Is someone shouting? I hear something between the gusts of wind. It sounds like a voice. It's hard to tell. The sun went down an hour ago. Now a cold wind is blowing. I'm the first back at the car and quite happy to finally get out of my bike clothes. A long day is coming to an end. We spent the last few hours surfing a singletrack trail - over and over again, because we were taking photos and that takes time. With the sunset comes the cold. It creeps unpleasantly into my bones - no wonder, after all, we're cranking around here at the Sella Pass, 2240 metres above sea level. Tippie emerges from behind the car, he seems pretty wound up because he's literally spitting sentences in my face. "Dude, Ale is still up there. Get your stuff: It's epic!" - "What?" - "The moon, damn it. The moon is insane! Bloody hell, I can't believe we missed it by a hair. Come on!" And he's already gone. A little listlessly, I get dressed again, fuelled only by Tippie's enthusiasm.
Because when Tippie is euphoric, it's worth the effort. And indeed: I've never seen a moon like this before.
Less than seven hours ago, the three of us were wandering through the halls of the Eurobike trade fair in Friedrichshafen. We stumbled across e-bikes everywhere. You have to hand it to the Europeans: Once they set their minds to something - like these e-bikes - they see it through. When we sat down in the car after three days at the trade fair, our heads buzzing and our mouths furry from all the small talk, I longed for a few quiet days in the Dolomites. Silence at last, please! Mountain wind, rocky peaks, strenuous, battery-free old-school biking - that's what I wanted!
The Dolomites will inevitably cast a spell over you. Nobody can escape these mountains. Skiers and climbers love them. Reinhold Messner grew up in the Dolomites and learnt here, which later led him to climb the highest mountains in the world. In 2009, the Dolomites were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. That's a good thing, because this landscape needs protection. It's hard to believe, but during the First World War, there were skirmishes here - and rocks. The Alpine front ran right through the centre of the mountains, a grim front between rock, ice and snow. On one side: the Italians, determined to go to extremes. On the other: Austrians, mostly mountain guides, gamekeepers and hastily conscripted mountain farmers, fierce and unwilling to give up a single foot of ground. So the mountain hunters on both sides drove long tunnels into the mountains, stuffed them with dynamite and blew up entire hilltops if the enemy could not be chased away in any other way. Year after year, the melting glaciers still spew out the bodies of soldiers, steel helmets, rifle barrels and rusty bayonets. And of course, the mountain slopes are criss-crossed by old military roads and narrow paths. Prisoners of war chiselled them into the rock at the risk of their lives in order to hump hand grenades, morphine syringes and hard sausages up to the Alpine front. Seriousness turned into fun - today these paths are transforming the Dolomites into a mountain bike Eldorado.
Our car journey into the mountains was criminal: photographer Ale di Lullo, shaved head, hawkish look from dark eyes, unshaven chin (he could play the nasty Mexican in an Italian western) wanted to complete the 5-hour journey in 3 hours to get an evening shoot in the can. So he cranked the steering wheel like crazy, the car skidded through the narrow, winding Alpine roads, the tyres squealed and our heads banged against the car windows or hit the roof of the car. Then we opened our sleepy eyes again and stared at Ale, who dispelled our concerns with a grumpy: "Don't worry, girls, that's Italy!" Finally at the Sella Pass, Ale was overcome by photo-hunting fever. He was no longer responsive, fiddled with lenses and camera batteries, grabbed the camera rucksack and disappeared towards the trail. We, the compliant models, followed and did as Photo Czar Ale commanded for the next few hours - until night crept up from the valleys. And even now, in the dark and cold, we follow Ale's call. He wants moon pictures - he gets moon pictures! I switch on my helmet light and head up the mountain to catch up with moonstruck Tippie.
Later that evening, we meet up with our childhood friend Richie Schley at the Astoria Hotel in Canazei. He is jealous that he missed our full moon session because of an autograph session at the Eurobike. Canazei is an old mountain village in the Fassa Valley with just 1900 inhabitants - the ideal starting point for trails on the Sella Pass, Pordoi and Fedaia. The many bike hotels testify to its super location. Now with Schley in our wake, we order a good Italian red wine and make plans for the next few days - La Dolce Vita!
