Details:
About 60km. That´s all the riding I needed to do to arrive at my final destination, Milan. At first, I had thought about making it a 100km ride, going through Lago di Como, however, since I was battling lower back problems (hernia), I decided to take it easy and ride directly to Milan. And it was a great a idea. For the first time when planning my route I decided to research bike paths, as I had really enjoyed riding from Bolzano to Lago di Guarda mostly on bike paths. Bergamo is very close to Milan, so a bike path of about 35km in length lets you ride more than half of the way on an easy, fun and pretty area.
The first 18km were on the SP 525, which is not fun or pretty to ride on. Mostly industrial area, the road is filled with trucks and lots of traffic, specially on the outskirts of Bergamo. However, everything changed once I began to ride on the bike path that goes along the Adda river (https://goo.gl/GsfEQE), then along a canal that leads directly into Milan. It´s about 30km along a really pleasant scenery that is worth the trip, or even, if you are in Milan, it´s worth getting out of Milan to ride on this bike path. It´s a very popular ride for Milan´s local´s and the closer you get to Milan, you can see more people running and cycling.
With about 20km to go to reach Milan, Claudio, a local cyclist, began to ride alongside and ask questions about my cycling trip throughout Italy. We rode together for about 15 minutes, which allowed me to ask him a few questions about the bike path, as well as, riding in Milan. Claudio explained that the Adda River bike path goes along some historical places, including a bridge that was designed by Leonardo da Vinci.
Once the bike path that rides along the canal ends, it means you´ve arrived in Milan and very close to the heart of the city. And all that is need to do to get to the historical Center is to just ride south on the bike path along any of the main roads. This trip ended in Piazza della Scala, which is just a few blocks away from the famous Duomo di Milano and Galeria Vitorio Emanuelle II.
It was a very special moment for me, as I had just completed a cycling trip on a very special place. I was very fortunate to ride with no major setbacks for 14 days (without rain!) in place that offers great infrastructure and safety for cyclists, which complement the amazing many different sceneries that I encountered in the 1.150km ridded in Italy. From the Roman ruins, through the Tuscany hills, along the charming canals of Venice, up and down the amazing and unforgettable Dolomites, around Lago di Guarda and through the plains in Northern Italy to Milan, to be able to see it and live it all from the seat of my favorite bike was remarkable. The feeling of accomplishment as I rode towards my hotel enjoying my first moments in Milan was very emotional...making all the effort in planning and executing this trip worth every part of it.
Short and to the point:
- Milan has a very diverse set of bike paths in town and on its outskirts.
- Maps of bike paths and download of GPX files are available at: http://www.piste-ciclabili.com (Italy), or http://www.piste-ciclabili.com/regione-lombardia (Milan, Lombardia Area).
- It seems that the outskirts of Bergamo form an industrial area for Milan, with lots of companies and factories along the roads that lead to Milan.
- I really enjoyed riding on the bike path that begins along the Adda River then continues along a canal all the way to Milan.
- The path along the canal crosses many small towns, such as Gorgonzola and Inzago, which are nice places to stop for food and drinks.
- The route is mostly flat, with a bit of descent from Bergamo towards Milan.
Overview:
Total time riding: 3:41h
Total time travelling: 4:18h
Total Ascent: 30 meters
Total distance: 57,4 km
Cities ridden through:
- Inzano, Gorgonzola, Cassano D´adda
Map:
- https://www.strava.com/activities/763695723
Photos:
