The world talks about the "Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio", but he calls it his "Stelvio Natural Trail Park". Alberto Pedranzini comes from Santa Caterina and loves biking almost as much as his home. He has made it his life's goal to unite these two passions and to develop the dense network of old trails in the Stelvio nature reserve at the foot of the Ortler massif for bikers. He is by no means interested in making the nature trails "flowy". Quite the opposite. It's about preserving them naturally, and this work, he says as we wait for the gondola at the Cabinova valley station in Santa Caterina, is done to sensitise bikers.
"We want people to understand where we are and to recognise and respect nature accordingly. You should ride the trails very consciously and not shred down them blindly."
You can download the GPS data for the Supertrail on the Gavia Pass from BIKE 10/18 in .gpx format free of charge in the download area below. Have fun following the trail!
As soon as we reach the top and enter the Sunny Valley Trail, we realise exactly what he means. A wild rush is completely out of place here. Not just because of the thin air at an altitude of 2,700 metres, but also because of the awe-inspiring views, the imposing landscape and the knowledge of the origins of the trails.
Alberto shoots us off at first, but his ride is well-paced. It's a varied rock 'n' roll through the alpine landscape, to which Alberto appropriately warbles loudly. The controlled pace is also good because the path is unexpectedly blocked after a crest. So far, it has been completely lonely, but now a huge herd of sheep spreads out in front of us. Their four-legged shepherd eyes us critically from the slope. We calmly and carefully make our way through the ball of wool. A short time later, we reach the Gavia Pass road. But that was just the beginning.
Alberto literally smacks his lips when he talks about the trail descent that still lies ahead of us. It's a good distraction, as we now have to pedal 200 metres up to the top of the pass. And indeed: trail part two goes one better - you couldn't ask for more variety. Picking up speed on flowing straights, challenging technical passages, dangerously exposed sections that demand our full attention and all this in a sensational setting. Past the waterfall and into the fragrant forest, it is not only rooty and rough, but also relaxed and earthy.
We stop in the middle, shake out our arms and look over to the Ortler. Despite all the enthusiasm, the trails here in the Italian province of Sondrio give us pause for thought. Just like in neighbouring South Tyrol and Engadin. Large parts of the trail network were once used as trade or smuggling routes - and many were also used as war routes. Between 1915 and 1918, the front ran across the Stelvio Pass. Ammunition was dragged, shot and died on the paths. We continue our enjoyable ride into the valley with a great deal of gratitude - how lucky we are to be able to use the paths in perhaps the most beautiful way.
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