Nauders - A Bumpy Ride Down the Inn - Poking Around Europe 5.0

September 2, 2018

Nauders - A Bumpy Ride Down the Inn

Zernez to Nauders

What a completely fantastic day this was. We had variable weather, a variety of riding conditions and 1299 m of climbing. It was just wonderful.

Breakfast was another excellent one, complete with freshly made cappuccinos. We liked our hotel in Zernez very much. The people were so helpful and friendly. We cruised out into the fresh air, with both of us wearing our long tights and multiple layers. It was cool. Once we were riding it wasn’t a problem.

We began the ride at the train station to be sure we had the correct information about the bus from Martina to Nauders as many websites suggest a bus over the pass to Nauders is important for safety reasons...narrow road, many switchbacks and no shoulder. Once we were confident of that information we on our way. As it turned out, we didn’t need the information, but more on that later.

We had a climb out of Zernez to get the heart rate up right away, no warm up. Next up was what we like to call French gravel. It is a surface most suited to heavy equipment, not bicycles and I did not like it. Poor Keith was very patient as I slowly made my way through it. Fortunately it only lasted a few km.

The surface was very civilized here. Look at the vistas. We are so lucky.

I am a bit at a loss as to how to describe the day. It was primarily down, but at the same time there was a great deal of up. It was all fantastic. We just felt so incredibly lucky the whole time. Incredible views, just a few sprinkles in terms of rain and we met some wonderful people.

For our neighbours Walter and Rosemary. We always think of them when we see dahlias.

Image not found :( — We love the bike culture in Europe.

At some point along the river I told Keith how nice it was to be riding down a river for a change as we were going primarily downhill at rail trail grades. The words were no sooner out of my mouth than wham, we were faced with a killer climb, followed by the kind of downhill where you have to stop because your hands need a break from the brakes. Sheesh. This was followed by another climb, and then we went rogue, abandoned the official route and took the highway. It was a brilliant decision as the traffic was light, the surface was great and the climbs were at highway grades. We were further blessed by a single lane construction zone which meant traffic coming from behind came in groups and then long periods where we had our side of the road to ourselves. It was a stellar ride.

We returned to the official route once back down riverside and it was great at this point. Super vistas, good riding surface and easy navigation.

When we arrived in Martina we spoke to several cyclists, none of whom had ridden to Nauders, and then Keith went in and talked to a woman who said go for it. We did. We are so happy we did. We didn’t need that bus information after all. Maybe because it was a Sunday, traffic was light and it was just a great climb. Many, many switchbacks, lots of road bikes, and us. We loved it. At the top we met a group of road bikers from France on a supported tour. Their luggage was on the bus. We all high fived and gave each other bravos. Such fun. From the top it was a quick descent into Nauders and our lovely hotel. We have just had an amazing meal, lots of wine, the internet is slow and I am going to finish this and add more pictures in the morning. A fantastic day.

We are in a beautiful hotel with terrible internet. Usually morning is better for downloading but not today so I am going to try again tonight 👍.

Low hanging cloud. We know there are mountains behind it.

We had a long chat with this couple from Zurich who are out for a week.

The track was a little rough here but oh so beautiful.

There was an amazing sculpture garden in the forest we passed through.

We can tell from scenes like this how dry it has been here. We can also tell that spring run off must be huge. Note the bridge over the completely dry riverbed. I walked my bike through this gravel.

And going up. The climb was just fine and there were lots of cyclists. The cars and motorcycles were few and respectful.

We are not at the top yet. The views are the reward for the climb.

Four people who are all very pleased with themselves hehe. I am the only one in the picture with panniers though. The rest are on a supported tour.

The view from our hotel window. Fantastic spot but crummy wifi.

Pictures were downloaded over a leisurely breakfast, and painfully slowly. Between the wine, the amazing dinner last night and the slow wifi this feels like a fairly disjointed blog entry, but it is the best I can do for now. Over breakfast Keith has been trying to convince me that a short day today followed by the Stelvio Pass tomorrow 😱 is a good idea. We shall see! The sun is shining and we are going to get moving.

Today's ride: 59 km (37 miles)
Total: 341 km (212 miles)

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Wendy BeaudoinHi Kathleen,
As fellow Vancouver Islanders, we are enjoying your blog. We are also riding in Europe, trying to deal with the weather. We are in the Dolomites right now. Last Friday, leaving from Innsbruck, we got totally drenched, so we took the train on Saturday. Sunday was not too bad, so we rode a short ways. This morning it looked like we would have a window of sunshine, so we rode from Dobbiaco to Cortina, and were rewarded with glorious sunshine and stunning views of the mountains. It was definitely worth hanging around a bit to see the Dolomites.
Wendy Beaudoin
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5 years ago

Keith ClassenTo Wendy BeaudoinHi Wendy - so nice to receive your note. Yes the weather wasn’t great for a couple of days. We are now on the Claudia Augusta at Glurns ( a walled medieval city south of Nauders) and the weather has improved for us. We are also headed for the Dolomites although not really sure of the route we will take. Where to after the Dolomites? The number of people cycling this area is amazing - tourers, road bikes, mountain bikes etc. Enjoy your time in the Dolomites.
Keith (for Kathleen who is blogging)
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5 years ago

Wendy BeaudoinTo Keith ClassenThanks for the reply, Keith. We are heading south from here to Venice, and then across to Slovenia and Croatia. We’ll be interested to see which route you end up taking through the Dolomites. Whichever way you go, I’m sure the scenery will be spectacular.
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5 years ago