Menador

Road Biking
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Duration 2.0 h

Distance 8.2 km

Ascend 900 hm

Descent 108 hm

Max. height 1261 m

Menador - Description

Watching from a distance, the mountainside seems as if wounded, but as you approach it, you discover that in those gashes passes one of the roads most beautiful and representative of the morphology and the history of Trentino.

Directions

  • Start

    Caldonazzo

    The “Strada del Menador” to Passo Vezzena tells a story of hard work and war. Built by the Austrian alpine troops, it is also called "road of the kaiserjaeger". From Caldonazzo in Valsugana, it once led to the fortifications of Lavarone and Vezzena and was strategic in defending the valley and the city of Trento during the Great War. The climb is not particularly long, just over 8 kilometres, but it must be approached with caution. The slope is always above 9% and in some places reaches almost 13%. The ride is challenging right from the start. The forest and the cool air help tackle the effort, but the relief is short-lived. A narrow strip of tarmac twisted close to the white stone ridges, with two short tunnels that call to mind the construction ingenuity of man. The valley below flaunts all its beauty. A break at the Belvedere hairpin turn is a dire necessity. The Lakes of Caldonazzo and Levico with their villages appear as a mosaic of light colours, a favourite tourist destination already at the time of the Danubian Empire. 
    After 8 kilometres and 200 metres you arrive at the top. The road levels and leads to a fork that branches out in different directions. We are in the land of the Cimbrians, a German-speaking island that has survived through the centuries. Your bicycle has met history.

  • end point

    Monterovere

Difficulty

  • Difficulty

    Difficult
  • Fitness

  • Technique

  • Experience

  • Landscape

Recommended season

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