The 2,052 m high Passo Stalle is the highest point, but not the only highlight of this challenging cycling tour between Italy and Austria
Image gallery: Passo Stalle round tour
Early in the morning we start our tour in San Candido (1,176 m a.s.l.). It is quite cool, slowly the befogged valley clears up and we cycle down along the Pusterbike Cycle Path towards Valdaora, where we turn off into the Anterselva valley at the village of Rasun di Sotto. On a well-groomed gravelled route we continue towards the head of the valley. We cycle to Anterselva di Mezzo and take the asphalted state road towards Passo Stalle, the road becomes much steeper when we leave behind the villages and approach the mountain pass. Where the meadows turn into needle forests, there is the biathlon centre of Anterselva and also its beautiful mountain lake, Lake Anterselva (1,642 m), reflecting the Vedrette di Ries mountain range.
And this is where actually the ascent to the mountain pass starts. As this road is very narrow, motorised vehicles are permitted to drive every quarter of an hour. We cycle up in zigzag, the view is getting more and more impressive and finally we reach Passo Stalle. Ciao Italia, hello Austria! We cycle past Lake Obersee (2,016 m) and through an alpine pasture landscape. It is noon and so we stop at the Staller mountain hut for having lunch. With a full stomach we drive down much faster, and soon we reach the villages of the Defereggental valley. Villages with traditional wooden constructions and an intact natural landscape pass by. Or better, we pass by...
At Huben we continue down to the Iseltal valley. This is where we take a cycle track that leads to Lienz in East Tyrol. The main place of East Tyrol would deserve a longer stay, but time passes so fast and we need to go back home. Therefore we take the train with bike transport service of the Austrian Railway, and so we finally reach the station of San Candido.
Although we classify this tour as only moderately difficult, it should not be underestimated due to its length of over 100 km!
Author: AT
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- Starting point:
- San Candido
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- Time required:
- 07:00 h
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- Track length:
- 102,5 km
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- Altitude:
- from 674 m to 2.051 m
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- Altitude difference:
- +1092 m | -1598 m
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- Route:
- San Candido - Rasun - Passo Stalle - Defereggen - Huben - Lienz
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- Destination:
- Lienz
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- Recommended time of year:
- Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
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- Download GPX track:
- Passo Stalle round tour
If you want to do this tour, we suggest you to check the weather and trail conditions in advance and on site before setting out.
