Via dei Todesch - 104

Cologna (Consorzio Turistico Valle del Chiese)

From the tourist office of the town of Cologna a long and partly gravel road climbs uphill to the pass of Monte Giovo, where you will face the first real challenge of this super trail: the first, very steep couple of hundred metres between Monte Giovo and Malga Cap are extremely arduous, and require peak physical shape ‒ or an eMTB. Those who do not have either, will have to dismount and push their bikes. But do not despair: upon reaching Malga Cap the track stops climbing, and from there onwards it descends constantly on gravel terrain until it reaches Bocca Giumella.

The following stretch towards Malga Ringia is truly fascinating: it starts with a steep ascent until the trail reaches a flat tract and then continues downhill through the wood, offering a number of very fast slopes that are ideal for your eMTB turbo mode. If you are riding a regular MTB, however, you might want to dismount to cross them. Once you reach Malga Ringia, your itinerary continues on a gravel road offering a majestic view over the Adamello massif, all the way to Malga Pura. Once you cross this lonely mountain pasture you will have reached the best part of the tour: a unique, dream-like track first climbs up and then descends smoothly downhill, offering unparalleled fun, interrupted only by sporadic fallen trees that obstruct the passage and require you to dismount your bike to get through.

If you do not wish to proceed on Via dei Todesch, you should follow the itinerary marked as Ringia Supertrail. After a brief stretch downhill on gravel road, make sure you check your GPS coordinates carefully, as the next turn leading you downhill to the Lake Roncone is not easy to spot. Once you reach the bottom of the track you can finally enjoy a well-deserved break and a snack before riding back to Cologna on the paved cycle path crossing the small town of Por and the stronghold Castel Romano.

 

Author: Uli Stanciu