Heading back to the Alps - a new bike tour for 2026

On Tuesday Sept 1st, another European bike tour begins - this time not with Frank, but with my friend Nancy. Some of you will remember that Nancy joined Frank and me for part of our 2024 bike tour, and she loved that experience so much that she's keen to go back again. Unfortunately Frank is taking care of some health issues and isn't ready for a bike tour yet, so this will be very different for me without him. It's just the gals this time!
This was Frank and me on tour with Nancy in 2024


 
Nancy and me at lake Garda on our 2024 tour.
This was her first real bike-touring experience and she's now hooked

We have the whole month of September for this ride, and the plan is to fly in and out of Munich - a great stepping-off point to head south to the mountains. We intend to follow what's considered a classic cycling route from Munich to Venice to start with, through Innsbruck and the Brenner Pass, across the border into northern Italy and the Dolomite Mts, eventually making our way through the flatter plains to the Adriatic Sea and the Venetian Lagoon (I have not done this route before). Total distance for that section is ~570km, which will probably take us over two weeks when we account for some days off the bikes to hike in the Dolomites, and maybe a bit of wine tasting as we pass through a well-known prosecco area north of Venice!

Overview of the Munich Venice cycling route



After Venice, there's a rough plan to head northeast into Slovenia for a few days towards Lake Bled, then back to Austria and possibly some more riding on some routes we've selected there. Just how much we get to do and exactly which sections we choose to ride will depend on the time we have left after leaving Slovenia. We have lots of route options and we'll decide as we go. We will also attempt to use trains to link some of these sections together.
 
Since I normally have my personal bike mechanic travelling with me, I've had to learn a few things about bike assembly and repairs before setting off on this trip! A few hours have been spent in the garage with Frank talking me through these procedures. And I still have a really hard time getting the rear wheel on and manoeuvering it around the derailleur and chain. Let's hope I can make it happen in Munich. I have also practiced changing tires and repairing punctures. However, I'm very hopeful that I won't get any flats as I have sturdy Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires which are meant to be very puncture resistant. Fingers crossed. Nancy too feels confident that she's ready for bike reassembly - she's had a little bit of tutoring from Frank as well. Hopefully between the two of us we'll figure everything out.

And how exactly does the rear wheel fit in here!



The gear is ready! Took a lot of fine-tuning and head-scratching to get
 to this point today. Camping gear included, although we 'll
 probably do a mix of camping and hotels

I had a slight panic with my bike yesterday when Frank suspected the hub of my front wheel might be a little suspect. And he also thought that a clicking sound with each pedal stroke might be coming from one of my pedals. Anyway we decided to take the bike to our local bike shop to get their opinion. And sure enough the diagnosis was confirmed - the front hub bearings needed to be replaced and the pedals were also quite worn. Fortunately the staff were able to expedite the repair and get it done today. This was a huge relief as very often these shops have a two week wait for bike service. I also got myself a new set of pedals, plus they corrected a little issue with my gear shifting. It's all good now and the bike is back home getting ready to go into its box.

The bike coming home today after an urgent repair job



I'm hoping to be able to post regular updates here as this journey progresses. It should be an interesting adventure with some amazing scenery. Let's hope our bikes and luggage make it to Munich with us as we have a pretty tight turnaround with our connections in Toronto. And fingers crossed for decent weather - temperatures do seem to be dropping somewhat after the incredible heat wave Europe has had this summer. In fact I notice that tonight Innsbruck has a flash flood warning! (Yes, the rain gear is packed!)

So do check back here soon for news and stories from the road as these two women take on the Alps and beyond!

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