Italy Now: Mountain Bike challenge to Monte Baldo

When you hear Italy mentioned, its vast and inestimable wealth of historical town centres, national parks, seas and mountains and archaeological sites come to mind. In short, all of the evocative towns and places that through their history, good food and hospitality make this beautiful country great.

Landscapes that are not only aesthetically beautiful but also in terms of their cycling appeal… It doesn’t matter whether you prefer Alpine scenery or the most secret and untamed areas, the variety of landscapes is truly remarkable and it’s virtually impossible to be disappointed.

We are situated between the provinces of Trento and Verona, where Monte Baldo extends for over 40 kilometres, splitting into two culminating ridges at Punta Telegrafo (2,200 m a.s.l.) and Altissimo di Nago (2,070 m a.s.l.). Every year numerous mountain bikers choose to spend their holidays on a bike saddle in the Lake Garda vicinity. From here they go in exploration of this unique area, which earned the title of Garden of Europe for the extraordinary number and rarity of its plant species and spectacular flowers, many of which survived the Ice Age on the ridges that rose like an island above the massive glaciers. It’s not by chance that over 400 thousand travellers a year marvel at the view looming against the horizon.

Monte Baldo is a truly unique mountain for biking enthusiasts, going from Mediterranean scrub in the area overlooking Lake Garda, to Dolomite fauna of the high-altitude glades, where many itineraries exploring the area start. There’s something for everyone.

Here is the special selection from ITALY BIKE HOTELS the number one Italian club specialised in customised holidays for cyclists, in step with the news trends in sports tourism.

601 Trail

If we had to briefly describe this trail, we would use one adjective and that would be “gruelling”. Because that’s how local mountain bikers define the place; not the most well-known, not the most well-trodden, but listen to this, the most gruelling: a good 2,350 metres of steep descent on loose stones and gravel, with various really technical areas up to Torbole. Some stretches level out, letting you ease the tension, but then it’s downhill again. The only thing left for you to do is decide whether to cut the brakes or hit them hard. We’ve already decided…

Red Tour

From the hors catégorie (beyond categorisation) 601 Trail to an easy and well-marked tour, leading from 1,760 metres of Tratto Spino back to Malcesine through Brentonico, Loppio and Torbole. A distance of 35 kilometres and just under 550 metres of elevation gain and about 2,000 metres of elevation drop await you. Climb the west face with the Funivia Malcesine Monte Baldo cable car and descend via the east face; then you, too, will be able to say that you were up to the Monte Baldo challenge. Concrete, white roads and a number of simple trails make up the Red Tour recipe.

Monte Altissimo Enduro Route

This is the most beautiful and rewarding of the Lake Garda routes, but also the most challenging: 800 metres of elevation gain and just under 2,500 metres of elevation drop, only 3 kilometres of which are asphalted, the rest being dirt road. Technical climbs and various descents that alternate between gravel and smooth undergrowth. The guides at our Bike Hotels will help you explore this itinerary, where the special challenges begin and end with such wonders that you can’t help but stop to admire them, even if only for a brief moment.

What are you waiting for? Find the best hotels from ITALY BIKE HOTELS for your bike holiday and to challenge Monte Baldo.