The new trend of "glampsport" attracts people to combine active holidays with luxury. You can try it with a bike in the Italian Dolomites
Taste the Dolomites
Travel in Italy can take many forms. While the south impresses with the stretching beaches of Calabria, Tuscany or Piedmont bets on its rich historical and cultural heritage, in the north the majestic Dolomites act as a magnet. In winter they are the traditional destination of skiers and in summer they are replaced by cyclists. For their convenience, countless routes of varying difficulty have been created here, which are definitely worth exploring. Freerides, road specials and electric bikes have found a rare symbiosis in the Dolomites, and although their paths almost never cross, their owners usually have similar goals. Let's call them après-cycling. In the last five years, South Tyrol's restaurants have become a model for many others around the world with their approach to sustainability, seasonality and regionality. The Michelin Guide's commissioners have awarded 19 of them their stars.
A guarantee of adrenaline
It's not just mountain bikes, but also the enormous rise in popularity of their electric rivals that has kept South Tyrol's Kronplatz alive in summer. While sports cyclists can ride their road bikes around the entire Kronplatz on a marked route on the road and enjoy the ten-kilometre climb to the Passo Furcia saddle, cross-country enthusiasts ride off-road to the very top of the Plan de Corones. Others can reach the same place by cable car and then concentrate on the marked single trails. The Kronplatz Bike Park is dedicated to downhill runs, whether challenging or beginner. It offers sixteen precisely constructed trails and enduro paths, which differ fundamentally in character - some are steep and fast, interspersed with switchbacks and jumps, others have been designed as scenic and technically undemanding. There are also panoramic trails leading to small villages or traditional mountain huts serving local cheese and speck.
In the case of panoramic trips, it is worth using the services of a guide. Experienced cycling guides know the secret photogenic spots of the area, mountain bistros and places to taste the region's fine wines during the trip. Three cable cars lead back to the gigantic Concordia 2000 peace bell from three destinations - Valdaora, San Vigiliodi Marebbe or Riscone, a strategically chosen suburb of greater Bruneck.
Welcome home
Two years ago, a hotel from the established Falkensteiner family opened at the bottom stop of the Kronplatzse cable car. The stylish adults-only hotel is the ideal base for discerning cyclists, as there are bike garages and chargers for e-bikes, which can also be rented at the reception. Architect Matteo Thun is behind the generous design of the hotel under Kronplatz, and has given it a confident look that harmoniously combines wood, coloured velvet, leather and glass. The lively lobby, which is the heart of the hotel, offers quiet corners with seating by the fireplace, as well as open, bright spaces furnished with furniture that will have you secretly looking for the labels indicating the manufacturer, because almost every piece is love at first sight.
Pleasantly minimalist rooms rely on a central theme of mountain views, so terraces are outfitted with lounge furniture, and top-of-the-line suites even offer private panoramic saunas. The spa here, meanwhile, is a chapter unto itself, with two heated outdoor pools and a Finnish sauna tantamount to salvation after a cycling session. Add a massage and the full understanding of the definition of la dolce vita is just a little bit closer.
Cheese from the bunker and Norbert's philosophy
While breakfast and dinner can be highly recommended directly at the hotel's 7Summit restaurant, which focuses on experimental slow food fusing Japanese and Latin American influences with South Tyrolean tradition, it's worth a trip to the top of Plan de Corones for lunch. Alongside the Lumen Museum of Mountain Photography and within sight of Zaha Hadid 's Messner Mountain Museum building, this is home to the sanctuary of flavour, AlpiNN Food Space & Restaurant. The prestigious mountain bistro with unprecedented views of the valley was born under the hands of local legend Norbert Niederkofler, who applies his philosophy of culinary sustainability and maximum possible regionality here.
Taste the mountains as Niederkofler sees them, either through an à la carte selection or through a blind eight-course tasting in which mountain herbs speak alongside fruit, vegetables and fish from local streams or cattle from the wide pastures. The cheeses from specialist Hubert Stockenr, who ages them in a former military bunker set in a natural cave, are completely unique. The wine list of over a hundred items is then an unrivalled demonstration of the potential of local production. Taste the characterful but wonderfully light Sass Rigais Müller Thurgau 2020 from the progressive Manni Nössing.
