Endurance, endurance, endurance

The many high paths and roads through mountain passes are a haven for racing bikers looking to prove themselves in the mountains. Lying right on the road up to the Mendel-Mendola pass, Kaltern-Caldaro has long been the starting point for one of the classic South Tyrolean cycling tours.

The way up to the Mendel-Mendola pass is quite simple. Coming from the centre of Kaltern-Caldaro, it goes to Oberplanitzing-Pianizza di Sopra, before turning off onto the Mendel-Mendola pass road and just keeps going.The entire stretch demands an ongoing ascent up to an altitude of 1,365 metres – it’s not without good reason that this road has been a stage in the Giro d’Italia race. After about 2 hours’ riding, exhausted cyclists can enjoy fantastic all-round views of the Überetsch-Oltradige and Unterland-Bassa Atesina areas, before setting off down the winding road at a rate of knots.