13th place: Supertrail Marmolada in Val di Fassa
Dolomites, Sella massif, view of the Marmolada - as soon as you see the pictures, you immediately want to go there. This super trail was presented by enduro ace Max Schumann, who knows his way around the mountains of Canazei and Val di Fassa perfectly. That's why he didn't follow the classic Sella Ronda, but instead took this southern branch:
From the Fassa Valley to the Col di Rosc, the Col de Cuch and Passo Pordoi to Arraba and from there via the Porta Vescovo and the Passo Padon back to Canazei. That's a 27.1 kilometre loop with a total of 60.5 percent trail! Thanks to three cable car rides, you only have to pedal up 368 metres of the 2452 metres of descent yourself. And as for the panorama: definitely a 10 out of 10!
The BIKE Supertrail in Val di Fassa for further reading.
12th place: Trail Guide Franconian Switzerland
Was it the density of castles and rocks or the breweries that attracted so many bikers to our trail guide to Franconian Switzerland? No, it must have been the three trail tours it contains. Although the extensive network of trails is located in the centre of Nuremberg's local recreation area, the prudent local mountain bike scene has been able to reach an agreement with hikers on natural trail sharing. Quite peacefully, without a forest of signs. So it was no problem for the locals to tell us their three favourite routes between Pegnitz and Pottenstein:
- Tour 1: Trail tour Pegnitz-Pottenstein with 55.4 km / 1162 m elevation gain
- Tour 2: Flow and panorama tour with 35.4 km / 871 m elevation gain
- Tour 3: Pottensteiner Trail-Mix with 33.2 km / 881 m elevation gain
11th place: Palatinate Forest: Overnight in trail paradise
Palatinate Forest Mountain Bike Park: 900 kilometres of trails and paths were opened up to bikers here many years ago. It's no wonder that here in the west, on the border with France, you can dive into the woods for days on end. Our author Andreas Kern grabbed two guides from the local tour operator trailrock.de and had them show him a two-day tour. It had to include as many trail kilometres as possible and - most importantly - one of the 15 natural campsites in the Palatinate Forest. Nobody knows exactly where they are. You reserve them and get the exact GPS coordinates sent to your mobile phone on the way. And let's put it this way: Andreas thought the tour starting in Vorderweidenthal was sensational. But at night, for various reasons, he couldn't sleep a wink...
10th place: Trail Guide Rovereto
Rovereto is surrounded by three exciting trail mountains and lies like a distributor in the middle: Cima Carega, Pasubio and the eastern flank of Monte Baldo with an eagle's eye view of Lake Garda. The former front line from the First World War runs through all three areas. It goes without saying that these mountains have plenty of stories to tell. Along the spectacular military paths carved into the rock and blasted out, you wind your way from one war memorial to the next. Even touring pope Elmar Moser spent months researching the most interesting "dynamite trails" in this lonely mountain world. We are surprised that so many readers are still interested in this classic touring region today. After all, it's often long and rough uphill here and the riding is also technical. No lifts or flow trails. But we are delighted that you still appreciate the great mountain experience!
9th place: Pasubio - over the mountain of blood
Day 1 starts in Rovereto with 2000 metres of climbing in one go - apparently there are some intrepid cyclists among you who are prepared to put in the energy for a first-class classic. Thousands have already downloaded the GPS data for the 3-day round tour on the Pasubio. And even though the legendary Strada delle 52 Gallerie is still closed to bikers, this tour won't be boring for a second - you just need to be in good shape for it: 131.7 kilometres and 5154 metres in altitude in three days.
8th place: Elba - small island, big trail fun
Small, inconspicuous and just 1019 metres high, this small island basks in the sun off the coast of Tuscany. You could almost say it's a pony farm compared to the big scenic circus that its neighbours Corsica and Sardinia put on in the Mediterranean. And yet: an XC World Cup was already held on Elba in 1994 and the island's gravel roads were highly popular in the years that followed. Then the trail and flow trail trend took off and Elba went quiet. The trails were said to be too rough, maquis thorns everywhere and the only ascent aid: a rickety mini-cabin lift up to Monte Capanne.
But then the Marathon World Championships surprisingly came to Elba in 2021 and suddenly there were rumours of a first-class and well-maintained natural trail network. Trail maps popped up online and were hotly debated on social media. And today? Try it out and ask your biking friends: We bet there are at least two of them who have been on a biking holiday on Elba in the past year. Because the island is a little trail wonder. So it's no wonder that our Elba report has shot up the click rankings.
