The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Val d'Aosta 2025

June 3rd to June 14th

Ride Director: Julie Leever
Ride Co-Director: Tennis Olson
Report by: Alison Kuehner

Rides: Pack your climbing legs and bring your granny gears for this 4B Exclamation Mark adventure through the Italian alps. All routes include beautiful alpine scenery: snowcapped mountains and fields of wildflowers, charming small towns, belled cows in the meadows (and occasionally on the road), rushing streams and gushing waterfalls. Rides begin in the valley and proceed up; therefore, routes are front loaded for climbing. Some routes, like Grand St. Bernard Pass, are hors categorie. But no worries as riders will get warmed up with Cat. 1 climbs, like the Petit St. Bernard. Often rides go through the Gran Paradiso National Park, a hikers’ paradise; one route included a segment from the Giro D’Italia fresh with riders’ names on the pavement. Everyone (riders in their 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s) rode well, enjoyed their experiences and achievements.

Dressing for successful riding means layers. Given that rides start in valleys with climbs and end in higher elevations with long descents, temps range from very warm to freezing cold over the course of a ride. Rain happens. Be prepared. 

Roads are primarily low traffic; expect quite a few tunnels, in which headlights are essential. Summer is construction season in these ski resort towns which can mean red lights on roads as well as heavy trucks lumbering by. Savvy riders should check when the local motorcycle club is planning a party up the St. Bernard Pass so as to avoid unpleasant road sharing with those other bikers. 

Route Raps during happy hour are informative and motivational, designed to prepare everyone mentally for the routes and encourage rider participation. A big shout out to Tennis for detailed route descriptions including average grades and steep bits, quality of pavement and possibility of tunnels, when to expect to hear bird songs or to feel shade, and when the summit is close and how much fun the descent will be. Ride With GPS routes are sent out well in advance; often there are options for shorter routes. 

Organization is exceptional. Julie provides very clear communication before and during the trip. Everyone is treated with respect and camaraderie, whether needing assistance with bike mechanics or with a bee sting, Julie and Tennis have the riders’ backs and an infinite amount of patience.

Food and lodging is at family run hotels and group dinners at restaurants where Julie knows the staff and the owners. Julie speaks Italian and knows the locals which makes for a more intimate experience. Julie also knows where to find the best gelato in town and recommends restaurants and arranges reservations if needed on nights when there are no group dinners. 

Extra attractions off the bike include taking the Skyway tram in Courmayeur to (hopefully) get a view of the alps, discovering the Roman ruins in Aosta, and exploring historic Fort Bard, plus an afternoon at the spa in Saint Vincent.  

Final Thoughts: Train for this experience; it’s a leg burner. Downside is that you may not see double digits on your Strava feed for two weeks. Upside is that you will learn new Italian words: tornante means hairpin turn and tornanti means more than one hairpin. You will certainly get your bang for your buck on this trip, and a trophy photo at the top of St. Bernard Pass. 

Limerick written by one participant to commemorate this BAC trip

 We pedaled up St. Bernard’s high pass, 

Through switchbacks and meadows of grass, 

“No tunnels!” said Tennis with flair, 

“Just a few 15-percent grades out there!”

This BAC tour sure kicked some ass.