December 03, 2007

Ransom Trip Dolomiti

After a thrilling and breathtaking trip over the Alps, I knew I was up for another challenge. I had to cross the Dolomites as well. No other place has such impressive, beautiful and scenic mountain tops. The peaks grow over 3000m (9000ft.) and look like huge coral reefs. This is due to the fact, that millions of years ago the dolomites where covered by the sea and massive coral reefs had grown at the bottom of the ground. After two tectonic plates collided the corrals were pushed up to the mountain tops you can still admire today. You can even find fossilised sea animals while hiking up the mountain.
The best part although, are the endless miles of single track you can find. Four Riders; Karen Eller, Jasmin Kosubek, Rainer Gerster, Holger Meyer, Photographer Christophe Margot and Shuttle Pilot Markus went out to explore some hidden and never before ridden trails. All we had were some brief ideas and some useful tips of Transalpine Mastermind Uli Stanciu. The route was planned from Bruneck to Bessuno.

Day 1:

We met in St. Vigil, skipped the first Ride from Bruneck because the Gondola to the Kronplatz was already closed. We stayed in St. Vigil for the night at a wonderful four start hotel called Excelsior and they really showed us how they spell “Wellness” in that Valley. Next morning we took a shuttle up to Rifugio Pederu, and from there we followed the classic Transalpine challenge Route through Fanes Valley, which offered us a fantastic view of the Dolomites. We ate some delicious Italian pasta followed by a killer descent down to St. Cassian. From there you would normally take the Piz Sorega Gondola way, which is closed this late in the year though. Instead we got picked up by our shuttle at Capana Alpina and were brought directly to Arabba, where we stayed for the night.

Day2:
Next day we trailed up to Porto Vescovo, which is 2500 meter (7500ft.) over the sea level. The wonderful scenery just forced us to take pictures and you’ll see why. We kept going down a single track with a constant view of the Marmolada Glacier. It was a unique and unforgettable ride. After traversing quite a while, passing by Rifugio Padon, we dropped down a twisty single track, which lead us into a little village called Caprile. We met our shuttle here for the end of the day.

Day3:
The next day we met up with a guy called Silvano, a mid 50ies hotelier, who just got back from a marathon race on the isle of Elba. He loved mountain biking and since he rides on a carbon hardtail, he was pretty impressed by our Scott Ransom bikes. Silvano took us to Pecul in his Landrover. The little ski resort was already closed so we kept on driving to the mountain tip: the Fertezza. From there we had the sweetest 1000 meter of down riding I’ve ever had: Only single trails, technically challenging but very fast and at the end you actually ride through the front yards of peoples homes in some kind of canal. You feel as you where in a bobsleigh ride and you get spit out right into the town of Alleghe.
We stayed at Silvanos Hotel in Alleghe and had some excellent dinner and a lot of Brunello.


Day 4:
Silvano, our hotel chef and bike guide wanted to take us to Falcade, but we awoke to heavy snowfall. We couldn’t finish our trip to Belluno, but we planed to come back next year for sure. If you’d like to come with us, stay tuned for next years schedule.
The Dolomite Freeride will take place there:
  The Dolomite Freeride will take place there: www.dierasenmaeher.de