[Closed] Lake Garda

I was out there a few weeks ago, contact Michael cycle, great guy who can arrange guiding, bike hire etc; etc,
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bL0UC5wRR4_2qrwqZo09l_ziZRVRRA1NBkhuwKvCV8s/present?slide=id.g26326a57a_10
You'll have a blast, the riding is outstanding, the hire bike was a liteville 601, awesome piece of kit and perfect for the area!

+1 for Michael. Arrange a days guiding with him with uplift by Luca (Bike Station, Torbole). He may talk you into buying a Liteville; he certainly managed that with me....

Is there a good 4 or 5 days riding there? Is it pricey?

If you are staying anywhere near Bardolino there are plenty of waymarked trails around tge lower slopes of the mountains designed by Paolo Pezzo no less. It's also much less crowded on the trails than in the north part of the lake as it seems to be much more popular with roadies. There is also a bus which takes you to near the top of Montie Baldo with your bike if you don't fancy the 1500m climb on the road.

Hi I was out there last year and, like you managed to sneak a few days biking into a family holiday.
Is there 4/5 days biking? Probably 4/5 months if you had time to explore!
The paths and trails are so expansive it's amazing. Luca at the bike shuttle in Torbole has lived and risen in the area all his life. His knowledge and passion for local trails is superb.
Get hold of Micheal Cycle through email or this forum. He's a Brit that spends all summer guiding in the area. He can also sort you out with a decent bike for the local trails at competitive prices.
The riding is simply superb and so varied you will have a blast. I planned to return this summer but injury put a stop to it!
Enjoy.
Ps I put a post up about riding last year with pics here

http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/lake-garda-holiday-report-bike-related-photos

hi, there are more trails there than I can ride in a season, I've still got a fair few to add to the menu when I can find time to explore this season. Bike hire is 35 Euros for a Liteville 301 or 601. There are bikes that cost half as much available for 43 Euros and more if you want Cube/Scott/Cannondale etc. The LV is a no brainer choice but they need reserving in advance as those in the know book them up. Fire road descents? Does 2010mtrs of uninterrupted singletrack descent to the lakeside appeal? 🙂

The links that others have kindly put up will explain lots. Torbole is the hub of all activity from where Luca and I start each day. Any specific questions please feel free to ask.

September is imho the best month of the season, the weather is still hot, the lake is still warm, the trails are in great condition and the holidaymakers have largely left, leaving the resort to the outdoor enthusiasts.

and looking to avoid the favourite German passtime of hammering it up a fireroad to hammer it back down the exact same fireroad!

We didn't experience any of that, but many routes we did were single massive road climb followed by single massive descent of not much merit compared to the effort of ascent. We did a DIY holiday there relying on routes from tourist info brochures and gardamtb.com. If your mtb time is limited, I'd probably recommend paying for guided local knowledge rides tailored to your requirements, as others above are recommending. There were moments of fantastic stuff, but many routes we did were quite good, but not brilliant. The best bits for me were probably the 'off piste' bits, the one or two occasions when we spotted and rode tracks that weren't part of the standard info available. From this experience I feel sure a local guide with local knowledge would put together a couple of much better rides than you could put together yourself.

Video from a Dutch group that were out in May this year. Gives a good summary of the trails that we do.

@michaelcycle, thanks for the notes and info. I have done a few sailing regattas on the Lake and it's probably one of the best venues in the world for that. Must try and get out there for some biking soon.

Nice video Michael! "Gnarnly Ponale" looking exciting; where do you practice for that in Holland?

It's very steep!
Spent 3 weeks on my own there last autumn and I agree with the majority of comments that Torbole di Garda is the hub for hiring bikes and find guides, which is my recommendation for a short trip.
From top of Tremalzo there're nice and technical routes but the climb isn't really exciting or technical despite I did it 4 times. I participated at a local race, the Biobike and 1 week later at the Tremalzo superbike. Many trails there.
Garda lake is 50 metres altitude and Monte Baldo and Tremalzo are near 2000. Be prepared!

Thanks for the info. Flights booked, just need to get fit now. 8)

Done a lot of sailing and a bit of riding out there - get yourself a copy of 4land map 114 - Alto Garda and Valle di Ledro, it's got a load of routes colour coded for techy-ness. Some idea of it here:

http://mapstore.avenza.com/public/60542/

Worth heading up the cable car from Malcesine to Monte Baldo - short ish climb to top of Mont Altissimo then 20k down the 601 to torbole - awesome. There's another good (shorter) route straight back to Malcesine.

More good stuff on the other side from Tremalzo down to Limone. Probably only worth getting a guide once you've knocked the obvious stuff on the map off - plenty to go at and and we easily filled a week up without a guide.

The cable car at Malcesine is a gamble. You can't book it in advance and they only allow bikes up on the first few trips.. so you join a queue and you may be disappointed... especially if you have traveled there specifically... no worry though.. there are shuttles waiting to take advantage of the unfortunate.... but then you could always book a shuttle in Torbole and get it cheaper and save yourself all the hassle. Personally I never use the cable car. The shuttle service is less hassle, you book in advance and it gets you every where the cable car goes and more. The classic of Tremalzo is easy enough to follow, cost of guides varies significantly and one chap is extremely reasonable 🙂

@michaelcycle - I'll be in Torbole from 29th-2nd Aug and will be looking for 1 or 2 days guiding. Do you have a website or email I can PM you on please?

Thanks

@mmccraque - the dates? 29th-2nd August? Do you mean 29th Aug to 2nd Sept? [url= http://www.rebbens.info ]Garda info click here[/url] is where most of the information resides. All contact details are on there, rebbens@live.co.uk. I'm out there until early/mid Oct, feel free to ask any questions that are unanswered. Prego.

I did mean 29th Aug! Thanks @Michaelcycle ...will take a look and drop you a note later on.