Transalp, Triathlon and Dolomites World Heritage Site

In the face of the Dolomite World Heritage Site of the Pala Group with its jagged rock faces, even mountain bikers quickly get up to speed. The somewhat hidden San Martino di Castrozza in the Primiero Valley in Trentino has long been known among connoisseurs as a Transalp highlight and is repeatedly a stage destination for Alpine crossings. Nevertheless, the area is less crowded than the Sellaronda and has fast-paced adventures to offer for every level, from easy excursions to the Grand Tour through Dolomiti Lagorai.

by Henning Heilmann

Even the journey to San Martino di Castrozza in the Trentino Dolomites becomes more charming from stage to stage. I leave the highway in the busy Eisack Valley shortly after Bolzano at Auer. On the adventurous mountain road blasted into the rock over the San Lugano saddle into the Val di Fiemme, the scenery becomes much more spectacular. I experience another crescendo in terms of charming nature just after the turnoff in the winter sports resort of Predazzo. Through the rustic landscape of the Rolle Pass, one of the oldest alpine passes in the Dolomites, the traveler leaves the Val di Fiemme again and enters the Primiero Valley. At the top of the Rolle Pass, in good weather, there is a great view of the Cimon della Pala (3,184 meters), which is also called the "Matterhorn of the Dolomites". San Martino di Castrozza is already on the other side of the pass, where I am warmly welcomed in the late afternoon.

The next day, as we step out of the hotel door, Sass Maor and Cima della Madonna present themselves in all their glory - an Eldorado for mountaineers and sport climbers. But also a biker's paradise is promised here, so we discover the terrain! For the morning warm-up, Nadia, Stefano and Manuel accompany me on a historic mountain trail with only a moderate incline from Fiera di Primiero to Passo Gobbera. Great when you can gain altitude so easily. The only one not yet cooperating is the weather god, rain has set in. But it's only the middle of May. Stefano knows a nice downhill trail down into the Primiero Valley. "Rischiamo?" he asks if we should risk it. Sure thing. On some rain-soaked cobblestones and root woods, the traction isn't the greatest. But after all, we're here for mountain biking. In the forest it is already quite steep with tight turns. Stefano takes the descent first. I push at first, and then swing me but again in the saddle. One grows with the tasks. On the way back we pass the pretty Mezzano, where in firewood stacks works of art were integrated and make passing cyclists attentive.

Transalp and triathlon
2011, 2013, 2015: San Martino di Castrozza is almost regularly the stage destination of the Bike Transalp, a mountain bike stage race across the Alps. And this, of course, also because the region at the Rolle Pass has an extraordinary amount to offer bikers: With the Dolomiti Smart Bike Hotels excellently equipped hotels, for downhillers the bike park in San Martino (sanmartinobikearena.com) with gondola lift, footbridges, parabolic curves, jumps, enduro track, bike shuttle and much more, take the entire Dolomit Lagorai region about 1,100 kilometers of MTB routes, plus the fantastic panorama of the Pala di San Martino.

In July 2015, a Transalp to Lake Garda stopped again in San Martino, where a few sports nuts have also come up with a new kind of triathlon, which took place on July 5 for the second time under the motto "primiero-ex3me": MTB uphill, MTB downhill through the Bike Arena and a mountain run up and downhill to Colverde at over 2,200 meters above sea level were linked. Also Massimo Deber-tolis, MTB World Champion of 2004, already participated, who was born here in Primiero at the feet of Sass Maor and Cima della Madonna and trains daily on challenging trails in this absolutely charming environment.

For beginners & professionals
MTB tours around San Martino di Castrozza and in the Primiero and Vanoi valleys are extremely varied. Beginners will find easier tours in the Primiero Valley and Val Canali, but the majority of the tours are categorized red and some even black. Some of the tours in the mountain bike map, which also informs about the rules of conduct for bikers, offer ascents of over 1,500 meters in altitude. However, many tours can be shortened by bus or bike shuttle. From farm tracks to flowing trails and technically difficult steep passages with jumps, you can experience everything a biker's heart desires. On the website of San Martino di Castrozza (www.sanmartino.com) you can download GPS data tracks and MTB tours for free.

Famous mountains
In the off-season it can happen that some snow falls on the Passo Rolle. The transfer service nevertheless drives us up the pass, because early in the morning the sun was still shining and the weather can change quickly. At 1989 meters we start on a breathtaking tour, which is rightly considered one of the most beautiful in the Dolomites and is called "Tour of the famous mountains". First we climb a few more meters in altitude until we reach the Baita Segantini alpine hut at 2,200 meters above sea level with its great views (not to be confused with the Segantini hut in the Upper Engadine, by the way). Under a cloudless sky, here you can admire the rock faces of the Pala Group (Pale di San Martino) in all their glory - one of the most breathtaking mountains in the Dolomites and only recently included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Dolomites.

Through the magnificent Val Venegia, in the Paneveggio - Pale di San Martino Nature Park, accompanied by the whistling of marmots, we descend in wide loops to Paneveggio. Here it is worth visiting the enchanting violin forest, whose hazel spruces were discovered early on for violin making, including by Antonio Stradivari. Here the bike shuttle picks us up, otherwise there would still be a climb back to Passo Rolle. Our guide is Maurizio Paladin, who with his family runs the Hotel Paladin, an extremely friendly bike hotel in San Mar-tino di Castrozza. As a biologist, he knows the flora of the mountains and teaches mountain bikers not only tricks on the bike, but also respect for nature. The "Tour of the Famous Mountains" is usually ridden in the opposite direction, starting in Val Venegia. When here in the sunshine the Pala Group presents itself as if in 180-degree cinema, you know why many call the Val Venegia the most beautiful Dolomite valley.