South Tyrol is the most beautiful place in the world, it’s a fact. Redefining the overused term ‘epic’ and ‘incredible’ every view looks like a CGI scene from a movie. But would the riding deliver thrills to match the impressive backdrop? We packed our bags to find out.
It used to be easy choosing a riding holiday from the UK, it has to be Morzine right? A hedonistic mixture of the French Alps, dangerous Mutzig beer in Bar Robinson mixed with sweaty body armour, braking bumps and drunk and broken brits. But things have changed, we now seek our trail fixes from more far-flung locations. While South Tyrol may not yet carry the draw of Finale Ligure, Tenerife or Madeira, we found it served up a mountain backdrop that deserves centre stage.
South Tyrol is a place that for many will need an introduction. Well known for its amazing hiking and Via Ferrata, it has perhaps not yet hit the cycling radars of those outside of Germany and Italy. South Tyrol is an autonomous region in the North of Italy, bordering with Southern Austria. Culturally it’s a blend of both, with over half the population speaking German, with the remainder speaking Italian or the local dialect Ladin. It’s a grandiose region, full of beautifully manicured villages, rustic farms, picture-perfect castles and incredible churches. However, we were not here to sightsee, well perhaps just a little, we were here to see if the riding could live up to the incredible views.
Can you fit two bike bags in a Fiat 500?
Getting to South Tyrol from the UK could not be easier, Easyjet offers direct flights to Venice that cost us less than €200 each. Yes, our bike bags had caused quite a stir with camera toting, sandal wearing passengers on our flight, but just 2 hours from Venice we knew there were some serious mountains. As the hire car operator explained the insurance options we quickly opted for the ‘full insurance’ option, having witnessed Italian city dirving before. There was a momentary panic when we noticed that the keys said Fiat 500, making our two bike bags look a lot bigger. Arriving at the car we were relieved to see it was the bigger L version and after a quick game of bike bag tetris finishing with the tried and tested balance then slam the boot trick – we were off.
BikeHotels make the perfect bike hotels.
Two and a half hours of easy driving later we arrived at the hotel, the luxurious Hotel Schönblick in Sexten. The hotel is one of a network of BikeHotels, perfectly tailored to the travelling mountain biker or roadie, each one is certified to meet a number of criteria that the travelling cyclist needs. Not only do they have to have a fully kitted out workshop at the guests disposal, a prepped and ready bike wash and very secure storage, but each hotel owner has to go through a full MTB guiding certification. This shows they have the skills and experience to advise their guests. It’s a great system that gives you total confidence that there will be everything you need during your stay. For a list of BikeHotels you can check out their website. The bikes were quickly built in the floodlit garage, tyres pumped up and suspension dialled in, and after a great three course meal with a weissbier chaser we headed to bed, eager to see what the morning views would bring.
To make the most of South Tyrol, hire a guide
Normally we would ‘fly solo’ without a guide, but time was short and we wanted to see the best trails quickly so decided to trust our fun to the professionals. We were quickly connected to the local guiding company based in Sexten, The Bike Academy, a team of local guides who offer everything from easy gravel road tours to full-bore day long enduro adventures. We were certainly hoping for the later, and made it clear we wanted to see the best.
As we rolled down to the lift with our guide Stefano, the real highlight and star of the region revealed itself in the golden light of the day. The towering spires of the Tre Cime di Laveredo, reaching exactly 1 meter shy of 3000 stood proudly above us, a dramatic beauty sculpted in dolostone. After being lucky enough to travel a lot of the world, We have to say there is simply no more majestic view anywhere than that found in the dolomites, we were amped to get started.
Into thin air.
To our Scottish sea-level-lungs the air already felt pretty thin and we were pleased to see that we were heading for a lift station, not a fireroad climb, phew. It must be pointed out that even though the lifts are fast and open to bikers, you need to ride with a guide at peak times from 10AM – 3PM. This is to control the interaction between bikers and the hikers that are so important to tourism in the area.
