A genuine request for tips, not a holiday humblebrag. Got close to 3 weeks off Mid August into September, and planning a road trip with the road bikes for the first time.

Skeletal schedule is:

Drive down to Corvara for a few days, ride variations of the Sella Ronda and Maratona Des Dolomites loops to take in Pordoi, Giau, Gardena etc.

From there to Bormio (or thereabouts) to ride Stelvio, Passe Rolle, Gavia.

Stopping off roughly half way home in the Vosges, possibly riding Ballon de’Alsace? then stopping in Belgium for some cobbled action.

Happy we know Belgium having been there a few times and loved it, but are there any must-do hidden gems in Italy or the Vosges? Many of the Italian passes are ‘bucket list’ rides for me but I’d hate for us to miss out on a stunning ride through ignorance.

Make sure you take a waterproof, and arm and leg warmers when in the high mountains. we got caught last year half way round the Sella Ronda in an epic thunderstorm – the temperature dropped over 20C in less than 15 minutes, the roads were running with water over our medium section rims, and the hail was so hard that herself had bruises on her legs from it. the wind was so strong that it blew over a line of motorbikes.
When in Bormio, for a gentle leg-stretch go up the climb just above Pradelle/ Pedenosso. Not so epic, but proper chocolate box hairpins.

There must be loads more people with top tips for Italy riding? Come on peeps 😉

possibly riding Ballon de’Alsace?

Nice climb. Nothing dramatic but I do like the Vosges, enough after passing through one year to make sure to go back the next. The Grand Ballon is a good road. Few big-name climbs there but great riding.

We drove through the Vosges the other week. Nice roads, but the place was absolutely rammed, loads of tourists, motorcycles and general traffic everywhere. I don’t know if that’s typical of the area – it was a weekend to be fair – but the roads felt a bit crowded to me compared to the classic alpine and Pyrenees stuff.

That’s a snapshot of a single day and I don’t know how typical that is, but I wasn’t really tempted due to the amount of traffic on twisty mountain roads. I guess we may have just picked the wrong routes on the wrong day.

Also going to the Vosges (and Jura) and found this helpful:

Vosges Cycling Climbs Map

aP, yeah we’ll be packing the NoRain arm and knee warmers and jackets/gilets.

Few big-name climbs there but great riding.

after 10 days in Italian Alps/Dolomites I’m not sure we’ll have the legs for many more massive climbing days. And we’re finishing off in Belgium with the Tour of Flanders loops so a bit of variety will be good.

Ta fenlander will check out the link.

If you like a challenge try Passo Fedaia, last 5km are horrific.
ClimbByBike

You could have a look at the Raid Dolomites route for some inspiration

Dolomites and Italian alps are both fantastic for road cycling 🙂

The route if the Maratona is great, and best to split in to 2 day “loops” so you have time to appreciate the scenery. A bit further away, is the Tre Cime di Lavaredo climb – very hard and steep but absolutely stunning!

Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Rifugio Auronzo)

If you’re in Corvara, it is also well worth swapping your bikes for boots on one day to explore the old WWII trenches which have been rebuilt at top of the passes (a good option if you have a cold / wet day).

Have a great time!

https://en.komoot.de/collection/128/crossing-the-vosges-mountains

A lot of the posts are in German but the by-area collections and route displays on this site are pretty good. You can click on a route then adapt it if needed and download as a gpx, useful.

Just back from the Vosges (La Bresse) lots of great climbs tough and nice views. It was quiet, although you could see it get busier on a sunny weekend.

Stayed in Bormio a few years ago on a motorbike tour, absolutely loved it. Stelvio will be good but busy. Mortirollo pass is fantastic and I’d imagine fairly challenging on a bike. Gavia pass scared the hell out of my missus, can’t really remember why, probably because I rode like a tool. Umbrail pass was ace but there’s a few km’s of unpaved road.

Anyone recommed somewhere nice to stay in Vosges? Or loops?

will look at others now. thanks just last bits of planning and in 2 weeks we’ll be off.