† Explanation of BAC Ride Fee – This fee is not included in the Estimated Cost and is non-refundable once submitted. The Ride Fee for US and Canada is $85 and $100 for all other countries, both are per participant.
OVERVIEW: If you enjoy cycling though lush green valleys and hiking amongst majestic craggy peaks, you will want to consider this tour. We start in historic Innsbruck, Austria, home of the Habsburg empire in the late 15th century, then we ride south to the majestic Stubai valley where we settle in to enjoy three full days of high alpine meadows using a well-developed gondola, mountain hut, and trail network. There is nothing like a tasty Tyrolean lunch on a sunny mountain hut deck with a million-dollar 360-degree view!
We then ride south through the heart of the alps through the famed Brenner Pass into the Sud Tirol region of northern Italy where German and Italian cultures merge and pizza and gelatos are as available as coffee and strudel. We will enjoy spectacular scenery and a special museum visit (Otzi the ancient iceman) before we get to the dramatic Dolomites where we spend three full days in the mountain resort of Cortina, home of the 1956 Olympics and co-host for the future 2026 Olympics. Leaving Cortina, we continue south through the sub alps into the warm olive and wine growing region of the Veneto. We will have a full day to explore Venice using the frequent train service into Venice from Treviso (Little Venice), where we stay two nights.
Day 1: Welcome to Innsbruck: In the past, Innsbruck has hosted the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics. Our hotel is the Grauer Bar Hotel https://www.grauer-baer.at located down town and a short walk to the city center. We will meet at the hotel’s bar at 5:30pm for happy hour and our first night’s meeting, followed by the first night’s group dinner.
Day 2: Enjoy a day sightseeing historic Innsbruck https://www.austria.info/us/where-to-go/cities/innsbruck an important medieval Hapsburg capital and now a thriving university town with wonderful museums, restaurants, walking sights, and a cable car to the hiking trails in the mountains above town or take a short bike ride and visit Swarovski Crystal World. https://www.innsbruck.info/en/hiking/tours/tour/innsbrucks-nordkettenbahnen-lifts-and-cable-cars.html
Day 3: (17 miles & 2,193’) Today we leave Innsbruck for a short ride but a climb to Neustift, one of a string of villages in the gorgeous Stubai Valley: an Alps outdoor and hiking paradise https://www.stubai.at/en/stubaital with a nearby cable car and local bus service up and down the valley. We’ll be staying at the Bergjuwel Hotel in Neustift for four nights
Days 4,5 & 6: Stubai has many local hiking options from waterfall trails to alpine hikes to Glaciers to riverside paths. All trails in the valley are listed and described here: https://www.stubai.at/en/stubaita Check out some of the free walks put on by the hotel or ride or bus to some of the other Stubai valley villages and relax afterwards in the warm indoor pool, steam bath and saunas at our hotel.
Day 7: (56 miles & 3,479') Today will be memorable: we ride south through Brenner Pass, one of the principal passes in the Eastern Alps. We’ll climb up side roads with beautiful views then cross into Italy at the top for an outstanding downhill on the sunny side of the Alps in the Sud-Tirol /Alto Adige region of northeast Italy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Tyrol. Bressanone / Brixen is a walkable town and we will be staying for two nights very near the medieval town center at the Gruner Baum Hotel.
Day 8: Rest Day in Brixen. Highly recommend riding down the beautiful bike trail to Bolzano to visit the “Utzi the Iceman” museum http://www.iceman.it/en/ and take the train back, or take a short local ride from our hotel to the beautiful Augustinian Novacella Abbey c.1145.
Day 9: (40 miles & 4,009') We ride easterly out of Brixon on the Puster valley bikeway along the north edge of the Dolomites ahead. Before you settle into the Hotel Hubertushof in Dobbiaco, you might want to tour the Tre Cime cheese factory just a bit further down the road. https://www.cyclingweekly.com/routes/cycling-in-the-dolomites-when-to-go-where-to-stay-and-ride-379827
Day 10: (19 miles & 1,311') Today we’ll ride a beautiful rails-to-trails bikeway south into the Dolomite mountain range, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Criterion given for inclusion of the Dolomites: “The Dolomites are widely regarded as being among the most attractive mountain landscapes in the world”. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1237/ We are riding to Cortina D’Ampezzo, home of the 1956 Winter Olympics and co- host for 2026. Our hotel for the next four nights is the Hotel Bellaria. https://www.dolomiti.org/en/cortina/choose-your-holiday/summer/
Days 11, 12, & 13: We have three full days in Cortina in the heart of the Dolomites with over 330 hiking trails, local ride options, gelaterias, world famous mountain scenery and much more. https://www.outdooractive.com/en/hiking-trails/cortina-d-ampezzo/hiking-trails-in-cortina-d-ampezzo/2501441/
Day 14: (48 miles & 2,039’) We hate to leave Cortina but today’s ride will ease the pain: it’s incredibly scenic and mostly downhill as we leave the mountains for the foothills in the beautiful Veneto region of NE Italy. https://www.tripsavvy.com/veneto-tourist-map-and-guide-1548138 We’ll have a Michelin one star restaurant to look forward to tonight at the family owned Locanda San Lorenzo in Puos D’Alpago. https://mycornerofitaly.com/wheres-veneto/
Day 15: (52 miles & 1,306 - Mostly downhill today) We have it all today: lake view descents, medieval ruins, sections of cobble through old town centers, and rides through cherished vineyards producing the finest Prosecco in Italy https://www.winerist.com/magazine/wine/what-is-conegliano-valdobbiadene-prosecco. We’ll stay in the walkable historic town of Treviso, crisscrossed with canals and home of Tiramisu while staying at the Hotel Continental.
