Transalp with Andreas Albrecht

Transalp.info: informations and tour reports

Transalp Explorer 2004 - english tour report

german

Transalp: Steppenwolf Lonesome Rider Explorer-Tour 2004

route

Oberstdorf - Schrofenpass - Dalaas - Schlappiner Joch - Davos - Flüela-Pass - Livigno - Passo Alpisella - Arnoga - Passo Verva - Grosio - Passo Foppa - Aprica - Passo del Venerocolo - Passo del Gatto - Passo Vivione - Capo di Ponte - Passo Croce Dominii - Passo Maniva - Bagolino - Idro-See - Storo- Tremalzo - Gardasee

length

483 km

elevation gain

13.905 hm

date

15th.-21st. of july 2004

stages (7)

day	route	km	hm
1.day	Oberstdorf - Schrofenpass - Warth - Lech - Zug - Freiburger Hütte - Dalaas	59	1633
2.day	Dalaas - Kristbergsattel - Schruns - Galgenul - Gargellen - Schlappiner Joch - Schlappin	42	2190
3.day	Schlappin - Klosters - Davos - Flüelapass - Susch - Zernez - Punt la Drossa - Tunnel - Livigno - Passo di Alpisella - Lago Cancano - Decouville - Arnoga	112	2557
4.day	Arnoga - Passo Verva - Grosio - Mazzo di Valtellina - Passo Foppa - Alpe Möta - Trivigno - Aprica	77	2025
5.day	Aprica - Lago Belviso - Passo del Venerocolo - Passo del Gatto - Passo Vivione - Cedegolo - Capo di Ponte	57	2025
6.day	Capo di Ponte - Breno - Degna - Passo Croce Dominii - Passo Maniva - Bagolino - Idro-See - Storo	83	2157
7.day	Storo - Passo Ampola - Tremalzo - Passo Nota - Baita Segala - Pregasina - Riva - Torbole	53	1643

roadbooks: see report in german click here

maps

Kompass: digital map Alps, 3, 33, 41, 072, 94, 102, 103
Kümmerly & Frey - Unterengadin ISBN 3-259-00814-4, www.swissgeo.ch ,
overview: Kompass - roadmap 358 Tirol - Trentino ISBN: 3-85491-853-4
buy via Amazon: click the number of the map

tour planning

Andreas Albrecht

tourguiding

Andreas Albrecht

participant

David Strixner (Munich)

tour report (translation by Katie Stephens)

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
Mahatma Ghandi (1869-1948)

prologue

I had to think long and hard about starting this year's transalp from Oberstdorf. It had two major factors against it - the logistical problem of getting back there from Lake Garda, and the notoriously tricky climbing on the Schrofen Pass. During a ski holiday I got the chance to talk to Andi Heckmair, the "spiritus rector" of this start, and creator of the classic transalp route, who as an old mountaineer has a very specific vision of the flow of lines over the Alps. His idea is that a transalp should have something of a hiking tour about it, just with your mountain bike. It turned out he was right!
As my family were planning their vacation I discovered that they wanted to spend a few days in Dorf Tirol again, and then to go on to Lake Garda. Logistical problem solved - David and I could take the train from Munich to Oberstdorf, and be met again at the Lago. Perfect!
What ultimately made up my mind and got rid of those last niggling doubts was hearing Christian Förster's (www.singletrail.de.vu) views on the Schrofen Pass:


Schrofenpass

"Schrofenpass : Oberstdorf is only at first sight an impractical place to start. Sure you have to get over the Allgäuer Alps and Kristberg, but then you get greeted by the most amazing scenery around Montafon (Schlappiner Joch) […] which makes even the Schrofen Pass worth it. That however isn't the only reason I made myself get over the Schrofen pass, and probably will do so again; some how, despite everything, it's one of THE transalpine passes with an element charm. At the weekend there are lots of other bikers around (the time I did it I counted twenty five of them just at the top of the pass!) which I don't necessarily find a drawback - you get a great sense of camaraderie as you come closer to the legendary ladder… So, do the Schrofen pass. Despite having to push both up and down, it is one of those things that as a transalper you kind of have to have done!"

Christian's right, the Schrofen Pass is an experience.
Having done it I can say that it's nowhere near as difficult as I expected it to be, and all in all not really so far to push.

To plan the tour I again took inspiration from other Internet transalp sites. With help of Kompass maps I fixed a route and used digital maps for the fine-tuning. I find these a great help, and increasingly easy to come by - I have the whole of Austria on two CDs from (www.austrianmap.at) and for the Swiss part of the trip, which isn't covered by Kompass I could download the maps from www.swissgeo.ch . Like last year I didn't bother with a detailed road book but scanned in the relevant parts of the maps and printed them out. This method has proved to work, but make sure you do have a general map with you - it was vital to us, as we had to detour from our planned route. In July we had almost no problem finding accommodation along the way.

So now I'm sitting in a beach café in Torbole letting my mind wander and putting the first thoughts down on paper. What can be nicer than relaxing here after a week on a transalp? The images of the past few days with their sometimes gruelling, sometimes awe-inspiring moments are drifting past me like the surfers, catching the last of the late morning wind. The Mediterranean warmth surrounds me and there's nothing to remind me of those long weeks in Germany's cold and rain which I left behind in the middle of July 2004. When I look around Lake Garda I always get the feeling that I've arrived in my second home.


Lake Garda

The highlight of the trip was definitely the last day, going over the Tremalzo Pass. The old Ponale road, which had been closed after a landslide got reopened just a week ago as a footpath - finally the most spectacular way of arriving in Riva after a transalp is possible again. David and I are surely some of the first to have had the chance to do it, and hopefully there won't be another landslide for a while!

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Day 1: Germany to Austria


Lake Formarin near Freiburger hut

David and I meet in Munich - Pasing station and catch the train to Oberstdorf. The journey takes a good two hours and is a nice, relaxing start to our trip. The last rain clouds are hanging on to the foothills of the Alps, but as we climb on our bikes at mid-day these have gone too. We get through the town as quickly as possible, and almost immediately find ourselves on our own. Starting in the middle of the week has definite advantages, particularly from Oberstdorf! I had read and heard of regular queues leading up to the infamous ladder on the Schrofen Pass, but we came across a few walkers on the approach, and that was it. Only as we get to the point where you have to start pushing do we see a small group of mountain bikers in the rock wall above us. We reach them exactly at the ladder, where one kindly offers to photograph us. On the ladder of course! Had to be.


Schrofenpass - carrying the bike

I must admit, after hearing so much fuss made about the ladder, I had more than a little respect for the passage. Heckmair calls it the "key passage, right at the beginning!" Having done it, I think that's a little exaggerated. David, who is an experienced mountain walker and ski tourer agrees. Of course you need to be sure footed and not be scared of heights, but we don't reckon that there's any other particular difficulty in it. Without rushing, and including time taken out for photos we were pushing/carrying the bikes for just 35 minutes. What we found more annoying was that after the pass you still couldn't really ride fluently. The beautiful mountain landscape and the increasingly better weather more than compensated us for our small walking interludes, of which there were many! At some point the path gets to a condition that everyone can cycle again.

We stop to eat in Warth, before rolling down to Lech. There isn't so much going on in this ski resort in summer, which suits us just fine. After Lech we turn right, towards Zug and the Freiburger hut, which is easy to get to by bike. The gravel track around the Formarin Lake is wonderfully empty today. The Freiburger hut is being renovated, and as we still have plenty of time we decide to cycle down to Dalaas. There's an easy gravel path down to an Alm hut, but from there on the fun's over. The path that follows is full of rocks, and due to the heavy rain of the previous weeks, is very slippery. Both David and I have no great penchant for hopping from stone to stone, or falling off in difficult terrain, but that's a matter of taste. Other people will enjoy these trails, but we indefatigably push our bikes over several hundred meters of descent. At the Mustrin Alm (c. 1450m) we take, on top of everything else, what turns out to be the "wrong" way. There's a fork in the path and a sign for "Braz"on the right; the left hand fork seems to go straight down in to a gully, and looks completely impossible to ride. Both ways end up in Dalaas in Klostertal where we are booked in to the guesthouse "Zur Post".
The landlord is well prepared for cyclists and tells me that we would have been better off taking the left fork - It may have looked worse at the beginning, but very quickly turns into a forest track. Oh well, we know better for next time, and at least have strengthened our downhill pushing muscles. I can heartily recommend "Zur Post" (www.dalaas-wald.at/gasthofpost); both food and rooms are good, and value for money. Particularly important for the kitty, especially as we're heading into expensive Switzerland.

Alternative route in case of rainy weather: to Dalaas on the road from Lech via Zürs and the Flexen Pass

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Day 2: Austria to Switzerland


Kristbergsattel

A high-pressure system has settled over the Alps and promises good weather for the next few days. In the morning the sun is shining down on us from a blue sky and a few harmless clouds drift around as we leisurely cycle along the signed MTB trail towards the Kristbergsattel. In about an hour we're at the top and enjoy perfect visibility as we ride along one of the most beautiful panoramic routes that I have ever seen in the Alps.


