From Bad Hindelang to Riva del Garda through the Ötz Valley, over the Timmelsjoch, the Niger Pass and along Lake Molveno

Stage 1: From Bad Hindelang over the Fernpass to Roppen

We cycle from the guest information Bad Hindelang uphill to the right into the village, follow the Poststraße until we reach the Marktstraße and turn right into it. After about 100 m we reach the Jochstraße and continue on this road until we reach the Bundesstraße. After about 300 m on the same road we turn left onto the asphalt road in the direction of "Oberjoch/over alte Jochstraße". We now reach the B308 underpass and after 100 m we turn left uphill in direction "Hirschalpe/Oberjoch". From now on we follow the signs "Alte Jochstraße" and "Ochsenalpe" to Oberjoch. When we arrive in the village, we cycle uphill to the right at the village fountain near the Alpgasthof Löwen, past the Sparkasse bank in the direction of "Oberjoch/Schattwald". The path leads us past the valley station of the Islerbahn, the campsite, the Wiedhaglift and the Grenzwieslift in the direction of "Schattwald". From now on we follow the signs in direction "Tannheim". In Tannheim we orientate towards the Haldensee and circle the lake to the right until Nesselwängle. We first drive on a gravel road parallel to the federal road, cross it after about 2.5 km and then continue on asphalt, pass Gaicht, cross the road again and continue on gravel to Weißenbach am Lech. We now orientate ourselves towards Rieden, turn right just before the village and now drive uphill into the forest. We follow the road to the Rotlechstausee, pass the left bank and soon reach the village of Rinnen. Here we take the main road towards Berwang and continue on gravel paths to Bichlbach. We now drive towards the animal and play park, cross the railroad line and follow the railroad tracks on a gravel path first to Lähn and later on to Lermoos. On the Loisachweg we reach Ehrwald, turn right onto the Kirweg, reach the main road and turn right. At the traffic circle at the end of Ehrwald we cycle left uphill, keep right at the following fork and cycle uphill on a forest and meadow path. At the next fork in the road we keep right again in the direction of Biberwier. We ignore the following two forks and then turn left towards "Weissensee, Mittersee". The road soon turns into a gravel path, we turn left towards the Fernpass lakes and leave the gravel path immediately, now we continue on a forest and meadow path towards the Fernpass lakes. Soon we reach the road, but before that we turn left onto a forest and meadow path and keep left at the next path junction. After reaching the Fernpass road, our route turns into a gravel path and we follow this until we reach the Fernpass road, turn right for about 60 m and leave it again on a gravel path. On the cycle path we keep sharp left at first and turn left again after about 350 m in the direction of "Nessereith, Fernstein". The path soon turns into a wonderful path before we reach the campground and continue on asphalt. We soon reach the main road, cross it and continue on a gravel path parallel to the road to St. Wendelin. Here we take the road to Nassereith and follow it through the village. At the height of the heliport we drive straight towards Strad, turn right at the next crossing and drive under the highway bridge and follow the cycle path to the left at the next crossing. At the gravel plant, we turn right onto a gravel path in the direction of Strad. In the village we follow the turnoff towards the medicinal spring. In the right bend before the bridge we leave the asphalt road and change to a forest and meadow path in the direction of Imst. At the coming brook bridge we reach an asphalt path and follow it in the direction of Karrösten. At the next crossing we turn left and after about 400 m we turn left onto a gravel road which leads us to the village of Karrösten. We soon reach an asphalt bend and roll downhill to the right, turn left at the next junction towards Karres and reach the village. At the next fork we turn left and now we reach the asphalt road which leads us to Roppen. Soon we are rolling towards our stage destination and are looking for accommodation.

