South Tyrol Trail 2017

Time is unlimited and your only challenge is against yourself!

The group departure is fixed at Malles on 15 th July 2017, and the arrival line is at the Olympia camp site in Dobbiaco.

The South Tyrol Trail is the first completely self-sufficient mountain bike adventure set in South Tyrol. The formula is simple: you enrol, you receive a track to load on GPS, you get on your bike and follow the trail to the end! Each cyclist can go at his own speed, stop where and when he likes to eat and sleep. Some prefer to stop very little and even pedal all night, others like to enjoy the views with their friends, eating in local restaurants and sleeping in comfortable guesthouses; some set out with only a light jacket and sleep briefly on a bench, others are totally equipped, down to a tent. Time is unlimited and your only challenge is against yourself!

Given the success of the first and second year of the event, from 2017 the South Tyrol Trail will be diversified to meet the requests of as many contestants as possible, and splitting the route into three different trails: Extreme, Gravel & Road. The group departure is fixed at Malles on 15th July 2017, and the arrival line is at the Olympia camp site in Dobbiaco. The route passes through the whole of South Tyrol from west to east, from the Ortles to the Dolomites, from the Venosta Valley to the Pusteria Valley. Outwith that date, everyone is at liberty to enrol and set out on individual departures on their preferred dates, as the South Tyrol Trail was designed as a permanent trail. The scenery is breathtaking, and sweeps from the Ortles glacier over the whole of the Dolomite range. You also pass through the main old town centres in the Province.

There are three different trails:

Extreme Trail: 480 km and 12,000 metres of elevation difference. The trail was designed to combine the best parts of the most fun trails and the best views South Tyrol. Whenever it’s no longer possible to follow the trails, we bike over forest tracks immersed in thick woods or along rivers or lakes. Otherwise we proceed along extensive cycling paths or minor roads.

Gravel Trail: 380 km and 6,000 metres of elevation difference. This trail is much smoother than the previous one and follows forest tracks, dirt roads, off-road bike trails and tarred bike trails.

Road Trail: 240 km and 1,800 metres of elevation difference. It runs almost entirely over tarred bike paths, with a few off-road stretches. It is ideal for racing bikes or families with city bikes or e-bikes.

The layout of the trail has been studied to link perfectly to the railway network, whether departing from Malles or returning from Dobbiaco to Bolzano and Malles. For any technical or physical problems, the trail often passes railway stations, where one can quickly reach a major town. Once the adventure is concluded, each participant is asked to send their recorded route together with the GPS to the organization, who will duly check it and send all finishers a Participation Certificate showing the time taken. Guided tours will be available for those who do not have GPS.