Bartholomäberg

We catch a glimpse of the Schlappiner Joch, which still has a few snowfields on it, and roll on to Bartholomäberg and Schruns. From here there are lots of possible routes, and even before, there are endless footpaths going down in to the Silbertal. Because the view is so great today, and in order to make good headway we decide to go on the road.

From Schruns there is a nice cycle path next to the local road 188 through the Montafon, towards St. Gallenkirchen and the right hand turn for Galgenul can't be missed. A back road goes over a covered wooden bridge and into a village, then to the right and steeply uphill. The sun is beating down head on and we welcome every chance to refill our water bottles.


Schlappiner Joch with snowfields

We reach Galgenul shortly before mid-day and re-stock our supplies in the supermarket. The sunny patio of the restaurant next door entices us to take a break and we gleefully shovel pasta into ourselves. A mistake - as the road continues steeply uphill the spaghetti is like lead in my stomach and my muscles feel any thing but relaxed. We decide that in the future we'll only take short breaks, and just snack whilst on the road; our bodies work better that way.


Schlappiner Joch: carrying passages

The valley road to the upper Valzifenz Alm (c. 1850m) is steep, but roughly asphalted and not so bad. After the alm there's an awkward push up to the Schlappiner Joch, which is liberally spiced with carrying passages and the afore-mentioned snowfields. We have 400m of ascent and need a good hour to get to the top and cross the Swiss border. Like in the Fimber valley there is only a lonely, rusted sign to show that we're leaving the Euro zone.

The view reaches far over the mountain chains to the south, which are a little in the haze. Every day the humid heat relieves itself as locally confined rain-showers and thunderstorms, but luckily we haven't been caught in one yet.


Gasthaus Gemsli with dormitory

Whoever gets up to the pass and thinks that they've done the worst of it is in for a nasty surprise; he who follows in Heckmair's footsteps should develop a fondness for hiking, or be a skilled single trail specialist that takes enjoyment from negotiating rocky paths with a fully loaded rucksack. We neither can nor want to, and instead, take to our feet again and make our way on the path to Schlappin. OK, wimps that we are, we did manage to cycle the last 50m!

We stay at the Gasthaus Gemsli, which you often find recommended (and quite rightly so) in accounts of tours; and move in to the dormitory, which is in a newly converted barn. There's a shower, toilet, and what's more, we have it to ourselves. Luxury. The landlady tells us that on Sundays it's often full to overflowing with mountain bikers who've left Oberstdorf on Saturday. We enjoy the quiet and linger on the terrace until a short rain shower forces us inside. I can explicitly recommend the accommodation here; you just have to live with the high prices in Switzerland.
contact to Gasthaus Gemsli: (www.gemsli.ch)

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Day 3: Switzerland to Italy


Davos

We have to decide at the latest by Davos whether we really want to go over the Scaletta Pass or not. All the enquiries I've made on the way, and my own judging of the snow situation leave me in grave doubt as to whether we should risk it. Still, we sit at breakfast and savour the taste of the mountain cheese before climbing back on our bikes. To get us in the mood we go steeply down the Schlappintobel to the village of Klosters. We follow the bike route to Klosters-Plaz, pass the train station and have to cycle along the busy Davos road for a while. We find the turn off onto the mountain bike path in a left-hand curve, pass under the train line and have to fight with a few nasty steep inclines. We follow the route through Laret to Wolfgang and from here roll on,down the road to Davos. If you want, you could cycle along the lake.
In the centre of Davos I ask at the tourist information if they know anything about the Scaletta Pass. A friendly young lady tells me that 3 days ago she'd heard from a mountain biker that they had got over the 2600m high pass, but there was a lot of snow. With this news the decision was made - dragging our bikes through prolonged snowfields in a high alpine area is the last risk we want to take. That means that the Chaschauna Pass is taboo too.

We quickly make an alternative route: if you go over the Flüela Pass and on towards the Ofen Pass there's a parallel version on the road. The traffic is tolerable, the uphill to Flüela unproblematic, and after a good hour we're at the top. It's much colder and there's still snow lying wherever you look.