Day 16: Venice!!! Train service between Treviso and Venice (Santa Lucia) station is frequent from early morning to late evening and takes 40 minutes each way. Ride into Venice by train, and after exploring enjoy an Aperol Spritz by the Grand Canal at sunset, perhaps a Venetian seafood dinner, then catch one of the many trains back to Treviso in the evening https://www.earthtrekkers.com/9-must-have-experiences-venice-italy/.
Day 17: Departure Day.
HEALTH AND SAFETY: Participants are expected to come to the tour in good health and ready to ride. Should someone’s health become compromised and the group’s health and safety placed in jeopardy, a plan will be developed by the ride leaders and communicated to all individuals. The expectation is for the group to work together to mitigate any spread of infection or illness as a means to ensure the tour can continue as planned.
RIDE RATING: This ride is rated 2B! with an average mileage of 39 miles/day and 2,389 feet of climbing. However, the rides range from 1A to 4C. The last two days of riding are classified as 1C due to distances of 48 & 52 miles. Please note the riding days vary greatly in difficulty and the average may not fully communicate the challenge. Of the six mandatory riding days, Day 3 is a 2A ride, but has gradients > 10%. Riders are expected to be comfortable riding on a multitude of surfaces (including cobblestone, and hard packed dirt-aka stone dust) along with riding in city traffic. Day#10 is the shortest day, however, it is all on hard packed dirt, and in a few places, loose gravel.
CUE SHEETS, MAPS, GPS FILES: The ride leader will provide RWGPS routes prior to the start of the tour. Participants will receive an email containing a link to the EVENT, which will include all routes for the tour. Participants will need to have downloaded (at the minimum) the free version of the RWGPS app to receive voice turn by turn directions. Participants wanting cue sheets will need to print their own from the files provided. The routes in RWGPS are easily loaded to GPS devices.
WEATHER: Riders should plan on cooler morning and evening temperatures along with rain days. Temperatures can range from lows of 45F to highs of 80F. Bring your full rain gear, everything in Austria is green for a reason.
LODGING & MEALS: Lodging will be in everything from family-owned hotels to 3 and 4-star hotels. All breakfasts and ten dinners are included in the cost of the tour. One dinner will be a group dinner and nine will be provided by the hotels we will be staying at. Happy hours will be at the hotel's bar, which will include a glass of house wine, seltzer, or a local beer before each night’s dinner.
LOGISTICS: Fly into Innsbruck airport (INN), or into Munich and catch a 2-hour train ride from the Munich airport to Innsbruck. Arrival day is Friday September 11, 2026. Our hotel is the Grauer Bar Hotel, and we will have our first formal meeting at the hotel's bar at 5:30pm. Our group dinner will be the following day. The tour ends in Treviso, Italy. Departure day is Sunday morning September 27, 2026, and departure options include flying from Venice or Trieste.
VAN SUPPORT: The luggage van will transport luggage and any bike boxes going to Treviso. Participants are expected ride the entire route and will be transported only in the case of injury or illness. Riders should be able to handle their own bike repairs - at a minimum how to change a tire. If you have a major equipment failure, we will assist or direct you to the nearest town with a bike shop.
LUGGAGE LIMITATIONS: We request that each rider limit their luggage to one medium sized suitcase/duffel (40lb. max) and a small backpack. You will primarily be responsible for moving your own luggage to/from the luggage van, but others may also have to move your luggage from time to time, so please be considerate. If you cannot fit your luggage in one medium suitcase, considering using 2 duffel or carry-on size bags.
