Hi All--
Planning a trip to Italy and will be in the Dolomites for 4 days. Staying in Ortisei. Would like to do some mountain biking while we are there. I am a beginner and my boyfriend is intermediate, we are wondering if it would be best to do a mountain biking tour from a local group in the area or if it would be better to just rent bikes and try and explore by ourselves? Do you have any recommendations for tours, rental places, or trails in the area?
Thank you!
You would do better to Google for mountain bike tours for specific towns. Or look in specialized magazines at the big book stores. The mountains are enormous, and you don't want to get in over your heads. They're steeper than most in the U.S.
In winter, skiers will take ski lifts up to the top of the mountains and ski down to a town. Then they'll drink a beer and take a different ski lift to the top of the mountain and ski down to a different town. You can do this all day. Maybe the same trails could be reached by ski lifts--some of which operate all year.
Worse come to worse, rent a car and just enjoy the incredible scenery. Northern Italy and Tirol in Austria are simply breathtaking.
The Alpe di Siusi is a huge very open meadow area with nothing too steep, lots of trails, and accessible by cable car from Ortisei.
We went mountain biking in the Dolomites and loved it!!! We rented bikes in town, Castelrotto. I don't remember what place but I know there were a few options of places to rent from. We rode them from the shop to the bottom of the chair lift in the Alpe di Siusi. There were bike maps and signs with trails. It was absolutely unbelievable. We biked all over that area then followed a map back down into town, its a long ways but we did all this in one day and neither of us are avid mountain bikers although we are fit and love stuff like that. I don't see the need of going on a tour. Everything was marked and laid out really well and plenty of places to eat up there too- its pretty crazy. You feel like your out in the middle of nowhere but you'll come across restaurants and pubs. .. Plus if you have questions there was always someone around to ask.
Just rent the bikes and explore by yourselves. You can bike in the valley or take the lifts up the mountain. You will love Ortisei!
We have biked in the Dolomites on road bikes. Road the loop called Gruppa di Sella. The Dolomites have a long distance trail ride that entries utilized mountain bikes. Search for this ride. Search for Alps di Siusi, there will be a winter and summer site with information regarding biking and hiking. As you drive the narrow road going east from Ortisei in the valley Gardena you get deeper into the Dolomites. The Dolomites are road cyclists heaven, the Giro de Italia goes through here every year, many professional live in the area. There have been 1-2 professional mountain bikers from the area. Both male and female. There is a paved bike path through Bolzano which could take you all the way to Munich.
Thank you everyone! This is all very helpful information! I think we will just go for it and rent bikes and ride by ourselves :)
