Po Bike Route 1 – loneliness

Perfect for riding but where are the cyclists?

 The 1960s classic Tom Courtney film The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner keeps coming to mind. Not because I'm running. But I’m thinking more along the lines of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Cyclist.

Let’s get things straight. I'm not alone. I'm travelling with my wife. So we have each other for company. But in the last 500km, we’ve only seen a tiny handful of cycle tourists.

The River Po flows right across the north of Italy. It begins in the Alps , passes Turin and flows into the Adriatic just south of Venice. Between Turin and Venice, some 650km, the Po creeps like a slow, fat slug reluctant to mingle with its salty relative. So the cycle trail that follows its progress is flat. Extremely flat.

 

Navigation is easy along the dike

A lot of the route is along the dike that keeps the Po from flooding too far from its usual path. It is exposed. It’s not very exciting. Corn and wheat fields stretch to the distant horizon. The gems of this trail lie in the cities neatly dotted about a hard day’s ride apart along the banks...and in the restaurants and coffee bars. More on this later.

Italy enjoys plenty of good weather. Spring, early summer and autumn should have perfect weather for long distance cyclists. So where are they?

To ride along a marked, dedicated bike route for hours and not see more than a dog walker or a local guy grinding his old bike down to the bar is unusual. For this to be the case for days on end is totally peculiar.

 

The Po, slowly creeping across Italy

There was a lone Swiss. Free as a bird. Had come over the Gotthard Pass. Making his way east but contemplating turning north and heading for Austria. We exchanged warnings about badlands ahead for each of us. 

An international group on a guided and brief (baggage sent ahead) tour came puffing up on to the dike and stopped for a group photo. 

 

Wide open spaces, and not much sign of life

But that's it. Seven days and we feel as if we are the only ones here. Bikeline just published a new edition of their guide for the Po route, so maybe there will be more.

Meanwhile we have the pleasure of having it all to ourselves. No time to feel lonely, just lucky.

Update: overtaken by two young women well loaded with camping gear, heading for Torino. 

Coffee: Espresso is the standard coffee but the Americano is also known. It comes as an espresso plus a jug of hot water. It works well and still only costs €1

Anxious hours before the start

The dead hours before setting off on another bike adventure. Starting with a train journey, means leaving home at a fixed time.  Waiting time.

The mind is in turmoil. Have we remembered everything? Will it all fit in the panniers? Will I manage this load for three weeks? 

Although the Austrian train service is organised for cyclists, we will have to find the right carriage. Unload the bags. Heave the bikes into the train – with luggage mine weighs nearly 30 kg. Hang them in the allotted spaces. Find seats nearby. The trains only stop for one minute.

Why take a train? It would take us five-days to ride this section, most of which we've covered before, some of it many times. More time to cover new territory.

As for the journey ahead: we start from a city station in Italy – how on earth will we find our way out of town? The weather isn’t looking too good. Is it going to be exciting or tedious? It is, after all, generally flat. Are we going to find good places to stay? Is it really going to be an adventure?

It’s nearly time to go. Load the bikes, water bottles, panniers. Maps, tickets, money, camera. Final checks.

Leg over, into the saddle and the turmoil clears. It’s just us, the bikes and the road ahead. No commitments, no worries – they’re all behind us. Adventure ahead. Watch this space.

No need to worry about hills on the route from Venice Mestre station to Jesolo