BICYCLES: We recommend your bicycle has tires that are 28mm or larger in size. You will be riding on all types of surfaces – everything from nice smooth paved bike paths to cobblestone, compact dirt paths, and farm roads, to busy city streets. Bike boxes can be left at the starting hotel in Innsbruck or carried in the luggage van. Tandems and e-bikes are welcome. However, E-bike riders should be experienced riders prior to riding their e-bikes along with knowing the "rules of the road"! There are several European companies that rent high quality bikes for bike tours at reasonable prices and will drop-off the bikes at the start hotel and pick them up at the end hotel. We recommend rental bikes be arranged as soon as possible so that all get the bike type they are looking for (E-bikes, gravel bikes, etc.). In the past, riders have successfully coordinated with CycleEurope.com for bike rentals.
COST & ADMINISTRATION: The cost estimate is $3,500, which includes 16 days lodging, all breakfasts, 10 dinners, happy hour drinks, and RWGPS daily route maps with full RWGPS voice navigation features for down loading to your GPS devices or phones. Estimated cost is based on an exchange rate of 1 Euro = $1.13. The initial deposit of $1,000 does not include the BAC registration fee of $100 and both will be due upon acceptance to the ride. The second payment of $1,500 is due March 1, 2026 and the final payment of $1000 is due June 1, 2026. The ride cost does not include transportation to and from any airports, and other types of entertainment – museums, trams or gondola rides.
SINGLES & SOLOS POLICY: We recommend that singles who want a roommate try to find their own. However, after receipt of the initial deposit, a single without a roommate will be placed on the ride and given until 1 March 2026 to find a roommate. If they are unable to find a roommate, they will have the option to receive a full refund (minus the BAC fee and payment processing fee) or pay the $2100 solo supplement and stay on the ride. If a single pays the supplement, they may continue to seek a roommate, but must plan to participate without a roommate if necessary. The Ride Leader will assist by attempting to match singles who apply for the ride. We will accept one solo supplement rider. Solo supplement payments need to be sent to the BAC office by 1 March 2026 by check or Zelle. Make checks payable to “BAC” and mail to Bicycle Adventure Club, PO Box 23998, San Diego, CA 92193. Send Zelle payments to treasurer@bicycleadventureclub.org. Indicate the ride name when using either method.
CANCELLATION POLICY: The BAC ride registration fee and payment processing fee is not refundable unless the entire tour is cancelled because the number of participants is less than the minimum established for the tour. Refunds of tour payments will depend upon whether a replacement rider signs up, and on costs that can be recouped. The amount refunded will be based on the principle that the tour’s remaining participants will not incur any additional cost as a result of cancellations. If the cancelling participant is replaced, a refund will be made at that time. If the cancelling participant can't be replaced, any refund will be determined after the ride and final expense report are completed. If a single participant cancels and another roommate cannot be found, in addition to other costs that cannot be recouped, the cancelling roommate may also be liable for the solo supplement fee of the roommate remaining on the tour. BAC encourages members to purchase trip cancellation insurance.
RIDE PARTICIPANT POLICY: Please remember that BAC ride leaders are volunteers, and that successful tours depend on participants providing much of their own support. Participants are expected to come to the tour well trained, in good health, and ready to accomplish the required daily riding using well-maintained bicycles. All participants should accept responsibility for a safe and enjoyable tour. We encourage you to read the ride description carefully and respond to requests from the ride leaders. While on the tour, support your ride leader with offers to help with various tasks such as happy hour preparation and clean-up. Please do not interfere the tour by inviting non-participants onto any portion of the tour. Please keep the ride leader(s) informed of any special request you may have and respect the ride leader’s decisions.
INSURANCE STATEMENT: Before participating in any BAC tour, you should assess whether your medical and travel insurance coverage is sufficient. BAC maintains insurance that covers expenses related to accidents, medical emergencies such as sudden and unexpected sickness, and repatriation. This coverage applies when touring outside the US and your home country, regardless of your nationality. It will cover you door-to-door for a maximum of 90 days but will expire if you make a side trip not related to the BAC tour for more than 7 days before or after. There is limited coverage for a family member to join a covered person in an emergency. The policy covers the cost of treatment for Covid and other unexpected illnesses, but not quarantine. You should ensure that your vaccinations are up to date. Coverage is subject to a $1000 deductible.
SIGN-UP: To register for this tour, use the sign-up link displayed just above this Ride Description. After preliminary acceptance, you will be moved to the pending list and receive an email requesting you to go back to the BAC website to digitally accept the terms of the Release of Liability (ROL) and pay the non-refundable BAC ride registration fee and tour deposit by credit card. As soon as your deposit has been processed, your name(s) will be added to the Participant List. BAC members with questions may contact the ride leader(s) by "clicking" the name at the top of this Ride Description.
Bicycle Adventure Club
PO BOX 23998 San Diego, CA 92193
Telephone (858) 715-9510 office@bicycleadventureclub.org