MOUNTAIN BIKE IN DOLOMITI – DISCOVER THE CYCLE PATH.
A few miles from Villa Mazzucco there’s the start of the long moutain bike path that go throught the province of Belluno and Bolzano and is called ”La ciclabile delle Dolomiti” (German -Radweg Dolomites ).
In the stretch from Calalzo di Cadore to Cimabanche ( Cortina d’ Ampezzo ) the path is called ” Long road of the Dolomites” , as a result of a project carried out by the Mountain Community Center of Cadore and financed with European plans for cross-border cooperation between Italy and Austria. The original plan also links Calalzo di Cadore and Sappada (BL).
It repeats in part the route of the railway Calalzo di Cadore – Dobbiaco , abandoned in the stretch Cortina d’Ampezzo -Dobbiaco in 1961 and in the stretch Calalzo – Cortina in 1964.
The bike path traces for most of the route the road of the Dolomites railway line , except for some short sections where the line ran parallel to the road (such as from San Vito di Cadore in Zuel ) or near the old train station of Landro , where , in order to avoid two attraversarmenti of the main road, the cycle route deviates slightly from the rail. In recent years some flooding of the rivers near the old train station of Carbonin have changed the route of the railway in that location.
The first part of the route from the station of Calalzo FS ( FD ) to Cortina , is almost entirely paved and partly artificially lit during the night. This part of the path that goes up the Boite Valley , is that with gradients less sensitive, although steadily rising from Calalzo to Cortina. Particularly striking is the stretch that crosses the Oltrechiusa, where you can admire the UNESCO site ” Pelmo – Croda da Lago” , Antelao, Marmarole Sorapiss ( which are a special protection area ) , as well as the Tofane.
The second part of the route , from Cortina d’ Ampezzo to Dobbiaco , is instead characterized by a gravel path wrought in steady climb of 3.5% from Cortina to Cimabanche. From this former railway path descends , at first with a slope of 3.5% then with milder slope towards the former station Dobbiaco FD.
(source: Wikipedia)
