This was pretty awful and had to cut the ride short.
This is the ride for Day 3 Ride Across the Dolomites: https://www.strava.com/activities/12341435253
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47 Comments
Looks like you got passed by 20 Porshes! Yeah close passing is very unnerving and most of the time unnecessary. Don't feel bad about having a good cry over bad drivers. We want you safe xo
I am somewhat surprised and sorry to hear about your bad experience. I’ve done the Sella Ronda, Falzareggo/Valparole, Giau etc. and I have not felt this way, quite on the contrary I thought the drivers there were quite considerate. Similarly on the Grossglockner. Nonetheless, what I generally do is ride with some margin from the edge and just before I hear that the car is about to pass me I duck in closer to the edge and thus increase the gap between the car and myself.
Am I the only person who's most interested in the bike they're riding and are disappointed when they don't show it when watching these videos?
Stay safe Katie. Even here in So. California, more drivers are getting worse and pass real close to cyclist not leaving room. I experience alot of drivers who purposely try to pass too close for comfort.
I don’t consider this complaining. I see it as a public service announcement. It’s really important to let people know about the reality of riding bikes in this area. At least if people decide to ride there they will be prepared for the possible dangers. Bravo!
I get SO broken up when you get upset & cry – I also get very upset here in Asheville, NC but ya just gotta keep on, keepin' on 💚🚵♂️💚🍻
Wear something far more visible!
wow how very awlful!!!
I’m sorry how scary!! That is why I’ve pretty much switched to mountain biking, I may crash but at least won’t get run over!!
F Cars.
There is absolutely no need to justify your comments on close passing and there is no need to try and balance it out with positive stuff. Call them out. Close passes are terrifying. My brother was killed on his bike and every time I get a close pass it terrifies me and enrages me. It is a form of aggression from drivers like no other form of aggression I experience and there is so much hatred towards us, it is really disturbing. I ride because I love it but I don't want to die, simple as. Vlogs don't have to be spectacular, positive and amazing, they should be real. Dangerous driving and the fear it instils in us and how it ruins our rides needs constant calling out. Well done for doing so in this video.
First timer – very sorry to hear about the awful driving in Italy. I don't know how I can help you. Staying positive is my usual answer but that won't stop the drivers. Good luck & BW.
That's tough! If the traffic is light and they have plenty of room to overtake ride away from the kerb so they have to overtake you properly rather than slicing by you.
Very sorry to hear this. I was in the Corvara region in August and I must say that the drivers were fairly patient compared to Germany. No honking, no complacent lectures. It often helps me to simply drive more in the center of the lane in narrow spots. This way, the cars are physically unable to overtake and they do not attempt any risky stunts.
It really helps you wearing jet black on rainy days . To get wiped out by cars. What do you think.?
i know it can sounds harsh, but believe me… that's pretty usual in Italy 😉
Get a Garmin Varia . It warns you if someone is really close and if the worse were to happen and they clip you and drive off , at least there’s a record of it . I love mine !!!
Oh my gosh – just watched this video and could really identify. After my third close pass on a local century ride last Sat., I just started to cry! It was scary. Why do people have so little regard for cyclists? I was over as far as I could get, and they only had to slow down for a few seconds for an oncoming car to get by to pass me safely. Instead, the decided to floor the gas and fly between me and the oncoming car. Three different vehicles did this on different places on the route. Really shook me.
Don't ever come to germany, it allot worst than italy 🙄
As a commuter in the US, I can tell you drivers will get as close to me as they can w/o hitting me. Aggressive drivers have only gotten worse in recent years. Its taken the fun out of riding on streets, I stick to bike trails mostly..
Perhaps if you wear a high viz jacket traffic will see you better. Don’t wear dark clothes cycling, ever. Also never cycle on busy roads. Stick to lanes and cycle tracks.
According to official EU data, italian streets are as safe as EU average. Unfortunately numbers cannot show how miserable is cycling in italy. For italian car drivers a cyclist is an obstacle on the street and not a (vulnerable) user of the same infrastructure. If a cyclist got hurt its because "he should not be on the street. street is for cars".
Fake n gay.
I'm gonna generalize for you. I'm not afraid to do it. Drivers suck.
Italian drivers. Shocking all of them. Stay safe!
That should have been a highlight of your trip. The Dolomites are magical. I rode through in 1985 and '86 and had no issues with traffic. I can well imagine things are way worse now for traffic and your account confirms what I suspected. In the local mountains where I live the weekend traffic on narrow roads makes cycling hazardous. There are so many more motorists today. Sad to say it's the new reality.
The best route in Italy (and probably one of the best in the world) is The Alpe Adria Cycle Path. Seriously stunning and the best part is the Italian leg is practically all traffic free on glorious cycle paths going up mountains and tunnels. I've hiked a few times in the Dolomites, but would never cycle on those roads.
