Mary Wilke – pedalnorth

Cycling the Salzburgerland in Austria

Pedalnorth Website — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 21:25:28 +0000

Maria Wilke

Exploring the
Salzburgerland

Bike-packing adventures in Austria

with Maria Wilke

Back in 2021, Maria Wilke took herself off to explore the lakes and mountains of Austria. Here’s her account of the first days adventure, along with a map and GPX file for you to take on the same ride.

Road bike region SalzburgerLand-Salzkammergut

I’m not complaining, but doing something; or, to put it in the original: “Nit jömmera, sondern wos tua.”

The first thought on the first morning of my vacation in beautiful Salzburgerland, while I’m still lying in bed, a cold breeze is blowing around my nose and I can hear the thick raindrops pattering on the roof under our room. Although I generally prefer to avoid getting on my bike in such heavy rain, I was still extremely motivated and drove my best friend Patrick, who accompanied me on this week-long trip, to hurry up.

Our journey through the Salzburgerland, which was supported and organised by Österreich Werbung Deutschland GmbH, started in the road bike region SalzburgerLand-Salzkammergut.

This is in turn divided into 6 individual regions:

– Region Eugendorf – Bergheim – Elixhausen
– Region Dachstein – Salzkammergut
– Region Attersee – Attergau
– Fuschlsee region
– Region Salzburger Seenland
– Region Mondsee – Irrsee

When choosing the right route, I was guided by the countless tour suggestions on the website of the road bike region, where surely every racing cyclist will find the route that suits him or her and his or her demands. I wanted to focus on the deep blue, dreamy lakes of the region surrounded by peaks (of course with the one or other coffee and cake break in one of the countless refreshment stops) and therefore decided on this tour along the Mondsee and Wolfgangsee, whereby we would actually have liked to include the circumnavigation of the Attersee. However, since any weather forecasts promised no weakening of the rain until late afternoon, 80 km should certainly be sufficient.

After an invigorating breakfast at our hotel, which, by the way, is fully geared to the needs of cyclists with a bicycle cellar, washing area, free water and many other amenities, we plunged into the floods. Thanks to the rain, we were almost alone on the small roads and bike paths and could admire the imposing and cloudy peaks and the quiet lakes lying in shades of grey. Mostly flat, but in between with some long climbs to warm up, we rolled through a landscape lying in complete silence. As much as I would have liked sunshine of course, but somehow the sight had its very special charm. The lakes seemed to run out into infinity, while a few swans blended perfectly into the grey tones of the surroundings, boats lay comfortably rocking on their buoys and we had the feeling we were the only ones on the roads that day (in the weather you couldn’t blame anyone if they preferred to stay indoors).

Unfortunately, our coffee break was cancelled because our clothes were soaked through. We would have loved to visit the beautiful spa town of Bad Ischl, including the traditional Ramsauer Café and its coffee house culture, and to enjoy a piece of cake. But as we all know, postponed is not cancelled, the region is made for cyclists, so I will definitely visit the Salzkammergut again (but this time in good weather). Still a bit frozen (despite a warm shower, which we were allowed to enjoy at the hotel), but very satisfied with the first tour of our round trip, we made our way to Fusch in the afternoon, from where it should go up to lofty heights the following day.

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GPX File

Visit Maria’s own website here

Race 24 Kelheim – Fight against mind and fatigue

Pedalnorth Website — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 14:30:19 +0000

Maria Wilke

KELHEIM 24

Maria's website

Race 24 Kelheim – Fight against mind and fatigue

Mary Wilke gives an account of her epic cycle at the Kelheim 24 hour race

I’ve trained long und hard for this day, now it has come: The 24 hours in Kelheim were on my agenda and I was already really excited and motivated for this event since a few weeks and I was ready to give everything my mind and body were able to.

On Friday, Christian, my mum and I were on our 580 km long drive to Kelheim in beautiful Bavaria. We planned to enjoy the amazing village festival the evening before the race to pick-up my race number and to have a nice snack for dinner, but unfortunately the weather was really not on our side. After a sunny day so far, Kelheim welcomed us with a huge cloudburst and we had to cancel our cosy dinner. What a shame, but a good Italian pizza on our way to the hotel was great as well and so we were ready for a last relaxing night before the big race.