A guide is needed. Ale decides so, because he is fed up with wandering around in the terrain.
We choose Stefano from Sport Check Point. A few sports-loving friends have joined forces under this name. They want to put together a package that stands out from the usual bike tours and soft adventures. Canyoning, climbing, paragliding or freeride sessions - you can book almost anything with them. The guys also opened a small downhill park in Canazei. Not a bad job, I think to myself as I look at Stefano as he marks trails on the map with a felt-tip pen: guys come and want to ride his favourite trails and pay money for him to show them. Not bad!
The first trail we ride traverses to the Marmolada (at 3334 metres, the highest mountain in the Dolomites). The trail seems to have been made for bikers: slightly downhill with waves and bends that you can take with gusto without braking, and a few technical uphills - which we also enjoy, because no one wanted to give themselves up and put their feet down. So it became a fine motor skills competition. Unbelievable, why are these old hiking trails so much fun on a bike? Once we reach the bottom of the Fedaia Pass, we take the lift back up to the Marmolada. The chairlift lurches upwards, I hardly trust it to manage the steep incline. It's nothing more than a hovering garden chair, rickety and sloping. I'm sure it's older than my grandparents - probably older than their grandparents too. As the garden chair jerks upwards, my eyes are glued to a rocky ridge that looks like a sharp knife. We're going to drive along that? Really? The geography of the Dolomites is strange. You find huge gravel slopes that end 1200 metres further up on a vertical rock face. The rocks stretch a few hundred metres upwards and form a kind of high plateau that looks like a lunar landscape. No trees, no bushes, just stone and rock. There are drops and rock steps everywhere. It's not easy to ride here, especially not to find the ideal line through the labyrinth of rocks. God knows not everything can be ridden - not even by cracks. The trails through the rock faces are particularly tricky. Again and again we have to dismount and climb down particularly nasty passages. One hand on the bike, the other clawed into the rock, eyes on our feet to carefully place the kicks, because the abyss lurks just a hand's width away. But with every metre, the trails become easier to ride, faster, smoother.
"The bike in one hand, the other clawed into the rock. Next to it: The abyss."
God knows I've ridden a lot of trails, but I won't forget the descent from the Marmolada in a hurry. Exposed describes the feeling best. I need all my riding skills to get down here. The path often runs very close to the abyss. And when I say precipice, I really mean precipice - one small slip-up and I would plummet down a hundred metres. "No fall here, please," Stefano calls out in his Italian accent before particularly tricky passages. Then he watches us carefully, as if this could prevent us from falling. But the three of us Canadians feel right at home in this rocky chaos. We enjoy the thrill, toppling over stone slabs, rolling over rockfalls, dropping over steps, surfing down gravel slopes, balancing through hairpin bends high above the abyss and finally diving back into the forest belt further down the mountain to end the trail adventure on soft coniferous ground. I can assure you - and the three of us agree - this ride is up there with the best we've ever done. And it gets even better, because the next few days continue in exactly the same way.
On the fourth day, we ride to Passo Falzarego and check out the trails at Cinque Torri high above Cortina d'Ampezzo. Here, rock towers rise steeply into the sky, with mountain peaks of unique beauty jutting upwards in the background. No wonder we meet most of the bikers here. We take a break at the Refugio Cinque Torri and watch the Alpine crossers rolling past in packs on a popular route. When I see the cross-country bikes and their equipment, I thank Stefano for letting us experience a completely different Dolomites with him.
It seems that there are still a lot of mountain bike trails to discover in these mountains. This surprises me when I consider how first-class the trails are and that almost every gondola transports bikes for a quick ascent. I get the impression that hikers rarely encounter bikers on these lonely trails. They often watch us out of curiosity to see if we actually make it round the hairpin bend or break our necks. They then applaud - amazed and irritated at the same time.
Discovering single trails is the greatest thing in my life. When I come across these brown ribbons of joy in mountain slopes, grassy hills or forests, as I did here, my heart leaps like on the first day. Then I also realise that I couldn't be satisfied with bike parks alone. Give me a beautiful mountain with a natural trail - and my choice is made. You'll find something like that in the Dolomites. Cheers to these mountains!
