Sellaronda from Nauders - Too much??

[alesupper]

Hi All

Would this route be too much to do in a day? It is 265 miles (425km).

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1e4TFywaKa5XgY5cAf8TFsytOdA44GUc&usp=sharing

CIA

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Nah…It’s doable with an early start, easily

Just done 300 miles or just shy of, per day in the last 2 days this week - on a 650cc bike

Day 1 to the Lakes & yesterday to the North Pennines & Scottish Borderlands - all mainly on tiny roads with grass and gravel in the middle, so speeds were well down on average
12 hours in the saddle each day, with just a couple of stops ….bit saddle sore today though

We did Berchtesgaden in Bavaria (further away than Nauders) to the Dolomites including all the passes for a day trip one year - long day 8am to 8pm but fine - well over 300 miles

Are you staying at the Enzian ?

 

[alesupper]

Nah…It’s doable with an early start, easily

Just done 300 miles or just shy of, per day in the last 2 days this week - on a 650cc bike

Day 1 to the Lakes & yesterday to the North Pennines & Scottish Borderlands - all mainly on tiny roads with grass and gravel in the middle, so speeds were well down on average
12 hours in the saddle each day, with just a couple of stops ….bit saddle sore today though

We did Berchtesgaden in Bavaria (further away than Nauders) to the Dolomites including all the passes for a day trip one year - long day 8am to 8pm but fine - well over 300 miles

Are you staying at the Enzian ?

That is great news, because I really fancy it. I have done the Sellaronda on a push bike and it is truly stunning.

 

[dp66]

I'd be interested to hear what you think as I agree it's a stunning place and somewhere I'd like to go back to. I've done the sellaronda previously but on skis.

Going off topic for a moment if I may, check out the Sellaronda Ski Marathon. The route is half a lap (4 passes), at night with head torches, in pairs roped together, with the ski lifts closed so they have to walk up one side (cross country skins) and ski down each pass. Last time it ran the winning time was just under 3 hours

 

[alesupper]

I'd be interested to hear what you think as I agree it's a stunning place and somewhere I'd like to go back to. I've done the sellaronda previously but on skis.

Going off topic for a moment if I may, check out the Sellaronda Ski Marathon. The route is half a lap (4 passes), at night with head torches, in pairs roped together, with the ski lifts closed so they have to walk up one side (cross country skins) and ski down each pass. Last time it ran the winning time was just under 3 hours

3 hours! Wow! proper athletes, by the sound of it.

 

[Rasher]

We have always managed to top 30mph "Moving Average" in the mountains, and with a mix of some faster roads you should beat that, maybe closer to 40mph.

I would estimate this as 6.5 - 7.5 hours riding (without having looked at the route in detail) only you know how often you like to stop and how long for, for me and the Mrs I would expect 9-10 hours start to finish.

I can also typically beat whatever Google / Tom Tom / Garmin etc think the ride should take (unless we hit crap weather / roadworks / diversions etc)

If it is hot I would also start early as a 10 hour day in 35c heat is hard work, and in my experience this region often sees heavy stormy showers late afternoon, so I would probably look to set off early (07:00) - but TBH I would keep the miles down closer to 200 as a long day is not much fun if the weather goes against you.

 

[Wapping]

Would this route be too much to do in a day? It is 265 miles (425km).

Some bods don’t enjoy 265 miles a day on the flat, using conventional French D roads. These bods sometimes roll out of bed at 09:30, stop to press wild flowers every 30 minutes, dawdle in fuel stops and expect to be chilling in the bar by 15:30.

You are you, we are not. Do you think YOU can do it, based on YOUR idea of a good day out and riding experience?

 

[wessie]

I've done the road from Merano to Nauders a few times. It is a very slow road due to the traffic density that includes many trucks as it is an arterial route. I would do the south section of the loop first via Bolzano and when you get back to where the SS242 splits after the Q8 petrol station, decide if you take the northern loop or return via Bolzano.

 

[alesupper]

Thanks for the replies everyone. So the general option is that it IS doable, as long as we are preprepared to get up early and be out for a good 9-10 hours. I can cope with that, so I will run it past my riding buddies to see what they think. Cheers.

 

[alesupper]

Opinion not option

 

[squibb34]

As others have suggested, that Venosta Valley traffic will likely make this plan something of an endurance test.

Your choice. 10 hours on the road doesn't leave much time to enjoy the amazing scenery of the Sellaronda.

 

[theoneandonly]

that'll be hard work. i reckon to do 20mph ave in the alps , half of my normal ave speed.

 

[chrisjk]

The road past the Rechensee was horrible a week ago. The lake has been drained and it was a sandy desert with umpteen earth movers at work and a strong wind blowing sand and dust across the road. A couple of locals I spoke with had no idea how long the work was going to take. Traffic was not too heavy though in mid afternoon.

 

[Rasher]

that'll be hard work. i reckon to do 20mph ave in the alps , half of my normal ave speed.

Moving average or over the day?

I always quote "moving average" which with 10+ years of logging has never been below 30mph over a day out in good conditions, this has included when I rode 2-up, since Mrs started riding with me, and a few trips with a couple of bikermates, a large group would probably reduce that a bit.

Easy to track as both the bike and sat nav (as long as I remember to reset them in the morning) easily calculate this for me.

How often and how long people stop for they should know themselves, I personally think 5 hours riding is a lovelly day, with plenty of time to stop - so about 150 Alpine miles, 6 hours (180 miles) is about as much as we like to do on a "day out", 240 is as much as I would plan for in the mountains (assuming on passes all day with no faster main road sections to make up ground) as this is @8 hours riding, with a couple of coffee stops, a fuel stop, lunch stop and a picture at the top of each pass its gonna be a minimum 10 hour day door-to-door.

So in the last example a 240 mile ride is @30mph moving, and 24 moving, but I have some mates who even in the UK I struggle to get to do that mileage in a day as they stop more than once per hour, faff like fuck, take 45 minutes to drink a cuppa and 90 minutes to have lunch, this would be make the above ride about 15 hours (16 mph) as they typically spend more time stopped than riding over a day!

The larger the group the slower you move and the longer you stop.

 

[theoneandonly]

that'll be hard work. i reckon to do 20mph ave in the alps , half of my normal ave speed.

avg over the day .

 

[alesupper]

@theoneandonly

Thanks for your thorough response, it is appropriated. We are actually on the trip right now, staying in Nauders. We had already decided that the Sellaronda route was far too much for us to do in one, so we have sacked it off.

We had on amazing day yesterday over the Stelvio Pass and today we are doing a loop around Ischgl Bludenz (Burseberg)