Cycling The Eurovelo 7. Italy Austria Odyssey Episode 17

This episode takes me 192 km from Sibano to Valeggio Sul Mincio, battling a stomach bug, more rain and passing through the historical city of Bologna. Episode includes route notes and tips.

Well 31st of May just beat the rain packing up the tent and jumped into this tunnel that was just down from my campsite heading to Bologna there goes the train heading to Bologna and then mirandola about 95k got showers around hoping to get to a campsite that I found on Google I actually had a pretty good sleep last night I went to sleep at 10 got woken up by one train which felt like maybe an hour later and then I didn’t hear another one either I slept through it because I was so exhausted or they stopped running around 11:

Maybe this is cool hope I can fit between these things damn have to lift it look at that these little climbs on this mostly downhill are pretty brutal had a couple of 15% climbs they don’t last very long but it looks a lot easier on the profile that’s for Sure oh it’s hard to get momentum this morning with these little sharp Hills and traffic I’m trying to uh go quick because it’s a long day I’ve got to headwind I don’t really know where I’m going to Camp how sketchy is this bridge this guy doesn’t even want to go on it at the same time as the other Car oh I’m missing so many turns today I don’t know what’s wrong with me I don’t know if I got distracted by the forces and I didn’t hear it or now I’ve hit a gate but I think I can go around it nothing’s going right today

It’s one of those days I just know it’s going to be one of those days it’s been a lot of cycle away this morning bit of terrible main road but uh not too bad B a single track haven’t had a lot of this banana break stomach’s grumbling already you

Got to listen to it it needs carbs to give it Carbs there was an absolute rabbit Warren of paths through that bit of forest there must have turned around five Times well I guess I’m in Bologna just got to get water basically bolog is a lively City celebrated for its Rich culinary Traditions vibrant culture and well-preserved medieval architecture renowned for its historic University it exudes a youthful energy Bologna’s bustling markets iconic towers and the central Piaza showcase its charm as the

Birthplace of bolog source the City offers a delectable journey through its food and a warm welcome to visitors exploring its authentic Italian atmosphere oh my God it’s the first sign I’ve seen that says Euro 7 it’s amazing how a little sign like that can lift your spirits but I got

Some water some bananas it’s a time for a sandwich I’ve got to the farmland I think it’s pretty much Farmland all the way to Lake G now there going to be a lot of nothing for a couple of days a lot of just flat Farmland Euro 7 that’s

Me these things are so good it’s like nuts and stuff covered in chocolate nice I am loving this Cycle Way since I got out of bolognia it’s been great I was expecting sort of little farm roads and headwind but I’m sort of protected by the trees so this is a win this little

Uh Cycleway I jinxed myself again soon as I said that I came out onto a little road little farm between [Applause] Wheatfields oh my God it’s true I’ve heard of it seen it on YouTube here’s a little bike station bike stop oh you can charge stuff they got charges on the wall wow they got a little Bike Tool station with multi-tools they got a pump look at that more power

Tables I might just set up me tent right here on the concrete I’m home I made it this is c for celebration time for an energy bar and the bike pit stop had water too which I forgot to mention so I’ve got four bottles Again oh my God it’s another bike station with solar panels water benches bike tools charging station oh man things are looking up you can really feel the difference in the heat coming off this black Asheville it’s amazing what a difference there is just come into another little town I’m only about 12K from

Mirandola well I’m 3K out nearly there best Coke ever all right I’ve put the campground in Google maps on the way to check it out just praying that it’s open well it looks like I’m going to be in a hotel I don’t want to €85 it’s the

Cheapest I don’t know what that thing was it says camp ground on Google it’s just a building in an industrial area that’s why I was so sketchy about it I thought this doesn’t look right at all and it wasn’t all right did the grocery shopping the old Euro spin did it

Again and on the way to the hotel I’m just going to bite the bullet I’m in ground floor I got the disabled room that’s bigger but it’s same price 85 or yeah 885 so I’m I’m stoked well I’m still in mirandela I think I have food poisoning

Tonight will be my third night the first night I vomited and had diarrhea from 11: at night till about 5:30 in the morning literally didn’t sleep the entire night spent the whole next day in bed and haven’t been able to keep food down or water and lost all my hydration and

I’ve just had breakfast um tried to eat two croissants and two pieces of toast and I just want to see if that’s going to stay down I’m going to go to the pharmacy and get medication for diarrhea and vomiting because I want to hit the road tomorrow but if I can’t retain

Energy I it’s not a good idea to get back on the bike with just completely depleted so I’m praying I can uh this medication will let me hold the food down in the water and um I can get on my boat tomorrow and if I can’t get all the

