Meet pioneering mountaineer Erik Weihenmayer. Perhaps most well-known for being the first blind person to summit Mt. Everest in 2001, Erik is now the first blind person to take an ExperiencePlus! self-guided tour. In mid-July 2024, Erik and his partner Heather Quiroga, embarked on an ExperiencePlus! self-guided tour of Italy’s Alpine Valleys from Silandro to Verona. We invited Erik and Heather on this journey to showcase Erik’s “no barriers” mindset, which we hope inspires anyone with a yet unfulfilled bicycle tour dream to take action.
As Erik and Heather joyfully demonstrate each day, self-guided tours are perfect for folks with an undaunted do-it-yourself sensibility. They got a flat tire the first day on a dirt road and leaned on the help of strangers to change it. A few days later their designated route was under construction, so they improvised an alternative route that eventually led them to their final destination. The freedom of being on their own schedule allowed them to follow their bliss, whether choosing to eat in the hotel room after a long sunny day, go swimming in as many lakes as they could find, or taking an impromptu kayak on Lake Garda.
Erik first posted his diary to his Facebook and Instagram accounts. We’ve collected them here so you can view in one scroll and get a sense for what self-guided bicycle touring is all about. Enjoy the ride and then start planning your own self-guided journey today!
My first day adventuring with Heather on a tandem bike through Italy began and ended in Silandro (or Schlanders) with a heavenly landscape of vineyards, meadows, and lakes woven into a route thoughtfully mapped by our friends at ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours!
We loved the option to take the bike-friendly train to Malles for a more challenging climb to stunning Lake Resia. Our reward? A pristine swim in her sparkling, icy waters before a scenic scream back down the mountain. Not even a flat tire could deflate our day, and we were grateful for a few kind samaritans who helped us quickly get back on track.
There were so many unexpected moments of joy on this trip, including a favorite of which occurred that evening. After a fabulous apres-cycle supper (which we learned was typical of this experience), we followed the sounds of an accordion to a park where locals were dancing in traditional costume in celebration of their Austrian-German heritage. It was perfect and we went to sleep trying to dream how this day could ever be topped…
We’ve learned a thing or two since the start of our ExperiencePlus! self-guided bike tour! First, we no longer gasp and pull over for a photo of *every* 13th-century castle we see, since every turn seems to reveal one! Second, even if we indulge in endless affogatos, which is easy to do, an honest night’s sleep is almost always guaranteed after tackling the region’s endless assault of formidable hills – grinding up and screaming down twisting, turning paths – sandwiched between spectacular peaks rising up from the Adige, Italy’s second longest river, with its chalky-blue waters that babble 255 miles all the way to the Adriatic Sea!
We’re now in Merano, a charmingly historic city that’s fast-becoming another favorite place for us among a growing list of favorites! Here, thermal baths, spas, and wellness abound (as does speck) and it’s again clear to us that each stop on our route has been thoughtfully chosen for its unique heritage and personality. I’m especially fond of the incredible climbing and mountaineering history that is enmeshed in the area, everywhere we go!
After a serious day on the bike, a quick dunk in the river, and a long afternoon walk through the medieval heart of Merano, we’ve decided tonight to skip the restaurant scene, inspired instead to stop at a local market to make a picnic on our balcony overlooking the river and mountains … A perfect spot to tap my inner von Trapp and what Heather called “The Sound of Goof-balling!”
On to Bolzano! With two very different route options offered today by the creative team at ExperiencePlus!, we skipped the gentler wine country tour for a more scenic and challenging ride, and we were not disappointed.
We took a cable car to the charming mountain town of Verano, and from there enjoyed an impressive pedal with breathtaking views and a memorably fast descent laced with hairpin turns (and now we can definitively speak to the reliable braking on our trusty Co-Motion tandem)!
The second half of our ride led us through the valley’s iconic apple orchards and lush vineyards before arrival in beautiful Bolzano – a vibrant city alive with art, music, markets, and increasingly more “Italian” personality as we put miles between us and the Austrian border.
A must-do (so we did), was a visit to the Messner Mountain Museum (a favorite for obvious reason) as well as the Archeological Museum, which is home to the amazingly well-preserved 5,000 year-old Iceman named Otzi, who Heather says bears some resemblance to a particular mountaineer on the back of our bike… But I’m not sure I see it. HA!
If you’re wondering what I’m thinking, it’s that all these fancy winery shenanigans in Italy are going to crush my manly dirtbag image, so I told Heather we should delete the evidence … But all she said was no. HA! So here it is, and here were are!
We’ve biked further south now to Trento via San Michele all’Adige, to more temperate climes and a break from the saddle for a tasting at one of the valley’s oldest wineries and first eco-friendly wineries, Endrizzi.
This was a great opportunity for a couple of stinky, sweaty cyclists to throw around sophisticated words like “varietals” and “tanins”, getting dangerously close to being too foodie-bougie!
ExperiencePlus! has built such a fun adventure for us, nicely challenging yet a lot more comfortable than say, trying to hold onto the side of a mountain!
Ciao, Riva del Garda! This is the largest lake in Italy, home to world class sailing and windsurfing as well as cycling and climbing. We got here from Cadine, high above Trento, winding alongside our old friend, the Adige, and arrived early enough to jump in a tandem kayak to poke around from the water!
Lake Garda is a colorful, family-friendly place that feels part Jersey Shore and part Lake Como. We paddled toward a cool rock formation and to our delight found a beautiful hidden waterfall tucked into a dramatic mountain wall dropping directly into the water. We’re told this is a favorite place for rock climbers, and so it’s definitely now on the list of places to return someday.
Take a ride with me and Heather across Riva del Garda to Sirmione! This 4-hour ferry was a unique and beautiful way to “visit” all the pretty little towns along Lake Garda’s shores – pulling up to each dock and watching and listening to other cyclists and tourists as they got on and off the boat. Along the way we also passed tall sailing ships, several castles, and folks experiencing the massive lake from windsurfers and kayaks. We enjoyed, what else, but more delicious pizza when we reached Sirmione, still the perfect food for recovering from and preparing for a long day in the saddle. Tomorrow we roll out for our last day of riding, on to Verona!
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene…
Or in our case, finish our beautiful 7-day self-guided bike tour through northern Italy! And what a grand finale it was. We handed off our Co-Motion tandem (she served us so well) and ended our trip the way we began, with a wonderfully authentic glimpse into a place’s heart — getting to know its streets and structures and the vibrant locals whose spirits keep the pulse alive — absorbing as much history, art, architecture, and culture as we could.
We visited the Arena di Verona, one of the largest and best preserved Roman amphitheaters that remains today, and found a sea of enormous stage sets (elephant-sized roses and roman columns that make you feel Lilliputian) being loaded up for the next operatic performance for which this city is world-famous. We filled our bellies with fine wine, food, and desserts, and we once again got the chance to explore our stunning surroundings by kayak. It was a fitting and magical end to such a fantastic trip.
Looking back, we are so grateful to the welcoming and helpful staff at each hotel who made sure our bike was stored and ready to go each day, to the folks behind the scenes who always had our bags waiting for us at day’s end, and to ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours for their extremely well-organized support, well-planned routes, and special landing spots that spoke to our interests. This adventure truly exceeded our every expectation. We are already dreaming up our next bike tour with the hope that we’ll be in your excellent hands and saddles again before long!