Rando Imperator 600: Crossing the Alps in two days

 

 

Rando Imperator 600: Crossing the Alps in two days 

652 km

3381 m altitude 

38.5 hours (max. allowed 43 h)

Strava files here and here.

On 4 and 5 September 2021 I took part in the Rando Imperator, a 650 km audax from Munich to Ferrara, brilliantly organised by Witoor, a cycling tour operator from Ferrara. For long stretches the route follows the old Roman road via Claudia Augusta, giving this randonée its name. I was part of a field of 140 cyclists that set off from Munich at 4.30 am, most of them Italians who felt quite chilly in the early autumn temperatures of Bavaria. Still night, we followed the gravel path along the river Isar, which was barely visible through the dark forest. 

A chilly start in Munich

  

The gate of the coal mining village of Penzberg wishes us "Good luck"

The Alps already visible in the distance

 When dawn came, we found ourselves in the rolling hills of the pre-Alps, mist lying over the fields and cow bells audible in the distance. The first control was after 100 km, just outside Garmisch where the organisers  offered delicious prosciutto and Nutella sandwiches (not together!). Fortified, we headed for the first mountain pass, the Fernpass, which traces the shoulder of the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain. The bike path here includes some quite challenging gravel sections, and, since I was running 28 mm road tires, I opted to stay on the road. I’d been quite worried about the traffic, but it turned out that a considerable number of cyclists crossing the pass in little groups quite effectively slowed down the motor traffic. I was glad not to hear the curses from inside the cars, but at least it felt quite safe on the bike. 

Zugspitze in the distance

Control 1 just outside Garmisch

The second major pass into Italy was 130 km further on. The route followed the valley of the river Inn, gradually ascending, sometimes on tarmac agricultural roads, sometimes on gravel paths through the forest. Since the weather in the Alps can be changeable in the afternoon, I decided to push on to the next control at the pass, rather than stop for lunch on the way. After a brief stretch through Switzerland – no border really visible – the road turned towards the first hairpin up towards Reschenpass/ Passo di Resia and Italy. 230 km in, I could definitely feel my legs, but as the first raindrops fell, I knew I had been right to keep going. Still, it was a relief when I reached the control, located in a pizzeria at the Italian border. And from there it was all downhill. 

 

Crossing the river Inn

Italy!

The drowned church in Reschensee

The Etschtal bike path – perfect tarmac, far from the road – dropped down from the top of the pass, leaving Prad and the start of the Passo di Stelvio (for another day!) on the right, and then snaked gently through apple orchards, the air warming even as night fell. I reached Bozen by 9 pm, dead tired and glad I’d opted for an overnight stay in a hotel.

Passing through orchards on the Etschtal bikepath

Rainbow after a brief rain shower

Dinner in Bozen

 

Surprisingly refreshed, I set off at 4 am, still on the Etschtal bike path, the mountains on either side of the valley only visible as deeper shadows against the sky. It was hard to keep focused in the dark, and as day broke I was glad to see other bike lights in the distance. I’d felt very alone cycling through the night. But the sun rose, a bar appeared, there was coffee and croissants with pistachio filling, and suddenly it was crowded with other audaxers. I set off considerably more cheerful and ready for a day of cycling than when I’d sat down. In the night, the orchards had given way to vineyards, almost ready for the harvest, the rising heat proof that we were now heading towards the Mediterranean.

Crossing the Etsch at Trento

Secomd breakfast at Control 5

 

Not long afterwards, the route left the valley of the Etsch to cross the last foothills of the Alps towards Lago di Garda. Following a tiresome stretch in heavy traffic along the lake, I turned south into the Po plain towards the next control at Mantua. I reached Mantua by about 3 pm and was passed a delicious plate of porcini mushroom risotto. In true Italian style there was even wine with lunch (which I declined). 

 

Last views of the valley of the Etsch

Lake Garda in the distance

 

From here a stretch of single track by a lake took me to the last 100 km of the route – the bike path to Ferrara - on a dyke of the river Po. The landscape was monotonous with not another cyclist in sight, the road surface was rough, and there was a steady, hot headwind. I felt nauseated, but the reason was hard to diagnose: was it too much sugar? Too little? Too little salt? I carried on, willing myself not to look at the slowly changing distance indicator on my bike computer. 

The Po plain - flat like the Fens but hotter

   

Crossing the Po

Eventually the path turned away from the river, down a long path lined with poplars, Ferrara in the distance. The finish was in the city centre, by the beautiful Castello Estense, the organisers clapping everyone who arrived.  I was just in time for dinner with my family who had come to Italy to meet me. It was hard to believe that I’d set off on a cold morning in Munich only the day before and was now looking at an Italian renaissance palace in the warm evening sun.  

I made it to Ferrara!