• Meals: Dinner

Following your arrival into Germany’s Munich Airport (MUC), we’ll transfer across the border to the Austrian village of Lermoos. The village is situated in a lovely meadow and offers a beautiful view of Germany’s highest peak Zugspitze (2692m/8832ft).

The transfer will take around 1.5 hours and we’ll spend our time in Lermoos preparing our bikes for the week ahead. Should time allow, we may even sneak in a quick leg stretch before our welcome drinks and evening meal, which we’ll take at the hotel. During the meal we’ll have an informal chat with our guides about the week to come.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 740m/2427ft.

Today’s ride, probably the toughest of the trip, is a wonderful introduction to the area and takes in Fernpass, the castle of Fernstein and Lake Schanz, one of the most beautiful and breathtaking Alpine lakes of the Außerfern region. This is our only real off road section of the trip, with the remaining time spent on cycle paths and quiet minor roads. The morning will be a varied affair of forest trails, undulating dirt roads and a short but tricky descent, before an easy off road stretch as we come into Nassereith. For those not familiar with off road riding, we will advise when it is best to walk with your bike for certain very short sections. Alternatively, this section may also be done entirely on road (although sometimes quite busy) and then we would all re-group at a café or bar.

A little further on and we’ll reach Imst an ancient little town beautifully situated on a terrace above the River Inn at the mouth of the Gurgl Valley. From here we’ll crisscross the ice blue River Inn over its many bridges, as we continue along the Via Claudia towards Landeck where we’ll stay for the evening.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,200m/3937ft.

We’ll continue once more through the Inn Valley with its meadows, fields of flowers and impressive mountains. Passing typical Austrian villages along the way, we’ll arrive at the famous Kajetansbrücke.

At Martina we’ll cross the Swiss border (don’t forget your passport today!), which is followed by another challenging climb. Once at the top however, we can just sit back, enjoy the mountain pastures before rolling down to Nauders (1400m/4593ft). Situated in the border triangle of Austria, Switzerland and Italy and surrounded by the Weisskugel it’s a lovely setting.

Time permitting, we’ll take a stroll through the quaint streets of this mountain town, taking in the atmosphere. It’s here that we’ll spend our final night in Austria.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 260m/853ft.

Buon Giorno Italia. Following another hearty breakfast we’ll cycle up the last 108 metres to reach the Reschenpass (1508m/4947ft). Arriving in Italy, a breathtaking view will open up before us: the white peaks of Ortler (3905m/12811ft) and the blue Lake Reschen, an artificial lake with a capacity of 120 million cubic meters created by the Montecatini company (now Edison Energia) in 1940. Now, in winter, when the lake freezes, the tower of the main church is reachable by foot. Legend has it that during the winter one can still hear church bells ring.

Enjoying the landscape we’ll take a fast downhill into the Vinschgau Valley. Stretching from the Reschen Pass to Kastelbell/Tschars and bordering with Switzerland and Austria, it’s a beautiful valley of sparkling lush meadows, gigantic glaciers and glittering lakes. Our path heads now through apple plantations and from here we’ll see the castle Juval belonging to the famous Alpine climber Reinhold Messner.

Our final destination today is usually Lagundo, situated at the entrance of the Vinschgau Valley. This is a lovely place, with small lanes, historic buildings, typical Tyrolean Wine Taverns (Buschenschanken) and cafés with sun terraces just perfect for a post-ride drink and a spot of exploring! Alternatively, dependant on accommodation availability, tonight may be spent in one of the small villages nearby.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 600m/1968ft.

Our first port of call is the ‘Jewel of South Tyrol’ Merano (324m/1062ft). Merano is situated in a beautiful setting where the three valleys of Vinschgau, Etsch and Passier come together. This unusual geographical location where the town is sheltered to the north and east by high mountain ranges is the reason for its mild Mediterranean climate and enables a wide variety of colourful, Mediterranean and sub-tropical plants to thrive.

From here we’ll continue our way through more apple plantations and vineyards; taking in superb panoramic views, small villages with market squares and historical sites along the way. Before arriving at our destination, we’ll visit the small Roman chapel of St. Jakob in Kastelaz, in Tramin. The chapel houses the oldest Romanic frescos in this part of Italy and is well worth a few minutes of your time. This part of Italy is German speaking, with the famous Gewürtzraminer white and Kalterer See red wines originating here and you’ll be able to taste some of the local wines at dinner.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 250m/820ft.

You will have noticed the mountains have now become rougher on the side of the Etsch Valley as we continue towards Trento. With the terrain very easy going now and you well into your stride, we’ll cover the distance quickly and should arrive around lunchtime.

Positioned in a wide glacial valley, where the Fersina and Avisio rivers join the Adige (the second longest in Italy) and surrounded by mountains, including the Vigolana (2,150m/7053ft) and the Monte Bondone (2,181m/7155ft) Trento is spectacularly placed. This is a bustling city bursting with Italian flair, with gelaterias, cappuccino bars and trendy boutiques all ready to lure a few Euros from your grasp. With this in mind, the afternoon is yours to do as you please.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,200m/3937ft.

Our final challenge lies ahead in the form of a ‘cheeky climb’ to Candriai from where we’ll roll down into the Mediterranean Sarca Valley. From here on in the route is relatively flat as we switch between quiet lanes and cycle paths alongside the River Sarca as we eat up the distance.

Along the way we’ll enjoy a fantastic landscape including glimpses of our final destination Lake Garda (Lago di Garda). Mid afternoon and congratulations are in order. Over the last six days you’ll have covered around 385kms/239 miles from Austria to Italy (plus a few minutes in Switzerland).

Time to celebrate with a few bottles of the fizzy stuff and another delicious dinner at a local restaurant.

• Meals: Breakfast

With bikes packed the previous night we’ll have time for breakfast before heading to Italy’s Verona Airport (VRN) for flights home (transfer approx. 1 hour).