Dolomites Cycle Guides

[roubaixtuesday]

We're planning a holiday in the Dolomites with family next year, camping in Levico Terme

The miracle of google has revealed a surprisingly extensive range of cycle ways in the area - there's an excellent website: http://italy-cycling-guide.info/trentin ... cycleways/

What I can't find is a book/leaflets to take with us - I prefer hard copy myself.

Can anyone recommend one for the area?

[mnichols]

I've cycled this and they were handing out hard copy maps from information booths on the route. You could try phoning or emailing their tourist information centre

[roubaixtuesday]

Thanks mnichols. Any parts you would particularly recommend?

[Vorpal]

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[Farawayvisions]

I was there last summer. Got a free paper map with the routes and wrote about in the post below.
http://www.farawayvisions.com/solo-in-cortina-italy-mountain-bike/

[mnichols]

Thanks mnichols. Any parts you would particularly recommend?

I picked up the track at the top of the Brenner Pass and followed it to Lake Garda

It is all stunning

[andymiller]

Hi Brian

The only book I know of about the Trentino cycleways is in Italian (Trentino in Bicicletta), also I'm not sure when it was published and how up to date is. There's also a Guida alle più belle piste ciclabili in Veneto, Trentino Alto Adige e Friuli Venezia Giulia but that covers a much larger area. I don't have either book so I can't give you more information.

The Italy Cycling Guide has most of the information you need. The route that passes by the Lago di Caldonazzo is the Ciclabile Valsugana. For some reason I never got round to do a dedicated article about this, but you can find information and detailed maps to print out in the guide to the Via Claudia Augusta (although really you don't need a map and probably you can pick one up from the tourist information office). There's a train service to bring people back - check times and details with the tourist office.

If you don't mind a drive, I'd recommend the Ciclovia delle Dolomiti (the official title may be something like the Ciclovia delle Dolomiti Val di Fassa e Val di Fiemme). It starts from Molina di Fiemme. There should be a Bici Bus service to bring you back from the finish at Canazei if you have little ones (or you could go to Canazei and then go downhill and come back up).

The cycleway that Martin Nichols is referring to is the Ciclabile Valle dell'Adige which follows the Etsch river from Bozen in the Südtirol to Borghetto (and then continues to Verona). It's part of the Ciclopista del Sole and via Claudia Augusta. Again you don't need maps - but if you want them you can download them from the Via Claudia Augusta page. It's a very popular route, but it can be a bit of a motorway on summer weekends. Check with the tourist office about trains to/from Trento.

The Val di Sole and Val Rendena cycleways are both fun but you may think they are a bit of a schlepp from where you are staying.

Also a bit of a schlepp is the Lunga Via delle Dolomiti (now also known as the Ciclabile delle Dolomiti), which runs between Toblach (Dobbiaco) Cortina d'Ampezzo and Calalzo di Cadore. This is arguably Italy's most scenic cycleway (I say arguably there are others that would be in my top five). Printable maps are available from my site - although again you don't really need them.

You might find that the Vinschgau Radweg (Ciclabile della Val Venosta) in nearby Südtirol is more easily accessible. This is also part of the Via Claudia Augusta so you can print out maps. This is a very popular route and you may find there are restrictions on taking bikes on the trains and you have to use a bike transport service.

[roubaixtuesday]

andymiller,

is the Italian Cycling Guide your website? It’s brilliant!

thanks for the pointers. We’ve two families, both with cars, so some schlepping is fairly easily possible. Youngest is 11, so probably more limited by adult than child fitness now. If I can lose a stone (or two…) by July, a daytrip to the Stelvio for the stronger ones in the party might also be on the cards.

farawayvisions,

looks amazing although downhill mtbiking wasn’t really what I was thinking of for this trip. As my enthusiasm is much greater than my skills, my injury rate mountainbiking is only limited by the number of descents I do, ie by how fast I can cycle up the hills. The unlimited descending potential from using skilifts could easily be fatal…

[andymiller]

Thanks Brian.

Here's a video of the Ciclabile delle Dolomiti (the one near Cortina) that I just happen to have finished uploading to Vimeo. As I said it's a bit of a shame that it's relatively far away from Trento.