Great Route of Brenta Dolomites

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August 12th Saturday. It is me with Rick ((GrandiCimeAlpine) in Tione (Trento), where we settled the car. At 7:04am we are ready to start the great ride around the Brenta massif. Our itinerary want to face without warm-up, the renouned climb Preore-Passo Daone, climbed during GIRO D’ITALIA 2015 (video). Long about 8 kilometers with severe slopes between 8% and 13%. Only a short plain after the third kilometer will allow to take a short break. We’ll take the climb with caution, considering all what will expect in the route. The thunderstorms of the night have considerably lowered the temperature (14 ° C at the start) and, you know, the cold is not a friend of brutal starts. The ascent pass throught woods and mountain pastures up to the village of Larzana and then in a deep fragrant pine forest. In almost an hour we are at the top. Just a break for energy-gel and go downhill. There is only 9°C!

Passo Daone

We arrive at Spiazzo and stop for a rewarming coffee. We take the val Rendena bicycle lane. It is cute and allow us to go away from all the cars direct to Madonna di Campiglio for the most important week of holidays in Italy. Today is the worst day for road trafic. When in Carisolo, with our wonder, also of Rick who knew the bicycle lane, just first of entering in the road to Campo Carlo Magno, the sign invites us to continue on a secondary road to Sant’Antonio Mavignola. Another beautiful surprise and despite the road is a bit ruined, the path inside the pine forest is wonderful and also challenging with slopes more than 10%. It’s been two and a half hours since departure and we are in Sant’Antonio di Mavignola having met very few cars. The bicycle lane stops and we need to continue on the State Road. Music changes right away, vehicles columns overtake us constantly and it will be up to Campiglio. Luckily the clouds have left room for a limpid sun that warms us up the rise and gives us the beautiful backlight of the Brenta group (video).

After about six kilometers with a slope between 7% and 8%, we are in Madonna di Campiglio, where you feel the charmes of slalom of Ski Word Cup. We go through the pedestrian street already full of holidaymakers. In ten minutes we are at the Campo Carlo Magno pass. We stop to enjoy the wonderful panorama, to shoot some pics and have a very deserve breakfast.

Cicloturisti a Campo Carlo Magno

Campo Carlo Magno

It’s 10:30, we take the descent to Dimaro, long, sloping, beautiful, if it is not for the breeze at 15°C that prevent us from achieve too much speed. Once there, we fall again in the chaos, surrounded by vehicular traffic. We notice a little road sign of the val di Sole bicycle lane. Without hesitation we take the lane. Superb choice. The bicycle lane run along the beautiful Noce torrent ant it is wide enought for the riders traffic. Rare the crosses and always well marked (video). Fortunately, we also witness the start of rafting on the river. Shortly thereafter at a bridge on the torrent, we see them passing underneath us full of adrenaline.

Rafting sul torrente Noce

Bicycle lane leads us to Mostizzolo village, where we come back to the road, but thanks this shortcut we have avoided fifteen kilometers of traffic. A few miles to Cles, before entering the town, the look turns to the enchanting Santa Giustina lake, surrounded by the apple trees of the val di Non valley. Panoramic break. It is midday and the stomach begins to grumble.

Lago di S.Giustina

After eating a sandwich we start again, crossing the Cles village, leave the highway to hold the right and stay up in quote until Tuenno. The choice turns winning: null traffic and wide views across the valley and crops. Immediately after the village, the crossing of the Tresenica torrent forces us to go up and down in a natural amphitheater entirely cultivated with apples. Please Rick brings patience, I have to stop and take pictures over and over again!

Mele in val di Non

Val di Non

Through this incredible landscape we come to Sporminore village where we begin the forced downhill. The next step is to go to Spormaggiore village in front of us less than two kilometers by air, but we have to go down more then 500m of altitude and then rise up again, but, you know, the mountain is like that. Fortunately, the descent gives us new beautiful views. After the descent we take the road that rises up to the plateau of Paganella through the village of Cavedago, it should be less busier than the highway from Fai, nevertheless we find a good number of cars and coaches that pass us along the ascent. The climb is not too demanding, but my ten day of rest for the holiday start to get feeling. In 100 kilometers rided, we have climbed more than 2000m. The 12 km separating us from Andalo village have slopes between 6% and 8%. Eight kilometers away a plain of 2 km leads to the village of Cavedago gives me a rest. After the village the road continues to rise with regularity while the clouds are again to covering the tops of Brenta. Forecast are afternoon rains. I would like to be able to speed up, but I just can not increase, Rick patiently slows down and waits for me. At the beginning of the plateau I take a last snapshot of the val di Non: from here it seems immense.

We cross Andalo quickly, which seems to me to be a beautiful mountain village in typical Trentino style; we head towards Molveno, the lake view from above suggests still another pics. Downhill to Molveno, we passed the village without stopping. The sky is now gray and we want to get out of the plateau as soon as possible to avoid the rain, at least downhill. In mid-lake we don’t resist and we stop for a few commemorative snapshot. Runway down, this road stretch is worthy of note, but grey sky turn off the colors and flattens the forms, we have to imagine as it may be suggestive with the hot sunlight. We arrive at Tavodo, the last anti-traffic diversion; we go back to Sclemo a short climb of 3.2 kmwith slopes between 5% and 8% for 2.5 km and an almost plain finish along the village. Another winning choice: it avoids the road of Ponte Arche with its long gallery. The fear may be the weather; a few drops of rain begins to fall. Fortunately, at short notice, we can enjoy, on our left, a splendid panorama on the plateau of Fiavè, Monte Altissimo, the Ballino pass; the sky in the south is still partially serene and thus we automatically stop to snap pics.

We hook up the pedal and let’s go, but the surprises are not over, the road goes wide in the rock and shortly thereafter, a sign announces Rio Bianco waterfall. A last cadeau for our wonderful lap and also Rick is forced to immortalize the falling water. We drive straight to the car without any hesitation. We go back to Preore where, nine hours ago we started to climb to the Daone Pass; do we look and smile, do another round? Perhaps is better no! Two kilometers we are to the parking. Total 151km 3.275m of altitude, my gps says. The average speed, ridiculous 19.8 Km / h, but we know we are cicloturisti. We enjoyed ourselves, we enjoyed incredible views and despite the holiday traffic we were able to really stay only for a short while in automobile traffic.