Bike Ride of a Lifetime

Could this be the best bike ride in all of Italy? For me it certainly was. In fact, it ranks in my top 3 all time bike rides anywhere in the world. And there are two things that differentiate this from any other epic ride I've enjoyed, that also make it accessible to almost anyone who can ride a bike:

1. At just 8 miles round trip, it's relatively short and on mostly paved/hard-packed roads.

2. It was on a full suspension e-bike (I know, purists groan at this, and I was one, too before this ride.)

The route, which loosely forms a C shape drawn, is an out-and-back between two chairlift stations in the Alpe Di Siusi (also known as the Seiser Alm.) It basically covers the eastern depth of the Alpe from north to south. Surrounded by dramatic Dolomite peaks and running through the lush rolling hills of Europe's highest alpine meadow, summertime is definitely when to hit this (my ride was late July.)

The ride starts at the Al Sole Talstation (46.554183, 11.663295) at the northeastern edge of the Alpe. (Getting here is its own amazing adventure.) The route sweeps west and south over some soft hills before turning back east via progressively faster downhills. There are turns everywhere, along with the occasional car and fellow biker, lots of hikers, and the odd horse-drawn cart. There are also views everywhere, chief among them is the magnificent Sassolungo. It's easy to get distracted by the beauty, but risky if going at speed given the multitude of tight turns and obstacles.  

Though Maps indicates a more modest 800-ish decline, my watch measured 1,100 of vertical drop, and I felt every ear-popping bit of that. Some sections are smooth and straight enough to really get going. My average speed on the out leg was around 22 mph, with top speeds in the high 30's. Absolutely terrifying. And exhilarating.

At the bottom of the ride the route flattens out and passes the Saltria Hotel before arriving at the turnaround point at the bottom of the Seggiovia Florian charlift  (46.531040, 11.671461.) Here again, more ambitious riders can continue east and south in search of more technical trails and climbs. Otherwise, I backtracked the same way I came down, only this time, thankful for having the power assist of an e-bike.

With the Sassolungo and Rosengarten Group over my shoulder, the climb back was its own sensory joyride, if much slower, and offered sweeping views of hey fields, wide open ski slopes, and bucolic hills dotted with chalets and conifers. The more leisurely pace also allowed sufficient calm for the song of chirping birds and cow bells to float across the pastures.

Back at Al Sole, more advanced mountain bikers can add on a quick climb to the top of the chairlift, which is another 500 vertical feet via a 1 mile switchback trail of loose gravel. The views across the Alpe to the south - and over the insanely steep drop over the ridgeline to Ortisei to the north - are worth the climb, but which I postponed for a separate ride. 

This time, instead, I celebrated this incredible ride with a soak in the hot tub and a tall Radler.