Flüela-Pass

On the downhill we zoom past the much-loved busses of the Europe-wide travel Mafia, and whilst getting water at the junction to Zernez take pleasure in the queues that have built up behind them. We roll on down the road, ignoring the cycle path as we definitely want to get to Italy tonight. The uphill to the Ofen Pass starts in Zernitz. A few road bikers are out who sail past us, and I find myself playing with the idea of terrorising the Alps on a road bike at some time or other. It's quickly dismissedthough, I've learnt to value the solitariness of the gravel tracks.
The afternoon shower is brewing up in the mountains, but hasn't reached us yet. Going down to Punt la Drossa we're on steaming, rain-wetted streets. At the Livigno border tunnel we have to stop and ask what to do, as I don't know if you're allowed through the tunnel on a bike. I had originally thought that we'd have to go up and over to get to Livigno. Two local mountain bikers come passed at that moment and I ask them what's up. It tuns out that bikers are allowed through the tunnel but not over the mountains, as it goes through the Swiss National Park. So the traffic light turns green, and the line of cars starts moving with us at the back. There's even a cycle lane marked on the narrow road. David sets a solid tempo on the gently rising road and I pant away behind him trying to keep up, which I don't quite manage. Every 1000 meters there are fans installed in the ceiling to carry the exhaust fumes away, and the air around them is uncomfortably cold. After maybe 15 minutes we're in Punt dal Gall on the other side, and happy to be able to breathe fresh air again. We cycle over the dam wall of Lago Livigno to the border, and are in Italy. We have to cycle the whole length of the reservoir on the lake shore road, which is almost all galleries, and then go a bit further on a footpath around the lake through hoards of Italian holidaymakers and day-trippers. We don't have to get through Livigno town centre, but head right at the end of the lake and cross a wooden bridge. A wide cycle path takes us towards the Val di Alpisella whose pass we'd like to get over today.


uphill from Lake Livigno to Passo di Alpisella

We have a rest at the rifugio in order to fortify ourselves for the last climb - it's needed, as the cycle cum footpath to the Passo di Alpisella although in perfect condition is over 20% steep in places. With our rucksacks on our backs and over 2000 meters of ascent in our legs we decide to push every now and then, which isn't actually much slower. On the way we catch up with a lone mountain biker who also seems to be on a long tour, but is not very talkative. Well, ok then.
Shortly after 5pm we get to the top of the pass at around 2300m and I think we'll have a relaxed downhill to Lago Cancano and just take the first accommodation that we find, of which there is no shortage. We forgot that today is Saturday and find a lot of locals up in the mountains, most with monstrous SUVs; too much movement is not good!


rainbow above Valdidrento

I know this area like the back of my hand as my favourite transalp goes along here, so we don't get too alarmed as we find our second attempt at finding a bed, in the Rifugio Fraele doesn't work either. "Tutto completto." The landlord is particularly nice and calls all the other hostels in the area, and finally finds us something in Arnoga. Good that my scraps of Italian are enough make myself understood, and to understand that a room is reserved for us in "Li Arnoga". I thank him, and get going - we'll have reached the 100km mark by the end of today. Luckily I know that the majority of the way is more or less at the same height, on the old "Decouville" road but we'll have to race against the rain. Had a beautiful rainbow not stopped me and insisted on a photograph we would have won, but as it is we get a few drops in the last meters. Everything's fine in the hotel, they're waiting for us. The bikes are locked away in the huge basement garage, we move in to our tastefully furnished attic room, shower and change in to our evening dress and find out with joy that the best evening meal of the whole trip awaits us. The restaurant is jam-packed, but as house guests we get a table for two straight away. Included in the half-pension price of €52 you get an a la carte dinner. From the extensive menu we order a delicious Italian meal and feast like kings, of course with a grappa at the end. If you happen to be in the area, you shouldn't think too long. The hotel (www.arnoga.it) is just fantastic!

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Day 4: High Mountains - Deep Valleys


Glacier - Cima di Piazzi (3439 m)

A beautiful, clear day dawns in the Alps. In Italy you can rarely find anything to eat before eight, so I use the time to stretch my legs and enjoy the clean, crisp mountain air. We get to the breakfast room on the dot of eight and discover to our horror that the buffet's already been emptied. It seems that there's a cycle team using the place as a training camp and we know only too well how much food cyclists can get down them! The provisions are thankfully quickly refilled - we're going to need all the sustenance we can get for today; after last night's dinner and the, by Italian standards acceptable breakfast we're put in good stead.


strong uphill to Passo Verva

Today we have the Passo Vervo as a warm-up, and despite our best efforts can't completely cycle it. The rain of the past weeks has carved deep grooves in the old military road and in effect you are trying to cycle along the bed of a dried out mountain stream. In the worst places all you can do is get off and push for a bit. After the Alpe Verva we can finally ride through to the top of the pass.