Race Day

Raceday! All of us were full of anticipation during our relaxing breakfast. Unfortunately I had quite an uneasy night and tried to repress my fatigue with a few cups of coffee. One last time we’ve gone through the plan and tactic for the coming hours („Don’t allow me to take too long breaks!“) and soon we were on our way to check out the camp of Racing Team – WINAX food artists, who kindly allowed us to join them and to use all the conveniences there – A huge thanks for that! After arriving we were really impressed about the possibilities there, because an entire buffet plus kitchen plant was already installed and everything, a cyclist and his tummy dreams about, was available! Thus my well-being concerning food was ensured

Soon everything was prepared and my clothes had been assorted by the different periods of the race. As a precautionary measure, Christian has taped my lower back and my knees, after the other long distance races I knew my physical weak points. The bike was prepared and cleaned, the first few bottles were filled, now there was no return! Even the space behind the starting line became increasingly full and so I joined some well-known faces there until the starting signal finally sounded!

The 24 hours has started and the legs were simply perfect! So I could manage the hill loosely-light and the atmosphere along the track was fantastic as usual. Everywhere were cheering spectators and along the ascent up to „Col de Stausacker“ we could see the annual party-hotspots and loud music rumbled out of the speakers. I got a good group on top of the ascent and so we were flying with high-speed direction finishing area. But of course it was only allowed for the relay riders to cross the finish line. I had to do the U-turn before the time measuring mat and in an explosive atmosphere, I rumbled over the cobbles through the gigantic party tent to start my next lap.

And so it went on. I drove the following laps together with Marie Westphal from Racing Team – WINAX food artists with even lap times of 30 to 33 minutes. At every lap I reliably got my food package. The first break was planned for the start into the night at 21 pm to eat a small warm snack, to enjoy a relaxing massage for my legs and to put on some warmer clothes for the coming night. At this break I also had my first quick pee-break and after 16 minutes, I was already back on my bike which has been prepared for the night.

Marie’s break was shorter than mine, but that suited me fine. I have noticed that I’ve put myself under pressure to keep the pace and her rear wheel, so I was happy now that I could choose my own feel-good pace. I’ve resolved to go through the night without a break and to wait for the sunrise. But this night was really cold even from the beginning, during the descents I was trembling despite my long sleeve jersey and wind jacket. Moreover, I had great problems to keep myself motivated. Only the big party along the ascent cheered me up again and again and with still good legs I climbed that hill to the beat of the music. The night was long…Really long. The coldness was terrible and crawled through all layers of clothing. I tried to eat regularly even though I was absolutely not hungry to maintain my physical power and to catch a good group every time I am crossing the top of that hill for the long and straight way back to start the next lap. The lap times slowed to 38 to 42 minutes, nevertheless I had great legs and only at 01:30 am I needed to shift to my 32 sprocket. However I wanted nothing more than the dawn to come.

The coldness was omnipresent and also the persistent party-people on the hill were slowly stumbling down. But sometime, this night was finally over too. At 05:30 am and after a breath-taking and wonderful sunrise I was ready for my second break and I was really looking forward for it. I got some warm semolina and an espresso and Christian tried to massage my legs, but every touch was a torture. Another quick pee-break, new warm clothes and 19 minutes later, this break was already over too.

Mind Games

My mind became the biggest problem, at least there were still 7 hours to go and my motivation left much to be desired. Moreover it was the first time during a 24 hour race, that I had really great problems with intense fatigue and touches of momentary nodding off. I tried to kept myself awake with espresso and energy drink in my bottles, took off my glasses to have some wind in my eyes and wished for nothing more than someone to talk to. And yes, my saviour during this bad time was already around: Carmen, who started that race as an individual rider too but had to quit before the night because of health problems, joined me while I was crossing the other team camps near the finishing area. From this moment on, she was a great help until the end of the race!

