Dolomites

16 September

“Stay west of the Elbe,” warns the retired German policeman over breakfast the next morning when he learns we are heading towards the Harz region. Heavy rainfall in Slovakia and Poland over the previous two days has caused widespread flooding, but the Elbe acts as a watershed whenever this happens. High winds across the region are only making matters worse.

Winter has arrived early in this part of the world. It is just 2°C and freezing rain when we set out for Cortina d'Ampezzo. Better than last time, I suppose, when we awoke to find the bikes covered in three inches of snow—in late May. But the descent into Italy on the southern side of the Brenner Pass brings rising temperatures and rapidly drying roads.

The route through the Val Gardena is technically demanding but deeply rewarding, and it is probably just as well that low cloud obscures the epic scenery of the Dolomites. Those views are a distraction you do not need while cranked over on immaculate mountain roads.

Outside Canazei on the SS242, a brace of Carabinieri—resplendent in full plumage—grin broadly at the racket my bike is making.The thunderous Italian V-twin is - it would seem - still regarded as a symbol of national male virility.

The SS48 to Cortina d’Ampezzo is fast, flowing, and flattering to modest riding abilities. Even though it is a short day of barely a hundred miles, it has been safe, swift, and satisfying—and sometimes that is all you need.

Cortina itself is bustling, chic, and full of the same luxury boutiques found in fashionable resorts across the world. Despite sitting awkwardly between the winter and summer seasons, it is still busy with visitors of every nationality. Being Italy, the restaurant we had booked was unexpectedly closed. Fortunately, the place next door squeezed us in and mixed me a Negroni capable of stunning a horse before serving pizzas that were crisp, enormous, and perfect. A couple of cleansing ales in the chilly evening air at a nearby sports bar rounded things off nicely. Sometimes life’s simpler pleasures really are the best.