Passo Verva - ok!

On the downhill there's a small snow field to negotiate and then we really have to watch out on the rough gravel trail when the locals come towards us in their SUVs - a much loved weekend pass time. A few sad losers are actually trying the traditional hiking- how uncool!

From Eita we quickly put the 1000-odd meters of descent to Grosio behind us and stop in on Jim Pini in the Albergo Sassela. We're glad to see each other again and he gives us cake and a cappuccino on the house. We won't spend the night here but go on and up the Valtellina where a real killer is waiting for us in the form of the Passo Foppa (aka Mortirolo).


rough gravel trail down to Val Grosin

David and I have done it before, but not starting from Mazzo di Valtellina. It's merciless! The narrow asphalt road winds its way up with a gradient of 15 to 20% almost the whole way. The road's another giro d'Italia classic, as you can see by the amount of graffiti on the road and even Lance Armstrong who's cycled the pass for training paid it his respect at the top. I somehow think he got there a little faster than we did. Shortly before the top a snack kiosk entices us to take a rest. The hot dogs smell so good, and we desterately need the break.

Freshly fortified we are none the less relieved to finally get to the top, and cycle on, on a small, undulating road along the ridge that forms the east boundary of the Valtellin. The road runs at an altitude of 1800m to Trivigno and has a few short, nasty climbs just to make sure that we don't get out of practice. By the end of today we'll have clocked up more than 2000m metres of ascent. From Trivigno we go on back roads to Aprica which is a typical Italian mountain resort. We don't muck around and take the first decent looking hotel that we run in to. Our chosen lodging, the Hotel Funivia turns out to be inhabited mostly by pensioners, which at least guarentees a quiet night. If we'd taken a bit more time I'm sure we could have found something better - there isn't exactly a shortage of hotels in Aprica - but it'll do.

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Day 5: Mountaineering


Malga Campo

Bolstered by our Italian breakfast we make our way on back roads, which run parallel to the main road. They take us up to about 940 m where we then turn left and by asking a local, find an old mule track that brings us into the valley by Lago Belviso. The road turns in to a gravel track and gets increasingly steep up to the worst bit by the dam wall. A group of ramblers has just arrived in countless cars and are getting ready to walk around this idyllic lake, we have no alternative but to try to look as if this uphill is a piece of cake. With only slightly tortured smiles we pass them and go along the lakeshore path where we can finally relax a bit.


Passo Venerocolo (2315 m) with snowfields

The Val Campo goes off to the left at the end of the lake. The orientation here is not completely clear, there's a sign saying route 311 in the direction of Malga Demignone, but nothing about Malga Campo, which is where we want to go. The track is an alm access route and gets very steep. Just as we're beginning to get doubts a jeep appears, and I can ask the way. For Malga Campo we have to go straight at the next fork, over a small bridge, and shortly afterwards you pass two stone huts. The forest track stays very steep up to the Alm, and can't always be ridden though fitness freaks should manage it.


David really loves his bike!

The Malga Campo is on a small plateau and is farmed. A few dogs greet us - one growls a little, and the other sniffs around us, probably due to the rather bestial smell. The farmer turns up and the dogs get calmer. It's hard to tell his age - his skin is like leather and tells the tale of the hard work up here. He seems to be happy to have the excuse for a break and I am too. I take the chance to have a chat and to ask about the way to the Passo Venerocolo. We've already made out the pass as an obvious cleft in the mountain chain (and the snowfields awaiting us). "Sempre destra", "always right" is his advice.


still ice at Passo Venerocolo

We manage to cycle up to the end of the valley but have to give up with the first of the snowfields. Unusually, the path to the pass is absolutely impossible to make out. We discover marks on stones, which disappear just as quickly as we heave our bikes up a very steep meadow. The path stays hidden but luckily we know where we have to go as we can see the pass. With extreme caution we cross a snow-filled trough and fight our way through a labyrinth of human sized rocks. Suddenly we find the path markings again; we're back on track and very relieved. Looking back it's easy to see that the path runs more or less direttissima from the end of the valley to the top of the pass, but it's mostly covered by snowfields, of which one is still waiting for us. It's not so bad as it's not steep and is on solid snow.


