Description

This is the ideal ride for those looking for a scenic - and remarkably peaceful - cruise beneath some beautiful Dolomites peaks.

The riding is never difficult and the trails are quieter than virtually any others in this region. Start in San Vigilio on a tarmac road next to the the Erta ski piste (where the FIS World Cup comes every year) and climb west out of the village, past the foot of the Cianross gondola and under the Pedaga and Piz de Plaies lifts, to reach the tiny hamlet of Sarjei. The road ends at Sarjei and from there you're on jeep tracks as you climb up towards the Col d'Ancona.

The views from the ascent are wonderful, as is the feeling of leaving civilisation behind.

Reach the Col d'Ancona and then make an undulating traverse through quiet woods and across beautiful hillsides then a fast descent down to an amazing river beach in the lower Pederú valley.

The descent down to the beach is wonderful and takes you through some gorgeous, peaceful forests. Once at the river beach take a dip but be prepared for the water being VERY cold! Suitably "refreshed" (to put it politely) cruise back easily to San Vigilio.

If the prospect of peaceful tracks sounds appealing to you but you'd also like a bit of more technical interest, you can do this ride in reverse and descend the fun enduro trail from the Col d'Ancona to San Vigilio.

Obviously this increases the difficulty grade of the trip significantly but for those who want a challenge, it's a great way of getting the bucolic joys of this ride and combining them with some singletrack.