Hotel Linder***S

This tour through the Puez-Geisler nature park is one of the most impressive mountain bike ventures in the Gardena valley. The panoramic path from the Raschötz mountain cabin as far as the Holy Cross Chapel alone would be worth the almost 1,000m in altitude difference from St. Ulrich. But there is still better to come. In the second half of the tour you pass through inspired trails straight to the foot of the steeply towering Geisler mountain range. There the distinctive Pieralongia rock formation is waiting with scenery for the perfect souvenir photo. A long descent leads back into the Gardena valley, where the fantastic mountain path from Insom via St. Jakob's church as far as the Anna valley completes an unforgettable mountain bike adventure.
There is not a lot of time for warming-up for shortly after the start of the tour at the tourism association in St. Ulrich you will have to start changing down as you will be going uphill only. First of all to the valley station of the Seceda cable car, after this initially on a tarmac road and later on the woodland track with switchbacks that time and again cross the line of the new Raschötz funicular railway. At the last switchback go straight on until you reach the mountain path further up at 150m altitude difference that leads from the mountain station of the Raschötz funicular railway to the Holy Cross Chapel. This finishes the ascent and so you can happily enjoy the fantastic panorama this mountain path offers. Directly opposite the green meadows of the Seiser Alm spread out. Behind them the pointed peaks of the Langkofel tower steeply up into the sky. Further on on the left the well-known Sella mountain range rises up. When the weather is fine you can make out the Marmolada precisely between the white glacier surfaces in the structure of the peak. 
The mountain path only rises gently as far as the idyllically located Holy Cross Chapel to the crossing into the neighbouring Villnöß valley. Here you turn round to enjoy again to the full the view on the trip back to the Raschötz mountain cabin and roll along back on the route known from your ascent to the woodland path that you follow uphill for the last few metres as far as the mountain station of the Raschötz funicular railway. A little later you arrive at the Saltner mountain cabin from where you will have a similarly beautiful view to the one you had earlier on the mountain path. 
The steep descent on the ski piste in the direction of the intermediate station Seceda begins immediately behind the mountain cabin. The cable car takes the bikers and bikes in a short time to the highest point of the tour at 2,450m above sea level. Now the Geisler mountain range seems to be close enough to touch and together with the Mont de Stevia, the Sella mountain range, the Langkofel and Plattkofel forms a real amphitheatre of rocks. 
There now comes the best part of the tour for riding technique experts. A handkerchief-wide trail aims precisely at the peaks of the Geisler mountains, not too narrow and not too steep downhill, but simply fantastic to ride. It ends exactly under the Geisler peaks at the Pieralongia mountain cabin. The rock formation of the same name looks as if a giant had rammed an oversized letter V into the ground. The perfect spot for a prolonged rest. 
You descend a further 800m of altitude difference past the Odles, Regensburg and Sangon mountain cabins until almost to the valley station of Col Raiser. You continue via the remote hamlet of Insom in the direction of Sankt Jakob, still somewhat above and away from the hustle and bustle of the valley. The path becomes ever narrower and provides a lot of fun before reaching the oldest church of the Gardena valley. 
The small church of Sankt Jakob with its distinctive tower, contemplative cemetery and frescoes well worth seeing, has a box seat view of the valley. Bikers enjoy this on the spacious sunbathing lawn near to the church with its sweeping view as far as the Plattkofel, Langkofel and Sella mountain range. 
There follows three kilometres of sheer riding fun on the narrow woodland path leading to the Anna valley. Still in the forest the narrow trails alternate with wide woodland paths, switchbacks and small wooden bridges that make you wish that it could go on for ever. 
Unfortunately, the trails end at the Pauli mountain cabin. It is only a few metres still to the well-tended Annatal mountain cabin, the last stop for refreshments on this tour. Tables in the shade or sun loungers in the sun invite you to take a good, long rest. Or you can cool off your hot feet in the stream behind the sunbathing lawn. After refreshments you can roll along, almost only downhill, past the valley station of the Seceda cable car back to the centre of St. Ulrich.