Passo del Gatto (2418 m)

A pair of hikers are sitting on the pass. We arrive and say "Buon giorno!" The man asks about where we've come from and where we're going to, which gives me the chance to get information on our route to come. His wife asks if we're German and attaches some remark about crazy people at the end. Maybe she's not entirely wrong, I was starting to have to ask why I keep doing this to myself. All in all the uphill lasted "only" around 75 minutes but seemed much, much longer. We shove down our second breakfast and take our bearings. Behind the pass there's a little lake that's still got bits of ice floating around on it. The path forks, and from the map (Kompass no. 94) I'd decided on path no. 416 which goes over the Passo del Gatto to the Paso Vivione. As the path appears to snake along the flanks of the mountain I suspected that it could have been an old military road, which are often cyclable.


"Madonna, please help!"

We stroll through remote high alpine scenery and at least pushing the bike's not a great problem. On the Passo del Gatto I find a little statue of the Madonna smiling down on me from a crevice in the rock. She seems to whisper "may God protect you on your way, even the mistaken ones!" Amen! At some point our ramble on the Passo Vivione comes to an end. We could even cycle the last 20 metres up. How very nice! To make us feel even better, the rain cloud, which has been building up over the last few hours and in hot pursuit, decides to dump its load.

We throw on our rain gear and head down to the Valle Camonica. The rain gets so heavy that we have to shelter for a while, giving me the opportunity to look for a more sensible way down from the Passo Venerocolo. I'd read on the Internet that the way down to Schilpario really is an old military road, and should be mostly rideable. From there, if you head up the Valle di Scalve towards Passo Vivione you get to a trail at around 1500 - 1600m that the Kompass map 94 has marked as a mountain bike route. It goes over the Passo di Campelli (1892m) into the Valle Camonica and you get to Breno directly over Cerveno and Losine; it has the advantage that you avoid the busy SS42. There is no other alternative if you, like us come out of the Val Paisco and meet the SS42. Maybe somebody's tried it out.


trails to Passo Vivione

In Forne Allione we take off our rain gear, drink a cappuccino and decide on how much further we want to go today. We roll down the road towards Breno for a while; thankfully the traffic's laid off a bit. In Capo di Ponte we've had enough and see a sign for the Albergo Cumilì. We find it straight away, and as it looks fine we book in. The bikes get locked in a store cupboard, we clean our gear and ourselves and then take a wander through the sleepy village. Obviously not a tourist stronghold. Fine by me. After a decent evening meal we have our tried and tested nightcap: 2 beers, and very important - a grappa to relax the muscles. We have no problems falling asleep.

Info about alternative route from Passo Venerocolo:
Horst wrote: (IBC-Name: univega2001)

... we took this way 3 or 4 years ago. The trail is very convenient to ride, always passable. The landscape is very fascinating and you see no other men at all. A good choice to go!

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Day 6: the Long Uphill - Passo Croce Dominii


Passo Croce Dominii: a long way to go

The further South we get, the deeper the valleys become, and the more spartan the breakfast. We've had enough. During yesterday evening's stroll we stocked up our cheese and ham rations and now can choose when we stop to eat, keeping the breaks short so we don't loose our rhythm.

First of all, we quickly roll down the road to Breno, always having to keep an eye on the traffic which sooner or later thins out. To get up the Passo Croce Dominii and on towards Doss dei Galli we're going to have to do around 1800 meters of ascent in one go. I don't even think about the possibility of going via Bienno on a marked MTB trail, I've read in a few reports that the bottom part of this lane may well be on asphalt, but is murderously steep with a 20 - 30% gradient. Further up it gets flatter, but the surface turns in to "railway gravel" (original quote).

We want to get there, not kill ourselves! The SP 345 provincial road has hardly any traffic on it today, and isn't too steep; never the less it's damned hard work. Luckily the weather gets lightly overcast so it's not too hot. At about 12 I reach the top and wait a few minutes for David who got problems sitting. We polish off our supplies on the terrace of a café. Inside there is only pasta today and we feel like soup, tough luck.


Doss dei Galli

There are several different ways reach today's target -Lake Idro and we opt for taking the SP345 which is a gravel road heading towards Doss dei Galli. The climbs take everything out of us and we crawl up the switchbacks at a snail's pace. Finally the end is in sight; on Doss dei Galli giant, futuristic transmitters or receivers tower up to greet us. A dashed path leads up to them which we're not going to bother with today.

We're happy when the track turns in to asphalt again, which makes the final climb just about bearable. In the direction of Monte Maniva our route is easy to make out, we can see a gravel road in a switchback, which goes off straight-ahead towards the Passo Maniva. We take it and avoid loosing altitude as we would have done had we stayed on the road. On the Passo we drink our afternoon cappuccino and look down on Bagolino from the terrace. We discover that there's a direct way down, an old road that at least in the top part is in good condition.


