The soldiers in the trench look angry. The commander sits in a dugout and talks on the phone. Two wounded lie in the hospital tent.
"Is that what it was like in the First World War?" asks Leni (12) with wide eyes. Lois (9), on the other hand, is more concerned about the two injured people. Will they get better? The museum clearly captivates the two of them. It is located right at the foot of the Cinque Torri with a view of Sassongher, Lagazuoi and the Tofane of Cortina d'Ampezzo. The setting sun is bathing four of the rock towers in orange-red light, the fifth has fallen over. Normally it's time to get off the mountain quickly. Otherwise it's dark. Today, however, there's still a bit of history to be made. Because we are allowed to stay up there. We set up camp right next to the open-air museum, at the Scoiattoli hut - on our Dolomites tour together with the children.
With children, this means: a few torturous metres in altitude, descents that are not too technical and exciting overnight stays in huts in the evening. This means more planning in advance. But the reward is a lasting holiday experience. Our tour starts in Val Gardena. In Selva we take the railway to Ciampinoi. With a view of the Sassolungo, we shoot along a forest path towards Plan de Gralba. Our nine-year-old is immediately taken with the two newly built lines. Our twelve-year-old can't stop grinning either - and we're all on the cable car again. The steep curves of the jumpline are perfectly shaped and the jumps come at you like in a video game. All attempts to overtake Lois fail. Squealing with delight, he closes the ideal line. The parents have to put up with this when the children twist the throttle. A new experience for us too. When do you shout "Stop!", when do you let them drive? You don't want to scare your children and take away their light-heartedness. But of course you don't want them to spend their holidays in hospital either.
After a few descents, we continue on our tour towards the Gardena Pass. Our plan is to take part of the famous Sella circuit. However, you have to ride in the right direction, otherwise you not only have to contend with considerable metres in altitude, but also with protests from children. We do everything right and head in a clockwise direction. We descend on a flow trail to the Gader valley and continue on the cycle path to Pedraces in Alta Badia. We have to catch the last chairlift here, otherwise we have to pedal uphill. Lois only loosens up again when we glide towards the Sasso Croce in a four-seater chair. A fantastic view of the Marmolada and Sella awaits us at the top, the sun slowly sets and the church bells of the 500-year-old chapel ring out for dinner.
Well rested, we put our things back in our rucksacks the next morning and set off again. Today the route takes us towards Falzarego. We wave at the Kreuzkofel above us and cycle along a marvellous hiking trail through enchanted larch forests. A little later, we take the gondola up to Piz Sorega. While the parents take a break in a deckchair, the children take a closer look at the water play park. A perfect moment of relaxation. But a short one. Because the newly built bike park trails soon lure the children back onto their bikes.
The next day: "How much longer?" It's the third time I've heard that. Karen takes over and pushes Lois' bike, I motivate Leni: "Just one more bend and we'll be at the top".
Yesterday evening, from the hut, it didn't look that steep. I already knew this section from the BIKE-Transalp, but the gravel climb to the Rifugio Averau is really tough despite its few metres in altitude. Fortunately, all the grumbling is quickly forgotten once you reach the top. The view of the white glacier flanks of the Marmolada and the prospect of a long, flowing trail descent through the Edelweiss scree slope has burned itself into the children's brains overnight. I just had it burnt into my mind overnight: What if there are no more edelweiss? After a few metres of trail, the first outcry. Oh no, what's happened? Ah, only one edelweiss has been spotted, phew. The day is saved.
After the somewhat rocky Dolomite rock, our studded tyres now roll along on green meadows. We slowly work our way deeper into the forest. We are on one of the longest and most beautiful trail descents in the Dolomites, the Strada de la Vena. The track is fast and quite washed out by the rain. I ride ahead. Short stops for orientation are important, also to give the kids a chance to relax their hands. I always wait until everyone gathers again and perhaps share the highlights of the last few metres. Then, however, we continue quickly. Dilly-dallying only ruins the nice flow. We roll through a small village and turn into the trail after the last barn. But oops, what's going on there? A wide gravel track has replaced the former narrow ribbon of trail, creating a kind of mutiny on the Bounty. "Really boring ..." the children exclaim disappointedly. A little later, their spirits rise again thanks to hot chocolate in the local café. This is one of the essential experiences of our four-day family trip. Eating regularly is important. Children don't realise when they are hungry and are happy to go hungry as long as their sense of play is challenged. If it gets boring, the mood quickly sinks.
The lower part of the descent has a few more trail bites in store - and the children are already cheering again.