The top 5 trails in the Dolomites:
1st Sella Ronda
The classic is available in many variations from all-mountain to freeride: for example as a 6-hour tour (48 km, 3500 metres downhill, 800 metres uphill) with views of the Langkofel, Geisler, Fanes, Sella and Marmolada. You have to cycle the Sella Ronda at least once in your life.
2nd Herrensteig
Take the cable car up to 2300 metres, then over 7 km and 1300 m down to Reischach. The Herrensteig trail at Kronplatz is the first downhill trail in South Tyrol with a firework of bends and jumps. Open from June to September.
3rd Flowtrail Brixen
Bends, smooth ground, bumps at an altitude of almost 1000 metres and a length of 6.6 kilometres - the flow trail in Plose near Brixen is also fun for freeride beginners. Experts leave the throttle on to get their money's worth.
4th Latemar circuit
Day tour for enduro and freeriders (approx. 50 km, 1800 m downhill, 800 m uphill) on natural single trails with a dream panorama and views of the Rosengarten, Sella, Brenta and Ortler. With the support of three cable cars, you can also find your own way. If you want to ride all the Secret Trails, you need a guide.
5th Canazei Freeride
Constructed curved descent in Val di Fassa in an alpine setting with drops, jumps, steep descents and rock gardens. Cable cars take you up to 2400 m, then approx. 1000 m down into the valley. Season: June to September.
Info DOLOMITES
Best time to travelJune to September. Autumn is more suitable for bikers, as there are fewer hikers then.
Terrainrocky, screey, difficult in wet conditions (check the weather!)
Ideal bikeEnduro : Enduro
Guiding on sitee.g. Sport Check Point (fassa.com), Hotel: Bikehotel Diana
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Interview with Stefano Davarda (35), Dolomites guide from the Fassa Valley: "You shouldn't underestimate the Dolomites!"
Wade, Richie and Tippie are world-class freeriders. How good do you have to be to ride the trails you did?
You should know what you're doing. We also rode very technical trails, where the Canadians tackled sections that I had never ridden before. That was impressive, after all, I'm the local here. I've ridden with some bike stars. Jérôme Clementz, for example, who always rides the fastest line, while the Canadians are looking for the funniest line. The guys always want to drop, jump and wallride.
Was your trip more of a photo hunt or did you actually ride trails?
Of course, the photographer had his pictures in mind, but I really wanted to show the Canadians the best trails. A point of honour! I also climb and used to ride moto trials - so I know my way around here very well.
Did you always use the gondola?
Not only. We also wanted to check out some secret spots where there are no lifts. You'll have to pedal there yourself and shoulder the bike from time to time, but in return you'll experience a downhill that you won't forget in a hurry. Thanks to the Dolomiti Super Summer Card, you can use 100 lifts. You'll get around quite a bit in one day. The card costs 44 euros per day or 100 for three days.
The Dolomites are a magnet for hikers. Problems?
The low season is ideal. As there is still too much snow in April and May, my advice is to come in autumn - September, October. In the high season (July, August), the trails are packed with hikers. That's why we create exclusive bike trails.
Which bike do you recommend?
An enduro bike is the best choice, especially on technical trails with lots of ups and downs. But in the Dolomites there are also many gondolas and built trails where big bikes are fun.
The Dolomites are rough and rocky. Were there many flat tyres on your tour?
A few - mostly Tippie got it. Here you want tyres with a lot of puncture protection. I ride Maxxis High Roller 2 tyres in 60a compound and tubeless.
What advice do you have for newcomers to the Dolomites?
It depends on what you want. There are many easy and moderately difficult tours with and without lift options. If you're looking for trails away from the classics, you shouldn't underestimate the Dolomites. Otherwise you might end up carrying your bike more than riding it. If you want to discover secret trails, you should take a guide.
How much time should you allow?
In a week, you will get a good impression of the Dolomites and can ride some of the best trails. Even I, as a local, discover new trails every year - the Dolomites are an almost inexhaustible biking area.
Which Dolomite trail is your personal favourite?
My favourite trails are on the Marmolada, Rosengarten and Piz Boè.