Lake Idro

Our original plan was to stay on the track that goes to Dosso Alto, in order to reach Lake Idro at Anfo. The valley looks so enticing that we really don't feel like doing any extra climbing. Well, no dithering, and down we go. It's really a lovely road and a shame that it's not recognisable as such on the Kompass map 103. The lower we get, the muggier the air becomes. We stop at a well and refill our water bottles. In the last curve my back tyre starts to feel spongy, a slow puncture; the only mishap on the whole tour. I pump up the tyre and make it to Storo, the end of today's leg.

On Lake Idro that "Garda feeling" starts. We take a short rest on the lakeshore, but don't swim as a thunderstorm is brewing, and then roll on on the bike path from Ponte Caffaro to Storo. There is some rumbling and a few lightening flashes behind us, so we don't waste any time and check in to what seems to be the only place to stay in the town, the Albergo Firi. I get on with changing my inner tube, and discover that the replacement won't pump up; dumb of me to have not tested it before. David gives me his spare, and the bike is quickly repaired. That evening there's a little concert in front of the hotel - organ and drums in good bar music style. We listen in the silken evening air, drink our homeopathic dose of Grappa and look forward to arriving at Lake Garda tomorrow.

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Day 7: the Grand Finale over Tremalzo


Tremalzo - Rifugio Garda

We're raring to go and want to have breakfast at eight, but find ourselves along with another group of transalpers standing before closed doors. We can neither get in to the breakfast room, nor the bike garage, or even out of the house. We finally hear a key rattle in the lock at ten past eight, and realise that we were locked in overnight. Had there been a fire that would have turned nasty. We comfort ourselves with the thought of breakfast which appears astonishingly quickly - because there's so little of it. A glass of OJ, a cappuccino and a sort of pancake thing that turns out consist almost solely of air. A mean trick to play on my poor stomach. Knowing how long this paltry meal will keep us going, we each order a cheese and salami panino which costs us a small fortune (€4.50 each), at least it tasted good. We have a few energy bars left that must be enough to see us through.


Albi and Tremalzo-Tunnel

We chat for a bit with the other group, four men and a woman who seem rather worn out. They've been on the Heckmair route and made it over the Scaletta Pass - dragging their bikes through never ending deep snow. Some people get their fun in strange ways. They also want finish by going over the Tremalzo, and manage to start a bit earlier than us. They set off downhill back towards Storo which quite perplexes me, I'm positive that we have to go up towards the Passo Ampola and Lake Ledro. I'm so confused that I ask a local as a precaution, he confirms our direction and we never saw the other group again.


gravel zigzag road

David and I leisurely wind our way up the SS42. There isn't much traffic due to the early hour, and what little there is gets left behind as we turn off on to the Tremalzo road at Locando Ampola, where it starts. The road used to be a gravel track, but has been asphalted a few years ago and is an easy ride. We're still not sure if, after the Tremalzo pass we can cycle down the old Ponale road straight to Riva, but are seeing more and more positive signs. I Joke to David "if the bike shuttle full of thoses wusses leaves Torbole at ten , then it must pass us at around ten thirty" My prediction is accurate, almost to the minute. We grin at each other and push on.


The Lago is coming soon!

The legendary Tremalzo military road starts from the Rifugio Garda. We treat ourselves to a cappuccino and the landlord confirms that the Ponale road is open. We move on jubilantly. As we start the fantastic gravel downhill and see the lake below us in the summer haze we take a short break and eat the remainder of this morning's panini.


Pregasina

One of the best trails around Lake Garda starts on the Passo Nota. I last did it in 1998 with my son Max who was twelve at the time. He was on a borrowed fully, and so proud of himself for having mastered the tricky root-covered trail around the Malga Palaer. Much to the sadness of all Lake Garda's mountain bikers, the old road up to Pregasina was closed in 1999 after a landslide between Riva and Limone. It's just been opened again and I find I can remember every bit of it almost exactly, particularly those nasty steep bits that creep up every now and then.


Ponale street

At the Baita Segala we refill our water. The Limone section of the Italian Alpenverein still provides guests with drinks in the hut: water, beer, wine. What you pay is up to you and your conscience, and is put in an honesty box in the wall. By chance two men from the association are there; I thank them for the service, and they confirm once and for all that our dreamed of, crowning glory really is possible. There's nothing to stop us now.