Stage 2: From Roppen via Timmelsjoch to Rabenstein

From the train station in Roppen we drive in the direction of the post office, turn left in front of the building and now orientate towards the church. We continue on the asphalt road to Sautens. In Sautens, we turn left twice, cycle through the village, turn towards Oetz and follow the river to the village. In Oetz we turn right onto the Ötztaler MTB-Trail. After about 1.6 km we leave the gravel road in a right-hand bend and follow the MTB signpost in the direction of Seejöchl, then keep in the direction of "Habichen" and get on the road which soon joins the main road. We turn right, leave the road in the second serpentine and cycle along the gravel road to the bridge. We cross the bridge and reach an asphalt road on which we turn right. At the school we turn left, reach the main road, turn left until we reach the bridge, cross it and continue in the direction of Umhausen. At the next T-junction we turn left and then immediately right again and reach the village of Lehn on the gravel road. Soon we reach the main road, turn left and leave the road to the right at the level of the sports field. Now we cross the bridge and turn left on the asphalt road, which shortly afterwards turns into a gravel road. Now we orientate towards Köfels and follow the course of the river. At the next bridge we keep to the right and follow the asphalt road uphill. After the second bend we soon reach a gravel branch, cycle to the left and turn right at the next branch. After about 1.6 km we turn left downhill on a forest and meadow path and reach a gravel road, where we turn left. We roll downhill in several hairpin bends, keep right at the next T-junction and soon reach an asphalt road, which we follow in the direction of Längenfeld. We pass through the villages of Unterried, Oberried and arrive at Längenfeld. At the end of the village we follow the MTB signposts. Behind Huben we reach the main road, ride along it for a little while before we turn left onto the path running parallel to the road. Soon the trail turns into a gravel path, we cycle past the gravel plant and finally reach the main road. We cycle along the trail to the right of the road and then follow the MTB signs uphill on the asphalt road to the left. In the second left-hand bend we leave the asphalt road and cycle on a gravel road towards Sölden. Before Kaisers we get asphalt again under the studded tires and ride to the famous ski resort Sölden. In Sölden we cross the bridge, get on the main road and turn left first to Zwieselstein. We now stay on the road in the direction of Timmelsjoch. After a long, hard climb on the highest paved pass road in Austria, we finally reach the 2509 m high Timmelsjoch. Up here, we deserve an extensive rest before we start our descent. The never-ending asphalt downhill through several hairpin bends is a real test for the braking systems of our bikes. At an altitude of 1716 m at the turn-off to Timmelsalm in Schneeberg we slowly prepare to leave the pass road. About 700 m after the turn-off we turn right onto a meadow path in the direction of Rabenstein. The trail is not necessarily ridable, but soon turns into a gravel path that leads us to Rabenstein, our stage destination.

Stage 3: From Rabenstein via the Schneebergscharte to Sterzing

We descend from Rabenstein, cross the bridge and cycle along the river until we reach the Timmelsjochstraße. Here we cycle uphill to the left until after about 3.4 km we turn right onto a gravel road in the direction of St. Martin am Schneeberg. After a strenuous ascent we reach St. Martin and continue straight ahead on a trail in the direction of "Schneebergscharte, Poschhütte". Soon the trail forces us off our bikes and we cover the way to the "Scharte" on foot. From the Schneebergscharte on the trail goes downhill. In some places it is advisable for inexperienced bikers to get off their bikes. For trail-experienced bikers the trail is a real dream. On a wonderful alpine meadow path we finally reach the Moarerbergalm. We now cycle down the Lazacher Valley on gravel and reach the Riednaun mining museum. Here we turn right onto the road to Riednaun. We stay on the road through the Riednaun valley until we reach the village of Mareit. Here we cross the river at the castle and continue on the asphalt road to the left of the river towards Sterzing. At the bridge just before Vipiteno, our route joins the main road, we pass under the freeway bridge, pass the traffic circle and then turn left into the center of Vipiteno. After finding accommodation our stage ends.

Stage 4: From Sterzing via Brixen to Ortisei

We start our day tour at the Zwölferturm, take the familiar route out of town to the highway bridge. After the bridge we turn left and drive towards Pruno (Elzenbaum). We turn off the main road into the town, turn right at the inn in the direction of Penserjoch and shortly after turn left in the direction of Stilfes. The asphalt road later becomes a gravel road and leads us to Stilfes. In the village we orientate towards "Pfulters, Franzenfeste", turn left in Niederried and arrive at Pfulters. From Pfulters we continue on a gravel road, which after about 2 km turns into an asphalt road. To Franzenfeste we now cycle to the right of the railroad line, cycle through the railroad underpass in the village, get on the main road and turn right here. After a good 1.5 km we turn left in the direction of Aicha. We ignore the turn-off at the sports field, follow the road and just before the main road we turn left towards the composting plant, then we cycle through the underpass and follow the main road to the right. At the composting plant we get onto a path which we follow in the direction of "Piggertal, Neustift". Soon we reach a gravel road, turn right and get asphalt under the tires at the bridge. We continue straight ahead in the direction of "Eisackweg, Neustift". In Neustift we now follow the signs Br. 16 in the direction of Brixen. On the Neustifter Weg we reach Bressanone, turn right over the bridge and then follow the cycle path along the Eisack. Now we orientate ourselves towards the old town, where we drive to the cathedral square. We pass the Cathedral Square, turn left into Brunogasse, then right into Hartwiggasse and then turn into Via ponte Widmann. Before the bridge we turn right onto the cycle path on the right side of the river. After a good 3 km we cross the river and cycle along the left bank. At the level crossing we reach a road that leads us to Albeins. We pass through the village and at its end continue straight on a gravel road. After about 6 km we reach the Schmiedhof, continue straight ahead, now on asphalt. After another 3.5 km the gravel road turns into a road which we follow uphill to the right. Soon the road turns into a driveway and we drive in the direction of Villnöss. After about 1 km we turn sharp left onto a gravel road in the direction of St. Peter, St. Magdalena. At the next farm we turn left onto asphalt and cycle to the church. At the church we descend on a forest and meadow path, reach a gravel path and ride up to St. Magdalena. We roll down to the T-junction and turn left uphill. We immediately leave the road again in the direction of St. Johann, Gschnagenhardt Alm". The gravel road begins at the next parking lot. On our further ascent, we now orientate ourselves steadily towards "Gschnagenhardt" until we reach the alp of the same name. The place invites you to stay and we gather new strength for the upcoming trail descent. We cross the alpine meadow, reach the Adolf Munkel Weg, where we turn right and finally finish the downhill after almost 1 km. Now we have to push the bike for about 2 km and walk the trail, we orientate towards Brogles and finally reach the Brogles hut. Here we cycle on gravel in the direction of "Raschötz, Sankt Ulrich". Soon a never-ending downhill gravel road begins down to Ortisei. At about 1600 m our path is paved, we soon reach a road, on which we turn sharp right. We finally roll into Ortisei on the Cuca street and look for our accommodation for the night.

