Alpe Adria - down, down to the sea

First published 2012

There's something special about riding a bike from a mountain in a landlocked country, to the sea. From 1000m altitude to 0m. So when the Ciclovia Alpe Adria project became reality, and as this new cycle route almost passed the door, riding 350km from the front door to the Adriatic rose to the top of the bike touring program me.

Could anything be better than Austria's long distance bike routes? Well-signposted, and with generally good but often gravel surfaces, they follow the valleys and criss-cross the nation. The Alpe Adria uses these trails beginning in Salzburg and turning south and east to Villach and then south again into Italy.

Austria's cycle routes often follow the rivers, here along the river Drau

European borders are a disappointing collection of unused buildings and folorn bars. But here the Alpe Adria italian-style begins. What a shock! Smooth asphalt, yellow lines marking the edges of the trail and even a centre line making some of Austria's gravel tracks look primitive.

From Trevisio the Alpe Adria follows a former single-track railway crossing the Alps with a gradual gradient, numerous bridges and tunnels, and views that would have been more wonderful if it had not been for a main road and an Autostrada sharing the same valley. Could Italy be the best place in Europe for long distance cycling?

Perfect! Gently downhill, smooth surface, no traffic.

At a small town called Resiutta one finds the answer: “No!” As the marked trail comes to an end, so does the signposting which if anything had been superfluous. It is necessary to take to the roads and in one place, to follow the Alpe Adria along a rubble-strewn track through unlit tunnels and to find the way in and out of the large and bustling town of Udine. Basically, riders are largely left to their own devices for something like 100km.  

The final stage to Grado - back on a cycle-only path

Then, coming out of Palma Nova there are the signs again and a bike path which runs beside the almost dead straight road all the way to Grado and the sea. It's just the gap in the middle which lets the whole project down. (This was first published 2012. Things may have changed along the route since then.)

Getting home again is a problem. But Slovenia, too has bike trails. Could they be any good? So cross country to Nuovo Gorice in Slovenia, and a train to Jesenice Riding out of town towards the Italian border at Trevisio, there is a bike track sign. And behold! A superb bike trail, smooth asphalt, white lines on either side and a white centre line. A gradual climb up to the ski town of Kranjska Gora then cruise down to Italy again along an old railway line.

These bike trails in Italy and Slovenia have been funded partly by the EU to bring clean, green tourism into the villages where hungry cyclists will be looking for food, drink and a bed. The routes are so good that they make some of Austria's look rather rough and ready. So maybe it is time for Austria to look at upgrading to meet the challenge from the south.

Great coffee: everywhere in Italy – cheap too!

You said it!
Think of bicycles as rideable art that can just about save the world. Grant Peterson