back; fall down a grass bank!
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