7th place: Trail Guide Sardinia - Shepherd trails of Ulassai
Sardinia is 23,833 square kilometres in size - a gem like Elba fits in 106 times. Some even speak of an entire continent in the Mediterranean. In any case, it is not easy to decide on the perfect touring spot here. Especially as the island not only has a lot of sprawling maquis, but also wild boar that trample everything. All the better that the village community of Ulassai on the east coast of Sardinia has set itself the task of clearing old shepherd's paths for mountain bikers. Here is our report with three real super tours.
6th place: Trail Guide "Odenwald Syndicate"
Bam! Our Odenwald Trail Guide had only just gone online at the beginning of December when it even overtook the top Mediterranean destinations in the click rankings. Obviously, it was high time we took a closer look at the network that has grown up around the MIL1 classic from Miltenberg. However, we only had a handful of days, so we were only able to cover 4 exciting enduro laps of the total 150 trail kilometres. Also absolutely worth reading in the trail guide: How the locals managed to convince the authorities from a firm "No way" to a "Yes, yes, we'll open the trail too!".
5th place: Supertrail - the Banzai in the Aosta Valley
Passo dell'Invergneux trail sounds a bit unwieldy and doesn't really capture the character of this super trail in the Aosta Valley. This was probably one of the reasons why Thomas Giger from Ride magazine christened this descent from the Invergneux Pass "Banzai" - and anyone who rides this trail can only agree with him. This trail really does feel like the legendary wave in Hawaii. A sensational surfing experience in a magnificent landscape - but of course there is also a downside: the ascent to the trailhead is long, tough and there are no ascent aids in sight.
4th place: Across the high plateau of Alpe Cimbra
The old military trails seem to be making a comeback. Maybe it's because the short but tough climbs on the high plateau of Alpe Cimbra are easier to conquer on an e-MTB? In any case, the tours up here lead right past the old war positions and sensational viewpoints. Of course, weather and cuisine also play a major role. Click here for the most important addresses, information and tours!
Now we come to your TOP 3 of all BIKE tour reports! Hold on tight: There is a big surprise here. Because the most clicked trail guide in Germany is not in the Black Forest, Harz Mountains or the Bavarian Alps, but in the...
...Franconian Jura!
Third place goes to ...
Upper Franconia: Trail Guide Lichtenfels
Krappenberg, Banzer Berg and Friedenslinde - these are the places to remember when you come to Lichtenfels for biking. When our author moved away from here, the trails here were still quite illegal. It was better not to get caught back then. But now Julia got a call from home saying that she wouldn't believe her eyes if she came by... and that's what happened last autumn. Even the photographer couldn't get enough of taking photos. So congratulations to the Lichtenfels locals: your trails are the BIKE Click winners in Germany! The complete Trail Guide Lichtenfels.
3000 clicks more, but also because it has already been available online for two years, a region that lies just over the border in western Germany can celebrate. A low mountain range that is also known as "the cooler Black Forest". You guessed it:
Second place goes to ...
Trail Guide Vosges!
The Black Forest twin on the French side of the Rhine is one of the all-time favourites. The mountain range is not as big and slightly less high, but its trails and landscape are still wild, rocky and less frequented by hikers. Our author was travelling with a tour guide whose grandfather had to endure terrible experiences here during the Second World War. This is one of the reasons why she is often here, but even more because of the trails, which balance over mountain ridges with great views and lead to very rustic accommodation.
All information about the Trail Guide Vosges with the three most exciting round tours.
So, now we come to your absolute click-rating winner of all BIKE travel stories!
It's a spot for which you have to cross the German border to the south and also the Brenner Pass. In Sterzing you leave the motorway to the east and head south again via Bruneck and Toblach, over the Trentino border to Veneto.... okay:
And the Winner is:
with more than three times as many clicks as the second-placed Vosges -
1st place goes to ...
Cortina d'Ampezzo - the queen of the Dolomites
Cortina d'Ampezzo is also one of the first bike classics, as the famous ski resort is surrounded by spectacular Dolomite rock formations. No matter which direction you look in: Fanes, Tofane, Cinque Torri, Averau, Nuvolau, Forcella Ambrizzola - mountain bikers love coming here in summer as much as skiers do in winter. Cortina shouldn't really have to worry about tourist numbers, but just like the glamorous St. Moritz in the Engadine, the signs have been recognised here and well-built bike park lines have been added. All the lifts also transport bikers, but the great thing is that you still have to pedal a bit yourself up to the bombastic panoramic heights. And you won't regret a single drop of sweat.
Thank you Cortina, it's great to have you!
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
