First Solo European Motorcycle Tour 2024 - Riding around the Dolomites.
Dolomites in the rain, still spectacular. Good morning and welcome back to the channel So the plan today is to have a little ride around the Dolomites I'm staying at the campsite for 2 days so today is a day on the bike with no gear I thought it was a man walking a goat then, but it's a dog. yeah the forecast is for rain today. As you can see it's a bit overcast
It'll be what it'll be. It's going to be busy, oh very busy I'll catch you a bit later. Just riding through Cortina at the moment. The campsite was okay uh, very crowded People turning up in long wheel base camper vans squeezing them in into spaces where they shouldn't really go but if that's all you've got that's fine, just don't like it next to my tent really. Definitely does look overcast starting to climb now and uh...oh I wonder if I can see the campsite?
Must be below me. Anyway so we've got out of Cortina and heading up the mountain now I can't remember the name of the pass that uh I'm making for but it's certainly... if buses can go up here it's not too bad just get into the spirit of uh riding twisties again. and remember the last time I did this in Austria the clutch went a bit funny, so it's been adjusted now so hopefully everything is okay lots of twist is coming up okay you can't make this stuff up but I've just been called by a district nurse who wanted to visit my Mum. I actually told her I'm on a motorcycle doing hairpin bends up a mountain and she still proceeded to have a conversation with me.
I've managed to pull over and talk to them, um get that sorted out even though I'm in Italy with a care team in place looking after my mother as I mentioned in a previous video I'm still being called So....yeah! Okay, this is me. obviously seems to be a popular route with other motorcyclists Anyway, back to it now I will ride this pass and stop at the top somewhere Tyres still haven't warmed up since the campsite so taking it a little bit steady I don't know what the condition of the roads are but given that there's other bikers on here it's probably a popular route and there's cattle in the road in this forested area the road's surface is a bit slippy. It's wet and the hairpins are quite interesting especially on the bumpy surface This is where you have to trust your tyres Well I'll leave overtaking this cyclist until he passes certainly first gear hairpins Off camber hairpins with a cyclist on the wrong side of the road it's just... didn't get that on video but yeah clenching moment there. still climbing road conditions not that great either Wow there's a little bit of rain in the air as well more hairpins coming up Certainly wouldn't like to meet one of the buses coming down here at the same time as I'm trying to go up oh that must be the summit up there which I'll stop at and get my bearings and make sure all my vents are shut because it's now raining like people have never seen cattle before.
Tell you something it's nippy up here as well temperature's dropping it was 19 Degrees in the campsite this morning when I set off it's now 12 when I stop I'll have a look at what altitude I'm at it's obviously popular with hikers okay this is as good as spot as any Found neutral okay Wow! I's just a bit cold up here at 2,200 and something meters, so on my way down hopefully all the Ferraris and Porsches have got out of the way trying to keep an eye on the road but look at the scenery at the same time it's a challenge already it feels warmer dropping off the top of that mountain there's some nice hairpins coming up wonder what it's like in winter here? It'll be uh quite frosty. People that live in those houses, I don't know if those are businesses or residences yeah you stay on that side of the road thank you! I wouldn't mind stopping for a coffee somewhere as well but there's another pass to go through yet if the weather was clearer it' be a good view that was a tight one I think my brakes are going to be nice and warm by the time I get to the bottom of here and we're in the forest area now Sole motorcycle, no rider Is he taking a comfort break or fallen off the mountain? Who knows? See if I can find somewhere for a coffee stop and .. a bite to eat for lunch Yeah feel it warmer now, it's saying 14 degrees so it's only 2 degrees warmer than top of the mountain but.. yeah thank you wait your turn anyway where do we go now? Uneven road surface well that's why I bought an adventure bike very enjoyable riding these roads that's for sure yeah it's raining a bit heavier now but uh thankfully my waterproofs are on just a little bit wet now oh.. I that took that corner useless!
weather's definitely taken a turn for the worst Riding mountain passes in the Dolomites in the rain is a interesting experience The views are still spectacular though So riding up Sella pass in the torrential rain was experience for sure.. I found Stopped here at the bike station just for a little bit of a break We could not see that at all um although it's visible now cos the rain's passed over gloves are wet through Summer gloves anyway um I'm going to make my way back to Cortina now and back to the campsite which is about 2 hours away and uh yeah interesting journey Yeah the rain was terrible absolutely torrential doing those hairpins uh where your visor steamed up there's a coach in front of you and yeah traffic's at a stand still on the bend was just manic absolutely manic but that Cafe was lovely staff were very friendly and yeah downhill back to Cortina should arrive about 3 o'clock I might need to get myself some food at a supermarket and a might also make use of the drying facilities at the campsite Dolomites in the rain still spectacular I must remember to keep asking if you like the Channel Please Subscribe cos quite a lot of people view the channel but they're not subscribers and also leave a comment if you like something leave a comment, if you don't like something leave a comment happy to have a conversation want to make the channel grow see if I can hit 500 subscribers with this trip pine needles in the middle of the road spectacular views I said it again spectacular just need the heat now to dry the gloves out the road's not the best on this side caught in tram lines Well it was an enjoyable day. Tomorrow um I think I'm going to make my way towards Stelvio do Stelvio, and then also more than likely staying in a hotel Temporary traffic lights now what was I saying about me and roadworks now if they are going to dig a big hole like this why not just re-tarmac the whole road? Passo Gardena I think it was called old again lots of hairpins coming down here 11 degrees I think uh...... with the temperature as it is I think because my gloves are wet I'm feeling the cold a lot more one of the most annoying things about coming down those hairpins is the fact that there's pine needles and mud on the road right on the corners I mean like you can see here, hopefully the camera's picking it up but when they're on the straight it's not too bad but when they're on the bends on a hairpin it's uh quite a challenge to navigate through where the tyre tracks have been for the cars It's been an interesting day that's for sure riding Sella pass in uh what could only be described as torrential rain especially when the visor was uh.. covered in one water that I couldn't see so I was riding with it up and then you've got the cold it was only about 10 degrees now this can't be road works, this must be uh..
oh no, looks like road works. I'll turn you back on a bit later
2024-10-28 10:48
