The hotel just outside Vipiteno was a great find: quiet, good food and great views over the town – and a huge yoghurt factory. The town had imprinted itself in our consciousness from the moment we entered Italy, because all the yoghurts have ‘made in Vipiteno’ written on the side. (And we eat a lot of yoghurts, with added hazel nuts, dried fruit, and honey if we can get it). The excitement was building all day yesterday as we saw yoghurt lorries on the autobahn…….

This morning was cloudy and damp as we set off for the Brenner Pass.

There was some steep climbing to reach the town of Brenner – and coffee break. It started to rain as we followed the bike track beside the railway line on a huge zig zag. Once up the zig and round the steep bend (in beautiful forest) we were pleased to find that the zag was on a disused section of the railway (the current route having been tunnelled into the mountain to decrease the gradient). But 3% gradient on the old route was fine with us! And the rain stopped. We also stopped – to celebrate with Vipiteno yoghurt.

The remaining 4 miles to the pass were easy cycling.

The summit is fairly flat so, after a quick drink, we were off – down into Austria. This started as a fast descent down a fairly big road. On the way we passed a major access point for the construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel. When this opens (planned for 2025) it will be a 34 mile long replacement for the current railway over the pass – taking nearly 2 hours off the journey time. Let’s hope they convert all the old line to cycle track – and I’m still around to ride it.

There is no recognised cycle route on the Austrian side. Further down I had chosen a turn off onto a minor road. This appeared to contour along the valley side as the valley dropped – and by staying level it gave great views of the valley and, eventually, of Innsbruck before a final, steep descent.

Unfortunately the road was not as level as it had appeared on my map. It kept twitching up and down steeply, round little side valleys. And there were roadworks to contend with. The smooth main road down below was taunting us! But we made it. We have crossed the main chain of the Alps twice. We are in Innsbruck and the sun has just come out. Day off tomorrow.

Helen’s track of the day:
U Cant Touch This by MC Hammer
Deep in the music I have brought with me I found this last night, trying to find some cheering music whilst recovering from a big day. I am pleased to say this stuck in my head all morning and got me over the Brenner pass. What do you mean you didn’t think I was a Hammer fan?