Super trail classic on Monte Grappa: The Sentiero 153 hairpin bend spectacle

I don't know whether it's because of the 25,000 soldiers from the First World War who are buried up here in the Ossarium or because of the descent that's just around the corner: when you get off the shuttle bus at the summit of Monte Grappa, an electrifying tension creeps under your skin. In retrospect, this adrenaline level is an advantage, as it also sharpens your concentration - and you can really use that on the legendary Sentiero 153 front trail.

The 1775 metre high Monte Grappa looks as if it once crumbled out of the Dolomites and was thrown into the Italian lowlands. It stands there like a huge fortress with its almost vertical, white rock faces. Impregnable, or so it seems at first glance. The Austrian troops tried it during the First World War - and paid for their failure with many thousands of dead soldiers. The Italians entrenched on the summit were able to defend their country in this last great battle on Monte Grappa, but also bled for this victory with 12615 soldiers killed in just six days. Since then, the mountain has been considered a shrine in Italy.

Awe is therefore also appropriate for bikers. Most of the famous zigzag trails in the steep face were hacked into the rock by soldiers in the winter of 1917/18 alone. These former supply routes are therefore almost exactly 100 years old - and yet we are allowed to ride our bikes on them today without any bans.

But speaking of driving: The tour begins with Sentiero 156, which branches off directly from the car park on the summit plateau. Here, the path is still the width of a sauna towel and curves gently up and down along the edge of the high plateau. On particularly clear days, you should be able to see as far as the Adriatic Sea from this high trail. But the bird's eye view over the Po Valley is impressive even without a sea view.

The path then becomes narrower and begins its first descent into a hollow in the valley. A short stretch on tarmac past an old fort, then follow the military path on the left up to Monte Boccaor. The path sticks very close to the winding rock here, threads through a tunnel, climbs up gravelled ramps and sometimes bushes protrude into the increasingly narrow lane. Just under 100 metres in altitude, exhausting, but also warming you up for what's to come.

And the complete overview of what is still to come is suddenly revealed after a left-hand bend around a rocky outcrop: Sentiero 153 in all its splendour on the opposite slope. As if carved into the rock face by Picasso. With tunnels that look like mouse holes from up here, the path zigzags down into the valley. This is perhaps the most beautiful moment of the tour for those who are not afraid to take a dizzying turn, because from the start of the 153, no more mistakes are allowed: the narrow and finely gravelled path claws its way into the wall.

There are only a few loose stones to worry about. If you hit one of them with your front wheel, you should quickly get it under control again. So is it better to lean towards the slope? In the best case scenario, the bushes will carve a few welts into your arms. In the worst case, you'll hook the handlebars and get thrown off. So it's better to sit in the centre of the bike, not look into the nearby abyss, push a few particularly tricky hairpin bends if necessary - and just keep your nerve. After 700 metres down, you look back in awe at the trail painting in the rock face and feel the adrenaline giving way to a pleasant feeling of happiness.

The tour along the Sentiero 153 mountain bike super trail

• Length: 27.1 kilometres
• 344 metres altitude
• 1817 metres depth
• Trail section: 8.2 kilometres

Sentiero 153 is one of the true trail classics. If only because of its spectacular route along the rock face. Apart from two or three somewhat rocky hairpin bends, there are no stumbling blocks - provided you have a head for heights. The trail ends in Sacello di San Liberale. From there, you return to Borso del Grappa on gravel, tarmac and trails at the foot of the mountain.

You can download the GPS data for the tour from our DK tour portal

Starting point / cable car

The trail starts at the top at the large car park of the Rifugio Bassano. If you want to climb the 1500 metres of altitude yourself, it is best to take the "flyer road" SP140. Despite the shuttle buses, there is still the least car traffic on this winding route.

Shuttle

There are only shuttles for paragliders on Monte Grappa. If there is space, bikers can join them. It's cheaper to get to the Rifugio Bassano in your own car. After the tour, only one person (without a bike) has to hike up and fetch the car. Cost then: 20 euros. Meeting point for the shuttle buses: Tilly's Locanda in Semonzo di Borso del Grappa, Via Casale 87, www.tillys.it

Refreshment tip

In the Rifugio Bassano there's a good espresso and interesting pictures of the war on the hut wall. The next stop is at the Rifugio San Liberale. www.cimagrappa.it

Accommodation tip

Hotel Garden Relais, Borso del Grappa, with its own shuttle, www.gardenrelais.it

EMTB Info

The tour can be ridden with an E-MTB without any restrictions. If you want to pedal up the 1500 metres in altitude via the SP140, you can manage with just one battery if you ride very economically. And save time-consuming shuttling.