Transalp stage 7: Lavarone - Riva del Garda
The 24. Maxxis BIKE Transalp not necessarily at race pace. Connoisseurs can download the brand new route from Lienz to Lake Garda onto their GPS device and take their time. We present all 7 stages to follow. This time: stage 7 - the finale from Lavarone to Riva del Garda.
The GPS data for the entire 2022 Transalp route is now available to download here free of charge. You will find the download area directly below this article. Have fun travelling the route!
Stage 7: from Lavarone to Riva del Garda
- 79.12 kilometres
- 2117 metres altitude
- Journey time 6-7 hours
- Condition 4/5
- Driving technique 4/5
- Panorama 4/5
Across the plateau Folgaria, Luserna and LavaroneThe seventh and final stage of this year's BIKE Transalp route follows the famous 100 Kilometres of the Forti at the beginning. Along the former front of the First World War, the route passes trenches and still well-preserved forts of the Austrian Kaiserjäger.
On Forte Cherle is well worth a stop. Just to realise that a bloody war really did rage here, in this idyllic landscape, just 100 years ago. Thoughts that linger for a while. You hardly notice that you have already cranked 1000 metres of altitude into your legs on the constant ups and downs of the military roads. Especially when the forest on the hilltops opens up every now and then, revealing views in all directions.
The summit of the Dosso del Sommo you finally climb up a completely exposed meadow trail until the highest point of the stage is reached (1670 metres). From up here, you can almost smell Lake Garda, but above all feel it, as the subsequent 16-kilometre descent to Rovereto already contains elements of the lake: The scree becomes lighter in colour, deeper and sharper-edged. Especially in the steeply sloping trail serpentines above Serrada, where the stumbling blocks are hidden under leaves.
After the downhill rush, you can loosen up your arms and legs again on the cycle path before heading into the final final blast of the BIKE Transalp: this year, the route climbs another 800 metres in altitude behind Rovereto up to the top of the pass on Monte Faé. Up here too, old cannons, bunkers and trenches bear witness to the dark days of war. However, you don't want to stop now - the lake is calling!
And then suddenly the time has come: shortly after Pannone, you reach the idyllic, lush green alpine pasture with the Maso Naranch farm and a bird's eye view of the Lake Garda down. The racers are about to plunge down the last downhill trail to Nago. Everyone else should take the completed Transalp up here with a breathtaking panoramic stop!
"For me as a route planner, the last stage is always a special challenge: How do we get into Riva? The stage shouldn't be too long or too risky from a technical point of view. This year, the choice fell on the Maso Naranch panoramic balcony." Marc Schneider, route manager of the BIKE Transalp
Registration
The 24th BIKE Transalp will take place from 3-9 July 2022 and costs the basic package including race management, luggage and bike service, stage catering, medical care and much more. 999 euros per person (U23 riders 749 euros). Drinks sponsor Bitburger will provide isotonic refreshment with a tasty 0.0%. Info and registration: www.bike-transalp.de
Information on retracing the 7th Transalp stage
The region
The participants of the BIKE Transalp sprint out of the starting boxes on the Lavarone plateau on 9 July. As it is the last stage, most of them will step on the gas and only see forest, path and meadows up to Passo Sommo. So nothing spectacular. But if you take your time, you will recognise the trenches along the former front line of the First World War and the pattern of the gravel and forest paths. The former supply routes for the military lead directly to the old fortresses on this plateau. You pass two of the military installations on this Transalp route.
If you want to visit all the fortresses, including the war museum in the Forte Belvedere Gschwent above the Val d'Astico, you can tackle the famous 100 Kilometre Tour of the Fortresses up here. The former marathon tour is signposted and the GPS data is available at www.100kmdeiforti.it
In principle, the last stage runs entirely along the former front line, which you can walk along on foot on the Sentiero della Pace. This long-distance hiking trail is closed to bikers, but if you keep your eyes open on this Transalp route, you will recognise that some mountains are missing their summits - they were blown off with dynamite for strategic reasons.
Refreshment tips
On the high plateau, you only pass catering facilities within the villages. The first good plate of pasta is on the piazza in Rovereto. This energy should then be used for the last 1000 metres in altitude to Agritur Maso Naranch (www.naranch.it) are enough. With this view, however, a refreshment stop is a must.
It's better to hold back on the alcohol so that you can safely ride down the Naranch Trail, which is full of steps and exposed in places. The original Transalp route only follows the trail for 200 metres and then switches to asphalt. However, those who feel fit enough can follow the trail down to Nago. While the racers then have to make an extra detour via Arco to Riva, you could now roll directly to the shores of Lake Garda.
The GPS data for the entire Transalp route will be available to download here free of charge from 4 July 2022. You will find the download area directly below this article. Have fun travelling the route!