Stage 5: From Ortisei over the Niger Pass to Obereggen

We start our tour in the pedestrian zone of Ortisei and orientate towards the Alpe di Siusi. We turn right, cross the main road and then cycle to the left along the river. At the coming bridge we turn left and now we are heading towards "Jender, Seiser Alm". At the fork in the road towards the Hartalm we stay on our way towards the Jendertal and now we continue on a gravel road. Soon we cross a brook, keep left towards Saltria and turn right at the next cable car station. Now we cycle towards Compatsch, steadily uphill. At the Gasthaus Zorzi we take the path marked "4" towards Castelrotto. Soon the meadow path turns into a gravel path, we turn left and behind the hut again follow the signposting "4". Now we reach a road in a bend and we drive downhill, keeping our eyes open for path "4" in the direction of "Castelrotto, Siusi". On the path we now cut the road several times. We soon reach the road again and cycle to the Gstatsch Hot. Here we leave the asphalt road and cycle on trail no. 9 in the direction of Bad Ratzes. The trail forces us off the bike for about 100 m shortly before it ends, until we reach the gravel road and roll downhill. We soon reach an asphalt road, ride along it for about 800 m and turn left at the Völser Weiher junction. After about 150 m we turn right towards Seis and immediately turn left again onto the trail "3A". Now we orientate ourselves towards Völser Weiher. In front of the Hotel Salegg we reach a gravel road, which we leave again at the next turn-off and continue on a wonderful trail. At the Völser Weiher we first turn right to the restaurant and then cycle further along the pond. Behind the pond we reach a crossroads, we turn left and after about 100 m we take a forest and meadow path towards "Umes 2". Now we follow the signs until we reach the village Umes. Here we follow the signposting 4, drive to the sawmill and then turn right along the stream. We keep now in the direction of "Prösels 6" and turn in the village on the gravel road with the sign "Tschagenkreuz 5,7" At the following junction we turn on a path and keep straight on at the following crossing in the direction of Tiers. At the next crossing we cycle on asphalt to the Schönblick Inn and from now on we follow the signs in the direction of St. Zyprian. We roll down on asphalt and orientate at the chapel towards the Niger Pass. In the village we now follow the signs in the direction of Nigerhütte. Soon we are riding uphill on a trail and then continue on gravel roads towards Niger 1T. At an altitude of 1630 m we cross a forest road, turn left and soon reach the Niger Pass road. We ride up to the pass, but before the pass summit we turn left onto a trail towards "1c Karerpass". We now follow the signs 1C. Later on we turn towards trail 552 and then Karrerpass 552. Finally we reach the Karerpass road, cross the pass and turn left at the turn-off "Bozen, Karersee". At the Gran Hotel Carezza we leave the road and turn onto a dirt road, at the next crossroads we turn sharp right and later on we follow path n. 11. Before the road we turn left onto a path and now we always follow the signs for path n. 8. At the farm we go downhill to the left and now we reach the road that leads us to our stage destination Obereggen.

