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Our Italy tour this year (April 1995) visited two places, the Dolomites and Garda Lake not far to the southwest. Our <a href=http://www.odyssei.com/travel-article/3560.html> Garda Lake excursions</a> are described on a separate page.
Mt. Marmolada loop in the central Italian Alps
Thomas Driemeyer2005-10-16 10:04:31
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MT. MARMOLADA, DOLOMITES
Mt. Marmolada is a mountain in the Dolomites in Italian Alps. We stayed in a hotel and Arraba, a small village to the north of Mt. Marmolada. We used Arraba as a base for various day tours. This report describes the longest and most interesting one. The length was only about 130 km (could be wrong - someone told me it's only 65 km), with two passes at 2056 and 2239 meters, respectively. The map above shows the roads we took; we rode the loop clockwise. We used Mountainbikes, but the same tour can easily be ridden with road bikes. Many interesting others in the same area require mountainbikes, though.
Mt. Marmolada is in the central Alps. Before I first went there I had this mental image of snow-capped peaks and vertical cliffs that could not possibly allow any reasonable bicycle riding. I found this is wrong, it's in fact fairly easy - if exhausting - to ride in the Alps because all the roads and trails avoid the really steep mountains and remain in the valleys and lower and less steep mountains. Riding in the Alps means rarely riding on either level or really steep roads, 4 or 5% is typical but it can reach 10% or more in places. Roads usually wind their way up or down in serpentines. I live in Berlin, which has only very minor hills, and I am a poor climber, but I found that I can manage a pass or two a day in the Alps without too many problems. The reward of the trouble is awesome scenery.
The picture (1) shows the dam that closes off Lago di Fedaia at its western end. There is a two-lane road on top, the tiny dots in the picture are cars. We crossed the dam attempting to find a trail to cross over the mountains towards Passo Pordoi, to avoid having to ride on roads. The trail was very steep and rocky, and forced us to carry the bicycles most of the time. After reaching the top of the first hill, the going got worse and the trail nearly disappered.
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See photographs from:
Italy Gallery