Most of the trails are shared trails so it’s important that riders are well behaved when passing those enjoying the views on foot. Having travelled around Italy and riding a number of guided trips there was one thing I was a little worried about, the dreaded gravel road descent. Nothing is worse than climbing on flowing singletrack, only to burn off hundreds of meters of hard earned vertical on gravel road. It’s amazing but it still happens in many place. However, the guys at Bike Academy seem to know what’s up and are enduro racers themselves.
Almost a bike park.
After being floored by the amazing views from the top lift station we clawed ourselves away and punched down into the trails. Amazing! Loamy turn followed loamy turn as we cut and slid down the fresh cut trails under the lift. Still very new, these Sexten trails have been purpose built by the lift company and guides, and one day will form full proper bike park. For now there are only enough trails under the lifts for one great day of riding, but with a little more legwork, a huge network of local trails are opened up. We spent the rest of the day smashing through amazing flowy turns under the watchful bulk of the dolomites, we agreed it had been a mighty fine day indeed.
A time gone by
The next morning we fancied seeing something a little different and it was time to put some elevation into our legs. We would follow the old World War I military road that would take us to top of the mighty Markinkele (2545 m). After a few hours in the pain cave, we wheezed over the top of the peak bordering Italy and Austria with sweeping views over the Sextner Dolomites and the Tre Cime. Wartime buildings now stood derelict, a sign of a time luckily gone by where the mountains were home to brave men fighting for their causes.
After a brief moment of thought about how tough it would have been to be stationed here in the winter, and after a brief lunch stop, we cut into the trail. This was a proper mountain bike trail, hard, rocky and challenging. We opened up full-gas over the open mountain side, our progress marked by the buzzing of freehubs and alarm calls of the startled Marmots. Switchbacks, hedonistic straights and challenging rocks all featured and it felt like a real adventure. In the shadow of the huge peaks we cut down the Silvester alp towards Winnebach, hooting with the fun at the bottom of the descent, it does not get any better!
Bike Park Fun
The next two days we decided to venture a bit further from our base in Sexten, checking out Brixen and Kronplatz, all within 1 hours drive. Brixen is a gem of a place, with ski lifts reaching 2500 meters and a town that mixes cool Italian flair with a treasure chest full of highly technical natural and flow trails. For those looking for some ‘take your brain out fun’ the flow trail offered high speed berms and fun jumps, with enough elevation to turn even the strongest of arms into wet noodles.
With our guides help we unlocked some amazing natural trails that were technical, tight and perfect terrain to push our enduro bikes a little harder. The next day’s hop over to Kronplatz was amazing fun, with a trail filled mountainside with everything from mellow and fast flow trails to the legendary Herrnsteig trail, for those who like high octane thrills with added airtime. We could happily session the Herrnsteig all day, riding the lift for some serious downtime.
The end of the trip
It was not only the riding that had impressed us in South Tyrol, it’s simply a great place for a holiday, especially for non-riding partners. South Tyrol’s blend of warm, welcoming people, great food (you must try the Knödel) and simply amazing beer made it a real hit with us! When it comes to choosing a riding location there is almost endless possibilities around the globe, but South Tyrol certainly deserves to be on the bucket list. With a great mixture of natural trails, old walkers paths and epic mountain tracks, all presented in one of the world’s most amazing backdrops, it’s a must see!
What bike to take to South Tyrol
South Tyrol has something for everyone, from easy gravel road cruising to full gas, eye popping downhill. We took a big hitting 160 mm Whyte G-160 and a 130 mm Scott Genius 700 Plus and had a great time. An aggressive trail bike would be the best option for maximum fun on the diverse trails.
Where to stay in South Tyrol
Without doubt the best place to get information about hotels in South Tyrol is the BikeHotel Sud Tyrol site, a one stop location for hotels, routes and guides. Staying in a hotel on the BikeHotel network ensures you will have all the facilities you need for a great stay. We would like to say thank you to the luxurious Hotel Schönblick for looking after us so well, and for providing excellent service and facilities.
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