Stage 6: From Obereggen via Reiterjoch to Mezzocorona

From the main road we turn left onto the asphalt road towards Epircher Laner, pass the Epicher Laner Alm and keep steadily on the path, which soon turns into a gravel road that leads us up to the Reiterjoch. At the yoke we continue straight down to the Zischgalm, where we have the opportunity for a first rest and roll down to Pampeago. Here we get asphalt under the wheels and roll down to Stava. Now we ride along a path between the houses, then we cycle on a gravel path to the left and soon we turn onto a forest and meadow path towards Varena. At the next asphalt road we turn left and at the next crossroads we keep left towards Cavalese. In Cavalese we soon reach the main road, turn right at the traffic circle and then left into Via Val di Ronco. We now head towards Castello, where we continue towards Molina and then cycle on to Predaia. Here we cycle along the edge of the forest to San Lugano. On forest and meadow paths we finally reach Kaltenbrunn. Down into the Adige valley to Montan we take gravel roads with the sign "Montan 3". We drive until shortly before the Lamberthof, follow the signs and finally reach Montan. Here we drive up to the main road, turn left and roll through serpentines down to Auer. In Auer we cross the main road and head towards Tramin. Soon we cross the Adige river and reach the wine village Tramin. Here we orientate towards Söll, drive from Söll towards Altenburg and then turn left uphill towards "Traminer Höhenweg, Zoglerwiese". Now we follow the signs "Zoggler Wiese" until we reach the "Jochweg". Now we drive uphill, soon we get gravel under the tires and after a long ascent we finally reach the Grauner Joch. We recover from the ascent and continue our stage on a beautiful forest path towards the Fennerjoch. After about 1.6 km we turn right onto a trail, descend and soon reach a gravel road. Now we turn right and a little later we follow the signs "530 Rifugio Predaia". The Refugio invites you to stop for a break, we then stay on the main path and later orientate towards Rifugio Sores. We soon reach the road, leave it after 600 m in a right turn and continue downhill on a gravel path. The road soon joins the main road again, and after a few meters we leave the road and turn left onto a trail towards Vervo. After 0.5 km asphalt begins, at the next T-junction we turn left and just before Vervo we take a gravel path towards "Picnic Area". We ignore the following junctions, but at the fork in the road at the green barrier we turn left onto an asphalt trail uphill. At the next left-hand bend, we leave the road, pass a barrier and continue along beautiful forest paths. At the junction with a bend in the road, keep right downhill and soon you will reach an asphalt road that takes you through orchards. Soon you will reach the village of Toss and then Sabino. In Sabino we turn left and follow the next turning to the right towards Denno Cunevo. We cross the village of Denno and leave the road after about 2 km in the direction of "Termon, Campodenno". In Campodenno we orientate towards "Lover, Sporminore". We pass the village Lover and reach Sporminore. At the square we take Via dei Fiori and then follow Via S. Bartolomeo. We pass through the orchards and soon reach Spormaggiore, where we find our accommodation and finish the stage.

Etappe 7: Von Spormaggiore über den Lago di Molveno nach Riva del Garda

Wir starten unsere Tour auf der Via dei Molini, halten uns an der kommenden Gabelung rechts und gelangen auf eine Schotterpiste, nachdem wir die Brücke überquert haben. Nach 2,4 km verlassen wir den Weg nach links in Richtung Selvaplana und folgen nun dem Hauptweg bis nach Andalo. Im Ort halten wir uns an der Gabelung beim Hotel Negresco links, fahren an der nächsten Kreuzung nach rechts und zweigen von der Straße in Richtung „Rifugio Tosa Pedrotti, Rifugio Selvata“ ab. Dann orientieren wir uns in Richtung „Rifugi del Brenta“, erreichen einen Parkplatz und fahren nach links in Richtung Molveno. In Molveno fahren wir rechts auf die Hauptstraße und folgen dieser bis zum Abzweig nach Lido. Dann fahren wir weiter am See entlang, bis wir zur Fahrstraße gelangen. Wir fahren von der Straße ab und nun auf einem Asphaltweg bergauf. Wir folgen dem Hauptweg nun stetig bis Ranzo. Von Ranzo geht es auf Schotterstraßen hinab nach Toblino. In Toblino folgen wir zunächst der Hauptstraße nach rechts und halten uns dann links in Richtung Riva. Am folgenden Kreisverkehr geht es für uns in Richtung Pergolese, dann in Richtung Pietramurata. Wir biegen vom Weg nach Pietramurata auf einen Schotterweg ab. Über Wiesenwege geht es später weiter geradeaus, wir passieren das Energiewerk, erreichen bald eine Fahrstraße, verlassen diese vor dem Ort Dro und fahren weiter durch herrliche Obstplantagen. Wir lassen den Ort Ceniga rechts liegen und erreichen bald Moletta und San Martino. Hier orientieren wir uns nun in Richtung Arco und fahren auf Fahrstraßen über San Giorgio nach Riva del Garda, unserem Etappen- und Gesamtziel.