Day Ride to Levico Terme.

July 11, 2022

Day ride out to Levico Terme. And a wonderful swim.

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Today's ride takes us west and along the ValBrenta cycle path towards the spa town of Levico Terme. It is apparently known for its therapeutic springs and thermal cures rich in arsenic and iron. We're not really spa people, so we just stuck to doing what we do. Riding bikes.

Another stunning day and we were off around 9am this morning. We have quite the big day of riding tomorrow, so today's entry resembles more a photo montage. I am told a picture is worth a thousand words, so that's good. It saves me a lot of time.

Black Shoes. Blue Shoes. Our view from our room in Borgo.

The ValBrenta cycle path is a pure gem, and if you ever get the opportunity to tour in this area it is highly recommended. Imagine a dedicated cycle path lined with orchards, hemmed in by steep sided towering mountains. When riding today, we both remarked how perfect it all really was.

Today we passed hundreds of cyclists of all kinds. Fast roadies, people on recumbents, families pulling kid trailers, young people, old people, people on tandems, people on scooters, electric bikes and other tourers. All smiling and nodding at each other. There is no other machine that provides as much liberation, freedom and the perfect tool for exploration and exercise than the wonderful bicycle. And, there are several reasons why it is important to build and maintain dedicated cycle paths and bicycle infrastructure. Okay, I'll get off of my soap box now.

Lago di Levico. We watched this man pull in several small fish during the half hour we sat in the shade at a picnic table. He threw them in a side net hanging submerged in the water off the side of his boat. Lunch for later.

Tower beside the Parrocchia del Santissimo Redentore church.

Levico Terme. Since the thermal waters are such an important part is this town, it was interesting to see this trickling water feature run down the main street in town. Lovely wooden benches hovered over the water which allowed people to sit and dip their feet in to cool off. Nice touch.

Sue and I stopped for an Aperol Spritz. Accompanying our drinks were these incredible tapas.

We are in a prime fruit growing region here.

What is another unexpected surprise for us is these Bici cafes that lined the cycle path. These are small cafes dedicated to catering to cyclists and rely solely on the business of cyclists. It is amazing to think that there is enough bicycle traffic to support such small businesses, but by observing the amount of cyclists we saw on a Monday, they must do just fine.

It makes us think of how this kind of business can brought to own home of Vancouver, BC. We would love to see something like this along our own Arbutus Greenway cycle path. It would be a hit, I'm sure.

Bicigrill. RIght off of the cycle path nestled among the grapes.

After a short visit to Levico Terme, we rode over to Lago Caldonazzo for a quick swim. We watched the crested grebes, coots, swans and mallards do there thing. Sorry, Scott. No bird shots.

If you are ever through here, you must stay at the 1775 Locanda in Borgo. This is a beautiful place and Denis is an incredible host.

We headed back to the festival for dinner tonight. We both had chicken cutlets. I had Kraut and Sue beans. Great festive atmosphere and yummy food. We really enjoyed our time in this town.

We thought it best we get to bed early tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a BIG day with over 2000m of climbing squeezed into only about 70kms. We head over the Passo Brocon and into Fiero del Primiero. Wish us luck and strong legs, we are going to need it.

Today's ride: 50 km (31 miles)
Total: 161 km (100 miles)

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David MathersHey Patrick and Susanna,
This is looking like a great tour, one I'm sure we'll follow one day. It's great to see you back on the road, enjoying life and exploring the Dolomites....a place we've wanted to go for years. Love those big beer pictures.
Cheers, Dave and Anne
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2 years ago

Patrick O'HaraHey Dave, thanks for writing. It sure is great to be back on tour. You have to come to this area. The Dolomites are really otherworldly and almost surreal. So different looking from our Coast mountains. We really enjoyed following along on your spoke and hub tour this spring. Cheers to big beers.
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2 years ago