Mostly Bikes ⨯ Me
Passo dello Stelvio
2026-07-27
Send more brake pads
Passo Staulanza and Passo Fedaia.
2026-07-25
Fedaia might be the hardest road climb I’ve experienced on a loaded bike. Maybe that’s because rode it back to back with Staulanza, which wasn’t exactly easy. I guess we’ll see how Stelvio goes.
DOLOMITES!
2026-07-24
The Dolomites, and their associated park preserves, are rad. Cortina d'Ampezzo: Much less rad. Known as the home of several luxury goods brands, it’s a shit show of cars, construction and selfie sticks. Dodging the construction required some detours, but soon the traffic quieted down and the terrain got very very steep. We ride steep villages on the regular, but this was a whole different thing. At the top of one particularly steep detour, a series of metal viewing tubes identified half a dozen peaks surrounding the town. It was all very pretty, but the descents were wild.
Italian Tyrol
2026-07-23
Call it Italy all you want, but South Tyrol is very Austrian. That is very fine.
Austria, Alps, Italy
2026-07-22
The R8 is a bit of a thing in places. Think 15% dirt grades with gravel somewhere between peas and golf balls in sometimes surprising depths. But, as usual, Austria delivered on stunning landscapes and fantastic drivers. We wrapped up the day on a 20mi climb with a corking ascent out of Innsbruck, finishing upon the top of Brenner Pass in the border town of Brennero. Occasionally, due to low expectations, a border town will surprise and delight. Brennero does not.
