Road cycling in South Tyrol's south
5 road cycling highlights from Kurtatsch to Kurtinig
Kurtinig, Margreid and Kurtatsch – these are the glorious trio on the South Tyrolean Wine Route. Nestled amongst cypresses and olive trees, you’ll find challenging mountain passes, alpine terrain and picturesque tours through the valley floor. The long, sweeping valley and the vineyards are an oasis of tranquillity that we can enjoy here from the saddle. That typical South Tyrolean Wine Route ‘WOW’ feeling comes naturally when road cycling in the South Tyrolean lowlands.
Between the Adige Valley and the Dolomites
To ease into the ride, we ’ll start in the valley on the Adige Valley Cycle Path, cycling at a leisurely pace to Lake Garda or the spa town of Merano for a cappuccino. If you’re keen to tackle a bit more elevation gain straight away, set off on the tour along the South Tyrolean and Trentino Wine Routes, where we’ll explore the Adige Valley and the Cembra Valley. After that, we’ll be ready for more – more kilometres, more panoramic views, more elevation gain. But where on earth should we start? Luckily, we’ve got our hotlist of the 5 highlights for a road cycling holiday in South Tyrol's south.
5 highlights for road cycling in the South Tyrolean lowlands
- Weißhorn Circuit: Via the Lavazé Pass, the Jochgrimm and the Lugano Pass , we circumnavigate the Weißhorn over a distance of 71.9 km. The gruelling climb is, however, rewarded with stunning panoramic views of the surrounding mountain ranges. The views of the Brenta, the Dolomites and the Lagorai are simply unrivalled.
- Bolzano: Fancy a high-intensity ride? The constant alternation between ascents and descents is guaranteed on the training route to Bolzano, featuring the climb to Montan, the ‘Kojoten Pass’ (Kreither Sattel) and the Kalterer Höhe.
- Cembra Valley: On the tour into Italian-speaking Tyrol, the picturesque landscape of blossoming apple orchards and fruit meadows accompanies us along the way. Via Kurtinig and Salurn, we follow the Adige Cycle Route and head into the Cembra Valley from Lavis.
- Mendel and Gampen Passes: These are the Italian classics of South Tyrol’s lowlands and simply a must-cycle: the Mendel and Gampen Passes. We reach this pair of passes via Eppan, where we’ll really put our calves through their paces.
- Lake Molveno: Shortly after Mezzolombardo, at the foot of Monte Corno, the climb begins; a few kilometres and metres of elevation gain later, we ’re rewarded with the sight of Lake Molveno, glistening turquoise, spreading out before us. The climb to Trentino’s second-largest lake is well worth the aching muscles.