Lake Garda - recommend good climbs & cycle hire?

DonVincenzo

Hi Folks
I'm gona be heading to Lake Garda at the end of April for week or so with the missus, before bambino No.1 arrives on the scene in a few months.

I'll defo be taking the opportunity to get some decent spins in while I'm over there.

For anyone who has been there before - I'd really appreciate a steer on:

• If anyone has come across a good bike hire place - preferably where I can rent a cool italian lump of carbon, with shiny components!
• Any ideas on climbs nearby (are the Dolomites closeby OR any famous climbs?)
• What town would be good to base ourselves in? (i.e. good place for my wife to hang while I'm out on the bike)

All I've done so far is book flights in & out of Verona & we've got 10 days.

Thanks in advance
DonVin

lennymc

not sure about your specific questions, but there is a town called sirmione on lake garda which is a lovely little town. Its kind of like a castle on a wee island in the lake linked by a bridge (iirc). Lovely place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirmione

MarkG1975

I stayed in Limone its 10k from Riva at the north of the lake, there is a mtb festival end april/may in Riva and its a real mtb area, loads of bike rental including good road bikes in Riva, i raced the Rocky mountain marathon here last year it was a great buzz, lovely area.
http://www.bike-magazin.de/festival/riva/?id=1&L=1

ieoinu

Malcesine is a must. Town on the lake with nice food, places to stay. Has a cable car to the mountains behind it which are used for skiing in the winter and mountain bike in the summer. One of the best places I've been to on holidays and would go back in a flash. For mountain biking it looks the town with the best set up on the lake. Your mrs will love the small streets and shops. IIRc there's a bike hire place on the way up to the cable car. They also do paragliding from the mountain top down.

DonVincenzo

Thanks folks
Sounds like I may have to dust down the mountain biking skills & partake in a bit of that action.

I'm sure many of the mountain bike rental places will have road bikes too?

Cheers
DV

Ardennes1944

heading there start of september, looking forward to sussing out the routes there!

puppetmaster

if you want some climbing, have a look at Tremosine, up the west hills over the lake, you can road climb or there are plenty of off road tracks. Would be a good tough cycle. But worth it in the end, fantasic little village (and many on the way) with amazing views over the lake below

I did this little trip, loved it.

http://www.google.ie/maps?saddr=Largo+Dante+Alighieri&daddr=25010+Tremosine+Brescia,+Italy&hl=en&ll=45.706659,10.777588&spn=0.277155,0.617294&sll=45.607013,10.535116&sspn=0.034706,0.077162&geocode=Ff7otwId1o6gAA%3BFSdrugIdBjCkACkjDyK4pxiCRzFwF2cuAngGBA&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=14&t=m&z=11

Herc

Fabulous area and some lovely villages / towns around the lake - cycles depend very much where you are basing yourself for your holiday I suppose. My own suggestion would be somewhere around Riva - especially if looking to do some climbing. Main reason would be trip one could be around the lake itself (loop road relatively flat but if you go off the loop then looking at some pretty vertical climbing in parts) and then trip 2,3,4 would be directly north out of Riva to any one of a number of villages - Arco, Dro etc they'll advise you locally but good winding roads up into the hills and fabulous viewing also even away from the lake itself

DonVincenzo

Magic - thanks
Can't wait - we are going to stay in Malcesine for around 4 days & head north to Riva after that - should be class!

coastwatch

I was there 4 or 5 years ago on a non-cycling holiday,stayed in Torbole a small town on the lake, a few kms from Riva and joined by a bike path! Either would be a good location. Remember browsing around this shop in Torbole. They do rentals and should be able to recommend good routes. As mentioned above, MTBiking is much bigger, so I'd be inclined to do that too, but there are stunning climbs all over the place.

If you want a sneak preview have a look at the cube website for the 2012 range, more photos on the photographers site here.

kennyb3

Stayed in Desenzano (south of the lake) for non cycling holiday 2 years ago. Lovely spot.

