Hi Pete - a few years ago I rode the via Claudia Augusta from Augsburg to Bolzano, in just under four days if I recall correctly. One of many European credit-card tours I've made since 1997 for which I kept journals but which I've not yet written up to inform later travellers such as yourself. I used the Esterbauer guidebook - do you know those? They're excellent, even if you don't read German. Very clear mapping and extensive details of overnight accommodation, noteworthy sights etc. There were two fairly big passes on the way - the Reschenpass is one, as chrisch says - but I didn't find either of them too taxing (I'm over 50 and not especially fit). The ride was a delight from start to finish.

From memory, I stayed the first night near Fuessen, the second in Landeck and the third in Vezzano. I remember that had to get to Bolzano by late afternoon on day 4 to catch a train to Verona for my return flight to the UK that evening. After lingering too long over a very pleasant lunch in Merano, that necessitated an anxious but exhilarating three-hour dash along the bike path beside the River Adige to Bolzano.

One of the highlights was chancing upon a music festival the night I was in Landeck - top of the bill was Randy Crawford, who was just finishing her pre-gig supper as I arrived at my hotel. One of the lowlights was having to lose height so quickly and tortuously after crossing the border from Austria into Italy - no chance at all of some dreamy 40+ mph descents, because the route winds through some really lovely Italian alpine villages. Unfortunately I didn't have time to explore them as I knew when the kitchen closed at the hotel I was heading for...