Dolomites Bike Day
When 16 June, 9am to 3pm
Where Alta Badia, Italy
Price Free, open to all
Details dolomitesbikeday.it
At the back of every cyclist’s mind is the worrying thought: ‘What if there is a car around the next bend?’ It’s no surprise, therefore, that the most popular bike events usually take place on closed roads. The biggest and best of these is the annual Bike Day held in the Dolomites. You can pedal along an astonishing 108km of blissfully traffic-free tarmac. The event, now in its third year, is the largest in Europe. It’s very much a celebration of the joys of all things two-wheeled and it prides itself on being inclusive. Riders of every age and any experience are welcome. It’s totally free and you don’t even have to register – just turn up, pedal and enjoy yourself.
Alta Badia, a Unesco World Heritage Site, has long been a magnet for cyclists looking for challenging mountains and fabulous food. Its headline event is the Maratona dles Dolomites, one of the most fearsome amateur bike races in the world. It involves 140km and more than 4,000m of vertical climbing in a single day. Far better to slow down, take the family and enjoy a gentler ride among some of Italy’s most beautiful peaks, safe in the knowledge that there isn’t a car around the next bend…
Cool kit
These high-quality bicycle turn signals magnetically attach to mounting units on the handlebars of your bike. When removed, the units magnetically clip together to form a keyring on a carabiner for safekeeping. Winglights, £20, sodasays.co.uk
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter@MartinLove166
