Our family gravel adventure — riding from Switzerland to Florence
Mountain Biking Collection by Carolin
4
Tours
20:46 h
336 mi
9,800 ft
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
After this adventure, that became clear to us. When we first told our dad about our plan to cycle from Switzerland to Florence to visit one of our partners, he sounded quite interested. But that didn’t last long. When the word camping came up, he was out. Oh no, he certainly didn’t feel like camping. The last time our old man spent time out in nature was about 25 years ago when we drove around Lake Constance as a family with our tents and sleeping bags.
A few days before our planned departure however, our dad called up and told us that he wanted to come along on the adventure after all. We were super happy because we hadn’t spent that much time together for years. The four stages were set to be challenging but we didn’t have to worry about our 66-year-old dad fitnesswise because he's always in top shape. Would he like minimalist camping and the journey into the unknown as much as we would? Well, we were going to find out.
Take a look at the Tours to find out how we fared.
On The Map
Tours
- 06:52124 mi18.1 mph1,250 ft7,700 ft
We start our family gravel adventure with our dad on the Ofen Pass, which is over 2,000 meters high. There is still a lot of snow on the ground and it is bitterly cold as we start our descent towards South Tyrol.
The start in the cold is a bit tough, but the further we drive into South Tyrol, the warmer…
by Carolin
- 05:2391.3 mi17.0 mph1,400 ft1,850 ft
After the first night in our outdoor bivouac, we start the day after a good porridge and head straight back onto the Etsch cycle path. There are always restaurants with well-equipped workshops along the way, where numerous cyclists cavort on the terraces. A stop like this for a cappuccino is always good…
by Carolin
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- 05:3679.1 mi14.1 mph3,925 ft2,425 ft
We've barely peeled out of our sleeping bag and already put the coffee on the Bialetti: This is how we start the day every morning. The breakfast routine is perfect and so every morning Caro is busy loading the Bialetti three times, boiling water for the strengthening porridge and thus providing us with…
by Carolin
- 02:5640.9 mi13.9 mph3,250 ft3,750 ft
65 kilometers and not even 1,000 meters in altitude – that should be a piece of cake for our last day. The weather is no longer quite as we imagine: it is cold, foggy and quite wet from the rain at night. Nevertheless, we are lucky and never really get wet ourselves, the rain showers always pass us by…
by Carolin
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Collection Stats
- Tours4
- Distance336 mi
- Duration20:46 h
- Elevation9,800 ft
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