The descent is not always the easiest part of a journey. Those used to grinding kilometers on a mountain bike know it: very often after the climb there are hidden the pitfalls of a fast and technical stretch that can really make a difference.
Source: press release
Along the 62,3 km and 2950 meters of altitude difference of the Valsugana Wild Ride Marathon route (30 July 2022), the organizers of the GS Lagorai Bike have hidden many pitfalls, but the long and technical final descent, to reach the inhabited center by swoop by Telve, seems to be the most intriguing. Seven technical and steep kilometers that the athletes will face after more than 50 km of distance and that if there is a small group in the lead could be decisive for the final victory.
The technical novelty of the 2022 route is in fact a dive between the hamlets of Parise and the town of Telve di Sopra before the demanding and short climb of the Fountains close to the arrival banner of Piazza Maggiore. The Trentino biker Martino Fruet, originally from this valley, knows very well the paths of Valsugana Wild Ride and has tested the technical difficulty of the last steep descent.
“We start in the undergrowth with a terrain made treacherous by pine needles and roots and very narrow single tracks. We then proceed on a more flowy wooded part, with some beautiful gullies that can be used as banks, before arriving in the stretch devastated by the Vaia storm, where the road restored for this race widens but the stones are disconnected and speed and slopes increase. . The final stretch is very direct and on cobblestones, concrete and asphalt and there will be very high speeds ”.

The Marathon route includes the departure from Piazza Maggiore in Telve and after a short walkway in the heart of the country, you go up towards the provincial road of Passo Manghen through the cobblestones of the S. Antonio climb with peaks of 20%. From there on you will continue on provincial 31 up to Malga Pozza where you enter the woods that divide the Val Calamento with the Altopiano di Musiera.
Reached Musiera, at Km 18 the Classic (32 Km and 1280 meters of altitude difference) and Marathon routes are divided which proceeds with a single track between high altitude woods and tree-lined pastures passing under the top of Monte Ciste. After various technical passages at high altitude, the first real technical descent begins towards Ponte del Cogno between mule tracks and forest roads before an 8 km climb up to Forcella Mendana, the highest point of the route with its 2.100 m asl between huts and high altitude streams. From the highest point of the route you return to Malga Pozza with a technical descent of 9 km on a dirt road to then tackle the novelty of the 2022 route.
“It is a very demanding path, but full of charm: you immerse yourself in fantastic views, and there is also a lot of space to have fun. The new final descent will give emotions until the end: this year could also be decisive, ”concluded Fruet.
Valsugana Wild Ride, with its two routes, is the perfect synthesis of an event capable of combining a competitive soul with the aim of showing the natural beauty of the area to a wide audience of enthusiasts. With this in mind, alongside the two races, Valsugana Wild Ride will also offer the “Fun & Ride”, a non-competitive ride open to all, to enjoy the territory without haste.
Furthermore, on the Sunday preceding the event (23 July) a food and wine tour will take place for the second time on the classic track of the race, also open to e-Bikes with the MTB instructors of the sports group to guide. A different but always precious opportunity to enjoy glimpses and flavors of a unique territory.
