The Dolomites, Italy: Europe's best mountain biking

With some courage, a lot of leg-power, and encouragement from an enthusiastic Italian guide, Greg Dickinson finds some of Europe's best mountain biking in the Dolomites, Italy.

“Do you suffer from vertigo?” Paolo asks seriously, but it's hard to take him seriously in his colorful yellow and pink sunhat.

I tell him I'm okay with heights and can't help but ask why. He hops on his mountain bike and pedals ahead, waiting a few seconds before calling back, “It’s a surprise!"

Cortina d'Ampezzo: Base for Biking in the Dolomites, Italy

I met up with mountain expert Paolo in Cortina d’Ampezzo, a couple of hours north of Venice by coach. In the winter, skiers and snowboarders flock to this glamorous resort town – known for the epic Bond ski chase in For Your Eyes Only or for hosting the 1956 Winter Olympics, depending on who you ask.

For the rest of the year, it’s becoming a popular base for mountain and road biking in the UNESCO-protected Dolomites. There are several “bike hotels” in town, like Hotel Villa Argentina, offering storage, maintenance, and massage therapy for cyclists.

Day one: high adventure

My two-day adventure began with some unexpected news: many of the area’s cable cars and chairlifts, which cyclists use in the summer, had closed a week earlier than planned due to an unusually rainy season.

Paolo shared this news with a good-humored shrug while focusing on a map to figure out a new route. The morning was overcast, but sometimes the clouds would part, revealing a towering mountaintop, much higher than I expected. I wondered what I had gotten myself into.

On my bike, the early hours along forest roads were tough on my knees, but as we climbed higher, I found Paolo’s carefree attitude as uplifting as the regular espresso breaks we took.

I wasn’t the only one impressed by him. Every driver that passed us honked and shouted “Ciao, Paolino!” He was on friendly terms with the owners of all the mountain rifugios (mountain refuges) and even got a high five from a passing jogger.

I soon benefited from his popularity when a man named Fausto invited us off our bikes and into his falconry headquarters.

We caught him between his 11am and 3pm displays, and I was grateful to rest my legs for 20 minutes as we watched him send birds of prey soaring into the deep pine valley.

We were soon back on the road, and after climbing over 1000 meters, the mountain biking finally began.

For the first single track run, I was sitting down, with all four fingers clutching the brakes as I dodged football-sized boulders and nearly flew over the handlebars when I forgot that the front and back brakes were on opposite sides here.

Paolo noticed my poor technique and gave me a quick lesson on how to avoid that: stand with arms outstretched when going downhill; keep pedals level; use only one finger on the brakes; maneuver the saddle with thighs for extra control; and most importantly, stop being such a wimp.

The results were immediate. I couldn’t descend as fast as Paolo, who let out a high-pitched “WOOP!” as he flew down the path, but I quickly gained confidence and speed. The experience felt more like skiing over moguls than riding a bike.

Of course, the Dolomites are more famous for winter sports than almost anything else. So if you prefer snow over speed, visit in the colder months and try a snowshoe tour of the Dolomites from Cortina.

Mountain biking with expert guides is a must in the Dolomites

After a few more muscle-rattling hours, the light began to fade, and we called it a day, taking a chairlift up to Rifugio Scoiattoli. The kitchen there prepared a divine three-course meal, including the local specialty casunziei ampezzani (beetroot ravioli with butter, parmesan, and poppy seeds).

Exhausted, I drank a few home-brewed grappas before heading to my dorm, still wondering what Paolo’s promised vertigo surprise would involve.

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Dawn in the Dolomites

I wake up at 5am, feeling a bit disoriented from sleeping at high altitude. I step outside the refuge and see about a dozen people bundled up in scarves and woolly hats, with their tripods ready.

The sun rises behind the nearby Cinque Torri, a series of finger-like dolomia towers. It paints a warm pink on the peaks above us and reveals a blanket of clouds far below.

Marmots, common in the Dolomites, start shrieking and whistling from their hidden caves as they wake up to the dawn. I head inside to put on my cycling gear.

Day two: fast downhill trails

Today, I get to enjoy a series of fast downhill trails without having to climb up. Paolo knows these mountains well, but he also improvises a lot in his guidance.

He leads us across bumpy fields, over fast-flowing streams, and down muddy tracks. At one point, we come across a huge ravine caused by a landslide thirty years ago. We carry our 13-kilogram bikes on our shoulders as we scramble down and up the other side.

The vertigo challenge, at last

After a few hours of regular riding, we park our bikes and walk towards the edge of a cliff. I see a narrow path wrapping around to the left, sometimes no wider than a meter.

The path has only a thin wire rope to protect walkers from a 100m drop. I realize this is the vertiginous challenge I've been waiting for over the past two days.

We start along the path. Paolo is much calmer than me, casually running a finger along the rope that I'm gripping with both hands. He later tells me that you're not supposed to walk this path without a carabiner and safety harness.

A steady rumble comes from around the corner, and I grin because I know what's coming. The rope gets slippery, and a cloud of water bursts into my face.

We shimmy behind a hidden waterfall that Paolo had kept a surprise. The water droplets cool my overheated body. As I look out through the cascade, my view is blurred like a half-tuned television. I tell myself that it's two days of high-energy mountain biking in the Dolomites, not vertigo, that's making my legs tremble.

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