ITALIEN ARE NUTS – I’AM DUTCH I HAVE BEEN THERE OFTEN.
i'm sorry for you: we live in an ignorant country, we are an ignorant society. our mind is a car, we have 40million cars and 39 millions driving licence, we have no culture, no intelligence, we just keep the biggest car we can find just to "drive" them in roads not wide enough for those tanks. cyclist are an obstacle, we think roads are for cars, and the biggest is the car the biggest is the right to occupy roads and do the fuck the driver wants.
@3:31 this is why I ride in the woods, I can't stand riding on the road.
Everyone knows that it’s difficult to ride in Italy. Unfortunately, it’s about 10-15x riskier than say in The Netherlands. Ride up a mountain, ride down, and get into a car.
I cannot imagine being in Italy and not riding a steel lugged Italian bike.
I ve spend 10 days in Laco di como.I m french.I understand completely your sensation.I drove during my stay, and I was a pedestrian too, and I have never been so afraid of being a pedestrian. The Italians do not respect "protected crossings", it's terrifying. I will never risk cycling on their roads. Bravo to you, you are splendid🙂
I can confirm: Italian are the worst drives I have ever met
Also, how many Porche went past then? Rich buggers..
with cell phones and large screens on the dashboard these days, I stopped riding the streets. also lost 3 friends and 3 others have been hit, myself included. now it's all mountain biking, I'll take my chances with the rocks.
I toured for 40.000km and that's my main frustration on the road… I have the best experiences in Spain and the 1.5m rule which is enforced.
Sorry you had such a bad time and I hate to see you so upset 🙁 writing this 4 days later but I hope the next day was better!
I know what it's like when you've just had one close pass too many and your usual resolve starts to crumble. One of the most miserable rides I ever had was near your neck of the woods actually – I'd just crested Holme Moss from the Holmfirth side and the descent spits you out onto the Woodhead Pass back to Sheffield. I didn't know about the off-road alternatives at the time so just stuck it out all the way back to Flouch Roundabout with HGVs far too big for the road passing about a foot from my elbow. It's only about 10 miles but I was frazzled by the time I got off the main road. Really spoiled a good ride so I don't know how you put up with 50, 60 or whatever you did.
Hope you never have another one like that anyway!
Like you, I've had great respect on my bike in France, Austria, Germany, Slovenia and Spain. I've had a few close calls in the UK and more than that in Italy. I've decided I just don't want to go to Italy for some of the reasons you've articulated. Yes, the Dolomites are beautiful and I saw them in sunshine (lucky me), but I have found it to be unpleasant on a bike…
So sorry idiot drivers ruined your pilgrimage…It's a mindset in Italy, too bad, too many other wonderful places to visit and spend your time and money…different attitude, similar majesty across the border in Switzerland!
As a Brit who has now lived 20 years in Italy, my experience is that while almost all Italians are courteous and polite in person there is a fair percentage who behave like complete asshats on the road. This applies equally to both those driving vehicles and to the many Italian cyclists. Unfortunately this has the result that there is quite a lot of ill will between the many, many cyclists on Italian roads and those driving.
The cyclists often ride in large groups blocking traffic or run red lights etc., and then the frustrated motorists behave poorly in return. 🙁
Italian drivers have no respect for what's happening around them; cyclists, other drivers…. they just don't care. It's a real shame.
Wear high visibility clothes. Its psychological, drivers will give more room.
Stop being so whiny.
As an Austrian myself, I've been riding in the Alps for almost 4 decades.
The roads there were not built for pleasure but because people have to do their work. Unfortunately, this now includes the same deadline pressure as in any other place.
Although I don't live there, I understand that the residents are annoyed.
The personal bike ride may be very important for the individual. It is not for life in the mountains.
Be aware of this and organize your priorities accordingly.
I've just come back from the World Championships opening weekend in Zurich, Switzerland. Cycling from the German border and back ,together with the tour I rode around Zurich lake , I was horrified by the absolute ignorance of swiss drivers. There are cycle lanes on the road marked with a yellow line about 80cm wide and the drivers pass right on that line … right on your elbow!!! 99% of them. On the narrow mountain roads it's terrifying! I will never go back to ride in Switzerland. I've always been aware that northern Italy has a bad reputation. From experience Austria is up there too for extreme close passing. I just blacklist these areas in the meantime. My life is not worth a nice view.
Italian drivers don't give a monkey's..
As a Brit who lives in Italy I can tell you that about 70% of the time when I am on the road driving, as a passenger or cycling on a bike I will see an incident. Even yesterday whilst jogging I had a gentleman on a moped almost hit me and this was on a pavement. Its exhausting dealing with it all the time and the carelessness from Italians on the road is frightening. People need to factor this in if you are coming here. You don't want to generalise out of politeness. I am in a position to tell you that they are terrible drivers.