So we drove the coming laps and hours together. It was worth it to have someone to talk to, the fight against the fatigue got much more easier and I was so grateful for her slipstream on the long straight back direction Kelheim. At 10 am I had another short stop, because the sun was producing the much-desired heat. Definitely too hot for my long sleeve jersey, so another quick change of clothes, another espresso to refill my caffeine level and then we both started for the final few laps. My fighting spirit was finally back, because I’d already reached my goal to ride one more lap than in the previous year and there were still 4 hours to go! Whether this is a good or a bad thing, but my new goal was to beat the 600 km! 70 more km to go, I think, Carmen was not really happy about my decision

Wohoooo! Finally the time had come when we were on our last lap. We finally did it, what a feeling! One last time riding over these cobbles with hurting wrists and arms because of the hard vibrations, one last time climbing this hill crossing partying and cheering people and then, finally, we were riding this straight without any pressure. Arriving in the party tent we were welcomed by a raving crowd and loud party music and at least we could climb over that trunk where normally the relay riders are finishing their lap. YES – End of the game!

Exhilaration and relief!

What a moment! Once again I couldn’t stop my tears of thankfulness, exhaustion and relief. I saw my mum and Christian and I knew, what these two guys have done during the last hours to made this race possible. This gratitude cannot be put into words. I was received by many good friends, people were celebrating and the whole atmosphere was amazing.

My exhaustion and fatigue were forgotten and I was simply happy to be part of this moment. I reached my goal to finish on the podium, the effort, the fight against the fatigue for hours and the fight against my mind, the curses but also the fun on the track were rewarded with the 3rd place and an unforgettable moment on this legendary podium. I’ve done 605 km and 7.731 m of elevation during a total riding time of 22:20 hours.

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Lap after lap at the 24 hours of Zolder with Maria Wilke

Pedalnorth Website — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:20:24 +0000

Maria Wilke

24 hours of Zolder

Maria's website

Lap after lap at the 24 hours of Zolder

Back in 2018, the quite inspirational German cyclist, Maria Wilke cycled over 700 km in 24 hours, at the epic race event at Zolder. Looking back at this achievement, as we enter 2025, we wanted to re-publish this achievement, in order to inspire others who might be thinking of their won personal challenges. Maria has shown over the years, that women in sport can achieve anything; and, as one of the founding bloggers with our website, it’s a great way to celebrate her return. The following is her own account of this epic ride.

Adventures & Inspiration, with Maria Wilke

Classic situation – You get off your bike and say to yourself: I think, I’ll never do this again. And this is what happened last year after I’ve rode my last lap of the 24 hours on the race track of Zolder/Belgium. Yes, a lot can happen in one year and then happened what should happen: Also in 2018 I was standing at the starting line of the 4 km lap and even felt some anticipation with a view to the forthcoming 24 hours.

But let’s start from the beginning. Unlike last year, Christian, who wants to ride the 24 hours Solo by himself, my mother as the world’s best supporter and I arrived on Saturday morning/race day. The starting signal sounds only at 3 pm so we preferred to sleep in our domestic beds and started the trip to Zolder after a strengthening breakfast at home.

Preparation & Briefing

Fortunately we were allowed to join the camp of our friends of the Milc Cycling Team. I was looking forward to meet Pascal again, who wanted to support me also in this year on the track! After the Briefing, we started our preparations fort he coming hours on the track: Sorting clothes, arrange bottles, powders and food. At least we tried to make it as easy as possible for my mum, because she had to support me AND Christian – I was a bit sorry for her when we told her all of our special wishes and extra orders when, how much, how often, little bit from this with a little bit of that. But I was sure she would manage it

Everything was prepared 3 hours before the start and it was time to put up my feet and relax, to enjoy a portion of milk rice and to mentally prepare ourselves for the 4 km lap. Our plan for this year was to ride non-stop through the night from the beginning – Normally we decided to take a short break before the start of the night at maybe 10 pm, but because of training reasons I want to go through it with a high average pace. I remembered my ride last year when I had to fight against fatigue and performance issues. It seems that the track is nearly flat but it’s still peppered with 3 slight ascents and these ones will get harder and harder after riding them every 6 minutes. In contrast to last year and my 12 hour race here in 2016, we would ride the track in clockwise direction, which meant, that I didn’t even knew how hard these ascents would be in the other direction. But I was sure, time would show us fast than we would like.