Would love to cycle around the lake some day, roads are pretty good too. Reckon it would take (at least) a full day though.

As others have said anything up the north and east is pretty hilly once you leave the main road. Plenty of nice cycling to be done. Around Riva is particularly hill and its a gorgeous little village.

Riva and Sirmione definitely the highlights for me.

I was there in July and there were scores of people out cycling everyday. Desenzano had a bike shop so im sure most of the towns do. Cant see it being an issue.

I thought the west side of the lake was quite drab.

One thing i'd say is to make sure you get a light for the back of the bike as there are plenty of tunnels on the way around the lake, not all are lit so be careful!

dingdong1234567

stayed in Rival del Garda. last September and it was amazing. Done mtbing mostly. There are loads of guided tours, i went with www.gardabikeshop.com/index.php for my day trip to Ledro. Service was good and the prices where the same as any other. The day itself was brilliant. As above says there are cycle paths to Dro, absolutely amazing villages and the people are more friendly than some around Riva del Garda that's for sure.

on_the_nickel

Anyone got anything further on the above.

Staying in Peschiera del Garda at the end of May, looking for a place to hire a decent road bike and some climbs within reasonable distance (have 3 kids, can't abandon herself for more than 3 (4 maybe?) hours in the mornings.

Raam

Punta Veleno. Let me know how you get on.

Raam

For what it's worth, I did a lap of the lake a few years back. Not enjoyable really. Lots of long, dark tunnels which we didn't know about. Scary as fúck with no lights on busy roads. The south end was quite busy. Bound to be loads of nice hills off the north, east and west of the lake. We stayed in the Dolomites and just dropped down for the day when it was chucking it down in the mountains. Started at the north end of the lake and went anti-clockwise. A club mate rented an MTB in Riva del Garda. Says there are loads of trails up that way somewhere. Punta Veleno is off the north east side. I'm glad that I didn't know it was there at the time cos we would have been tempted to have a go.

on_the_nickel

Oooh, I'm intrigued. Have you done it?

Raam

on_the_nickel wrote: »

Oooh, I'm intrigued. Have you done it?

Nope, didn't know it was there until a year or so later. I would have a go if I was ever in the area again. It was on the Giro del Trentino last year. Not sure if it's on this years route. Race is on again shortly.

on_the_nickel

Cross-posting, thanks for the information. Will look to map out a ride to it.

If I can do the climb in an hour.....

Raam

Doesn't look like it's in this year's race: http://www.girodeltrentino.com/EN/1/1/Stages.htm

on_the_nickel

http://app.strava.com/segments/1253271

Hmm, try as I might, I'm just not sure I can get there and back without causing a row. I really don't want to put the wife out. Jeez, what a shame.

chester3455

Try strava for info on climbs i.e. length,gradient.

brayblue24

When cycling at Lake Garda be aware first hand that, contrary to popular belief, you will receive extraordinary courtesy from motors!

(sits back and waits for opposite experiences)

fazer1

I Staying in Peschiera del Garda last year. This shop www.highroadbike.com was across the road from where we stayed, rental road bikes from what i've seen were entry level. Really nice shop though! We rented a few tourer bikes for a day and cycled to Sirmione. I didn't tell the wife how far it was, she wasn't to pleased about the cycle back! As some of the other posters have said the better climbing roads are north of the lake.

brayblue24

OP if you're staying in Peschiera Del Garda and interested in getting a bit of gear when I last stayed there (in 2010) there was a guy in the market had any amount of it. Market day was Monday then so presume still the same.

Mefistofelino

+1 for Raam's comment about lapping the lake - seems like a great idea looking at a map but the reality can be horrible. Sunday mornings tend to be worst as the local lads bring out their big motos and hoon around the place - not unusual to have fatalities, particularly in the tunnels. The road from Rovereto through Mori to Riva isn't pleasant at rush-hour either

There are some nice climbs North of Riva itself - there is a little hairpinned climb running east from Arco over to Santa Barbara, which the Giro went over a few years back. Others are up around Lago Di Ledro, Lago Di Tenno - typically 2-3 hour spins rather than full days out.

