Thursday 9 June 2016

Bolzano Bike Culture

Our ride from Silandro to Bolzano ...

... was a very pleasant relief from the long days we've had in the saddle. There are no pictures for me to share with you, as I was on a mission to get to a bike shop and have my brake pads replaced. We've got three days with lots of descending ahead and the state of my brakes was starting to be of some concern. If you want to see details of our ride today you can click on this link. It was a lovely transition from the hard stage yesterday to tomorrow's epic adventure taking in two Dolomite passes but not very memorable.

Fact is, I wasn't going to do a post at all for today but when we strolled into the old town for dinner and Di started snapping photos of folks on bikes I couldn't help myself. What you've got then is a bunch of images that show the way people live in the heart of Bolzano, this lovely city that is the capital of the Sud Tyrol. The heart of the old city is car-free, so people can stroll and cycle around at will. Absolutely lovely.

Here are a bunch of images that we took from a table while waiting to get the call for dinner. We hope they might help give you an idea of what it feels like to be in this area ...



















From bikes parked randomly wherever there might be an available space, to couples on their way home together, to yuppies cruising along in their own inimitable style, to a couple of mates stopping for  chat, there was the complete cross-section of urban society engaged with the bicycle. Not a car in sight. Absolutely brilliant. It felt so good to be here. Would have liked to have a day to relax here. Must come back.

Before leaving Bolzano, I must mention in a little more detail the bike shop. Zanolini Bike Professional is all you need to know if you are ever in Bolzano and need some bit or other, or have something that needs fixing. There's more cycling kit in this place than I've ever seen in a bike shop in my life. Besides that, there were three mechanics busily beavering away. I was hugely grateful to arrive, have Gerry realise who I was and set to immediately fixing my bike. Along with installing new brake pads he greased my Speedplay pedals and tweaked the shifting. Perfetto!

Anyway, mission accomplished with the bike fixes, I am ready to engage the dragon of two beautiful Dolomite passes tomorrow. I hope to have some stunning images to share with you. Let's hope the rain holds off long enough. 

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