For my 2016 bike touring adventure, I decided to go big: the Alps. Europe’s highest mountain range straddles eight countries and boasts some of the most stunning terrain anywhere on Earth. My riding buddy and I decided to travel from Bavaria in southern Germany down through Austria and into Italy’s South Tyrol region over the course of five days, finishing near Lake Garda. Spoiler alert: it’s bloody beautiful.
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- The course: Around 300km of mountain roads and trails going south across the Alps, probably a mix of smooth tarmac, cycle paths and rough gravel tracks. We’d be avoiding busy roads as much as possible, and doing some light off-roading. For me, this was a step into the unknown.
- The equipment goal: A drop-bar bike that can cope with rough terrain, and is strong enough to carry me plus luggage. It must have gearing that's low enough to get me up some long, steep climbs, and powerful brakes to cope with coming down the other side. Shimano hydraulic disc brakes were my preference.
- The horse: A Ridley X-Trail A-20 gravel bike, with 38mm Challenge Gravel Grinder tyres, Shimano 105 drivetrain including a 50/34 compact crankset, and Shimano hydraulic disc brakes.
The Ridley X-Trail
After dropping a line to the nice folks at bike distributor Madison, they agreed to loan me a Ridley X-Trail A20. For those unfamiliar with the Belgian bike brand’s range, the X-Trail is its do-it-all range of gravel/adventure models, combining road geometry with big tyre clearances and knobbly rubber.
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This particular model sits towards the lower end of Ridley's X-Trail range and gets an alloy frame, rather than carbon.
On paper though the components look solid: a mix of Shimano’s excellent 105 groupset, DT Swiss R24 wheels shod with Challenge Gravel Grinder 38mm tyres, and finishing kit from Ridley’s house brand 4ZA.
The baggage
Apidura saddle pack contents
- Spare short-sleeve jersey (Katusha Beyond)
- Spare biblongs (Polaris)
- Winter gloves (SealSkinz)
- Winter riding hat (Vulpine)
- Spare riding socks
- Underpants x 2
- Lightweight casual shoes (Toms)
- Lightweight casual trousers (Craghoppers)
- Rapha winter collar
- Long-sleeve merino base layer (Finisterre Eddy)
- Overshoes (Endura)
- Stuff sack (knackered old Eurohike bag that’s been with me for 20 years)
- Mini D-lock (Abus)
- Travel towel (Lifeventure)
Apidura frame pack contents
- Energy gels x 7 (High5)
- Energy bars x 3 (Clif Bar)
- Recovery drink sachets x 2
- Spare inner tubes x 2
- Bike multitool (Crank Brothers)
- Camping multitool (Leatherman Wingman)
- Mini pump (Topeak)
- Puncture repair kit
- Zip ties
- Tyre levers
- Emergency whistle
Apidura handlebar bag contents
- Waterproof phone case
- Waterproof map case
- P20 sun screen (factor 50)
- Contact lenses
- Travel tooth brush
- Travel toothpaste
- Chamois cream sachets x 3
- Travel wash
- Insect repellent (Jungle Formula)
- Insect bite cream
- USB charger
- iPhone cable
- Garmin charging cable
Day 1: Bavarian beginnings
Day 2: The Roman Way
Day 3: Three countries in one day
Day 4: The sting in the tail
Day 5: Journey’s end
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