When dreams come true… my dream in this case. I have been working on this journey, from Lake Maggiore to Aosta, for two years. Our adventure begins in Intra at Lake Maggiore. We enjoy the Mediterranean ambience with a nice dinner at the lakeside. The morning after, 25 minutes after leaving the lake towards the hinterland, there is nothing that reminds us of tourism at all.
Lianas are hanging in the way on the access road. On the brink of Val Grande National Park, which is often described as “the largest wilderness in the Alps”, nature has prevailed. There is hardly any other place in Europe where nature is so unspoilt. Green, green and green is what we see on those mountain slopes, which remind us of the Andes and the Himalayas. Several abandoned hamlets are located on the wayside of the beautiful trails. They were built by smugglers, sheperds, partisans and lastly by nature lovers and form a network of paths offering mountain bikers everything they could possibly want. Extremely impressive! Mostly on our own, we spend 2.5 days in the mountains between Lake Orta and Valsesia. The trails here are more similar to the ones in Friuli than to the ones in the Maritim Alps. A vigilant gaze and absolute concentration are the key to these wonderful downhill runs.
In Alagna we take the gondola lift towards the sky. Nothing grows up here at all. Wearing crampons, we carry our bikes over the glacier towards Rifugio Città di Mantova, a mountain hut in the Aosta Valley. At a hight of 3.500 metres, the walk in the thin air is exhausting and we are hoping for good weather. Then we watch an unforgettable sunset below Lyskamm. The way down from the Mantova is probably the hardest thing one can and should do with a bike. In the beginning we have to carry our bikes approximately 200 metres downhill, before we are able to ride our bikes for the first time on rocky plates ground by glaciers. Then we have to carry our bikes way up to Alta Luce summit. I’m pretty sure this is the best place for enjoying the panorama of the whole Monte Rosa massif with its glaciers and all. Still a 1.600 metres really challenging downhill trail is waiting for us. Wow, what an unforgettable, tough morning. The afternoon will be created depending on how much time we have left. The journey continues.
We are facing the next highlight: at 3.335 metres above sea level we are standing directly in front of the Matterhorn. Sounds incredible… well, it is! But the way up there is rocky and long. We are carrying our bikes for 5 hours. Words can hardly describe what awaits us there. One of the most magnificent views and maybe the best trail in the whole Alps! We can ride our bikes downhill all the way from the peak to the bottom, except for only very few parts. Oh my god!! This is amazing!! Having spent 11 hours outside in the fresh air, we are totally spent but so happy! From here on we can do fun rides to Aosta, play and have fun. Is there anything better in this world after such a week, than strolling through the streets of Aosta having Italian ice cream and drinking Aperol? I don’t think so!
I cannot influence the weather, but each one of you, who wants to join us on this adventure, keep your fingers crossed for good weather! If the weather is nice, there is surely no other bike week in the Alps, which is more lasting than this one!
Never Stop Exploring.
The feedback we got after we first tried out this tour definitely showed us, that this tour is the most challenging one in our range. You’ll have to carry your bike uphill, ride long and tricky trails downhill and be mentally strong, as this terrain is really not ”appropriate” for falls. Everyone who is interested in this tour, regard this week as a holistic mountain adventure. If you want to ride one trail after the other, this tour is not the right one for you.
Registration ONLY via email to: info@ridealpinetrails.com
Approx. 14,000 m downhill Approx. 6,000 m uphill
