Great meals we have eaten before big rides: No.1 La Siriola, Sud Tirol, Italy

When you go to the Italian Dolomites riding bikes up legendary passes, taking them in cable cars and down inappropriate mountain trails, and tackling one of the worlds most fearsome Gran Fondos it can’t all be fun. Sometimes you need to do the necessary hard yards of preparation and that includes taking on the right nutrients in the right balance and factoring in just the right amount of rest before the next challenge.

We take all that stuff very seriously here at road.cc so sit back and spend the next few minutes with us on the night before the 2017 Maratona while we go that extra mile with a 7… or was it 8? course meal, plus wine, plus a visit to the chocolate room, oh and the cheese room at the altogether fabulous, and Michelin starred La Siriola.

We believe in doing these things properly. That means that if you’re riding in a part of the world with a gastronomic heritage that stretches back for more than a thousand years you’re only seeing half the picture and getting half the experience if you don’t get off your bike at some point and try some of the local delicacies - especially when they’re produced by some of the finest chefs in the world. The wine round there is pretty good too - helps you sleep.

How did the Maratona go? After a meal like that and a lovely five hour sleep it went just fine. Preparation, it always pays off

If you want to know more about the Maratona dles Dolomites click here http://www.maratona.it/en/

If you want to know more about cycling in the Dolomites click here http://www.cyclingdolomites.com/

If you want a good meal in the Sud Tirol https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurants-g5978780-South_Tyrol_Dolomites...