Riding with Cosimo, custom cycling tours in Tuscany: Mountain biking in Val Gardena!

We traveled to Ortesei yesterday, and settled in to the hotel well. We stay at Hotel Grones, in Ortesei, and really love it. Included in the price are breakfast and dinner, and the food is simply amazing. We had our first 5 course dinner of the trip last night, so I needed to work off some calories so I can indulge again tonight. Emily and I had a slow start, we are on vacation, and for a change, I have been working enough to really look at it as a vacation. We did a nice walk up by a stream, where there is a spot where they have made a little kind of course where you walk through very shallow flowing water and it is supposed to make your feet feel good. We enjoyed. Back into town, and I spoke with the people at the hotel, where they have mountain bike guests can use, and set one up for me with my pedals, etc. The overwhelming advice was to take a lift up to the valley rim, as the riding would be more fun and scenic from there. Good advice, I really enjoyed the ride. I had hiked this area a few years ago, and much of what I rode the first year we were here.

Great riding, really quite fun, but I was surprised that I was not thinking I should mountain bike more. I enjoyed the day, but am looking forward to the epic road riding here that starts tomorrow when I pick up my rental road bike. Today, I had some sweet single track, although most of the ride was dirt roads. Fun to be out, incredible scenery, pretty perfect weather, so what more could you ask for. 30.9 kilometers of riding time in 2:41 with around 700 meters of climbing.

Yes, I took the bike up in a lift. Kind of against my own personal

rules, but good advice from the locals.