Mountainbiking in Dolomites

We left the roads and took the trails on our journey around the Dolomites.

The Dolomites are always a great idea. Skiing, hiking, biking, or just exploring this beautiful place on earth, which happened to be only 4 hours away from where we live and I really don’t know why we are not visiting them more often, especially after the last trip we had.

This time it was a time for exploring the Dolomites on bikes. I got an invitation from Ellis who is running a small B&B apartments house in Santa Christina in Val Gardena and happened to be an MTB certified guide.

It didn’t take long from the idea to “Let’s do it!” Our plan was set and the adventure has begun!

The first day it was all about catching the sunrise and spending the rest of the day in Trail Arena Val Gardena park. And the second day we enjoyed the scenery around Sellaronda. Being on a bike two days in a row for more than 10 hours gives mountain biking totally new level of experience.

The best things in life make you sweaty.. and sometimes you even need to compensate your sleeping hours to reach for a better view and a perfect light!

And so it was. Waking up at unhuman hour. The only thing that made me feel optimistic at 4 AM was a look over an e-bike as I just couldn’t imagine paddling up to 2500 m in the middle of the night. It took us around an hour of a pleasant bike ride to reach the top of La Seceda. The only stress about the tour was – will there be enough battery to get on top? 🙂

La Seceda is for sure an amazing place with a perfect picturesque view over the Dolomites at the best possible time of the day – sunrise. We really felt special being there all alone, having this view, this place just for ourselves. Even though clouds covered the sun just a few minutes after the sunrise, the scenery was still amazing.

To make everything even more perfect Ellis organized a breakfast in the hut on the very top of La Seceda.

We got a warm welcome from the owners of Baita Sofie and a cute fluffy Hugo who didn’t care about the early hour and was making us laugh with his energy.

Baita Sofie is not only a perfect place you will enjoy the view over the Dolomites but also a place where you will feel at home, a place where every detail makes sense,  a place which will take your breath away and will make you wanna stay.

After the hardest climb, there comes the best view.. which we couldn’t really enjoy on the way up, as it was still dark, so we took a bit more time on a way down. Making memories, taking selfies, having fun.. this is what’s all about.

The second day of our Dolomites adventure was definitely a “D” day. My dream come true, I’ve managed to cross over another one from my bucket list – Sellaronda by bike.

Sellaronda MTB in other words means 60 km of pure joy while riding down the trails, 440 hm of earning those breathtaking views, and 4000 hm of unforgettable memories!

Doing SellaRonda was something really special and we all need to thank Ellis for the perfect guiding as it was all just a pure pleasure. She knew everything, where to go, where to catch the perfect trails, which lift to take, and most of all, how not to miss the last needed ride on top of the mountain.

Trails are just perfect and rideable we enjoyed every single minute of it (yes, even an uphill was fun). Above Val Gardena, you can find even some more fun at Trail Arena bike park. It’s for sure the best trail park with the best possible view on earth. A beginner or a pro, it’s really worth a visit.

Some important facts which come handy  if you are about visiting the Dolomites:

• We stayed at Kedul Alpine Lodge, where Ellis and Wolly will make you feel at home. You can book a Sellaronda MTB tour by them and if you have any other crazy idea (like sunrise on La Seceda) they will make it real in no time.
• You can of course do Sellaronda on your own, but to be more relaxed and to think just about the riding and where to take that perfect photo, I would really recommend you take a guide!
• A must visit hut while you are wandering around La Seceda: Baita Sofie
• If you need to pick a place you want to spend more time in the Dolomites I would definitely choose Val Gardena valley or Canazei. The first one is also because of Trail Arena Val Gardena park which is a must, while you are visiting the Dolomites.
• The best time for visiting the Dolomites is by the end of June and at the begging of September. Of course all between works as well, but that means you are hitting the high season and it might be you will not enjoy those views and trails almost on your own.