Stage 7: From Valle dei Laghi to Arco
Zero metres in altitude! That's how little it actually is from Valle dei Laghi to Arco, not counting the small bumps in the landscape. So you could simply roll southwards out of the valley if there weren't a few more rewarding roads on the map, which are more strenuous but have far more to offer. The first thing to do is to skip the busy state road, the main connection between the region north of Lake Garda and the capital Trento. There are also small, winding side roads that lead to the villages in the valley.
The hamlets of Covelo, Ciago and Lon are lined up on the sunny western slope, and after these communities the road winds down to Vezzano, a larger village in the centre of the valley. After changing sides of the valley, you now leave the Valle dei Laghi on its somewhat shadier eastern side and the road soon climbs over the small Lago di Lagolo up to Viote, a shoulder around 1600 metres high below the summit of Monte Bondone.
Exactly where the Giro d'Italia had a mountain finish as recently as May 2023. On the other side, the terrain now drops down into the Adige Valley and the second part of the stage plays with the mountain ridge that separates this large river valley from the Sarca Valley, which feeds Lake Garda on the other side. After a descent through a few pretty mountain villages, the valley floor of the Adige is almost reached. But about 300 metres above the river, another small mountain road branches off on the western slope of the Adige Valley and climbs over the idyllic Lago di Cei up to Passo Bordala.
Most sections are in the forest and provide shade on the sunny side, which further down is no longer planted with trees but with vines. Up here, however, the landscape soon changes. From Passo Bordala down to Ronzo-Chienis, the scenery is dominated by fields and farmland. This also applies to the very last climb of the 2023 Transalp up to Passo Santa Barbara. After that, it's all downhill on a small, winding forest road until 1000 metres further down at the church square you have to decide whether you want an espresso or a gelato first.
You can stop off here
There are several bars and restaurants along the route in the historic centre of Vezzano and you can also stop off at Lago di Lagolo. At the first pass is the Capanna Viote (capannaviote.it) and at Passo Bordala the Albergo Passo Bordala. In Arco there are bars, ice cream parlours and restaurants like sand by the sea. Transalp finishers enjoy a beer and a pizza right at the finish in the Bar Centrale (centralearco.com).
Abbreviations/variants for the 7th stage of the TOUR Transalp 2023
From Lago dei Terlago to Vezzano, shortcuts make little sense. From Vezzano there are many ways to take a shortcut on side roads and cycle paths to Arco. The state road is very busy. Simply rolling out on this road is possible, but hectic. If you have climbed over the shoulder of Monte Bondone near Viote but want to avoid any more climbing, cycle off to Aldeno and wind your way along the western edge of the Adige Valley to Mori and take the cycle path to Nago. From there, the road leads to Torbole on Lake Garda or to Arco. If you want to avoid the last pass, you can also cycle downhill from Ronzo-Chienis through the Val di Gresta and join the cycle path from Mori to Nago.
These are the 7 stages of the TOUR Transalp 2023
The 7th stage of the TOUR Transalp 2023 as a short trip
You can do it on the same day: cycle from Arco through the valley back to Terlago. The website gardatrentino.it/en/outdoor/radwelt/bike-shuttle also lists the shuttle services that organise the return journey in a more relaxed way. The smart thing to do is to take a taxi from Arco to Terlago first.
The stage as part of a round tour (2 to 4 days)
You can explore the entire region north of Lake Garda on a 2-day tour. One day of this corresponds to stage 7, either the first or the second. The other day's stage leads from Arco over the Passo del Ballino into the Val Lomasone and then over the Passo Duron to Tione. Now take the roads along the northern edge of the valley from Ragoli via Stenico to Ponte Arche. From here the road (partly with cycle path option) leads downhill to Sarche. Now past Lago di Toblino to Due Laghi and via Santa Massenza and Padergnone to Vezzano. From Vezzano, you can return to Terlago via the route of stage 7 in a different direction, but now a detour is a must: from Lon, a road leads up to Rango, where the tarmac ends. Although this is a dead end, an out-and-back tour, it is also the most beautiful road in the region with a fabulous view of Lago di Toblino from far above.
Do not miss
Finishing the Transalp without treating yourself to an ice cream is not an option. Locals say that the Gelateria Artigianale Tarifa is the best - to be found in one of the old town's alleyways, more precisely in Via Giovanni Segantini.
Cycling and events
On 1 July, the Garda Trentino region will host the Climb Cup, a road bike race with several uphill time trials in the region. All information at: gardatrentino.it/en/event/climb-cup_51811. The Italian road cycling championships will take place north of Arco from 22 to 25 June. The MAXXIS BIKE Transalp ends on 15 July in Riva del Garda (bike-transalp.de).
Info
All information on accommodation, services and sports facilities can be found on the website of the tourist board: gardatrentino.it
The 7th stage from Valle dei Laghi to Arco, 89.89 km and 2461 metres in altitude. The elevation profile and GPS data will be available to download from 18 June: If you are still thinking about switching from Touri to Race mode, you can find all the details about the race at www.tour-transalp.de.