Challenging Mind & Body

So we started on time at 2:50 pm for the warm-up lap behind the pace car, to check out the track, the curves and the ascents. Especially at the beginning it’s really rough in the big and really fast group and it’s nice to know, where I would have to ride for the best position. After the participants, who qualified themselves for the pole position (also Christian was riding there) we were allowed to follow 3 minutes after them. The race is on! Because the food zones were directly in a descent and the speed would be very high while crossing, we decided to manage the handover of drinks and food via feeding bags, which are also used in the pro races, because I didn’t dare to grab bottles at a speed of 50 km/h or more!

As planned, Pascal and I stayed in the fast group as long as possible although the speed was really high. I was able to place myself well, tried to stay in the first rows of the group to reduce any potential risk of crashes and my legs felt really good! The only thing I worried about was my stomach. It was protesting, rumbling and bloated and I wasn‘t almost able to drink, much less to eat. After 150 km we had an average speed above 40 km/h and I worried that I would be punished for the sparse food and drink intake. Again and again I forced myself to take a swig out of my bottles but there was definitely no thought of eating.

After 150 km we decided to leave the fast group. The speed was much too high to keep it up for the coming 21 hours that we had to face. Also to avoid more stress for my stomach because of the effort, Pascal and I joined a more easy group and started into the night. Fortunately my stomach calmed down from 9 pm and I could start eating my white bread sandwiches to supply my body with some energy. I preferred them with meat and cheese, my stomach felt more comfortable with it instead of the sweet things like Nutella, honey etc. Surprisingly my legs had their best time during the night. I felt great, no signs of fatigue or something else, and also the temperature was really pleasant. After getting some thin arm warmers at the beginning of the night, I only needed a light wind jacket (more to keep back and neck warm) and some knee warmers (also more to avoid pains in them). Pascal had a great idea and mounted a small music box under his saddle and so our disco express was rolling deeper into the night.

But slowly but surely I suffered because of the very short lap and the monotony. The battery oft he music box was empty, the sky got only slightly brighter and after every lap I saw this clock above the finish line which said, we had still over 10 hours to go. At that time before 5 am we rode nearly 500 km with an average speed of nearly 36 km/h and I urgently needed something to keep myself motivated. Fortunately the sun started to rise, the first sun rays fell through the trees on the road in front of us and finally it was time for our short break in the camp at 6 am. My mum, who was sitting hard as iron, shaking and freezing on her chair next to the track during the damn whole night and waited for some orders (yes, sometimes I wondered if I would need something else so it’s not that boring for her , already prepared some hot semolina with protein powder. It was blessing to get out of the cycling shoes and to move the toes but in general I felt no physical problems – No aching legs, no aching back, knee was good, only my butt said thank you for the monotonous sitting position.

Fighting The Pain

I wrapped myself into a warming blanket, sat down at the table in the camp and actually dozed off several times. That’s when the body comes to rest and the night takes its toll. That was my sign to get up (whereby I could even finish the race, the second woman was already more than 100 laps behind me) and also my mum and Christian, who had to cancel his race by the beginning of the night because of knee pain, pushed me back on the bike. I just ordered a hot vegetable bouillon for the next lap and started alone direction track. Pascal started already a few minutes before me, because he was on the 3rd place of his category and for sure wanted to defend it! For my part I had still problems to keep myself motivated, so I needed a new aim. I wanted to crack the 700 km, what meant to ride 200 km during the next 9 hours.

Easier said than done. Time seemed to stand still lap after lap, the backward-counting clock above the finish line didn’t make it better and so I was just strolling over the course. From time to time I found a group to ride with, sometimes was also possible to go with the big and still really fast group of the team riders but after almost being involved in a crash I decided, that riding on my own or smaller groups would be the safer choice. At around 10 am I sat down next to my mum at the track (needed someone to talk to ), watched the crossing riders and tried to motivate myself for the last 100 km. After I started feeling cold in the strong breeze, I got back on the bike for the kilometers. Also during this race: Sometimes it’s always over and at some point I saw the magic 700 on my cycling computer. Now nothing kept me on the track for another lap – Into the camp, take a warming shower, jump into fresh clothes and relax. Shortly before 3 pm, I returned on the track for a very last lap to enjoy the feeling of crossing the finish line!

And finally the clock was at 00:00, together with Christian I was rolling over the finish line and yes, I was quite happy that it was done. Nevertheless I could look back on strong kilometers, 706,5 km and 3.163 m+ in total. The average speed suffered a bit because of my demotivated time during the last hours, but at least it was at 33,4 km/h after 24 hours. All in all it was a great mental training for the upcoming events like the 24 hours of Zolder or the 1000 km race of the torture. And again I must say, that a great support during races like this is absolutely invaluable – Thousand Kisses to my mum, I am deeply impressed by her perseverance. Riding 24 hours is different to sitting 24 hours at the track, preparing sandwiches, filling bottles and preparing breaks – Such a support is priceless! Also special thanks to Pascal, who gave me best possible protection from the wind during and was my partner in crime for nearly 15 hours in a row and also kisses to Christian, who helped my mum and encouraged me after he had to cancel his own race. You guys are great and I am looking forward to the coming events with all of you!

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Road Cycling In Ticino, Switzerland

Pedalnorth Website — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 17:35:22 +0000

ROAD CYCLING IN TICINO
Time for some classic Alps cycling

VISIT MARYWILKE.COM

Here’s two absolutely amazing routes from Mary Wilke, taking in this beautiful area of the Alps, close to the border between Italy and Switzerland,and with epic views of lakes and mountains. If you’re looking for a great weekend riding in the Alps, then this excursion could be the ideal mini vacation for epic bikes rides.

Checking out the weather forecast for the weekend – Rain, wind and temperatures around 10 degrees from Friday until Sunday, really no sign of spring. But it must be possible, to find some spring somewhere in Europe! He who seeks, will find it, sun and lovely spring temperatures on the south side of the alps! So me and Christian don’t need long time to think about, what to do: We‘ve booked a hotel room and on Friday afternoon, we started our trip to Ticino in Switzerland.

Our trip leads us to the wonderful Lago Maggiore, where I’d already spent some unforgettable days on my bike. A real sunny-weather hotspot with many beautiful climbs in a mediterrean landscape between palms and blooming flora.

After crossing the 18 km long St. Gotthard road tunnel the weather really changed from a grey sky and rain on the north side to blue sky and sunshine on the south side – Jackpot! Just a few more kilometers direction south and we reached our destination Locarno as our starting point for the planned trips.

With good mood and full of anticipation we prepared our bikes, filled your jerseys with some bars and after putting on helmets and shoes, we started our trip – Short-Short while it was getting already warmer and warmer. After a few kilometers the climb up to Malesco started, the peaceful road slightly ascended along the Centovalli with its torrent Melezza. The sun provided us with vitamine D and we can’t get enough of the beauty of the snowcovered summits around us. We’ve crossed the impressive Ponte della Vellascia, the Madonna del Sangue church in Re until we reached the top of Piano di Sali after crossing Malesco.

We enjoyed a great descent through wild nature on small roads along the mountain – Not much space for oncoming traffic so the descending inceased attention. But after all we’ve enjoyed the long and winding ride down to Cannobio. Unfortunately it was not possible to continued our trip as planned because of a hard traffic accident on the road along the lake, which is the only route to Cannero, where our next climb up to Piancavallo should begun.

So we changed our plan, listened to our tummies and decided to take a break by the lake to enjoy some delicious Italian ham and cheese with one or two good coffees and thought about alternatives to continue our cycling day – One climb is definitely not enough! And suddenly I remembered the old Ponte dei Salti in the Valle Verzasca above Locarno, which would be always worth a visit with its great and impressive dam!

No sooner said than done, we continued to exploit the last sunny hours of this great day. And while the sun began to set, we finally reached Lavertezzo and the ancient stone-bridge with its typical two arches under which the crystal clear mountain water flowed through. Also, on Sunday the sun offered us a sunny spring day – We’d planned the ascent up to Alpe di Neggia,thereafter the ascent to Arosio and crossing the Monte Ceneri to get back home to Locarno afterwards.

On our way up to Alpe di Neggia we had to master 12 kilometers with an average gradient of 9,5 %. Again and again we got a breathtaking view down to the lake while passing blooming Magnolia trees and palms. Definitely, spring has already arrived here in the south! With every serpentine, the vegetation changed into a deciduous and coniferous forest, until we even had some snow around us on 1100 m above sea level.

After the descent, there was not much time to relax. Already after some kilometers along the lake, we started the climb in Colmegno up direction Arosio, nearly 28 kilometers, more or less steep road and with every kilometer my legs got heavier and heavier. Christian himself was in best condition while doing one interval after the other, meanwhile I was happy, that I kept on breathing To prevent a imminent bonk, we decided to take a sandwich-break in the midday sun to handle the last meters in altitude.

After a damn steep descent over 23 serpentines down to Greavesano, I was definitely done and tried to fuel-up with good old chocolate bars and coke to survive to last elevation up to Monte Ceneri. But the long, straight and slightly ascending road with strong headwind on it seemed never to end. Fortunately I had someone with me who was still apperently full of energy, so I tried to hide from the wind as good as possible and finally, we arrived on top of that last ascent of this trip.

For sure, such a wonderful weekend needs a fitting way to be rounded off. So we didn’t get stressed by the travelers returning home through the south portal of the St. Gotthard road tunnel and the arising traffic jam and decided to enjoy some Latte Macchiatos to review two amazing days on our bikes. The warm evening sun was still shining onto our faces, the lake in front of us was glistening and the summits of the mountains were illuminated by the last golden light of the day.

Viva la vita

Mary Wilke

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Profiles

Route Information

Route 1: Lucarno & Colmegna Circuit

Stats 122 km 2687 metres

Route 2: Lucarno & Osolla Valley

Stats 123 km 1639 metres

Refreshments & Where to Stay

Lucarno has ample choices for accommodation, as do the nearby lakeside villages. In terms of refreshments, take supplies along with you; there will also be lots of places along each route to refresh you. Al Porto Café Lago Locarno is a good place for coffee and eating after the ride, with views across the lake.

Character

These are both epic mountains days, with lots of climbing and descending. Make sure that your bike is prepped and that you have right kit with you, including tools and tubes. Fitness is key to rides like this in the Alps, and so prepare properly and you’ll be able to enjoy the fantastic scenery more.

Click below for GPX file & accommodation

Download GPX Route 1

Download GPX Route 2

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Colle del Nivolet Cycle Route

Pedalnorth Website — Thu, 14 May 2020 15:31:26 +0000

Colle Del Nivolet Cycle Route
A beautiful road climb in the Italian mountains,with lakes on route to stop at and enjoy the majestic scenes

Cycling the Colle del Nivolet

Road Cycling in Italy

Banner Photo by Heylo Pistazie on Unsplash

Climbing the Colle del Nivolet

A classic Italian road cycling route

The Colle del Nivolet is a great Italian road cycling route and is ideal for a cycling holiday in Italy, with lots of great places to stay, and a great selection of Italian road cycling routes into the mountains to chose from nearby. It’s a simple route to follow, but not simple in terms of toughness. Beautiful views will reward you though, as you pass by Lago di Ceresole and the upper mountain lakes.

Distance and Ascent: 56km and 1928 metres of ascent

Refreshments: Cafe possible at 21km near the lake and a cafe available at the summit.

The Nivolet Pass (Italian: Colle del Nivolet is a mountain pass in the Eastern group of the Graian Alps in northern Italy. It’s located at the top of the Orco Valley, high up on the road from Turin to Ceresole Reale, in the Gran Paradiso National Park. The colle forms part of the boundary between the Aosta Valley and the Piemont region. It’s a beautiful colle, with lakes at the top and on the way there too. This is an isolated mountain climb, soprepare well and take the right kit.