We enjoy every minute of the last trail passages up to the Passo Rocchetta , and from the Malga Palaer start looking forward to the downhill on the old cart track to Pregasina. We keep stopping at the many vantagepoints and can hardly get enough of the lake views. We get to the newly re-opened road which is now only a footpath, and almost nicer to ride than it was before. The trail is about one and a half meters wide, the rest of the width filled up with earth. It has a few curves or chicanes built in, so that bikers don't race down there too quickly. We are of course careful and don't scare any of the many hikers who are not surprisingly there.


Riva

It wasn't clear for a long time whether cyclists would be allowed to use the old road at all. It seems that the tourist associations have won against the local bureaucracy who is now tolerating the cycle traffic. Lets hope it stays that way. If both the walkers and cyclists are considerate to one another there shouldn't be any problems.

David and I delight in this best of all ways to end a transalp and roll down to the harbour in Riva, where we make a short review of the trip. A remote and demanding tour, but also a very impressive one is behind us. I have to work on the route a bit, but I think I'm going to start again from Oberstdorf in the next few years. The journey ends as per tradition in a beach café in Torbole. A small reception committee has formed: my Simi and Tino; Matze and Reiner are there too, they'll join us on our next transalp in September. We're happy and are looking forward to a few days of rest and relaxation, and the next tour.

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conclusion: route


view from Tremalzo to Valle Bondo

At the beginning we followed the Heckmair route. Depending on your ability and the weather conditions you will have longer or shorter stretches where you have to push, of even carry the bike. I don't really go in for that sort of thing. In the future, I would cycle (or push) over the Scaletta Pass but only if there wasn't any snow left on the ground.

After the Lago Cancano we followed my own route. The passage from Aprica, over the Passo di Venerecolo and the Pass del Gatto had outstanding landscape and was fantastically isolated, but also very walking- intensive; I suspect the alternative that I wrote about on day five may have been better. The Passo Foppa has something to it. In general the tour follows the motto deep valleys, high mountains. Uphills with way over 1500 meters of ascent at a time, like the Passo Croce Dominii starting from Breno, were only tolerable because the sun wasn't beating down on us; even so, sitting on the saddle got rather painful by the end.


the end of the transalp: David and Albi in Torbole

Finishing over the Tremalzo is the cherry on the cake, and has an alternative route - at Lake Idro there's an extremely steep way up from Bondone, via Malga Tombea, along Monte Caplone to Tremalzo. You can't avoid pushing every now and then, but you do avoid the long stretch of road from Storo to the Passo Ampola and up to the Rifugio Garda.

As we started our tour mid-week we were almost always alone, from Lago Cancano on we didn't see another mountain biker until the last night where we ran in to the other group. If it can be managed, you shouldn't start at the weekend. Particularly not from Oberstdorf.

It was very comfortable to be in a well played-in two-man team, David and I have done several transalps together, we know we can rely on each other and for sure it won't be our last tour together.

conclusion: bike


Steppenwolf Tycoon at the top: Schlappiner Joch

David and I set off on almost identical bikes: the 2004 Tycoon SL model from Steppenwolf with LX and Julie. Well developed, light but never the less stable bikes. Being able to adjust the travel on the fork - the Manitou Black "Platinum LO 90-120mm" was very helpful on the stony up and downhills, and the lockout useful for conquering the long asphalted climbs. For the back shock I had a lock out version (Manitou QRL) whilst David's bike was fitted with the Manitou QR. He didn't miss not having the lockout, but I welcomed being able to turn my bike in to a hard-tail on the long uphills.
David got a slightly curved handlebar fitted, which gave him a very comfortable sitting position. I however prefer straight ones, thought the standard fitted Ritchy bar seemed a little too narrow to me. The barends proved invaluable on the very steep climbs.


"Light" tyres, oh no!

The only real flaw are the tyres: Schwalbe "little Albert," folding version, which just can't cope with a transalp. The tread profile was completely worn out after around 1500 kms, and by the end of the tour the knobbles on the sides of both front and rear wheels were disappearing too, it's a miracle that we had no blow-out.
The Magura disk brakes are sized generously, which gave a good feeling of safety going downhill in the rain. We had no disturbing cracking sounds coming from the joints. Maybe Steppenwolf should think again about having routed the gear cables along the lower pipe - the bowden cables and entrances to the housing are very exposed to dust and dirt. We didn't actually get any problems with the precision of the shifting, but also had no really extreme weather conditions during the tour. One solution could be sealed gear cables.
All in all I can definitely say that the bike is worth the money.

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2025-Apr-02