WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY PETE SCULLION
With the early morning mist lifting slowly off the Dolomites, high in the Trentino valley, we try to shrug off the hectic last few days, knowing the next 62 miles will be the longest of our trip out to this northern corner of Italy, but also more than likely our last. firee vertical kilometres of climbing lie ahead, and I honestly hadn’t turned this many pedals since a stage race in the Holy Land some three years ago.
Over a century prior to our arrival and as electricity as a concept was gaining momentum around the world, the Kingdom of Italy was but a baby at the turn of the 20th century. Austria-Hungary was one of Europe’s dominant powers, and this part of Italy marked the south-westerly extreme of that empire’s border. As the major powers fortified their borders, both Austria-Hungary and the newly formed Kingdom of Italy would follow suit, giving us the landmarks which we would be visiting on this ride.