If you're interested in bigger climbs, head East towards Folgaria - not too far but a bit more "verticality"

As well as the Carpentari shop mentioned previously, Francesco Moser used to have two shops in the area - one in Torbole, the other in Arco - don't know if they are still open

GlennaMaddy

I'll be at the south end with the family in May for a week, I'll try get out on at least one day and have found this segment on Strava.
http://app.strava.com/segments/1211140

If I can find an Italian lump of carbon to hire

on_the_nickel

GlennaMaddy wrote: »

I'll be at the south end with the family in May for a week, I'll try get out on at least one day and have found this segment on Strava.
http://app.strava.com/segments/1211140

If I can find an Italian lump of carbon to hire

Ah ditto, that looks like it would fit within my range limit. When you going? I'm there from 30 May for a week.

Got an Italian clubmate generously looking around for the best rental option.

GlennaMaddy

on_the_nickel wrote: »

Ah ditto, that looks like it would fit within my range limit. When you going? I'm there from 30 May for a week.

Got an Italian clubmate generously looking around for the best rental option.

15th - 22nd, I'll warm up the bike for you

on_the_nickel

@Glennamaddy, you found anything? I emailed http://www.highroadbike.com with no reply.....

GlennaMaddy

I found this crowd up the road in Sirimone
http://www.ilciclistadisirmione.com/Bike-Rent---Fahrradverleih.html

I haven't made contact yet.

Peterx

http://www.biking.ie/italy

Irish Company, they may have info for ye.

GlennaMaddy

GlennaMaddy wrote: »

I found this crowd up the road in Sirimone
http://www.ilciclistadisirmione.com/Bike-Rent---Fahrradverleih.html

Torrential rain, thunder and lightening on the days I had hoped to hire a bike meant I didn't get a spin in, but I dropped into the shop on was impressed with the setup. If you are staying in any of the villages along the south of Garda you can hop on the train/bus to Sirmione to collect the bike.

on_the_nickel

GlennaMaddy wrote: »

Torrential rain, thunder and lightening on the days I had hoped to hire a bike meant I didn't get a spin in, but I dropped into the shop on was impressed with the setup. If you are staying in any of the villages along the south of Garda you can hop on the train/bus to Sirmione to collect the bike.

Thanks, my sympathies for the weather, hoping it improves for us! I rang that shop last week, he got back to confirm he'd a bike available for me this morning. Fingers crossed.

on_the_nickel

GlennaMaddy wrote: »

I'll be at the south end with the family in May for a week, I'll try get out on at least one day and have found this segment on Strava.
http://app.strava.com/segments/1211140

If I can find an Italian lump of carbon to hire

Managed to get a bike and get up Monte Baldo (though I didn't realise that the segment above veered off the main road halfway up so my route was a little longer and didn't register).

A beautiful spin and a lovely climb until the last 2kms, which were a killer and into a headwind. Turned out my rented bike was, as I feared when the road started going up, a 39-23. Considering I've a wimpy compact with 25 on the back, it was a shock to the system going up 19% ramps after 20 odd km of climbing!

Rented from these guys, http://www.ilciclistadisirmione.com, and got a Giant TCR which was a little small for me, front stem in particular could've done with another inch at least, and cost €120 for the week. They speak good English and were very friendly and helpful, even if they didn't understand I couldn't take their route advice as the missus would've killed me had I headed off for 8 hours at a time!

mingmong29

Heading there on 10th of september for a couple of weeks. Any more advice available on getting a decent road bike to hire on the south end of the lake or even Verona ans any nice roads to climb in this region also. Planning on heading up north to Bormio towards the end to do Stelvio and a few more if the legs keep turning:)