"They're human bones, aren't they?" Luca's expression shows that he is reluctant to believe the obvious. But the proportions fit. A lumbar vertebra here, an ulna there. And what if that's not a rib? This pile of bones next to the trail comes from a human being. You don't need an anatomy seminar to understand that. Besides, nobody would drive farm animals into a wasteland like this to let them die here. No, the Pasubio, south of Rovereto, is definitely not a mountain bike mountain like any other. Even if its Moser classic tours have always exerted a magical attraction on bikers. Today, the two tours "52 Tunnels" and "Strada degli Scarubbi" are covered by a thick ban on bikes, but the best Pasubio trails - those to the Bocchetta di Foxi - are still open to mountain bikers. The latter lead straight across the former front line of the First World War. That's exactly where we're travelling at the moment.
"Let's get going," says Luca. He says it and trudges up the small hill behind the Seven Crosses with his enduro hardtail on his shoulder. It's not just the mortal remains of Austrian and Italian soldiers that make us shiver. Meanwhile, the Vallarsa also breathes thick fog from deep below onto the barren plateau. As the moisture slowly creeps under your clothes, visibility becomes increasingly poor. Even the trenches, funnels and tunnels fade into the white haze. After all, we have already reached the highest point of the tour.
Thank goodness the human brain works selectively. Just as I was thinking that I wouldn't be able to get the image of the bones out of my head, my eyes were already focussing on Lucas' rear wheel again. Hardtail or not, it's practically impossible for me to keep up with the Italian. At least not lose the connection! The next hairpin bend is just around the corner: My tyre makes the characteristic "Wrrrra-pa-pa-paaa!" on the cobbled trail, then it's off around the corner. A hand's breadth from the dry stone wall bend, the free fall is already lurking. With such manoeuvres on the steep face, the bones from earlier are quickly forgotten. Only when we dip our spoons into the cappuccino foam 1600 metres below do the images come back to me.
"Around Trento, we're practically only travelling on military roads," says Local Luca. "But here on the Pasubio, history still sends shivers down your spine." Knowing that a place was fought and died in four generations ago is one thing. But to be directly confronted with the body parts of our great-grandfathers is quite another. In most cases, the visible relics of the soldiers of the Great War are limited to a few rusty tins and tangles of barbed wire. Far too abstract to spoil the fun for most bikers on the former supply routes.
Around Rovereto there are also a few mountains of the "world war light" variety. Monte Baldo is one of them. The small ski resort on the Corno della Paura has left little of the artillery positions up there. Only the old military road, which winds its way up from Avio over a whopping 1400 metres in altitude, is still original. However, a large part of it has since been tarred. Over 24 hairpin bends, the Kanonenweg makes its way up the steep mountain flank at a leisurely pace. It is only just below the summit that the full skill of the road builders of yesteryear is revealed: through tunnels and supported by dry stone walls, the road crosses a steep rock face. A perfect panoramic balcony soon opens up there: the Adige Valley far below, the Lessini Mountains and the "Little Dolomites" beyond. To the south, the last foothills of the Alps are lost in the haze over the Po Valley. The 1400 metre ascent was definitely worth it for this view alone.
Two of the described mountain bike tours around Rovereto:
- Tour 1: Bocchetta di Foxi / 41.9 km / 1530 m elevation gain / 5:30 h
- Tour 2: Monte Zugna / 35.2 km / 1680 m elevation gain / 5:30 h
You can read the complete BIKE Rovereto area guide including roadbooks for these tours in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or buy the edition in the DK shop. reorder:
