Mountain biking on Lake Garda

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Hallo, ich bin Andy. Seit unserem ersten Besuch im Jahr 2003 haben wir uns in die malerische Landschaft, das reiche kulturelle Erbe und die einzigartige Atmosphäre dieses italienischen Juwels verliebt. Zusammen betreiben wir unseren Blog über den Gardasee, in dem wir unsere Erfahrungen, Reisetipps und persönlichen Geschichten über den Gardasee teilen. Meine Leidenschaften sind das Mountainbiken und das Wandern.

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The Garda Region – An Eldorado for Mountain Bikers

Mountain biking on Lake Garda – The region around Lake Garda is known for its picturesque landscapes and spectacular views of the lake and the surrounding mountains. Lago is an Eldorado for mountain bikers and offers a variety of routes for all abilities. There are numerous well-maintained mountain bike trails that run through the hills and forests, providing the perfect opportunity to explore nature and enjoy the fresh air.

We travel a lot in the Tremosine area or in the northern part of the Lagos. Here are highlights such as the Tremalzo, the Passo Nota, the Ponale to Lake Ledro, Monte Altissimo and much more. Also the new and spectacular bike path from Limone towards Riva del Garda is located in the western part of the Lagos. Lake Garda is also very popular as a destination for an Alpine cross. I did an alpine cross from Garmisch to Lake Garda with my buddies, which was spectacular.

Whether you are an experienced mountain biker or just want to enjoy nature, Lake Garda has something for everyone. So don’t forget to bring your mountain bike when you visit Lake Garda.

Mountain biking on Lake Garda - With the Biobike towards Tremalzo

MTB rental Lake Garda

Of course you also have the possibility to rent a mountain bike. We have already rented a few times E-MTB’s at Skyclimber, especially when we were only on a short vacation and did not want to take our own bikes. Skyclimber is located in Vesio, this place is very suitable as a starting point for MTB tours to Passo Nota or Tremalzo.

E-MTB or “Biobike”?

We are not fitness fanatics, nor are we bike professionals. Of course, sometimes the ambition still grips me to force the Tremalzo with muscle power. From Vesio it is 1300 meters of altitude with 15 to 16% slope. That’s quite a number when you’re not at full juice. Käthe supports me very much in my training sessions. It travels with electric assistance.

Especially at different performance levels, it makes absolute sense if a partner rides with assistance. So it’s fun for both to drive and quite honestly, you have to pedal even with the E-MTB….Meanwhile, I myself drive electric from time to time, especially when I’m preparing for the season or just don’t want to torture myself too much.

Unfortunately, there are still a few incorrigible mountain bikers who think an e-bike is “like moped foan”. Apparently these guys have never sat on an E-MTB or have you ever seen an E-MTB with a throttle grip? Oh and you also have to enter if you want to move forward ;-). I have never had to do THAT with a moped.

Mountain biking on Lake Garda should be one thing above all: fun. It really doesn’t matter whether you drive with your own muscle power or use electric assistance.

Mountain biking on Lake Garda – Is the region suitable for beginners?

You must not forget: Especially the northern Lake Garda region is characterized by high mountains with an altitude of over 2000 meters. You are in alpine terrain, which also involves certain dangers. There are some tours that are also suitable for beginners, especially in the area around Arco, Dro, etc.. A nice tour that is not too difficult is for example the Marocche di Dro. Or also the Giro di Tremosine or one or the other route around Lake Ledro is suitable for mountain bike beginners.

I advise beginners not to deal directly with tours like Tremalzo, Altissimo, Passo Rochetta or the routes in the Monte Baldo mountains. Even if the altitude meters with the E-MTB are usually easy to master, the descent often has it in itself. As a beginner, you often underestimate the steepness of the descents and serious falls occur again and again.

Alpine terrain on Lake Garda for MTB descents

Mountain biking on Lake Garda – Our book recommendation

We have followed some tours of Andreas Albrecht’s GPS bike guide. The tours are well described there and the GPS data can be downloaded. Whether the book contains the best MTB tours on Lake Garda, I can not judge, but the Albrecht Tour Guide covers a lot and we would not want to miss this guide as a basis for planning.

Since 2021 there are the books in a new edition, we have already ordered the first two and will retrace from it one or the other tour…