We set off with a gentle jolt. Accompanied by a gentle whirring sound, we head straight up the mountain. The panorama of the Dolomites, which opens up further and further, could not be more spectacular. There the Sella massif, there the Marmolada with its eternal ice cap. And then we're already at the top: 800 metres in less than five minutes, not a single drop of sweat on our foreheads. Even the strongest Boost mode can't coax this kind of power out of you. We climbed the Col di Rosc by cable car to buy ourselves extra range.
"And why not? Electric mountain railways are basically the origin of e-biking," I tell myself. In total, we will even use the cable car three times on this long tour with an altitude difference of 2400 metres.
The bike and mountain world of Canazei in Val di Fassa lies right in the heart of the Dolomites and is one of the most beautiful spots in the pale-coloured Wonder Mountains. That's why we're not alone up here on the Col di Rosc. Slaloming through the hikers, we follow the gravel ascent to the first trail entrance at Col de Cuch. A flow trail: berms cut deep into the slope rock us safely, gently and yet rapidly metre by metre down to the pass road. At the end of this descent, the chairlift at the Pont de Vauz awaits, and it's another relaxed 400 metres uphill to the Passo Pordoi. Now follows the long descent on the Burz Trail down to Arabba. Elegant, flowing and with a moderate gradient, this trail winds its way through lush alpine meadows. Short counter-climbs are easily negotiated in trail mode before the trail descends into the valley, still flowing but now steeper.
Down in Arabba, however, we have to hurry to catch the last gondola up to Porta Vescovo. But we still make it. There are only two bikers and two hikers on board. A good sign, because Porta Vescovo is one of the most beautiful panoramic spots along the Sellaronda. It's rare not to encounter hordes of hikers up there. But our late ascent also has a disadvantage: there is no more cake at the Rifugio. Instead, we now have the popular and spectacular hiking trail all to ourselves.
Now it's time to get down to business towards Passo Padon
The descent towards Passo Padon is quite technical, sliding down some steep ramps and challenging with steps. In direct comparison with the flow trails of the Sellaronda, this is definitely a technical challenge. Also because the view of the Marmolada keeps trying to distract us. We enjoy the afternoon sun and every metre of trail. From the Padon hut, a fast gravel track leads down to Lake Fedaia. We pass it along its southern shore, away from the road. But shortly before the path meets the pass road, a technical singletrail branches off again at the dam wall. It plunges into a sparse larch forest and surprises with a loose sequence of rocky steps. Add to this the flickering evening light through the trees - this requires maximum concentration, and the rhythm of the steps may only fit at second glance. But in the end, the suspension on the bike swings us safely down into the valley - where a short detour to the village of Penia sweetens our return to Canazei with a slice of cake.
The tour
- Length: 27.1 kilometres
- Uphill: 368 metres in altitude (3 cable cars)
- Downhill: 2452 metres in depth
- Trail share: 60.5 per cent
- Driving technique: up to max. S2
You can find the GPS data for the tour here in the new DK-BIKE tour portal
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