The finale finally starts in the small village of Caprile. A shuttle takes us one level higher to Arabba. From here, we get back on the Sella Ronda trail. At Passo Pordoi, we take the Infinity Trail down into the Fassa Valley to Campitello. Here you could add a bike park lap on the Canazei trails, but we're running late. We want to catch the last gondola to Col Rodella. We roll back into Selva di Val Gardena late in the evening. It was again longer than expected. But everyone is happy and just wants pizza.
INFO DOLOMITES-KIDS-TOUR
The precinct
The Dolomites are an imposing mountain range with peaks up to 3,342 metres high that run through the north-east of Italy. The region has always been a hotspot for bikers, and the infrastructure with its many old military trails is correspondingly good. The range of hotels, guesthouses and mountain huts is also huge.
The tour
As children don't like to pedal up agonisingly long climbs, but prefer to whizz down fluffy trails, the route was planned with possible ascent aids in mind. It was to be an optimal mix of cranks, lifts and trail riding. The division into four relatively short daily stages allowed for a relaxed schedule including plenty of breaks. Total riding distance: approx. 100 km and 900 metres in altitude.
The stages
Day 1: From Selva di Val Gardena, take the Ciampioni gondola up and then start the descent to Plan de Gralba. After a short ride, the cable car takes you back up to the top, where a top bike park with flowing trails beckons. The Dantercepies cable car takes you right into the middle of the crazy scenery of the Gardena Pass, over which the route leads to the chairlift of the Heiligkreuzkofel, where there is an overnight hut.
Day 2: The trail down to San Cassiano pleasantly shakes the morning tiredness out of the body. A quick breather in the gondola to Piz Sorega, then it's time for a good ride through the bike park. A shuttle helps you climb the Falzarego Pass. The trail down into the valley leads to the Cinque Torri chairlift, which takes you to the bizarre backdrop of the Cinque Torri, a rock formation that now only has four towers. From the terrace of the Rifugio Scoiattolis, the hostel for today's stage, you have an excellent view of it.
Day 3: After a short but strenuous climb to the Rifugio Averau, the route continues on trails to Caprile. There you take the shuttle taxi to Arabba, so you still have enough energy left for the famous trails there. Overnight stay: at the Hotel Pordoi.
Day 4: The Infinity Trail to Campitello requires good reflexes, but is pleasant to ride. A very last cable car ride, then it's back to Selva Gardena.
Equipment
Whether fully or hardtail is not so important. The bike just needs to fit well and be as light as possible. Flat pedals are recommended on exposed trails. It is also advisable to take knee and elbow protectors with you. For parents, a tour with children always means more luggage, as windbreakers, a change of jersey, food and so on are of course carried by mum and dad, not the offspring.
Sleeping
Where you spend the night depends entirely on your personal preferences. Summit huts exude a touch of adventure, which is great for the youngsters. Another advantage is that the next stage usually starts with a trail descent, which motivates children more than pedalling up a gravel track in the morning. A small disadvantage is that it can be quite chilly near the summit in the morning.
An overview of hotels, guesthouses and huts can be found on the portal of the South Tyrol region: www.suedtirol.info/de
HOW IT WORKS WITH THE KIDS
Riding technique expert Karen Eller is a mum of two and knows the pitfalls of family tours. Here are her tips.
1. Nothing goes according to plan on tour. Or rather: plans have to be constantly changed to cater for special situations. On tours with children, composure and flexibility are essential. You have to know when it's time for a break or a jelly baby.
2. When planning a tour, there is a lot more to consider than if you want to ride with your mates. For one thing, you can't transfer your usual workload to children. Secondly, you should see where you can bridge tough metres in altitude with a lift or shuttle.
3. One of the biggest mistakes is not replenishing fluids or carbohydrates in good time. Children burn a lot of energy. You have to keep topping up. By the way, kilometres and metres in altitude mean nothing to children. Breaks are much more important to them.
4. It doesn't work without motivation. Children always lose their desire at some point. The prospect of a nice hut, an adventure playground, a trail descent, or whatever, quickly rekindles the desire to continue riding. In a pinch: a jelly baby every now and then.
5. Do not overtax the children. It's better to ride less distance and altitude metres first and complete uphills with the lift. Only if children have fond memories of the bike experience will they want to go on tours in the future. In the beginning, 400 to a maximum of 600 metres in altitude per day is completely sufficient. More is torture.
You can find this article in BIKE 12/2018. You can read the entire digital edition in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or the print edition in the DK shop reorder - while stocks last:
