The first spring warmth begins to peep in Valsugana, and with them also the low-altitude paths of the del group Lagorai they are preparing to fill up, as per tradition, with bikers in search of the wildest and most adventurous corners of the Trentino.
Source: VITESSE press release
The great season of the MTB Marathon is also getting ready, with the long route leading to Valsugana Wild Ridethe scheduled appointment Saturday 29 July 2023 among the municipalities of Telve, Telve di Sopra, Torcegno e Carzano, and that this year will also assign the jerseys of Italian Marathon Champion for categories Elite e Master.
The event organized by GS Lagorai Bike will be an important testing ground for the big brands of the Italian Marathon, not only in contention for the tricolor title but also in search of the latest answers in view of the World Championships scheduled in Glasgow just a week later.
With its 61,6 km in length e 2993 meters in altitude, Valsugana Wild Ride is not the longest of the Marathon trials on the calendar, but it is certainly one of the most demanding. The Marathon route starts from Piazza Maggiore in Telve, and after a short walkway in the heart of the town, climbs towards the provincial road of Passo Manghen across the cobblestones of the Sant'Antonio slope, with peaks of 20%. From there on, continue on provincial road 31 up to Malga Pozza, where you enter the woods that divide Val Calamento with the Musiera plateau.
It is precisely in Musiera, at km 18, that the routes divide Classic (32 Km and 1280 meters of altitude) and Marathon, with the latter proceeding with a single track between high-altitude woods and wooded 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 above sea level 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 7 km of the last dive towards Telve, the very technical descent introduced for the first time in the last edition.
Right in the rush finale comes the charming new for the 2023 edition, with a name that says it all: Mexico toboggan. It is an excavated gully, which resembles a toboggan, of approx 900 meters with extreme slopes (up to 33%) and high level of technicality, which could really become a decisive step for those who will be fighting for the tricolor jersey.
"The Toboggan of Mexico is an adrenaline-pumping and very spectacular passage, in a place that was heavily affected by the Vaia storm. The stretch was restored towards the end of 2022, and our work team added steps to allow everyone to pass safely, without however affecting the extreme technicality of the fastest line,He explains Henry of Aquilius, leader of the GS Lagorai Bike organizing team.
But how did you get to Mexico starting from Valsugana? “In reality our grandparents already referred to that place as 'Mexico', because it is an area particularly exposed to the sun, arid and dry. Not many of them had been to Mexico, but they certainly imagined it this way: this name has been handed down over the generations, and with our Valsugana Wild Ride we like to tell even these small fragments of tradition that speak of our people and the reality of a magical and authentic territory,d'Aquilio explained.
Valsugana Wild Ride will be, as per tradition, one of the most anticipated events of the Trentino MTB circuit, but from this year the Trentino event has become part of the calendar of two additional circuits, Rampitek e Triveneto MTB.
Le Registration in Valsugana Wild Ride are open on the portal WinningTime (www.winningtime.it). The registration fee is 45€, including the number and a rich goodie bag, embellished for the first 500 registered also by a Zotta Forest technical jacket.
For more information: www.valsuganawildride.it