Way to the camp I want to get to I’ll at least get to manour hopefully 63k it’s 93k to the campground I want to get to but I’ll see how I go I don’t want to stay here any longer I’m just so glad that I was in a hotel cuz if I was

Camping and I was in this sort of condition it would have been absolutely hell Absolut absolutely hell so I can be thankful for that um yeah so Keen to get back on the bike just want to get moving keep going I’ve just pulled out to the front

Of my hotel it’s 6:30 in the morning I’m feeling better but not normal but I’m holding food down I haven’t uh had any diarrhea or thrown up for 24 hours heading to manour and then I can’t remember the name of it it’s 93k I’ve shortened it on K by

14k and um going to have a headwind and it’s supposed to rain it’s definitely nice and quiet out on the road at 6:30 in the morning in mirandela mirandola however the hell you say it I just got to remind myself that nothing lasts forever everything’s Dynamic constantly changing and the rain

Will go away eventually I like to leave my prescription sunglasses on when it’s cloudy and rainy then I can see with more detail just how wet I’m Getting the worst thing right now is just my my guts do not feel right it was really hard to get food down this morning just oats with water and a banana couldn’t even finish it I had to tip it down the toilet so it’s just

Going to be hard to consume the energy I need the calories I need to be able to burn hopefully by tomorrow I’m feeling better and I can consume food better right now do not feel right at All It’s really hard to get food down I tried eating one of my bars it was too sweet too rich had to spit it out and Chuck it out and the smells around these Farms are just horrendous when you got the crook stomach they just it’s making me want to throw Up well I made it to manour I managed to get a banana down so I put the next rout in to Pia but I only need to go 30k to where I’m hoping I can camp I feel like well it should be a really nice

Cycle way all the way today I remember seeing a YouTube video from menur to pereria and it was cycleway all the way thank God and I’ll be flat I just caught my first sight of the mountains the Alps are in the distance woohoo the elps are Calling well I’ve made it to my town I’m going to navigate to the campsite see what happens see if it’s Caravans only well that was a wind they take tents and Caravans and they’ve got an undercover area that’s awesome so now I can go get some groceries go back to set

Up my tent brilliant got my groceries and heading back to set up my tent it’s only 3:30 so that’s a win I’m absolutely exhausted just feel depleted completely well the woman bent over backwards to try and uh cater for me she’s giv me this under cover area she’s

Also said I can have the indoor games room down through the door but there’s not enough a breeze in there so I’ve got this area down the end that’s open at both ends and I’m just going to set up my tent in the middle cuz there’s rain

Around got all my food I can relax that was an effort that was a real effort Running on Empty well I’m all set up with my tent they even brought me a table and chair for me just for me that were so accommodating it’s really nice I’m at

Veio vcio I think it is and tomorrow I go to Lake G down to the end of the corner of Lake gner to a town but I feel like absolute I feel terrible um dehydrated and headache and just exhausted depleted I think it’s going to just

Going to take a few days at least to recover from this um but it is what it is I just got to keep I got to keep moving that’s all I can do is keep Moving okay root notes didn’t have any problems with the root for these two days this is where my Camp was here at the town of maoto and went through bologna up to mirandola mirandela and onto mana and vogo solman coo up here and this is

Mostly cycle way all the way and and in fact from bologna it’s mostly Cycle Way for all of the rest of the Euro 7 all the way through the Alps and this is actually easier riding than it is riding from Rome to Bologna the Euro 7 stops here at a town

Called mil nits and you can take the train under the mountain and keep going on the Euro 7 there is a pass that the Euro 7 route actually shows it going over but I met locals who told me do not go that way with your touring bike and he said he’s only ever

Walked down the other side because it’s that Steep and you would have to carry your bike on your shoulder and hang on try to hang on to the mountain with the other hand to get down and he said do not go that way he suggested the gross

Glocka pass and that’s and he said it’s spectacular and that’s why I went this way and left the Euro 7 and obviously the stelvio pass is not easy and there’s multiple 2,000 M plus passes in the Dolomite region here but all the Euro 7 that goes up in the

Middle up the middle here is very doable for you don’t have to be super fit and you can take the train under the tunnel and then come out the other side keep going on the Euro 7 up to salsburg and it’s way easier that ride

Than it is from Rome to bologna so if you want to ride the Alps and from the Italy side you better SP off flying to Rome put your bike on the train train to Bologna and then you’re on cycle way pretty much almost all the way all the way through the

Alps and yeah really good infrastructure north of Bologna south of Bologna is very average cycling infrastructure but the Northern Italy is is a lot better really good