The Asiago Loop: three days of mountain biking far from it all

July 14th weekend. The idea was to escape for a few days, find a route far from everything, and preferably in mountain bike mode. That's when we stumbled upon the Asiago Loop on bikepacking.com and we didn't hesitate.

The loop was all set: three days, 200 kilometers, 4,800m of elevation gain, and clearly mountain bike-oriented. So we set off with Pianella and Pianella, perfect for the terrain: suspension fork (for Lulu), dropper post, minimal bags. We booked the few available accommodations along the way, and that was it, we were off.

Three days on the Pre-Alps plateau, taking a real, truly big breath of fresh air. And above all, being surprised by the landscapes and the route, which was frankly perfect.

Day 1 / First immersion in the Pre-Alps

The day before, we arrived in Asiago, at a little over 1,000 meters above sea level. The atmosphere of a mid-altitude mountain town: meadows, cows, a bit of freshness at last, and the mountains... In short, exactly what we had come for.

The next morning, we leisurely prepared the bikes, had a cappuccino on the terrace – because breakfast in Italy without a cappuccino doesn't really count – and off we went.

The route quickly takes us out of town before joining a rather playful little mountain bike trail... And then, I thought: "Wow... if it's like this for three days, it's going to be long." But in the end, it was a false alarm. This short section quickly leads us onto a track and, from there, we enter the woods, in the heart of the Asiago high plateau. And we'll barely leave it again.

We'll cross very few roads throughout the route, and no villages either. We're truly alone, between forest tracks and hiking trails. In short, the plateau is ours!

But even without villages, we are never completely cut off from the world. We come across Agriturismo establishments and mountain refuges everywhere, which eventually become our landmarks for the day. To grab a drink, have a coffee, sip an Estathé (an Italian iced tea, even sweeter than I love), eat something delicious: sage butter gnocchi, bigoli with ragù (the true Bolognese), cheese boards from the neighboring meadows... Refill water or simply take a break: Agriturismo are a bit like our oases, always there at the right time. And, believe it or not, they set the rhythm of our days. Because over three days, these small provisions are clearly part of the scenery.

But we're here to ride. For this first day, we cross the Melette massif, more precisely Monte Fior, a mountain at 1,824 m altitude. On a small hiking trail among the tall grasses, we can admire imposing rock formations that, if they could speak, would tell us stories of war, among other things, as we are right in the heart of the battles of the First World War. In fact, we're heading towards the theater of the Battle of Ortigara, but that will be for day 2! We are truly following in the footsteps of history and the past, and we will realize it more and more: forts, shelters, trenches are still there. A sacred place for the Alpini (mountain infantry). But it is also a place where locals protect the environment and of which we are proud guardians.

At the end of the day, we arrive at the Barricata refuge, managed by the Association for Rural Culture, whose goal is to defend and protect the culture, history, and traditions of all those who carry rural culture. What we always say when talking about our getaways in Italy is that the mountains are alive here! Anyway, we arrive not too late, it's quiet, just a few locals. We toast with a beer, wine, and chips, and it feels like we've already been on the road for several days.

Day 2 / Ortigara and a sea of stones

It's 8 AM when we leave the refuge, after a quick breakfast and a small sandwich in our pocket for the road.

We immediately hit the track towards Monte Ortigara. It's a loop within a loop, tracing the bloody battle between the Italian army and Austro-Hungarian troops, over rather hostile and especially dizzying terrain... To discover for yourself.

The trail becomes increasingly loose and narrow, eventually turning into a GR (long-distance hiking trail). We carry our bikes for a short while, but not long, and finally reach the highest point. And there, we are speechless at the view and the ruins. The memorial also reminds us of all those who passed through here.

We stay by the cliff for a moment, then set off again as a storm begins to brew behind us. And it won't leave us all day, quietly following us.

It must be noon, we're starting to get hungry, a bit tired, and we're already eager to find our little oasis. But before that, we need to find the track again: descend steps, walk, bounce, ride... and finally find the intersection we had left an hour earlier.

We still have a good stretch to go, and the suspension fork will definitely be a must to tackle this sea of stones! :)

And then we finally stumble upon our little Agriturismo. Cheese platter, polenta, gnocchi, homemade yogurt... In short, we eat far too much, we feast, and we leave feeling very full.

We gradually leave the mountains behind to return to the pastures. We pass Fort Busa Verle, another military structure planted in the middle of nowhere, which is still a little unsettling. And we just pass through, like that, with our bikes. A page of history that reminds us why we can be here today, pedaling peacefully.

Little by little, we start to descend. We speed up a bit when we hear thunder rumbling above our heads, until we finally put on our rain jackets just before arriving.

In the end, this second day was 80 km, 2 summits, over 10 viewpoints that made us stop, 1 Agriturismo, and a last night in Canove, near Asiago, our starting point. I also learned a new Italian word: lampone (raspberry)!

A good long day, between history, mountains, stones, gastronomy, and a thunderstorm... In short, everything we love!

Day 3 / Strada dei Granatieri and no Granita!

We get back into good habits: breakfast, bike check, and we're off again. This time, it's the last day, a short 60 km day where we clearly take more time to make the pleasure last.

We start with an old railway line converted into a bike path. But be careful, it's not quite what you imagine: we're deep in the woods. It rained all night and everything is still very wet, which feels amazing with the summer heat. Although, in the mountains, it's still more bearable.

We pass under old tunnels. The first is lit, but not the second... a bit scary nonetheless. We'll follow this old network for a good ten kilometers before rejoining the tracks.

And we know we're getting close to the Strada dei Granatieri, a mountain-side trail we'd seen in photos and which had immediately convinced us to go on this tour. We just thought it would come a little earlier... and here we are!

We find ourselves riding on rock slabs, passing through tunnels with very low ceilings and very dark. It's quite a unique experience and sensation. The section is rather short, but largely enough to impress us, between the ledge and the galleries, especially on a bike. But we're not alone. The place is also a true military sanctuary, where some hikers come to make their pilgrimage in the footsteps of the Great War.

After that, the route makes us juggle between small roads and rather clean descending tracks. So we let ourselves glide peacefully.

It must be noon when we pass an inn. The atmosphere is different. Even though we are still in the mountains, we feel that we are getting closer to the town. We eat a plate of pasta, have a coffee, and then we only have 30 km left to get back to the car.

Needless to say, we're going to ride piano piano and enjoy the last few kilometers. And of course, it's impossible to finish without one last ice cream in Asiago.

There you have it, the loop is complete, and we loved it!

For us, Pianella was perfect for fully enjoying all the trails: better traversing, climbing, descending... there's no comparison. The suspension fork also allows for less energy loss and, above all, to perhaps explore even further than with a gravel bike.

Everyone does as they please, of course. But for us, it definitely made us want to do more trips like this. Without necessarily looking for anything too technical, but keeping what we already loved about gravel: that taste for adventure, exploration, and the unknown. And with a mountain bike, you find all that, maybe even a little more.