Colle del Nivolet - Route Details

Route

Start from the mountain town of Noasca, where there’s lots of accommodation options. Take a look at our accommodation link at the foot of the page.
The SP460 road climbs for 8.4km until you turn right to the SP50. Follow the SP50 and hairpins begin in earnest at 16km, as trees begin to give way to wild mountains views all around you.
At 20km enjoy the Lago Serru (lake) before continuing on the twisting road upwards, as hairpins twist you onwards, apssing buildings on the left at Agnel at 21.3km,just before reaching Lago Agnel on the left, as the spectacular raised mountain road takes you over the valley beside the waters of the lake.
Eventually, the hairpins and gradient ease and the summit lakes lead you to the mountain refuse and restaurant of the summit. Take some well earned refreshments, get that extra jacket on and then descend with care, stopping at one of the lower mountain villages for coffee on the way down.
There’s a great little cafe on the left at the village of Villa at the 44km point, where you can get a drink and snack to keep you going on the last section.

Mountain descents re tiring, so please take the opportunity for rest breaks.

Click below for GPX files

Colle Del Nivolet GPX

Colle del Nivolet Cue Card

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Lago del Naret Switzerland

Pedalnorth Website — Wed, 20 Feb 2019 11:08:06 +0000

Lago del Naret

Lago del Naret
A short but steep road cycling route in the hidden area of the Italian mountains

Image by Plattens, Wikimedia

Lago del Naret

A Classic Road Cycling Route in the mountains on the border between the Italian Lakes & Mountains and Switzerland. Albeit in Switzerland, we’ve listed this within our Italian mountains section in order to merge it into a trip to Italy, staying in the border ten of Lugano.

Mary Wilke, Germany

A trip I will remember forever – A rollercoaster of emotions and landscapes.

But let me start with the key figures. Lago del Narèt is a reservoir, which is the source of the river Maggia and is located in the northern Italian part of Switzerland (Canton of Ticino) in a height of 2311 m a.s.l.

The climb up to Lago del Narèt is the paved road with the most elevation gain in Switzerland, from start to finish, we had 70,5 kms of climbing with an elevation gain of nearly 2100 m

Distance and ascent: 127 km and 2,482 metres of climbing

Route
Our gpx starts the route in the small town of Giubiasco, north of Lugano, with ample facilities.

1. It was a sunny and warm day, no clouds were seen and the sky was stealth blue. Best conditions for a hard and long but also impressive day on the bike.

Ticino is characterized by it’s souther climate, we were surrounded by palms and the typical smell and handled the first elevation gain through the beauty of Valle Maggia, until the road leads further away from the river and the traffic became less.

2. We crossed one beautiful and small mountain village after another and noticed, how the landscapes turned more and more from a southern climate to a deciduous forest. The real and hard climb starts nearly at kilometre 40 – Serpentine and steep sections characterised the beginning of suffering.

3. At kilometre 58, we crossed the Lago Sambuco, which marks the start of the last but hardest kilometres – The gradient was permanently between 9 and 20 %. Slowly the nature around us turns into a rugged landscape, I was fighting against the painful and screaming legs and slowly hoped, that this torture would be over soon!
4. Finally, the view made us forget all the pain. Deep blue water in a setting of snow covered mountains – No traffic, no tourists, just pure nature around us…There are many few places where you’ll find something like this and we found paradise on 2311m a.s.l.

So the climb up to Lago del Narèt is a real insider tip for those, who are looking for quiet routes, breathtaking landscapes and who are not shying away from a long and hard climb. And where else would you have the chance to challenge a climb through nearly all climate zones, without traffic and on adventurous roads? It’s worth a trip for sure!

Banner image by Uwelino on Creative Commons

Click below for gpx file

Mary Wilke – pedalnorth

Cycling the Salzburgerland in Austria

Bike-packing adventures in Austria

with Maria Wilke

Road bike region SalzburgerLand-Salzkammergut

This is in turn divided into 6 individual regions:

GPX File

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Click below for GPX files

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Lago del Naret Switzerland

Lago del Naret

Lago del Naret

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