wingguy wrote:sgergole wrote:Shorts, no need for thermo or 3/4. Arm warmers and optional knee warmers. Long windstopper for the descents and always a base layer. The main problem wi be going downhill, on the top of the mountain ask a newspaper to put between the wind stopper and the jersey. You can find snow on the top of tbe stelvio or gavia, but in the valley (bormio for example) there are 20 degrees without problems. If you go for long, medium/slow rides, then consider long sleeves
Considering the question is about a bike touring trip I think this is bad advice. The conditions on the tops of the passes in May can be far beyond just finding snow, and the valleys themselves can switch from sunny to torrential rain in the blink of an eye. Given that touring implies you will need to be out riding every day to get to the next place you need to be (not just picking the warmer days to ride), the clothing you need to bring is as much as you can carry!
This is the Stelvio in May...
I was writing under the assumption that in conditions of snow or heavy rain, you just don't go "touring". That was going against the concept of touring, at least in my mind. What is in the picture is from a pro race. That was on the edge of being cancelled, so in my answer I wasn't even thinking that an amateur would go up in conditions like that...
If the idea instead is to go and do every day the planned course in any condition, then I completely agree with you. Take anything ranging from thermal long bibs to the short jersey.
I live in Italy, and went in the alps regions in may 2015 and 2016. What I wrote is based on what me and other friends used in those occasions and in that time of the year....