Day Ride To Asolo.

July 9, 2022

An out and back to Asolo.

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Today's ride brings us due east towards the hill top town of Asolo, which is also known as as "The Pearl of the province of Treviso", and also as "The City of a Hundred Horizons" for its mountain settings and views.

Another beautiful day presents itself to us, and we were on the road before 9am. It was surprisingly cooler than we expected this morning with enough cloud cover to make almost perfect riding conditions.

Once out of Bassano, the rolling roads presented incredible cycling.

Before sharing our day, I would like to make a bit of a footnote for ourselves to remind us about the benefits of hotel touring life. Of course, comfort is an obvious attraction; sleeping in a quiet hotel room with air conditioning, for example. But, there are other positives like security. Whenever you leave to go out for a walk when you are camping, you have to stow all of your belongings inside your tent and hope that they are there when your return. Leaving a hotel room for a walk is so much more comforting. Just lock the door.

There is also the ease of managing and charging electronics. Just choose an outlet. When we camped, part of the routine was to scope out outlets that worked and we often were forced to plug our electronics into outlets scattered around the campground, oftentimes out of sight. So, that's a plus. We have had items stolen this way over the years.

And then there are the breakfasts and coffee! Gone for this tour is cycling quite some distance into town to satiate our coffee addiction. This morning, however, we descended a few stairs, grabbed a cup and pressed a button for bottomless cups.

It's really just the overall comfort that is such a pleasant surprise for us and it serves as a reminder that this might be the way to go for any of our upcoming tours.

The riding was near perfect today, with just enough variety to make this ride interesting. Flat sections interspersed with some steep rollers and shade provided by roadside trees were a perfect combination for these two weary jet-lagged travelers. The short climb towards Asolo reminded us that there are more significant climbs ahead. We hear you legs. Reminds me of the famous cyclist Jens Voight when he told his legs to shut up.

There's a bit of a climb to the town. It was nice to not have to carry our panniers. It was incredible to see so many road cyclists out there. Day rides to Asolo seem to be a popular local cycling route.

Just past the town wall and arched gate. Climbing square cobbles to the town center.

When we arrived into town, we plopped down on a bench in the town center surrounded by towers, fortress walls, church spires and perfectly distressed old buildings and watched the parade of roadies arrive. The cafe's were filled with lyrca clad men and women, and I played the game of 'price that bike' as they rolled through. Beautiful Italian bikes such as Colnago, Pinerello and Wilier were in abundance.

Sue dragged me away from the ogling of bicycles and we walked up to the Rocca di Asolo fortress high above town, paid 3 Euros to enter and walked the fortress walls which provided panoramic views of the Venetian plain and mountains to the north.

Climbing the slick cobbles in our bike shoes was a lesson in careful footing up to the Rocco di Asolo.

A look south towards the low lands of the Venetian Plain from the Rocca di Asolo.

The view north from walking the walls of the fortress. Mount Grappa is the high point.

A look down to the town center of Asolo from the Rocca di Asolo.

Once we had our fill of the fortress, we descended into town, snooped around for a bit and sat and had a perfectly cold beer. One of the things that makes travel so interesting for us is to sit and watch people. Tourists like us and locals alike strolled by against a backdrop of such stunning old buildings with incredible texture and colour made this a very special stop. But, it was time to get moving and get back on the road towards Bassano.

Perfect place to have a beer and watch the parade.

Tower of the Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta di Asolo

The ride back to Bassano was surprisingly quick and we found ourselves back at the Ponte Vecchio for another look. Bassano was a wonderful place and would be worthy of a longer stay one day.

Bullet holes in the buildings remind us of the war activity in this area during WWI.

Today's ride: 40 km (25 miles)
Total: 51 km (32 miles)

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Steve Miller/GrampiesWe were forced to stop camping when Dodie's knees became too painful for crawling into and out of tents. We have really enjoyed the luxury and pleasure of sleeping in a room with a bed since then. Throw in breakfast included and it reaĺly cannot be beat. To us it is well worth the extra cost, and when all is said and done it is not really all that much more expensive.
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1 year ago

Patrick O'HaraWell said, Steve. I think we're converts. By the way. I'm really enjoying your writing and journal. When do you finish your tour? It's a long one. How does Dodie feel after he mishap in Mexico?
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1 year ago