This tour through the Puez-Geisler nature park is one of the most impressive mountain bike ventures in the Gardena valley. The panoramic path from the Raschötz mountain cabin as far as the Holy Cross Chapel alone would be worth the almost 1,000m in altitude difference from St. Ulrich. But there is still better to come. In the second half of the tour you pass through inspired trails straight to the foot of the steeply towering Geisler mountain range. There the distinctive Pieralongia rock formation is waiting with scenery for the perfect souvenir photo. A long descent leads back into the Gardena valley, where the fantastic mountain path from Insom via St. Jakob's church as far as the Anna valley completes an unforgettable mountain bike adventure. 
There is not a lot of time for warming-up for shortly after the start of the tour at the tourism association in St. Ulrich you will have to start changing down as you will be going uphill only. First of all to the valley station of the Seceda cable car, after this initially on a tarmac road and later on the woodland track with switchbacks that time and again cross the line of the new Raschötz funicular railway. At the last switchback go straight on until you reach the mountain path further up at 150m altitude difference that leads from the mountain station of the Raschötz funicular railway to the Holy Cross Chapel. This finishes the ascent and so you can happily enjoy the fantastic panorama this mountain path offers. Directly opposite the green meadows of the Seiser Alm spread out. Behind them the pointed peaks of the Langkofel tower steeply up into the sky. Further on on the left the well-known Sella mountain range rises up. When the weather is fine you can make out the Marmolada precisely between the white glacier surfaces in the structure of the peak. 
The mountain path only rises gently as far as the idyllically located Holy Cross Chapel to the crossing into the neighbouring Villnöß valley. Here you turn round to enjoy again to the full the view on the trip back to the Raschötz mountain cabin and roll along back on the route known from your ascent to the woodland path that you follow uphill for the last few metres as far as the mountain station of the Raschötz funicular railway. A little later you arrive at the Saltner mountain cabin from where you will have a similarly beautiful view to the one you had earlier on the mountain path. 
The steep descent on the ski piste in the direction of the intermediate station Seceda begins immediately behind the mountain cabin. The cable car takes the bikers and bikes in a short time to the highest point of the tour at 2,450m above sea level. Now the Geisler mountain range seems to be close enough to touch and together with the Mont de Stevia, the Sella mountain range, the Langkofel and Plattkofel forms a real amphitheatre of rocks. 
There now comes the best part of the tour for riding technique experts. A handkerchief-wide trail aims precisely at the peaks of the Geisler mountains, not too narrow and not too steep downhill, but simply fantastic to ride. It ends exactly under the Geisler peaks at the Pieralongia mountain cabin. The rock formation of the same name looks as if a giant had rammed an oversized letter V into the ground. The perfect spot for a prolonged rest. 
You descend a further 800m of altitude difference past the Odles, Regensburg and Sangon mountain cabins until almost to the valley station of Col Raiser. You continue via the remote hamlet of Insom in the direction of Sankt Jakob, still somewhat above and away from the hustle and bustle of the valley. The path becomes ever narrower and provides a lot of fun before reaching the oldest church of the Gardena valley. 
The small church of Sankt Jakob with its distinctive tower, contemplative cemetery and frescoes well worth seeing, has a box seat view of the valley. Bikers enjoy this on the spacious sunbathing lawn near to the church with its sweeping view as far as the Plattkofel, Langkofel and Sella mountain range. 
There follows three kilometres of sheer riding fun on the narrow woodland path leading to the Anna valley. Still in the forest the narrow trails alternate with wide woodland paths, switchbacks and small wooden bridges that make you wish that it could go on for ever. 
Unfortunately, the trails end at the Pauli mountain cabin. It is only a few metres still to the well-tended Annatal mountain cabin, the last stop for refreshments on this tour. Tables in the shade or sun loungers in the sun invite you to take a good, long rest. Or you can cool off your hot feet in the stream behind the sunbathing lawn. After refreshments you can roll along, almost only downhill, past the valley station of the Seceda cable car back to the centre of St. Ulrich.

The name says it all: the Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi, Europe’s largest high pastureland, offers an extensive tour with a magnificent panorama of the Dolomites. While this can be admired from the saddle, it is even more enjoyable from one of the many huts along the way, whose differing characters entice hungry and thirsty cyclists to stop awhile. The tour is physically demanding but it is technically not especially hard and therefore presents no problems for fit bikers. 
From Wolkenstein/Selva you initially take the quiet and beautiful hiking trail along the banks of the Grödner Bach/Rio Gardena to St. Christina/Saint Cristina, where a steep climb of 2 km and 240m of altitude takes you up to Monte Pana, an ideal opportunity to warm up before the coming 20 km, which are mostly uphill. 
At the bottom of the Monte Pana lift, take a gravel road that first climbs then descends into the Jender Valley, the entrance point to the Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi. The tour does not proceed along the direct route to Saltria, but takes a detour around the Wolfsbühel, a rise to the west of the Jender Valley. The beautiful pastureland represents the Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi at its finest. 
The Sanon Hut is the first opportunity for refreshments, with the excellent food a fitting reward for the short extension to the tour (250m to the right at waymarker 42). The next few kilometres offer four more huts – a difficult choice indeed! 
After a short stretch on the road towards Compatsch/Compaccio, you turn off onto a wonderful high-level route with an idyllic view of the Schlern/Sciliar, allowing you to reach the Alpenhotel Panorama (380m from waymarker 50). Although a hotel should not, strictly speaking, form part of a “hut tour”, the short detour is a must as the hotel offers a 360° view not just of the nearby summits such as the Langkofel/Sassolungo, Plattkofel/Sassopiatto, Marmolada, Sella Group, Sas Rigais, the Geisler/Odle peaks, Rosszähne/Denti di Terra Rossa and Schlern/Sciliar with the Santner Spire, but on a clear day you can the Zillertal and Stubaier Alps or even the Ortler/Ortles! 
The climb continues, past the traditional Almrosen Hut and up to the highest point of the tour just before the Mahlknecht Hut. You must decide which of the many huts you will visit: not for nothing is this called the “Hut Tour”. 
A fast descent of some 300m towards Tirler is followed by a climb on a gravel road in the direction of the Zallinger Hut, a real gem: the view from its terrace to the south-east reveals the “flat” face of the Plattkofel/Sassopiatto, lit by the afternoon sun, while to the south-west is the panorama of the Plattkofel/Sassopiatto Hut, Palatsch/Palacia, the Mahlknecht Hut and the Rosszähne/Denti di Terra Rossa. 
The next 12 kilometres are largely downhill in full view of the Plattkofel/Sassopiatto and Langkofel/Sassolungo until, tired but happy, you return to your starting point in Wolkenstein/Selva.

The name says it all: the Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi, Europe’s largest high pastureland, offers an tour with a magnificent panorama of the Dolomites. While this can be admired from the saddle, it is even more enjoyable from one of the many huts along the way, whose differing characters entice hungry and thirsty cyclists to stop awhile. 

This tour is shorter than the originally tour and the tecnical efforts are not too big.

Splendid panoramic trip through the Val Duron, one of the most imposing and uncontaminated valleys in the Dolomites, wedged between Sassopiatto and the Rosengarten group. Excellent fitness is required for this very difficult trail, which includes crossing the Passo Sella from Selva and then the Val Duron from Campitello di Fassa, as far as Mahlknechtjoch. Following this there are two magnificent descents, from the Passo Sella as far as Canazei and from the Passo Molignon to Selva. This is one of the most beautiful excursions in the Dolomites.